Build a movie plot around this: who shocks the state by reaching the championship game in Indianapolis? Hickory
In 1951, Norman Dale arrives in the rural southeast Indiana town of Hickory to become a high school teacher and head basketball coach. He was hired by Cletus Summers, the principal and a longtime friend of Dale's. Dale, just out of the Navy, had been a champion collegiate coach until he struck one of his players. The coaching position in Hickory is a last chance for him.Like much of the state, Hickory is passionate about basketball. The townspeople are aware that the best player in town, Jimmy Chitwood, does not intend to play on this season's team due to his attachment to the previous coach and the concern of hometown faculty member Myra Fleener, who has been looking after Jimmy since his mother's illness and warns Dale not to try to persuade Jimmy to change his mind.The school enrollment is so small that Dale has only seven players on his squad. At his first practice, Dale quickly dismisses one, Buddy Walker, for not paying attention and talking while the coach is talking. Another, Whit Butcher, walks out in support of his friend, leaving Dale with only 5 players, the minimum needed to play. He then begins drilling the remaining five players (Rade Butcher, Merle Webb, Everett Flatch, Strap Purl, and equipment manager Ollie McLellan) with fundamentals and conditioning but no scrimmages or shooting, much to the players' dislike. Townsmen who have heard of the coach's non-traditional approach to working with the team intrude on a practice and demand to know what Dale is doing. However, Whit's father arrives with his son in tow and makes his son apologize to Dale for walking out and ask for another chance. Mr. Butcher then shows his support of Dale by ushering the townsmen out of the gym.With the team having worked on a four-pass offense, Dale remains committed to this approach in the opening game of the season, even when Rade Butcher disobeys him and repeatedly shoots successfully without passing. Dale benches him and, when another player fouls out, refuses to let Rade return to the game, leaving his team...