Original subtitles

Ooh child Things are gonna get easier

Ooh child Things'll get brighter

Ooh child Things are gonna get easier

Ooh child Things'll get brighter

We brothers, we brothers

We brothers, so strong

We brothers, we brothers

We brothers, so strong

We brothers, we brothers

We brothers, so strong

- Ay. - So what?

We brothers, we brothers

Hey, who we gonna be?

We brothers, so strong

Hey, who we gonna be?

Welcome to the Maryland State Basketball Championship

between Seat Pleasant High and Cedar Cove Prep High School.

Talk to us. Who's winning state?

They both seem solid.

Nah, Icon, you ain't getting off that easy, brother.

You played at Seat Pleasant,

and Phil Marksby, who you coached in club ball,

- plays for them now. - Didn't even notice.

You notice the starters in Cedar Cove played for you as well?

Jace Carson and Nick Mendez? Top 30 in the nation.

They won two national ABO Championships with you.

You teach them everything you know?

- That's a hell, yeah. - Hell, yeah.

- And they learned a lot more than that. - Amen.

I'm not even mad at y'all.

My bad.

My bad.

Ay! Shot!

That's a foul. Hold up! That's a foul!

Back, back, back, back. Drop. Switch it. Switch it, Jace.

Our babies are all grown up.

What the hell?

No more diapers.

That was a mistake.

- Aight. - Ay, shake it off.

- That's a bet. - Right here. Come on.

Offensive foul!

Come on, Ref. He's flopping. Come on.

- Let's go. - Come on, man.

- Wrap 'em up. Let's go! - Come on, Jace.

That's how we do it.

Whoo!

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...

- No. Give me the ball, bro. No. - ...five, four, three, two, one.

Final Score. Seat Pleasant, 63. Cedar Cove Prep, 71.

The new state champions... Cedar Cove Mustangs.

Hey, big man.

Good job.

I love you.

Love-- I love you too.

Come on, man! You know what time it is! Yeah!

I'm talking about, Son. I'm so proud of you.

- We did it, Pop. We did it. - Yeah, we-- Yes. You did that.

You did that.

Thank you.

- Coach. Fantastic game. - Ms. Diane.

- That was the kids. - They're state champions.

- Can I get an interview with you? - Yes, of course.

Cool. Set up.

Set up.

Let me know.

- All right, rolling. Yeah. - I'm good?

I'm here today with Dr. Emory Lawson.

Athletic Director at Cedar Cove Prep.

Dr. Lawson, what does the state championship mean to you?

At Cedar Cove, excellence is our charge.

These young men answered the call, and frankly, I'd expect nothing less.

Miss Durant.

- Hi, how are you? - Hey. I'm good. I'm Jenna.

- Hi, Jenna. - I'm Jace Carson's mother.

You have yourself a serious baller there.

Thank you. He's going into his senior year.

Is there any advice you could give me?

Some of the people that love your son, will love to hate him.

But don't let that get to him or to you.

Thank you. Okay.

- All right? - All right.

All right. It's a pleasure meeting you.

Great year, Coach.

Yo!

Proud of you.

Ay, state!

Yup. Hell, yeah.

Hell, yeah.

No matter who's holding the clipboard, I'm here 'cause of you.

I'm proud of us. Aight?

Aight. Love you, man.

- I'm gonna tap in, all right? - All right.

Love you too.

What is he doing here?

Can I help you?

I'm just looking for someone.

Hey, big man.

Thanks for pulling up, bro.

Sup, dog.

Hey. He's with me, all right. Come on.

Come on, man. You see how we do it over here at Cedar Cove.

This turn up is crazy.

Candace house.

Hey, bro, I didn't realize you was the next Michael B. Jordan.

Now don't start that.

You acted your ass off.

Floppin' and shit.

I baited you, then I got inside your head. Kinda like I always do.

Hey, you got inside the referee's head.

If we breathed on you, his whistle came out.

Man, I remember Cedar Cove wanted you too.

Could've been down with us.

And be a part of Jace Carson's supporting cast?

Bruh, I've been there. Done that.

Crazy number of scouts were there, anyone hit you up?

Saint Johns, Syracuse...

Few others. You?

Wake Forest, UCLA, a few others.

Hey, you left it all out there, bro.

And congrats.

This year's gonna go by fast, man.

I'ma go one and done,

then I'ma enter the draft.

Bruh, we're two years away from the NBA.

It's crazy, right?

We look so pretty.

Bro, what in the world?

All eyes on us.

Can't mess this up.

Flight okay coming out?

Yeah, it was cool. It was a little tight.

You're a big boy, it's gonna be tight. You like California so far?

- Yeah. Oh, Coach, you did not-- What? - We had to do it for you.

Yo. Mom, that's your boy.

Twenty-five.

UCLA has more national championships

than any program in the history of college basketball.

There are over a dozen Bruins on NBA rosters right now,

Jrue Holiday, Zach LaVine, Westbrook. You know the names.

Yes, sir.

Mm-hmm.

Given all of your options, you have to decide.

Do you want to be good at the next level? Or do you wanna be great?

What do you think?

I like it. I like it here.

It's far away from home though.

What do you think, Mom?

It's far away from home.

This is a great opportunity.

I'm so proud of you.

Hold up.

I know you not trying to cry right now.

Boy, shut up and give me a hug.

Give me a hug.

I'm so proud of you.

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday

- Wait. - Y'all, hold on. Let me get it.

Let me get it.

Okay.

Hey, you okay?

Daddy, I don't feel so good.

What's wrong, baby? Your stomach hurt?

Okay.

It's okay.

How is she?

Out like a light.

Good. Well, maybe next time

when I tell her she can only have two slices of pizza,

you will refrain from saying, "But it's her birthday."

As long as you avoid the, "I told you so" look.

But I have been waiting to give you that look all day, so--

All right, go ahead.

Happy?

Very.

There you go. Come on. Use your fingertips, not your palms.

Nice. Nice, there you go. You got rhythm, you got rhythm.

- Coach Bailey. - Hey, Coach.

Keep moving your feet. All right.

Fellas, if we continue to have unforced turnovers,

we're only beating ourselves.

If we beat ourselves, they'll eat us alive.

So, go get some water. Let's run it again. All right?

- I like how you handled that, Coach. - Really?

For sure.

I mean, turnovers like that make me wanna throw up.

- How 'bout you, Meg? - Yeah, it's enough to make me wanna puke.

Y'all done?

It depends. You wanna see the videos?

I've only seen it ten times.

I'm fine. I'm cool off the damn video.

- You sure? Because I'll put it on TikTok. - No, no, no.

I promise you, I don't--

Is Kathryn okay?

Yeah, they make 'em pretty durable now.

I can't believe she's three already.

Yeah, and the wife is getting stir-crazy.

Tonya wants to get back in the workforce,

but I don't think my old job

at Independence Tool and Repair appeals to her.

Yeah. Somehow I think there's a better fit.

- Yeah. - I'll let her know if I hear of anything.

I appreciate it.

Can y'all hold it down?

- Yeah. - Yeah, no doubt. We got it.

Bet.

Let's go. Run it back.

Principal Freeman.

My apologies for popping in on you like this, Isaac.

- I called a couple of times. - I'm sorry about that.

We had a party for my daughter. I was running all weekend.

I understand. You have a few minutes?

- Yeah. Absolutely. - Thank you.

It's a lot of work to do.

Is everything okay with Phil?

This is about Coach Washington.

It's not public knowledge yet, but he's retiring.

Wow.

He had a hell of a run. What's that? Fourteen, 15 years?

Seventeen.

After your father, he's the most successful coach we've had.

I hope he gets the send-off he deserves.

I'll see to it.

You know, I was a new teacher when your father was coach,

I asked him about his philosophy.

- He told me it was, "To love the game"-- - "But love the players more."

Yeah. He was a great man.

He was.

You've had amazing success with your basketball program.

A couple of National Championships.

Former players who are on the NBA trajectory.

And you were one of the best guards we've had in our school's history.

We'd love for you to come home and become our next head coach.

I don't know what to say.

You can say yes.

But you take a couple of days.

I'm sure it's not as lucrative as your grassroots team here.

This is about continuing an incredible legacy.

Yours and your father's.

Damn! Ten dollars for a smoothie? It gotta come with a toy or something.

I know, right?

You getting any looks?

- You Jace Carson, right? - Yeah.

I used to see you on the circuit in club ball.

I was, like, 15U. You were 12U.

We used to check you out every chance we got.

We were saying, man, "Shorty's got next."

I appreciate you, man. What's your name?

I'm Semaj.

Samson?

- Used to play for Kentucky, right? - A few years.

Overseas for a hot minute.

Now, I'm just trying to make some dough while I figure out what's next.

- I feel you. - How 'bout you?

Getting a couple looks.

Still trying to decide my next move.

I feel you.

- Hey, can we take a picture? - For sure.

I've been able to rent a house now for the last couple years.

Not just because of hard work, but because of vision.

Things turned around for me when I realized

that we're not selling cosmetics and skin care to make someone attractive.

Our mission is to tap into our customers' inner beauty

and to provide products that illuminate what's already there.

- Right? - Yeah.

A lot of significant others, asleep behind the wheel,

they're not telling their queens that they are beautiful.

- How you doing, sir? - My man.

Saw this guy today. Semaj Samson.

Played at Kentucky, then went overseas.

Didn't get drafted. Now he's making smoothies for a living.

Honestly, I can't say I'm much better than he was.

Honestly, I can.

- You don't know who I'm talking about. - I don't need to.

Maybe he didn't make it

'cause he doesn't have a mom as good as you.

You just earned you some more lasagna.

I got it. I don't know what Jackie's eating in college,

but she ain't eating as good as this.

Her go-to meal is Cheerios for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

My NIL agent has something to pitch to us.

Something about an apparel company wanting me to rock their gear.

You should've told your agents

that you appreciate the two G's a month they give you

to sign photos and merchandise.

Beyond that, nobody's gonna care about your name, image or likeness

if you don't continue to elevate your game and studies.

Come on, Ma. I told 'em we'd be happy to hear 'em out.

Well, I'm happy that they changed the game for amateur athletes.

And I don't have any problem with you putting money into your savings,

but they need to understand that I'm working two jobs

so that you don't have to worry about money.

This is a very important year for you.

You don't need distractions.

Ma.

There are some high-school players making 20,000 a month now.

Trust, I am focused.

And I like having my own money.

No living in fear.

Fine.

Take over, Ike. No one better.

That boy cold.

What's up?

Mr. Mendez.

- Good to see you. - Back at it for another one.

Let's do it.

Stretch.

You joining us in our stretch today, Mr. Mendez?

One of the reasons I fought as athletic director to teach a history class

is for this lesson.

It's a subject that is near and dear to my heart.

Now, I trust you all did your reading, so I turn it over to you.

What makes us a democracy?

Our ability to pursue our own dreams,

our religious freedoms, and our abilities to elect our leaders.

What about you, Mr. Mendez?

Do you agree with Matthew's declarations?

I agree in theory.

But not in application?

My family and friends are in Puerto Rico. They can't even vote in Federal Elections.

Puerto Rico does not participate in Federal Elections.

What about you, Ellie?

Are we failing our democracy?

I think we'll always have our shortcomings and room for improvement,

but that doesn't mean we're not a democracy.

So you're saying

when women didn't have the right to vote in this country,

it was still democratic?

Hold on. How do you answer that question, Mr. Carson?

Saying it's a democracy doesn't make it a democracy.

Women protested and got the right to vote, and we made democracy better.

But we only could have made that happen in a democratic society.

Black people didn't feel this was a democratic society

when we were denied our rights.

And now you have touched upon our big project for this semester.

Is democracy a destination?

Or is democracy...

a journey?

For the record, my parents bought a vacation home in Puerto Rico.

We love it there.

Yes! That's my baby.

Go, Jace! Go, Jace! Come on, Jace!

You've got this, babe!

Yes, Jace!

Ay!

That's a foul!

Ref!

- Are you good? - Back up.

- Come on, man. - Help.

Real slow. You're okay. Here.

Yo.

Hey, boys, bring it in here. Come on.

Listen, he's gonna be fine, all right? He's got the wind knocked out of him.

This is our game. CJ, you're in. Johnny, you're in.

- Let's go. Let's go. - Yo, come on.

Stay on him.

Come on, get back, get back.

Man up! Let's go!

Swing it! Swing it!

CJ. CJ, right.

It was a good one. That was a great win. Give it another round.

Come on. Keep it going.

Man. I'll tell you, I am-- I am so, so proud of each one of you.

The amount of growth we've made, and how quick we've made it.

I mean, we got a pair of division titles.

We've got a state championship.

That's y'all.

Listen, boys.

What I've got to tell you, there's never a great time for.

So, I'm just going to shoot you straight and tell you, okay?

I've been offered an assistant coaching job in North Carolina.

Yeah. I don't know if you know this,

but it has always been my dream to be head coach at the next level,

and I see this being the path to do that.

Now, boys, I have loved every second

of helping you all accomplish your dreams. I have.

Unfortunately, in--

in this situation, I have to pursue my own, okay?

When are you leaving?

Two weeks.

I don't understand. We're two weeks from our regular season.

I've activated a search committee, and we will find a suitable replacement.

Listen, I'll be here meanwhile

to make sure that transition happens as smoothly as possible, boys.

You said you'll do everything you can to ensure we go back to State.

I understand that, Jace. I do.

This was unforeseen.

Congratulations, Coach. Congratulations.

Yeah. That's right. Congrats, Coach.

Congratulations.

These are delicious.

They're Crystal's recipe.

Her world-famous vegan brownies.

Yet another reason to be impressed by you.

Thank you, Coach.

I don't mind telling you,

we've been tracking you for quite some time, Crystal.

Now, a part of our identity at the University of Maryland

is defend, rebound and run.

All three things that you've been doing at the highest level.

I think you would be a great fit for our program.

I've been a huge fan of UMD for as long as I can remember.

Do you like the idea of your parents being able to see you play in person?

Very much so.

It'd be a dream come true.

I wouldn't be too upset.

What we'd like to do is have you come visit us on campus.

We'll show you around

and see if you think the school is as good a fit for you as we do.

Because we're offering you a full ride.

Thank you, Coach.

No, well, I've only been out of the workforce for three years,

and these salaries that they offer me is like I'm a college kid on summer break.

It's no joke out there.

You know, you can always come and work with Holly Ann Cosmetics.

So you can fire me?

Girl, no.

Coach, did you hear about Nichols moving on to North Carolina?

Yeah, I heard. I'm sorry about that.

Looks like they're thinking about bringing in Camden Ryder,

some dude from overseas.

What you think?

Well, Camden did have some issues with his temper when he was in the NBA.

Hopefully, he's matured since then.

Jace has got too much riding on his senior year to be hoping.

That part.

We need to know he's with someone who will watch his back.

Yeah, for sure.

I'll ask around and see what else I can find out about him.

And then give me the name of the overseas guy.

You don't know anyone else interested in coaching high school basketball?

No one at all?

Who told y'all?

Told us what?

Okay, I got it.

I tell Naim, Naim tells Musa, and Musa tells you.

Or my mom's just psychic.

Look, it's--

It's not that I'm interested in coaching high school ball.

But Seat Pleasant?

That's where I became a man, let alone a baller.

I mean, it's where I met Tonya.

Naim.

It's where my dad coached me.

And no one's trying to take that away from you, Coach.

But you did say if I ever needed anything.

You don't need me no more.

Would you be willing to meet with the Cedar Cove athletic director?

Say yes. You owe us.

I owe you?

Okay. How do you figure?

- Give me time. I'll figure it out. - And you know she will.

A place like that don't want a guy like me.

Let me worry about that.

Is that a yes?

Yeah, I'll have a meeting with the man.

All right?

- Yes. - Okay.

You must be the Dr. Athletic Director.

And you're Coach Isaac Kennedy Edwards.

Do we gotta keep it so formal? Everybody calls me Ike.

Informal's fine by me, Ike. Pleasure.

You've arrived at your destination.

Sorry. Sorry about that.

You have trouble finding the place?

Oh, no, it was fine.

It's quite the architecture y'all got around here.

It's older than it looks.

Been doing some recent remodeling.

We're hatching a new science building over there,

and the main building for the upper school's torn down

to meet environmental standards. We even have a garden on the roof.

Match that rise in tuition.

Well, it did pay for the new athletic wing.

- Come on. - Okay.

Our coaches usually come from their own Ivy League backgrounds.

Had some of our playbooks, signed and bound.

We've gotten some steam from our football program,

but it's really basketball that put us on the map.

Jace Carson graced the cover of our newsletter

after winning the state championship.

But we don't let our students slack on their studies,

and provide some of the best tutors to support them throughout the season.

What is your Jace Carson plan?

My Jace Carson plan?

Well, you see, he has a long way to go in a short amount of time.

All due respect,

I acquired inner-city kids to win a state championship

and buy into the Cedar Cove way.

Don't underestimate the impact that has had.

The Cedar Cove way?

Expect greatness, achieve greatness.

Well, obviously we can agree that these inner-city kids

are not trophies.

When we succeed, on some level, we all are.

Let's talk in my office.

Vinyl?

I'm a purist.

Do you mind?

Feel free.

Come on.

Now, I know the good doctor don't have Chuck Brown up in here.

Go-go music is the soul of the people.

You mind?

Please do.

Keep what you got Until you get what you need, y'all

You got to give a lot just to get What you need sometimes, y'all

Gimme the bridge now

I feel like bustin' loose Bustin' loose

So you was one of those jack-of-all-trade athletes, huh?

Tennis, baseball, lacrosse. I even swam.

You don't see a brother grace a swim meet quite enough.

I like to defy all misconceptions.

We're capable of setting out whatever we wanna accomplish.

Winning is just a frame of mind.

Do you like to win, Ike?

Very much.

Well, we have something in common. Let's get some fresh air.

You have a very impressive list of accomplishments on your résumé.

I have to ask, what happened in college? Noticed a lack of a degree.

It's because I didn't get one.

I took a personal leave from Georgetown and got too busy going back and forth.

Six credits from graduation.

We care deeply about optics at Cedar Cove.

Our coaches have to set our standard for discipline

and take academics as seriously as our students.

For the Ivy League playbook?

Wouldn't hurt.

If it was a nonstarter, why'd you waste my time?

I got a ton of emails from parents whose kids you've coached.

Jenna Carson was especially insistent that you are the man for the job.

Besides winning,

how would you describe the job?

Our head coach needs to be a great role model and a great leader.

Profanity's okay in the locker room, but not on the court.

And players, whether they play a lot or hardly play at all,

they must feel like they are a true part of the team.

It's important for people to know their roles.

I do that for my players, not for the optics.

You're very confident in your personal playbook.

They don't call us Swagger for nothing.

There she is.

- Mike, how are you? - Good to see you.

I am well. Well.

Alonzo Powers, meet Diane Harrison-Fitzpatrick.

- It's a pleasure to meet you. - Nice to meet you as well.

- Please. - Thank you.

So I was just sitting here talking with Mike about your many accomplishments

over at Cedar Cove Prep.

Mike is one of our most trusted board members.

He should be our press secretary.

But we did, in fact, have a good year.

- Yes. - We doubled in donations.

That's impressive.

Well, how do you attest for such a dramatic uptick?

Our support team, really.

As chairwoman of the board, I get to work with people like Mike

and amazing volunteers.

I bet winning state last year didn't hurt, did it?

No, it absolutely did not hurt.

So, I was wondering if you could withstand another donation?

What would that look like exactly?

Well, I'm sure Mike told you that I work with Gladiator sneakers, correct?

That-- He did mention that.

Well, we believe that the development of youth athletes

is of the utmost importance.

So, we would love to outfit your entire Cedar Cove Mustangs.

Cross-country, water polo, soccer, football, baseball...

And basketball.

Especially basketball.

And you'd outfit our entire athletics just because of one team?

Oh, no, no.

We'll outfit your entire athletics because of one player.

Jace Carson.

He's that special.

I sponsored his 15-year-old club team.

He led that team to two championships back-to-back.

You think winning state attracts donations?

What do you think winning a high school national championship would attract?

Well, I hadn't considered that.

- Perhaps you should. - Yeah.

How are you guys doing with the coaching vacancy?

Hi, Diane.

Hope it's not too late.

Not at all.

I was wondering how the search for head coach is going.

I have two strong candidates.

Camden Ryder, NBA pedigree. And Neil Wicks.

Was head of Fieldston Academy in New York.

Both understand the culture of Cedar Cove.

Thank you, Emory,

but I'm gonna need you to take another look at one of our other candidates.

- Hello? - Ike. Dr. Emory Lawson, Cedar Cove Prep.

Hey, brother, listen, if--

if something's missing out of that office, I promise it wasn't me.

I am calling to offer you the position of Head Basketball Coach.

Seriously?

Officially, Interim Head Coach.

Meaning what?

It's just a formality.

We are prepared to make you an attractive offer,

which includes housing and day care.

I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting this.

There's a stipulation.

You will take classes, on your own time, in pursuit of a degree.

Oh, man, if I accept the job, I could do that.

I would need to pick my own coaching staff.

- But you keep Coach Seymour. - Who's Coach Seymour?

Seventy-two years old. He's been on the coaching staff for 35 years.

I won't need him.

He's harmless, and it's not negotiable.

Listen. Thank you for the unexpected offer.

I'ma seriously think about it.

So, why'd you wanna meet me here?

Sentimental, I guess.

You getting old or soft, or both?

I'm getting better and more handsome by the day. I can't control that.

So, how you feel?

Man, half of the time, I'm just as hyped as I am nervous.

When we used to play here, I taped this sign on my wall.

It said, "NBA. Never be afraid."

Been trying to remind myself of that.

Doesn't always work though.

King, it can't always work.

You know? You don't think I get scared?

I mean, do guys as handsome as you get scared?

Maybe...

Maybe you should tell yourself...

"Never be afraid to be afraid."

"Never be afraid to be afraid."

"NBATBA."

My mom is tripping about all this NIL stuff.

I mean, you didn't have to deal with that when you were coming up.

No. I just had to worry about being broke.

Man, I talked to the athletic director at Cedar Cove.

How'd that go?

It was all right.

I was walking into Seat Pleasant High when he rang me.

He offered me the job.

So, that's why all the sentimentality. To let me down easy.

That word is gonna go out your vocabulary.

- What word? - "Easy."

I ain't going easy on you one bit.

What are you saying?

I'ma take the job.

You said you was on your way to Seat Pleasant. Why switch it up?

The other night, I said you don't need me no more.

Maybe I'm right.

Might be wrong.

But what I need is to help Jace Carson cross that finish line.

You good with that?

The world ain't ready for what's about to happen, are they?

Not even close.

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

No. You're going too far.

You're gonna kill him.

Let's go!