On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in downtown Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square, LeBron James was judging a public slam dunk contest and fielding questions from dozens of reporters on his most recent accomplishment, only to be whisked away to a television studio for yet another interview.  In other words, it was a typical day for the Olympic gold medalist and reigning NBA scoring champion. 

 

But just a few hours earlier, LeBron was pacing the stage nervously, trying to control his emotions as he spoke to the audience at the Ryerson University Theatre.  He had just finished watching "More Than a Game," a documentary by first-time director Kristopher Belman that chronicles the journey of James and friends Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee, Sian Cotton and Romeo Travis as they travel from humble beginnings in Akron, Ohio, to the USA Today National Championship they captured as Seniors at St. Vincent - St. Mary High School.  It was high school LeBron - not the global icon he has become - that took the stage that afternoon, trying to express how he felt about these young men who became his brothers, and all they had accomplished together. 

 

But James had little reason to be nervous given the extended standing ovation the film received at its conclusion.  Many of those in the audience arrived expecting a movie about LeBron James, but what they got was a wonderful film about family and friendship, and how basketball can bring people together.

 

The film opens with Coach Dru Joyce II, the man who would guide these young men on their journey, as he sweeps the linoleum floor of the tiny Salvation Army gym where LeBron, Willie, Sian and Little Dru first began playing together as part of the Akron Shooting Stars, the local AAU team.  Joyce coached that team all the way to second place in the AAU National Championship in Orlando, then followed the boys to St. Vincent - St. Mary, first as an assistant and then as head coach.  Belman quickly establishes Coach Joyce as the film's heart, and his wisdom and humility are important touchstones as we follow the team's meteoric rise to national prominence  While other coaches might have used the success of the team to catapult their own careers - their first coach at St. V-M, Keith Dambrot, did just that when he took the head coaching job at the University of Akron after the team's sophomore year - Joyce is constantly focused on helping these boys become better  basketball players, and better people.  

 

Coach Joyce's story is just the first in the film, as each player recieves equal attention.  We see Little Dru Joyce as he sinks seven 3-pointers in the 2000 Division III State Championship Game, using all 4'10'' of his body to arch the ball into the net and propel the team to its first state title.  We also watch as he struggles under the pressure of his father-coach's tough love, and we see Coach Joyce's own self-doubt about the methods of his coaching and his parenting.  We see Willie's older brother become his surrogate father, and we watch as Sian tries to find his own identity as the son of a local sports legend.  In Romeo Travis, who joined the team relatively late in the story, we find a classic tale of the new kid at school trying to find his place, wanting to be part of the team but finding it hard to let his guard down.

 

And finally, we see LeBron become a national phenomenon, and all the accolades and challenges that follow. 

  

In the hands of a lesser filmmaker, this story could have been a tabloid piece, exploiting the bombast of attention surrounding James while he was in high school.  But what Belman has here is a story of family, a story of five young men who became brothers, and the coach who guided them.  It's a film that will inspire people to become coaches in youth athletics, not for the fame of coaching the next LeBron James, but for the pride in helping young people grow into responsible adults.  It is truly a fantastic film, and it deserves to find an audience.  

 

And with LeBron James behind it, odds are that will find that audience, and be a smashing success.  They don't call him the Chosen One for nothing.

 

Mike C.