Champions

About the movie

After an incident that leads to him losing his job, an assistant basketball coach, Marcus Marakovich, is given a choice by a judge between serving time in prison or doing community service coaching a team of players with learning disabilities. Marcus initially struggles with coaching this new team, but as he gets to know the players personally, he comes to realize that they are more than just their skills on the court. He also develops a casual sexual relationship with one of his player's (Johnny) sister, Alex, but complications arise when Johnny becomes attached to Marcus and Alex becomes defensive. Marcus tries to secure a new coaching job with the help of his former assistant coach, but realizes that he has been manipulative and asks him to help with coaching his team, The Friends, instead. The team faces challenges both on and off the court, but with Marcus's guidance, they begin to improve and make it to the semi-finals. However, Marcus receives news that he has been hired by an NBA team, which causes tension with The Friends. As the team prepares for the Special Olympics finals in Winnipeg, Marcus tries to set up a play that will have Darius making the final shot, but his assistant coach warns him that it's a bad idea. Marcus reevaluates his coaching approach and sets up a different play that leads to a crucial moment in the game.—Frank Liesenborgs