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More Than A Game DVD
A Must-See For Coaches At All Levels
By Michael Podoll, Associate Publisher/Managing Editor, Winning Hoops
Let me preface this by saying that Winning Hoops was in no way, shape or form paid for the exposure we’re giving this documentary.
Every once in a while I see a sports documentary that gets me all fired up and reminds me why I love athletics so much. The intrinsic value of competitive athletics — the strategy involved, the bonding of teammates, the self-discipline, the training, the practices, the energy of live competition, the parent-athlete bond, and most importantly from my perspective, the fascinating relationship between players and coach.
The DVD More Than A Game highlights all of that and more. The documentary, recently released to DVD by Lionsgate Entertainment, details the incredible-yet-true story of LeBron James and his boyhood friends (the Akron Fab Five), as they grow up from AAU national tournaments to the Ohio high-school state-basketball championships.
Don’t be fooled. This isn’t just a documentary that simply glorifies the unbelievable basketball talents of LeBron James. This is a documentary about the totality of team sports and the vital role sports can play in the development of young people and their eventual graduation to becoming well-rounded, contributing members of society.
Coaches, in particular, will be fascinated by Dr. Dru Joyce’s (head boy’s coach, St, Vincent-St. Mary, Akron, Ohio) journey and growth as a basketball coach during this time period. From a guy who was just a dad coaching his son’s AAU team, to becoming a high-school assistant, to being an inexperienced coach suddenly thrust into the national limelight as head coach of one of the most talented squads in high school basketball history, Joyce deal with obstacles that all coaches will empathize with.
Forced to learn the high-level X’s and O’s strategy of basketball in a hurry, Joyce also deals with issues such as coaching his own son and the stress it causes in the father-son dynamic, to the pressure of winning, keeping egos in check, dealing with failure, fundraising and more.
Les Cano, a high school coach in New Mexico (and Winning Hoops blogger), and I had a long discussion on the film and how it touches on just about every facet of basketball that makes the sport so great. Not only the strategy and the game itself, but race issues, economic status, broken homes, single-parent and no-parent families, the brotherhood of teammates, coaching changes, sudden fame — and how all that stuff gets put on the backburner when it comes to basketball, as being on the court becomes life’s great equalizer. (See below for excerpts from Cano’s blog on the movie.)
Basketball coaches can get a copy of the More Than A Game DVD — now available for $19.98 plus S&H at http://www.morethanagamemovie.com — as it’s the perfect DVD for coaches and players to watch together as a motivational tool for teams heading into the playoffs or at a season-ending team meeting as you adjourn for the off-season.
Excerpt From Les Cano’s blog: In the movie, it’s clear that the desire to stay together as a team, drove LeBron James and his teammates to the so-called ‘white’ high school in Akron, St. Vincent’s St. Mary’s. There the team met a coach, Keith Dambrot (Joyce’s predecessor), who led and trained that crew winning two high school championships in two years and a record of 53-1.
Now, place yourself in Keith Dambrot’s shoes. He had four freshmen who were mainly AAU players, good players, but still they had mindsets about running offense and caring more about scoring than playing defense. In 1999-2000 Dambrot and those players put together a 27-0 season. That was LeBron’s freshman year. The next year SVSM went 26-1 and won another Ohio State championship.
Now some people would say that anybody could win with LeBron, but I would disagree. Coach Dru Joyce in LeBron’s junior year lost in the championship game, again finishing 26 – 1. In his senior year the team regained focus and won a national championship In fact, in his four years of high school, SVSM won 100 games and lost just 6 games total. Dambrot and Joyce worked very hard to reach these players and instill the discipline needed to win. They had to learn how to work with those players, and for Joyce he had the added complication of coaching his own son. I think it’s amazing how well Joyce and Dambrot handled their players and continued motivating them to be better.
More Than A Game DVD Description:
More Than a Game documents the incredible true story of basketball superstars LeBron James and the Akron Fab Five from their humble beginnings to national acclaim. They may have been the best high school basketball team ever. NBA superstar LeBron James, along with boyhood friends Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III and Willie McGee began a journey that would take them from their local hometown streets to the world stage. Joined by Romeo Travis in high school, the five fused their talents and, with the help of dedicated coach Dru Joyce II, rewrote Ohio basketball history. More Than a Game chronicles the inspiring trials, tribulations and triumphs of five young men who became more than a team.
Critics have declared More Than a Game a slam dunk stating it “a moving tribute to enduring friendship” (USA Today), “a knockout of a sports documentary” (Los Angeles Times), “exhilarating” (Vibe.com), “fascinating” (Wall Street Journal) and “heartwarming and amazing…we recommend this movie to everyone” (Newsday). The DVD has a locker room full of exciting bonus materials including a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the documentary, a music featurette and a featurette that examines the psychology of team sports. Featuring music from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, T.I. and Lil’ Wayne, More Than a Game is now available on DVD.
*DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
• "More Than a Film" featurette - Co-Writer/Producer/Director Kristopher Belman’s filmmaking journey including interviews with Belman, producer Harvey Mason, Jr., Coach Dru Joyce II, LeBron James and other players
• "Winning Ways: A Look Inside Sports Psychology" - A look into the psychology of team sports and how it promotes character development, commitment, responsibility and life skills. Interviews include prominent sports psychologists, the director, Coach Dru Joyce II and players
• "Behind the Music" featurette - Explore the making of the film's music with Producer and Composer Harvey Mason, Jr
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2009
Title Copyright: © 2009 St. V, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: PG for brief mild language and incidental smoking
Genre: Sports Documentary
Closed Captioned: English Closed Captioned
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Format: Widescreen
Feature Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Audio Status: 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital
