Nolte is rejected. Cheating in a basketball movie prompts alternatives from White Men Can’t Jump and Above the Rim. — Bill Simmons
Mary McDonnell and Bob Knight are rejected, with Knight’s 1987 championship after A Season on the Brink recalled as an alternative.
Flunking television in college is accepted, followed by a joke about doing it again in 1996. — Chris Ryan
Rick Fox’s brief role is placed in a strong acting run including Eddie, He Got Game and Oz, leading to a joke about an Oz rewatch. — Bill Simmons
The Gambler remains the choice for basketball point-shaving scenes. Uncut Gems is suggested for sports betting but distinguished from point shaving. — Chris Ryan
If widened to taking a dive in sports films, The Longest Yard and the devastating ending of The Color of Money are considered. — Bill Simmons
Shaq and Penny as a pair are rejected, but Shaq as an actor is accepted emphatically. — Bill Simmons
Bob Cousy and Rick Pitino as actors are accepted; Algiers is introduced with another joke about how difficult it is to reach. — Bill Simmons
Blue Chips is named a favorite college basketball movie for capturing a generation of players, though 1970s films including Fast Break remain an alternative preference. — Van Lathan
Recruiting-scene competition includes Moneyball’s first-base pitch to Chris Pratt’s character. — Van Lathan
Hoosiers’ apparently indifferent approach to Jimmy Chitwood is preferred as another recruiting scene. — Chris Ryan
He Got Game’s sexually charged Tech visit is another recruiting-scene choice.
Jenny is proposed as an apex movie ex-wife for helping with tape, recruiting and emotional support while remaining physically separate from Pete. — Chris Ryan
Jenny is compared with the wet-blanket sports-movie partner tradition; her final disappointment is defended because she has the film’s moral conscience. — Chris Ryan
Happy/J. T. Walsh, the two blondes, Lou Gossett, Larry Bird and Bob Cousy are candidates; Shaq is rejected for too much screen time. — Chris Ryan
Alfre Woodard is added as eligible for two scenes and one of the film’s best lines. — Chris Ryan
Lou Gossett is preferred for an intense roughly three-minute appearance recalling An Officer and a Gentleman; Cousy is considered too prominent across about four scenes. — Chris Ryan
