An amazing and heart felt sports/drama movie by Thomas Colbert Carter. The film is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), who made headlines in 1999 for suspending his undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results.

Coach Carter is about a basketball coach, Ken Carter, who returns to his old high school in Richmond, California, to get the basketball team into shape. With a strict discipline and tough rules, he succeeds in getting the players on a winning streak. But when their grades start to suffer, Coach feels the players should be taking their school work more seriously and locks the players out of the gym forfeiting their games and putting their champion season at risk. When he is criticized by the players, their parents and even staff members, he sticks to his beliefs, determined that they do good in class as well as on the court.

The actors in the movie were impeccable. They really made me feel and understand how the characters were feeling. For example my favourite character is Timo Cruz. He is a stubborn character he intially leaves Carter’s team because he thinks the coach’s rules are ridiculous. But he earns his way back on the team. He is a hard worker and independent. Early on in the movie, Cruz is a drug dealer with his cousin Renny, and he earns money from selling the drugs, but Ken Carter and the basketball team are able to save and protect him from the realities of the gangster world. When Renny gets shot there is only one person Cruz can turn to–his coach. This scene is so sad and the actor did a good job at delivering this message.

A scene I really enjoyed watching is right after the coach is gathering his things because he has to leave his job because of the hate he is getting from closing the gym. The Coach walks into the gym to see all his players sitting down with desks doing homework and studying. This is a beautiful scene because while the community was against the coach the team stuck to their coache’s rules. This act by the players even made the coach tear up. You could tell that he was proud.

I would strongly recommend this film to any sports fan especially basketball fans. I am a sports fan and I loved watching them grow has a team and develop new skills together. I also loved watching the sportsmanship and the relationship between teammates.

I would give Coach Carter 5 stars out of 5!