Entertainment

‘Last Chance U: Basketball’ Is A Must-Watch

Reviewing a series filled with literal blood, sweat, and tears — as well as lessons from the pandemic

*Warning: spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen Last Chance U: Basketball, go watch it first. If you know you’ll never watch it or you’ve already seen it, keep reading.

I’m not a crier. I’ve only cried a handful of times in my life; I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve cried in the last ten years. This isn’t by choice, per se; so when I do let loose, it’s typically a fairly significant event for me.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the most recent time; I was watching the penultimate episode of Last Chance U: Basketball on Netflix. That’s when it fully dawned on me that I was almost done with something special.

That’s how good this series is. I had essentially given up on Netflix, at least for the time being. I couldn’t get past The Office disappearing from the service, and I had already exhausted many of the horror movies, T.V. shows, and stand-up specials that interested me.

I honestly don’t remember how I started watching Last Chance U: Basketball, but it wasn’t through Netflix directly. When I finally did log back into the site to continue watching, it was only then that I saw I wasn’t alone in being drawn to the series: it was last ranked number 5 in the U.S. as of the writing of this article (March 16, 2021).

While the merit of a piece of entertainment shouldn’t be judged on its popularity, it was still somewhat comforting to know I wasn’t the only one who this documentary series was affecting profoundly.

Fair warning, if you have absolutely no interest in basketball at all, this might not be the docuseries for you. If you’re a sports fan but aren’t the biggest basketball fan, you should watch anyway. All it takes to capture your interest is a rudimentary understanding of the game of basketball (and maybe not even that). Outside of that, head coach John Mosley will do the rest of the captivating.

That’s a part of what lends this series its mass appeal: Mosley’s struggles with his Junior College East LA College men’s basketball team, which includes a former inmate, a team captain who lost his mother to cancer recently, and thirteen other unique characters, are more than enough to draw anybody in.

Everyone can relate to struggling in life and not feeling heard or appreciated enough, whether it is with motivating your employees, fixing your relationship with your significant other/children/family, or establishing a solid reputation in your career. Everyone faces adversity, and it is how we respond to these challenges that define us.

Mosley wholly exemplifies this ideal in his strive towards perfection with the 2019–2020 ELAC team. His antics are often amusing and strange, eliciting laughter from his own players and whoever is watching on multiple occasions. Most men’s basketball coaches aren’t known for going on lengthy diatribes, complete with kicking and screaming, during practice over seemingly minor offenses from players.

It wasn’t until the middle of season 1 when assistant coach Rob Robinson mentioned that Coach Mosley doesn’t ever curse. He’s from a religious background, serving a leadership role in his local church. I paid extra attention during his next rant, and I couldn’t pick up even one curse word.

This was absurd to me at the time because I could’ve sworn he was cursing left and right from his tone and delivery. That’s when I realized you don’t need cursing to get your point across. Mosley was living proof of that. Ask any of his players and they’d say the same.

It’s not just yelling, kicking, and screaming that makes Mosley unique. This man has other qualities you would never see in another head coach at the collegiate level. Early on in the series, footage shows Mosley vacuuming the whole gym floor by himself the morning before a game.

When asked to elaborate, he explains that he lost a game years ago because the floor wasn’t cleaned well enough; players were slipping, getting fouled, and blaming the other team. Instead of reprimanding custodians or taking action elsewhere, he decided to do the job himself, a job most other head coaches would likely think is beneath them.

We can all take a lesson from this: no matter what your position in life, take a step back and do something you may not have done otherwise. If you have 1K+ followers on Medium, take some time out to mentor an up-and-coming writer who could use some guidance. If you’re an established physician, consider giving back and volunteering your services at a free health clinic or mentoring a medical student. I was humbled by Mosley’s actions, and I want to incorporate a similar practice in my life somehow.

In another memorable moment from the show, Mosley blows his whistle during a practice scrimmage, and the team lines up on one end of the court, expecting to run suicides as punishment for their lazy rebounding and overall lack of energy on the court. Instead, a “silence timer” appears in the upper right corner of the screen, counting the minutes Mosley doesn’t say a word, only pacing around the gym.

The players grow increasingly agitated waiting on the sidelines, some getting visibly frustrated with not doing anything, wishing Mosley would just make them run rather than waiting in silence. Others take the chance to sit and rest for a minute to catch their breath. After 9 long minutes of complete silence, Mosley tells his team to run it back and they do so without a word.

This is definitely a unique leadership tactic, and it was one of the many things that impressed me about Mosley’s coaching style. He utilizes unconventional ways to motivate, inspire, and push his team. He didn’t need to yell or scream or throw a tantrum this time. Instead, doing the opposite worked just as well in this case. We can all take a page out of Mosley’s playbook on leading and motivating.

My final verdict? If you have the time, Last Chance U: Basketball is a must-watch. Not just for basketball fans, but for fans of life. Complete with all of its ups and downs. And that should be all of us.

Enjoyed reading this? Follow me for more! I’m a medical student from Atlanta, Georgia interested in medicine, health disparities, and more. I love connecting with peers.