My ol' alma mater has one notable claim to fame. We won the national basketball championship in 1966. Yeah, that's before I was born. Texas Western, now called the University of Texas - El Paso, started five black players against Kentucky and coach Adolph Rupp's five white players in the championship game. Rupp refused to recruit blacks.
Anyway, Disney's making the film, which will called Glory Road. The hero of the story, in both the movie and real life, is coach Don Haskins. Haskins was only in his twenties when he coached the team to the championship. He was a basketball genius, and stayed on as UTEP's coach for over 30 years. The team was frequently in the national rankings and he made a habit of beating bigger schools in the NCAA tournament until he retired just a few years ago. His gruff, bigger than life persona and burly physique earned him the nick-name 'The Bear.' He could berate a player or a game official like no one else. You'd almost never see him smile during a game.
So who gets to play The Bear in the movie?
Ben Affleck. The rather boyish Ben Affleck. Stupid Disney.
This could be the worst casting since the delicately featured Joseph Fiennes played the curmudgeonly Martin Luther.
Posted by Walter at November 2, 2003 07:31 AMWalter:
Get your facts straight. The statement "Rupp refused to recruit blacks" is flat out false. He had recruited several, unsuccessfully, prior to the '66 game.
Posted by: Van at June 6, 2004 08:42 AM