Samuel L. Jackson: stars in riveting true story 'Coach Carter'

Jet, Jan 17, 2005

The teams were 13 and 0. The freshmen, junior varsity and varsity level basketball teams at Richmond High School in Richmond, CA, were undefeated. The Richmond Oilers team was the toast of the community.

Coach Ken Carter, however, saw things differently. Being lauded was about more than just basketball; it was also about hitting the books. And that's why be benched his entire squad in 1999 for not keeping up their grades. The action made national news, earning Carter both praise and criticism.

His story is told in the inspirational true story Coach Carter. The movie, scheduled to hit theatres on Jan. 14, stars Samuel L. Jackson as the determined Coach Ken Carter.

"This is definitely not your typical story and Ken Carter is not your typical guy," says Jackson. "Both the story and Ken are about teaching young people to expect more from themselves and to see beyond their present."

Coach Carter began serving as the head coach of the Richmond High School basketball team in 1997. Players, along with their parents, signed contracts agreeing to keep up their grades. But that wasn't happening in 1999. Several players were failing. Though students had the 2.0 GPA (grade point average) required by the district to play, some violated the 19-point agreement with the coach. That pledge included maintaining a 2.3 GPA, studying ten hours a week, tutoring twice weekly, perfect class attendance, sitting in the front row in class and wearing a shirt and tie on game days.

"My idea was to substitute books for balls," recalls Carter. "With a 2.3, the SAT could be 900, and let me tell you, it's much easier to raise your grade point average than it is to score higher on the SAT."

Though the Oilers basketball team was undefeated, grades were unacceptable. Coach Carter took immediate action by closing the school gym and banning all basketball-related activities, including practices and rallies. Students later called it the Great Lockout.

Education came first for Coach Carter, who believed that the contracts made it less probable that the kids would fall through the cracks. He also felt that it made players directly responsible for their future as well as taught them respect for themselves and their teammates.

Robert Ri'Chard of TV's "One on One" plays Carter's son, Damien, who leaves a private school to be coached by his dad. Debbi Morgan plays Coach Carter's girlfriend, Tonya.

Singer Ashanti makes her silver screen debut in the movie. She plays a student named Kyra. Kyra's boyfriend is basketball standout Kenyon Stone. Rob Brown, most noted for his movie debut in 2000's Finding Forrester, portrays Kenyon.

As one of Coach Carter's star basketball players, Kenyon has a promising future in the sport, but that future could be derailed when he must make a tough decision after learning that Kyra is pregnant.

"I've read so many scripts," says Ashanti, "and I just wanted to make sure I chose the right one. Coach Carter felt right. It was dealing with issues that are very common and it's not written in a conventional way."

Having attended Richmond High School himself, Coach Carter played basketball there from 1973 to 1977. He still held the school's records for scoring, assists and steals after 30 years. He had no idea that one day he would put Richmond on the national news and put himself into headlines.

Rounding out the cast are Antwon Tanner, Nana Gbewowo, Rick Gonzalez and Channing Tatum.

The real Coach Carter wanted only one man to portray him. That person was Samuel L. Jackson, who slightly resembles Carter with his clean shaven head.

"When I heard that Samuel L. Jackson was interested," says Carter, "I couldn't have imagined anyone more perfect."

Thomas Carter directed the movie. Carter, whose work includes the hit movie Save The Last Dance, knows a thing or two about basketball himself. In the late '70s, he played a basketball player on the TV series "The White Shadow."

He focused his energies on staying away from stereotypes while directing the project.

"I wanted to deal with the good and bad of high school sports, how playing ball can focus a kid toward a dream, but how that dream can also be unrealistic and narrow," says Carter.

Coach Carter's tough love paid off in real life. Several of the 1999 team members went on to earn four-year athletic scholarships, including Damien, who was awarded a full scholarship to West Point Military Academy.

Today, the real-life Coach Carter is a much sought after speaker for youth groups and educational panels. In 2002, he was selected to carry the torch as it made its way to the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.

And, Coach Carter is still coaching basketball. Since leaving Richmond High School in 2002, he has been the head coach of The Rumble, a SlamBall team in Los Angeles. Founded in the summer of 2002, SlamBall is an extreme action team sport that combines basketball, football and gymnastic skills. It appears to be a live-action video game. Players hoop on a trampoline built into the floor.

Coach Carter led the Rumble to become the first season's world champions. Arthur Agee of the acclaimed 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams is a member of Coach Carter's team.