Hooping it up at the movies

By Will Johnson, Sports Editor
Posted 6/10/20

With the upcoming resumption of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) season, this week’s ‘Will’ful Thinking will take a look at the favorite basketball movies of …

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Hooping it up at the movies

Posted

With the upcoming resumption of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) season, this week’s ‘Will’ful Thinking will take a look at the favorite basketball movies of current Owensville Dutchmen and Dutchgirl basketball coaches.

First to chime in with her pick was seventh-grade Dutchmen basketball coach Taylor Payne.

Payne’s selections were Space Jam and Coach Carter.

“The greatest basketball movie of all time is without a doubt Space Jam,” Payne said. “There is no other movie with a cast as Space Jam. MJ (Michael Jordan), Bill Murray and the Bugs Bunny crew. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

From a motivational basketball movie standpoint, Payne’s choice there was Coach Carter.

“It is a great movie that makes any athlete want to work harder,” Payne said.

Next to select their favorite basketball move was Dutchgirl head basketball coach Ryan Flanagan.

His selection was Hoosiers.

“Hands down, no competition, the best basketball movie ever,” Flanagan said of Hoosiers. “It is based on a true story about a small high school in Hickory, Ind., that was able to overcome obstacles and adversity to win a state title in the 1950’s.”

Hoosiers follows head coach Norman Dale and his struggle to receive buy in from his players and the community.

“As a head coach, there will always be people who disagree with you and/or your approach to the game,” Flanagan said. “However, at the end of the day, you have to be true to yourself. Do what you believe is best for your kids and let the chips fall where they may.”

Newly hired Dutchmen head basketball coach Cullen VanLeer selected Glory Road as his favorite basketball movie.

“It’s a story about a bunch of nobodys of different backgrounds coming together,” VanLeer said. “They built a brotherhood to win a national championship at a school not known for its’ basketball supremacy.