It begins on the streets; It ends here. • Ken Carter lives in Richmond, California. He becomes the coach for Richmond High School’s basketball team, the Richmond Oilers, having played for the team thirty years earlier. Initially, the team is rowdy, rude, and disrespectful. Carter gives the team contracts to sign and obey, requiring them to sit in the front rows of all their classes, and maintain a 2.3 (C+) grade point average. Carter asks the school's staff for progress reports of the players' grades and attendance. Despite anger from the players' parents, most players sign the contracts, though several team members walk out in disagreement, including Timo Cruz, a gifted player who also deals drugs for his cousin Renny. The school's principal, Principal Garrison, questions Carter's contracts, suggesting that the players will be unable to meet his conditions and that he would be better off sticking to coaching basketball. Carter begins a strict, disciplinary training regimen for the team, focused largely on conditioning and teamwork. He later creates controversy in the town when he benches the entire basketball team. Based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter, who made headlines in 1999 for suspending his undefeated high school basketball team due to poor academic results. Samuel L. Jackson leads; co-starring Ashanti. Thomas Carter directs from an adaptation by Mark Schwahn and John Gatins; Inspired by the life of Ken Carter. Produced by Mike Tollin & Brian Robbins and David Gale; Executive Producers: Van Toffler, Thomas Carter, Sharla Sumpter and Caitlin Scanlon. Music Score by Trevor Rabin; Music Supervisor: Jennifer Hawks • Soundtrack available on Capitol Records. an MTV Films / Tollin/Robbins production for Paramount Pictures. Filmed around Los Angeles, CA and the San Francisco, CA in Early 2004. Release: January 14, 2005 Approved [#40973]/rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language, teen partying and some drug material.