Joseph Washington "Jellybean" Bryant (born October 19, 1954) is a retired American professional basketball player, current coach, and the father of Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant. Bryant was the head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from August 22, 2005 until April 4, 2007. He returned to that position after Jennifer Gillom was fired by the Los Angeles Sparks on July 10, 2011.
After starring at La Salle University, Bryant, a 6'9" (2.07 m) forward, was drafted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors in 1975. Before the season started, though, he was dealt to his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, with whom he played for four seasons. Bryant headed back to the West Coast when he was traded by the 76ers to the San Diego Clippers, for whom he played from 1980-82.
After a final NBA season with the Houston Rockets in 1983, Bryant headed to Europe, playing seven seasons in Italy with clubs of the Italian A1 League and the Italian A2 League. He played with the Italian clubs Sebastiani Rieti (1984–86), Reggio Calabria (1986–87), Pistoia (1987–89) and Reggio Emilia (1989–91). He twice had 53-point games with Pistoia in the 1987-88 season.
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
Gerald Jermaine Wallace (born July 23, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA.
Wallace attended Childersburg High School in Childersburg, Alabama, where he had a very successful career. For his senior season efforts he was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, an honor given to the best high school basketball player.
Wallace attended the University of Alabama for one season before declaring himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft. At Alabama, he averaged 9.8 points per game.
In three seasons with the Sacramento Kings, Wallace rarely played, but in the brief appearances he made himself known for his versatility and extraordinary athleticism. In the 2002 Slam Dunk Contest, Wallace finished second to two-time winner Jason Richardson.
In 2004, Wallace was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats in their expansion draft. Wallace started immediately for the club, and went on to have a season of averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks a game. He continued to improve in 2005–06, before getting injured in January, averaging 14.5 points and 7 rebounds, and ranking in the top 10 in the NBA in field goal percentage (54.142), blocks (2.19), and steals per game (2.44). Since the NBA began counting blocks as a statistic in 1973, only two other players (David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon) in league history have averaged over 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game in a single season.
LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge (born July 19, 1985) is an American professional basketball player with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 240-pound power forward/center and is the Portland Trail Blazers's team captain.
Aldridge attended Seagoville High School, where he became a Parade All-American and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 4A Player of the Year prior to graduating in 2004 and attending the University of Texas at Austin. He declared for the 2004 NBA Draft but ultimately withdrew his name. According to one report, Aldridge's initial decision to attend college rather than entering the pro ranks directly from high school was influenced by Shaquille O'Neal's personal advice that he should go to college and then evaluate his NBA prospects. However, in April 2006, near the end of his second year at UT, Aldridge announced that he would leave college to enter the 2006 NBA Draft.
Aldridge was drafted 2nd overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, only to have his draft rights traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for their pick, Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa, shortly after. The Bulls acquired the pick from the New York Knicks in the 2005 Eddy Curry trade.
Angel Lajuane McCoughtry (born September 10, 1986) is a professional basketball player who completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA Draft and is considered its franchise player. She also plays for the Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe Istanbul in the EuroLeague Women.
McCoughtry led the Big East Conference in scoring, rebounding, and steals, while breaking school records for most and steals in a season, most points in a season, and most points in a game. She was named Big East Player of the Year during her sophomore year in 2006-2007. In the summer of 2007, McCoughtry represented the United States on the Pan American Games women's basketball team. During her junior year at Louisville, McCoughtry broke her own records for points and steals on the season, and tied her own single-game scoring record. She played a key role in Louisville's upset of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the 2008 Big East conference tournament. In addition, McCoughtry was named an All-American by several organizations as a junior.
Plot
In shock and denial over his Marine father's death in battle, star lacrosse player Conor Sullivan, always a maverick and a hothead, starts acting out in self-destructive ways that have his mom, Claire, at her wit's end, but arduous training in a wilderness lacrosse camp under the tutelage of his dad's old combat buddy, Sgt. Major Duke Wayne, opens Conor's eyes to the true meaning of maturity, sportsmanship and manhood.
Keywords: academy, action-hero, alarm-clock, arrogance, athletics, b-movie, beer, black-belt, breaking-glass, championship-game
Brooklyn: It's funny what you notice the first time you see someone - confidence, a nice smile, a little connection. What you don't see, what's impossible to know at first glance, is everything else... at least everything that counts.
[opening lines]::Brooklyn: [narration] This is a story about the guy I fell for, but to really understand why, you have to know a little bit about the game he loves. The game's been played by Native Americans for centuries. It requires speed and agility, teamwork, strategy, and a bit of violence. You may know it as lacrosse, but Native Americans know it as baaga'adowe - the little brother of war. Their matches took days and were played over miles of terrain. The winners got land, wives, and sometimes glory. There's a lot that's different about the game now, but the thing a player needs most hasn't changed at all - and if you find someone who has it, I'd tell you to never let go.::[Movie title appears: "A Warrior's Heart"]
Conor Sullivan: So where we goin'?::Sgt. Major Duke Wayne: The Six Nations Work Camp. It's where we send all the reservation kids who can't get their life together - kids like you.
Seamus 'Sully' Sullivan: Can't a guy just slip away from the war without his family thinking something's up?::Keegan Sullivan: No.
Dupree: [in the locker room] Can I help you?::Conor Sullivan: Thanks, but I'm pretty good at dressing myself.::Dupree: No. Varsity only here. Scrubs dress in there.::Conor Sullivan: So, you're what passes as varsity around here?
Seamus 'Sully' Sullivan: Never put yourself above the game.
Sgt. Major Duke Wayne: [in the open as a downpour begins] You need to build a shelter if you plan on getting some sleep.
I told my...
Shoot my... from the floor
You wished you was sleeping
As I stood at the door
Once more is here
God only knows where
That's what it hit me
I was already there
Chorus:
I... thousand miles and more
Never find a... I've seen you arise me for
Give me the freedom to go my whole way
But she gave me much more
You gave me the freedom to stay
Walk it on room
You're too... wish on star
Searching for heaven
Well I know where you are
Laugh is just empty when you walk alone
So river where going girl
Lord is good to be hold
Chorus:
I... thousand miles and more
Never find a... I've seen you arise me for
Give me the freedom to go my whole way
But she gave me much more
Way down in the June
... of sugar came
... hand
In a roads of a different name
When the first time I feel...
I was standing in the...
When the... and the... jail
In the rose of a different name
Chorus:
... the table made the first...
Second time... my own
I believe that... goes around
Com'on!
When the devil made that...
... away
She was... with the... me
... everyday
Way down deep dirty
I cross the double side the...
I call the paint... with the bottle gin
With the rose of a different name
Because the devil made the... first time
Second time... my own
Believe... goes alone