Hoosiers (1986)

A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship. A classic tale of redemption, this film features a volatile coach and a former star player-turned alcoholic leading a small-town basketball team on an improbable run to the Indiana high school championship game. Coach Norman Dale encounters several hurdles in his path: a feisty teacher determined to keep the best player from going out for the team, a town chock full of second-guessing fathers, and a group of undisciplined athletes. Story inspired by the Milan (Indiana) Indians' state title of 1954. Nominated for two Oscars and hailed by Sports Illustrated and ESPN as one of the best sports movies of all time, this triumphant tale of a high school basketball team's long-shot attempt to win the state features "fast-break cinematography” that catches the pace of the game. An abrasive, unlikable coach incites controversy in 1950s Indiana while whipping a small town's high school basketball team into shape.