Last Chance U: Basketball

[ElectricBoogaloo]

“Last Chance U” hits the hardwood in East Los Angeles as a coach with strong convictions leads young men who hope to fulfill major college potential.

Series premieres on Netflix on 3/10/21

Promo:

 

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S1.E1: The Window

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Once faltering, the East Los Angeles College Huskies basketball program has become a title contender under a tough but inspiring coach, John Mosley.

 

Edited March 11, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought the show did a good job of introducing us to the coaching staff and the team without being too overwhelming. I feel like I got to know some of their different personalities already.

Having no housing and no meal plans definitely makes a huge difference when you're looking at a team like this versus many of the football programs we saw in previous seasons. I wasn't surprised to see four of them living in a one bedroom apartment, but it still made me sad. The teenage part of me laughed at the camera panning over their stacks of pizza boxes while the guys talked about how much they loved not living at home because their parents weren't nagging them to wash the dishes.

Edited March 11, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

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 S1.E2: Hooper

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Onetime major prospect Joe Hampton struggles emotionally as he tries to rebuild his life. ELAC puts its streak on the line against a Long Beach squad.

 

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Even though Joe said that sometimes he loses his temper and explodes, I do give him a lot of credit for asking the coach to take him out of the game so that he could go yell in the locker room rather than staying on the court and starting a fight or fouling out. I think it shows that he is trying to make better choices and not let his temper get the best of him.

So far DeShaun has shown himself to be a really good captain and leader. He knows when to pump up his teammates and when to calm them down. He keeps his cool and seems to have a good sense of self awareness. Even though I'm only two episodes in, I really like him. Usually by the second episode of this show, I've identified some of the knuckleheads who are going to fight the coach and the counselor tooth and nail at every turn, so I like that what we've mostly seen are student athletes who are putting in the effort to get out of there without a lot of whining.

I know DeShaun said that he usually hung around campus after everyone else left so that traffic wouldn't be as bad. LA traffic is notorious but I read an article that said he was living in Riverside while attending ELAC. No wonder he was talking about a three hour drive home. That's 50 miles through a lot of shitty traffic. If you take the most direct route on 60, you have to cross six different freeways. If there is absolutely no traffic, you can drive that in an hour but as DeShaun said, it's usually a 2 hour drive with regular traffic.

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S1.E3: Jenny

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Forced to grow up fast after losing his mother, Deshaun Highler tries to stand out in a sea of guards who have sharp skills but lack size.

 

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Even though Deshaun talked about losing his mother in previous episodes, hearing him discuss it in detail was rough. It made me realize that I could never make documentaries because I could not keep asking him questions while he was crying. I would be the one ruining the footage by saying, "Let me give you a hug! Here's some tissue! We can stop filming right now!" He seems to have his head on straight though, so I really hope he is able to heal from such a huge loss (and at such a young age). His girlfriend seems like she's really helping him get through it so I'm glad he has someone so supportive in his life.

I was rolling my eyes when they showed one of the other guys facetiming with his girlfriend while playing video games and clearly not listening to a word she said. "Are you listening to me?" "Huh?" "I said are you listening to me?" "Huh?" "You're not listening to me!" "Huh?" "I said you're not listening to me!" "I'm listening to you." JFC. If you aren't capable of multitasking then either stop playing your stupid video game or tell your girlfriend that you will call her back later when you aren't distracted. My mom used to do that to me all the time (call me while she was doing something else and then she was clearly unable to focus on both things at once) and it drove me crazy.

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S1.E4: In My Father's House

Mosley's strong faith and background in ministry guides him as he mentors his players. The team reacts to Kobe Bryant's shocking death.

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I never noticed that the coach didn't swear until the assistant coach pointed out. I guess with all the yelling, it didn't register. Now that I know, it is a nice contrast from the two football coaches dropping F bombs every other word. Don't get me wrong - I say fuck all the time, but their use of it was beyond extraneous.

The 8 minute silent treatment seemed a bit much but I guess it's better than getting yelled at for eight minutes or sprinting for eight minutes.

Edited March 17, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

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S1.E5: Colby Ranch

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Tensions rise within the Huskies despite their success on the floor, so Mosley takes the team on a retreat in the woods to build stronger bonds.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The retreat in the woods cracked me up. It was nice to see everyone joking around and having fun outside of school/practice. I loved everyone's impressions of the coach. I'm glad that they got to relax and bond before the end of the season.

I'm guessing the coach had to put up some (if not all) of the money to rent that house for them.

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S1.E6: Get Thee Behind Me

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Past postseason disappointments, including a first-round loss last season, leave the Huskies motivated 0 but also on edge - as the playoffs loom.

 

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I had to laugh when Rob the assistant coach described Deshaun as "the most likeable a-hole I've ever met."

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S1.E7: Lifers

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With graduation approaching, the sophomores get their academics in order to prepare for life after ELAC. The Huskies face a resilient playoff opponent.

 

[grawlix]

On 3/18/2021 at 9:33 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The retreat in the woods cracked me up. It was nice to see everyone joking around and having fun outside of school/practice. I loved everyone's impressions of the coach. I'm glad that they got to relax and bond before the end of the season.

I'm guessing the coach had to put up some (if not all) of the money to rent that house for them.

The retreat was a fun diversion for the team.   I liked that Hampton was trying to get as much as he could from the outdoors experience.  Also, I liked that Coach Mosley had the team come up with an in bounds play and actually used it in the game following the retreat.   The weekend did a lot for team building prior to the playoffs.  It was important for  team cohesion since ELAC is a commuter school and it seemed like the team as a whole did not interact much outside of practices and classes/tutoring.

I would think that the Coaches would have received a stipend to offset at least some of the cost of the retreat.  He could also receive a tax break from the expenses that were incurred.