Top 10 Hoop Movies to Get You in the Mood for March Madness

These are must-watch before NCAA Tournament tips off

Excited for the March Madness college basketball tournament to tip off in a few, short weeks?

Grab a bucket of popcorn and a cold soda, snuggle up and get cozy on the couch and watch some of the best basketball movies to get you in the mood for the upcoming tourney.

In David Letterman fashion, I present to you my top ten favorite basketball movies of all time. Casey Kasem would say, Let’s let the countdown begin:

10. (Tie) The Way Down (2020)

Ben Affleck plays a part close to the heart, as an ironworker and former star basketball player (Jack Cunningham) and alcoholic who returns to coach at his high school. Cunningham slowly makes changes (benching players who don’t listen, instituting a press, etc) and the team improves as Jack’s drinking decreases, but later we get a glimpse of Jack’s haunted past, which eventually leads to jack drinking again and spiraling even more.

10. (tie) Blue Chips (1994)

Nick Nolte stars as Nick Bell, a win-at-all-costs coach, puts on all his hopes on talented high-school recruits Neon Boudeux (Shaquille O’Neil), Butch McRae (Penny Hardaway), and Ricky Roe. Is Bell willing to risk his career and cheat by payoff the players? Nolte’s character is rumored to be based on the basketball career of Clemson’s Tates Locke (1970–1975) as written in Sports Illustrated.

9. Finding Forrester (2000)

Reclusive novelist William Forrester develops a unique and talented African American basketball star at a prestigious high school and helps the youth develop his writing skills and find himself. Although the story is fiction, it’s allegedly loosely based on author J.D. Salinger’s life.

8. He Got Game (1998)

Denzel Washington and former NBA star Ray Allen star in Spike Lee’s movie about a prisoner behind bars for accidentally killing his wife during a domestic dispute. Washington’s character is given a week-long pardon to convince his son to play for the warden’s alma mater in exchange for a shortened sentence.

7. Coach Carter (2005)

Who doesn’t want to see cool Samuel Jackson coach hoops? That’s reason enough to see this basketball beauty. The story is based on the true story of the 1999 Richmond High School that coach Ken Carter suspends his undefeated team due to poor grades. Carter, who starred in the White Shadow thirty years prior, has the players sign contracts to maintain a 2.3 GPA. They win an area holiday tournament but then sneak out to party, resulting in the coach forcing the team to study constantly in the library and forfeit several games. I won’t spoil what happens next. Be sure to watch the end credits to see where some of the players end up going.

6. White Men Can’t Jump (1992)

It’s directed by Ron Shelton, who also did Bull Durham and Tin Cup. Shelton’s basketball entry centers around Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson) and Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes), basketball hustlers and on-again, off-again friends, who have a schtick where Dean gets stuck with ringer Hoyle in two-on-two street basketball games. Billy bets his $5,000 winnings he can dunk, to which Sidney replies “ white men can’t jump” and Billy fails. More money is lost, and Billy says he’s going to double down on his girlfriend Gloria’s (Rosie Perez) $14,000 jeopardy money, but Gloria says she’ll leave Billy if he does. You can guess what Billy chooses to do, and, of course, he has to disprove the stereotype that white men can’t jump.

5. One-on-One (1977):

Talk about a movie way ahead of its times. This priceless gem tells the tale of a small-town, flashy Pete Marovich-type player named Henry Steele (Robby Benson), who is recruited and then signs with Western University (basically UCLA). He butts heads with the stubborn head coach, is roughed up in practice, and struggles with his studies. The coach wants Henry to reannounce his scholarship but Henry Refuses. An injury propels Henry into prime playing time, and, well … I don’t want to spoil the rest, but stick around for the classic “red-hot poker” line. Fun fact: the script was actually written by the 21-year-old Benson and his dad, Jerry Segall

4. Glory Road (2006)

Based on the true story of the 1966 Texas Western College basketball team, featuring the first all-black starting lineup, that goes all the way to the championship and beats perennial power Kentucky and legendary, but racist, coach Adolph Rupp. The film shows the blatant and horrible racism that existed and discrimination that occured both in colleges and student athletics.

3. Space Jam (1996)

No! This is not the new LeBron James one! How can you not love a movie that features Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny, Bill Murray, and “transparent” Larry Bird? The soundtrack is terrific, too. The movie does a great job mixing the animated Looney Tune characters with the NBA stars like Charles Barkely, Patrick Ewing, and Larry Johnson. It’s a fun movie with a great message. Sprint, jump, and jam to your closest electronic device to stream or rent this instant classic.

2. Hoop Dreams (1994)

Besides film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert giving it to “two thumbs,” the duo also named it the best movie of 1994. The documentary, originally shot to be a 30-minute short film for PBS, follows the lives of two African American youth basketball players, who both dream of NBA stardom. Both urban Chicago athletes are recruited by St. Joseph’s High School, a private school 45 minutes away. The documentary brilliantly shows how the two players and their families deal with race, social class, economics and other issues

1. Hoosiers (1986)

This one gets me tearing up every time. Whether it’s Shooter telling them to run the white picket fences, or Coach Dale telling his team “I love you guys.” It’s the ultimate Cinderella story. My favorite scene is Ollie making a lucky Rick Barry shot to win a playoff game, then telling a reporter, “I knew I’d make it all the way.” The movie is based on the book, The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told, about Milan High School (enrollment 161) that battles Muncie Central (1,161) in the Indiana State championship Don’t even hesitate to rent, stream immediately. That’s an order. Go! Now!

Thanks for reading!

Tagging my hoop-crazed, bracket-crunching buddies: Scot Butwell, Sreese, MarkfromBoston 🐾🍻, Deborah Camp, Jameson Steward, Frank Priegue, Gerald Sturgill,

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