It didnt go exactly according to the textbook plan for their senior year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph2Y-epihlk, You said we could watch 18 of these online for free Where are they!?. Simpson drove that white Bronco, but do you remember what else happened that day? ", The loss to Palo Alto still plays a pivotal part in the arc. Debbie Emery. The documentary details the adversity he had to get through in order to make it to the NBA. Mike Tollin:I was always a documentary guy at heart, and when I moved to L.A. Considering everything else youve achieved in your career since, how did you end back at Morningside? Calendar . 10. "Four Days In October" The 2004 American League Championship Series was the kind of sports moment "30 for 30" was made for. And if youre reading this post, I bet you love them too! But things didnt quite end how they all envisioned it. Sean Harris: San Diego State, not playing basketball. Morningside High had an esteemed reputation for basketball excellence and had just won the state basketball title, plus their five pre-eminent players were all returning for their senior years, Tollin told TheWrap. We spent most of the school year there in classrooms, at practice, getting to know the families and going to the games. "Playing for the Mob" Jim Sweeney was a Rhodes Scholar and a Naismith Award-winning superstar at Boston College. So why did he take money as part of a points-shaving scheme? Ive compiled a playlist of all the listed documentaries that can be found on YouTube at the time of creating this post. I said I am only going to do this if I can get all five of them, and they kind of banded together. The drab Inglewood campus seemed perfect and they knew that the Monarchs were the defending State Division III champions. We see the effect he had on the ABA before merging with the NBA, and his life growing up on in Long Island before becoming an iconic NBA/ABA star. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-V_2dvL-nk. They are now the Oklahoma City Thunder. 3. It humbled me as far as seeing a lot, and seeing other cultures is kind of humbling just being American. Get our L.A. 12. The documentary aired on ESPN August 8, 2017. They are all seniors. They watched some of the other shows we had done. "You Don't Know Bo" Bo Jackson never won a championship, but he did something even better: he became a mythical figure. 30. Michael Beasley2. To show you how good this player could have been, the movie starts off with Jason Kidd and Gary Payton talking about how much better Hook Mitchell was than them at the time. Equal parts Hoop Dreams and the Up series, Morningside 5 follows the starting members of that squad Stais Boseman, Dwight Curry, Donminic Ellison, Sean Harris, and Corey Saffold over a 25-year period as they pursue their dreams of NBA stardom and are ultimately forced to adjust to life after basketball. I wanted to be in an everyday type of situation. This was not a tabloid investigative report. That perception of being on the fast-track to the NBA so early comes with lofty expectations. Out of 5,000 high school seniors, Phelps says less than 60 get drafted and maybe 30 are signed. ESPN+ Inside 30 for 30. Also Read: Why OJ Simpson Will Be Granted Parole This Week. What has the initial response been so far? Amid their title defense in 1993, Dwight Curry gave voice to the lofty collective dream of promising young athletes everywhere: I feel like weve all got the talent to do it. ESPN '30 for 30': 'Morningside 5' Revisits LA High School Basketball Stars 25 Years Later. With the likes of Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball taking the Internet by storm with flashy dunks and long range three-pointers, high school basketball is seemingly having an awakening of sorts. Take a documentary look at the career of Michael Jordan. This documentary follows the incredible story of the American University of Iraq womens basketball team for a full year as we see what its like for them to become athletes, develop friendships, and get through adversity together. "Straight Outta L.A." shows how L.A. and the Raiders were a perfect fit for each other, and how they inspired the imagery and philosophy of N.W.A. Titled Hardwood Dreams, that documentary aired on Fox in prime time in the spring of 1995. I just wanted something a lot more stable. "Bad Boys" The '89-90 Detroit Pistons are one of the forgotten great teams in NBA history, which is weird because in their time they were hated. We are still working on a draft of the script and havent cast it yet, but by the end of the summer, well be elbow deep into it. And how he put a country of 1.2 billion people on his back as they watched him compete with the best players in the world. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. A documentary that covers the intense rivalry Reggie Miller had with the New York Knicks during the 1990s and the feud he had with Spike Lee. Please excuse all this obnoxious name-dropping, but it will offer some helpful perspective about time and place. People have to ask themselves questions if you are not Zion [Williamson] or LaMelo [Ball], Producer Mason Gordon tells SLAM. ESPN+ Inside 30 for 30. Was it hard to introduce new viewers to what is a very familiar story to you? With highlights from AAU and HS games becoming ubiquitous thanks to social media and YouTube, instant-fame and chances of prospects losing track of their priorities as a result are bigger than ever. Dominic Ellison: Guard at Washington State. The 1994-95 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 1994-95 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Experiencing different values, different cultures, and learning a whole lot about myself, and the world, learning all these interpersonal skills.. ESPN is airing a documentary titled Morningside 5. In popular culture In 1993, Wesley Snipes narrated the documentary, Hardwood Dreams, following five MHS seniors during their last high school basketball season as they dreamt of the National Basketball Association. During a classroom scene, gunshots were heard outside the building. "But with this, it's neither. Some are fathers now and they take the time to reflect on the journey and how basketball helped shape them into the men they are today. Straight Outta L.A. "The 16th Man" Thisdocumentary about the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was hosted by South Africa shortly after the end of Apartheid, featuredMorgan Freeman--who played Nelson Mandela in the biopic, "Invictus," -- is the narrator. 246 were here. Now after watching the documentary, I'll be name-dropping the Morningside 5 to say that I covered the last game of that team featured on 30 for 30. I watched it because one of my favorite players, Donminic Ellison, was one of the Morningside 5. (AP) Madonna Thunder Hawk remembers the firefights. It not only depicts the passion they had for the game but also documents how they coped with being local celebrities at the tender age of 18 and what came of their lives once the ball stopped rolling. A look into Jordans life when he decided to give up the game of basketball and pursue a career in baseball. Hoop Dreams was happening at the exact same time (unbeknown to us) and this behemoth was about to change the sports media landscape as we knew it, but we went merrily along our way and started digging around the Los Angeles inner city schools and found this school in Inglewood that had an esteemed reputation for basketball excellence and had just won the state basketball title, plus their five pre-eminent players were all returning for their senior years It was kind of set up perfectly. The story of one of the hardest times in Magic Johnsons life, when he announced to the world that he is HIV positive. Expected to play for Trade Tech this season. The whole part of what made these guys so attractive in the outset was that they were such an interesting mix of characters, Gordon told DIME. But for Stais Boseman and Donminic Ellison, who both played in various European basketball leagues, it was something else entirely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwI3jiR6HgE. There is nothing I love more as a basketball fan than relaxing at night watching a great basketball documentary. Unfortunately, Hank Gathers died on the court in 1990 and this documentary shares what happened. Not surprisingly, a lot of surprises unfolded. Not everybody carried a high-def camera in their pockets.". 17. The 38-year-old Corey Saffold, meanwhile, was still clinging to his dream of making an NBA Summer League roster and/or getting drafted into the Canadian Basketball League at the time of the most recent filming, despite having not played organized ball in several years. The story of Paul Westhead and his fast-paced offense that he implemented at Loyola Marymount with Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. Simpson: Made In America" isn't the first documentary Ezra Edelman has made for ESPN. The fight proved what everyone but Ali already knew: The Greatest was past his prime. Concluding with the national championship game against Houston who featured Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, they became one of the biggest underdogs ever to win the title. 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YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. The NFL. [2] [3] 11. Theres not much better than a documentary of the rivalry between two of the best basketball players that have ever lived. Enrolled at L.A. Trade Tech. I didnt want a sensationalist-type event at the expense of our students.. The story of Jim Valvano leading the NC State Wolfpack to an NCAA championship in 1983. Im sure youve seen more than a couple of the documentaries listed above. The movie begins with the start of the season. Weve had a couple of screenings people really dug in and got on for the ride. ET on ESPN. Morningside High School is 1 of 4 high schools in the Inglewood Unified School District. But I thought it was important for the community to see another side of Morningside High. Credits to the documentary team:Justin: jchandra. Through some connections, Tollin and Robbins got Wesley Snipes to narrate. Robert Licata, Foxs senior vice president of publicity, would not discuss why the documentary was rejected. I wanted something that was tangible. SIOUX CITY, IOWA - Morningside may have been the favorite coming into today's men's basketball game with Briar Cliff, but the Chargers, who have put up two 100-point totals in the last couple weeks, are hardly a team to take lightly, especially in a rivalry game. Their unlikely success came through a series of nine overtime and one point games. WOUNDED KNEE, S.D. We were able to get clearance from his employers. In 1951, the first two classes of students came to the Morningside Park area of Inglewood to attend the new Morningside High School. They have the same hopes and dreams. "So we got a bit overshadowed by that juggernaut, but it was so personal, such a seminal film for us, that I never really let it go.". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne61w4R20QE. 23. "We promised to treat the kids fairly and with respect, and off we went, and we had full access," Tollin says. That was the easy part. The list of names is also useful for getting together a Morningside High School reunion if you don't have a complete list of the students from your graduating class of Morningside High School. All five of the returning starters imagined they would be receiving full scholarships to Division 1 schools to play basketball that was their dream. Ricky Rubio Feels Back to Normal After Comeback Game, Stephen Curry on His Return to Play and Regaining His Rhythm, REPORT: Miami Interested in Buying Out Jae Crowder, Drexel Guard Keishana Washington is One of the Coldest Scorers in the CountryAnd Shes Just Getting Started, How the NBA G League is at the Forefront of Basketball Innovation, from Player Development to Testing New Rules, Frank Jackson on His NBA Journey, Proving Himself and Getting to Play for the City He Calls Home, LYNCHPIN Documentary Follows the Compton Magic as They Navigate the Business Side of AAU, LeBron James: AAU Coaches Dont Give a F**K, Mark Cuban: NBA Would Improve if American Kids Trained in Slovenia. Morningside 5 is the third installment of a trilogy that debuted as Hardwood Dreams in 1993 and the 2004 follow-up Hardwood Dreams: Ten Years Later. Seemingly destined to be the Michael Jordans of their era, the five players all imagined that they would be receiving full scholarships to Division 1 schools to play basketball that was their dream, he added. WHAT A GREAT GAME WE WITNESS!!! Each player is separately shown in situations: during classes; games; motivational speeches by NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown, former Notre Dame basketball coach Digger Phelps and then-Laker guard Byron Scott; private interviews, and just walking around campus. In 1992 in Inglewood, California, the Morningside Monarchs basketball team were the kings of the prep hoops scene. Cinema Specialist . 19. To have that happen four straight years is almost unimaginable. At the premiere in Los Angeles last year, the film raised $28,246 for the Inglewood School District, most of which went to the Morningside athletic department. Age: Dec. at 31 (1954-1986) Birthplace: Los Angeles, USA, California, Inglewood. We made an impassioned pitch and they had faith.. Application Process and Forms "Slaying the Badger" The 1986 Tour de France is widely considered to be the greatest story in cycling history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxlLCSktpfc. Director Jonathan Hock tracked down Dupree to find out what went wrong and how Dupree was able to come to peace with the direction his life ended up taking. Flora Jean "Flo" Hyman (July 31, 1954 - January 24, 1986) was an American athlete who played volleyball. Morningside 5is a unique story that chronicles the lives of five men through a 25-year window. Soon, Hardcourt Dreams will be one of three American films shown at the St. Petersburg International Film Festival in Russia. In 1992, the Morningside Monarchs became Inglewood's first and only state champs. Ten years later, Snipes narrated the 2004 TV sequel, Hardwood Dreams: Ten Years Later. Donte Greene, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nILTtwCgII8.