Yo…
Have you been enjoying the NBA Playoffs?
Notably an up and coming player who is balling out is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. A remarkable NBA player; he’s only 25 years old: in a couple more years he’s gonna be even scarier and more lethal.
I bring up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA for short) because he played his high school basketball in…Hamilton. As in…just outside of Toronto.
And because no NBA player magically comes out of nowhere, play by play announcers and sports journalists (mostly American) like to cover SGA (because he’s good) but they struggle to understand…Hamilton. Hah.
Can you imagine living in Oklahoma City, covering the NBA team and this new rookie from ah…Hamilton shows up? Good luck trying to Google that and sifting through results mostly related to the corny musical.
Another eclectic NBA player Jamal Murray (on Denver’s Nuggets) is from Kitchener. I playfully call him The Kitchener Kid. (Murray is even more confusing for Americans. He was playing basketball at a Kitchener high school then transferred to an Orangeville, Ontario high school. Deep cuts for Americans many of whom barely know where Toronto is.)
Yet their talents, their stories and their humanity instantly overcome geography. You don’t hafta know where Kitchener or Hamilton is to connect with these players.
Just watching them (even if you don’t know basketball) you instantly recognize these kids are special.
And you’ll do the same with the basketball teens of River Rouge, Michigan. You’ve heard of Detroit but it’s doubtful you’re familiar with River Rouge, Michigan. The setting of this documentary:
There’s an impressive title card in this Hot Docs documentary Rouge directed by Hamoody Jaafar.
“From 1954-1972, the River Rouge Panthers appeared in 14 out of 18 state championship games. Winning 12.
It is known by many as the winningest period in high school basketball history.”
As a documentary Rogue covers the 2019-2020 high school baseball season. All while jumping from the present to explore the dynamic past and how the past continues to sculpt the present.
Broadly, here’s the official synopsis of Rouge:
“In the 1950s, legendary high school basketball coach Lofton Greene led the racially integrated River Rouge High School Panthers to a record number of state championships in a league of otherwise segregated schools. Now, almost 70 years later, LaMonta Stone, a former Panther himself, has returned to the struggling industrial town of River Rouge, Michigan, to coach the Panthers as they chase the school’s 15th State Championship. Stone and three of his star student-athletes, including seniors Brent Darby Jr. and Ahmoni Weston, and junior Legend Geeter, strive to fulfill generations worth of work on and off the court by preparing for their next chapter of life.”
After watching the documentary, I asked Director Hamoody Jaafar an obvious question: “A lot of people in Toronto may not be familiar with like a "Detroit" high school basketball team. But you feel this story can transcend and connect with people outside of Michigan?”
I adore his answer which starts with: “Yeah, no doubt about it.”
Detroit hustles, hard indeed.
Hamoody elaborates:
“There’s so many universal themes. It’s a father, son, legacy story. It’s about breaking down stereotypes. It’s about celebrating history and a legacy that people don’t really know about. If you’re a fan of the game of basketball I don’t know how you wouldn’t enjoy this story. But not only just from a basketball lens, but if you’re a fan of humans. Because it’s a human interest piece. Obviously, we explore some very intimate and personal subjects and and personal elements of everyone’s journey.”
He goes on to add those off-grid locations add intrigue and interest. Which is true: it’s surreal that somebody from Hamilton or Kitchener is playing in the NBA. (And not just playing in the NBA: they’re affecting winning.)
Yes I’m a basketball guy, but this is more than just a basketball documentary. This is about resilience and how Detroit hustles. This is about community and connection. It’s about faith and it’s about hope.
All of these themes naturally flow in my attached conversation with Director Hamoody Jaafar and Panthers player Legend Geeter.
Rouge is playing at Hot Docs: if you have never heard of River Rouge, Michigan that’s exactly why you should go.
Through this documentary you get a window into this neighborhood which it turns out isn’t all that different from yours.
So! In this attached My Summer Lair conversation we talked about Sonny Vaccaro. That was a treat for me. I’m glad we put his name on the record and with some respect.
In the conversation and in the My Pal Sammy newsletter: Sneaking Into The Future With Fresh Air I mentioned Air where Matt Damon who plays Sonny Vaccaro convinces this rookie kid Michael Jordan to sign with Nike.
That’s the deal that busts open pop culture. Jordan signs with Nike and they begin actively marketing an individual playing a team sport.
It was such a gamble, everybody understood Jordan would be good…I’m not sure everyone understood he’d be great.
You can check out Air on Prime Video for that backstory. I prefer a documentary over a feature film, though.
For that there’s a 2015 30 for 30 from ESPN: Sole Man. You can watch the Sonny Vaccaro documentary online on 30 for 30’s Facebook page.
Did you see Air?
More Respect: I brought up documentary director Sam Pollard.
Have you seen Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children on HBO Max? (Super disturbing: the five-part documentary series “explores the tragedy that the city of Atlanta endured from 1979 to 1981 when at least 30 African American children and young adults were abducted and brutally murdered.” Sam directed two of the five episodes.)
I also enjoyed his PBS work: Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me. That was broadcast under the American Masters show. If you know Sammy Davis Jr. you know he’s truly an American Master. That dude was a #GOAT. (And I’m not saying this from one Sammy to another.)
But I truly and deeply recommend his MLK/FBI documentary.
The premise is simple yet frightening: “Based on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard’s resonant film explores the US government’s surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.” We complain about social media’s penchant for misinformation and disinformation yet what about state-sanctioned surveillance? The FBI file has become my standard; lots of people talk a lot, hashtag a lot but if the FBI is opening a file on you: you’re officially dangerous. So much for “civil” rights.
That’s your pop culture homework. (I know it’s a lot for a Sunday, afternoon…sorry?)
Rouge is playing at Hot Docs:
Sunday, April 28: 8:15 p.m. at TIFF Lightbox 2
Tuesday, April 30: 5:30 p.m. at TIFF Lightbox 3
The link above will connect you to tickets.
I’ve no Hoop Dreams because I’m more oops than hoops…
Sammy Younan
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
#PantsWorthy: A Hot Docs 2024 Recommendation