Pilot

**Pilot** is the first episode of the first season of *Big Shot*, and the first episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 16, 2021 on Disney+.

## Synopsis

After getting ousted from the NCAA, a hothead men's basketball coach is given a chance for redemption with a coaching position at an all-girls high school. He soon learns that the teenage players require empathy and vulnerability - foreign concepts for the stoic Coach Korn (John Stamos). By learning how to connect with his players, Marvyn starts to grow into the person he's always hoped to be. The girls learn to take themselves more seriously, finding their footing both on and oﬀ the court.

## Full Summary

Marvyn Korn is driving his Tesla to his new job in La Jolla outside of San Diego, as the new Basketball Coach at Westbrook cutting to flashbacks of his time coaching the University of Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team, part of the NCAA. One night Marvyn gets fired for throwing a chair at referee when he loses his temper during a game.

A flashback starts in Chicago, 24 hours ago Marvyn’s agent, Sam, who tells him he’s found him a job, which could provide a way back into the NCAA. Marvyn is frustrated, asking if it’s division 2 and then 1 before finding out it’s high school. As a final blow to his ego, it’s a private all-girl’s school. Sam promises him that if he does a good job, he can get him back into the NCAA.

On Marvyn’s first day as the new Basketball Coach at Westbrook, Marvyn is walking down the hall and finds himself surrounded by teenage girls, all of whom look at him weirdly in their blue/white/maroon uniforms. Inside Principal Sherilyn Thomas' office, Marvyn finds out that hiring him was not her idea, but came at the insistence of the school’s largest donor, Larry Gruzinsky. His daughter is on the basketball team and he hopes Marvyn can make Basketball Westbrook Sirens a division 1 school. He asks why the previous coach was fired and all Sherilyn will say is that it was due to a code of conduct violation. “Do not screw this up,” she warns him.

Entering the gym, Coach Korn sees his new team playing on the court. He enters his new office and pulls out his phone, calling Sam and telling him the school doesn’t want him. Sam tells him nobody wants him and reminds him he needs to make this work. As he ends the call, Holly Barrett enters his office and introduces herself as his Assistant Coach. She admits to being a fan of his NCAA coaching work and he asks her for advice on coaching girls. Holly's first response is that she wants to say treat the girls like you would boys, but she adds that the girls he’ll be coaching are future leaders who can be overly anxious and a bit much. Her last bit of advice: “Don’t pretend, they’ll see right through it.”

Out on the court, Coach Korn blows his whistle to get their attention. Olive dribbles past him, telling him whistles are “Triggering.” While introducing himself, Coach Korn promises he will be direct, adding that if he calls them stupid, they should ignore it, but if he says why they’re stupid, they should pay attention. He reveals that the Sirens are 1 in 3 for the season and that their next game is Friday, playing against Laguna Niguel, adding that he intends to beat them. He instantly gives the girls advice to lose a pound, pointing to Destiny and tells her that she needs to lose 5 pounds. This prompts Samantha to make a squeaky noise that sounds almost like a laugh, who defends herself against the tough coach, telling him she can’t help it, it’s related to a brain injury when she was a child.

At the end of the line of girls is player #23 chewing gum, who Marvyn finds out is Louise Gruzinsky, the daughter of the school’s wealthy donor whose last name is also above the scoreboard in the gym. When he asks if she’s chewing gum and she says yes, he says “I’m sorry,” to which she responds “Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault.” He pulls her aside, giving the girls a balance exercise while he asks Louise if they’re going to have a problem. While telling him no, Louise goes on to compliment his looks, which makes Marvyn mad. He turns to the team, asks them to raise their right hand and wave goodbye to Louise, suspending her from the team.

Cut to Marvyn back in Principal Sherilyn Thomas office, who tells him “You screwed this up,” the very thing she told him not to do. He holds his ground, defending his decision to suspend the team’s start player and daughter of the man responsible for bringing him to Westbrook in the first place. “Look at me Korn,” Sherilyn commands. “This is not a good start.” Meanwhile, the girls are in their locker room making jokes about their new coach, still stunned that he suspended Louise.

In his new office, Marvyn uses his big TV to watch *Pardon the Interruption* on ESPN where hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon are still talking about how Coach Korn got fired from the NCAA then turns off the TV. Destiny comes in his office with tears in her eyes, by telling him that he embarrassed her in front of the whole team and says “You fat shamed me in front of everyone,” she tells Marvyn as he looks stunned, asking her to sit down and apologizing. He tells her he doesn’t see people in terms of thin or fat, but rather in terms of what they need to do to become better athletes. He compliments her as a talented power forward who gets tired in the middle of the game, to which she says she’s only playing because it looks good on a college application. She tells him that if he wants her to be engaged, he needs to inspire her, calling him a bully as she storms out. Holly emerges from her office asking what just happened and Marvyn tells her it was between him and Destiny. She asks him to join her for a beer.

At a sports bar, Holly learns that Marvyn doesn’t have any friends, spending all of his time thinking about basketball and how to make his team better. It turns out that both him and Holly are divorced. Marvyn having been such a workaholic that his wife left him and Holly having had an affair behind her neglectful ex-husband’s back. Back to the topic of the team they both coach, she tells Marvyn that some of the girls are smarter than him and more powerful, given the massive fortunes they have access to. She encourages him to change his decision about Louise, adding that she’s very good at getting the upper hand.

That night inside his oceanfront hotel, Marvyn gets a call from his teenage daughter Emma who currently lives with her mom. Prompted with questions, he tells her La Jolla is beautiful and when she asks if she’s being himself, he tells her he’s trying. She makes a joke about robbing a convenience store before going to bed and says “I love you.” The phone hangs up and into the silence of his room, Marvyn says “I love you, too.” Cut to all of the Sirens getting a text from Coach Korn that they are going to have a 6:00 am practice tomorrow and that if they’re not there by 5:50 am, he considers them “Lat” (misspelling “Late”).

With all the girls sleepily bouncing basketballs on the court, Coach Korn enters after Holly and says “Welcome to 2-a-days,” telling them they will practice before and after school until their match with Laguna. While having them do a karaoke step, he calls out Carolyn who goes by the nickname “Mouse,” who he says does it perfectly, asking the rest of the team to copy her. Then Larry Gruzinsky enters, introducing himself to Coach Korn and thanking him for suspending his daughter, thereby teaching her a lesson, while also asking for him to let her play in the Laguna Niguel game. He says that team has a player who’s always watched by college scouts and if they see Louise do well in the game, she would get on their radar. Coach Korn holds his ground, refusing to budge on his decision. Larry tells him that throwing chairs isn’t really about reversing a referee's call because they rarely do that, it’s about influencing the next one. “If you fail here, then what?,” Larry asks as he takes his leave.

At lunch, the Sirens sit together and complain about Coach Korn. Olive suggests that they all quit, which would force the school to fire him. Mouse is the only one who defects, saying she actually likes him. Olive says she heard that at UW, he would put tampons in the player’s lockers if they played “Girly.” Admittedly, the girls agree that they don’t thing they can beat Laguna Niguel without Louise in the game.

Marvyn is walking out of the school when a car almost hits him, driven by Louise. When he gets mad and tells her she almost hit him, she is on the verge of tears and says “Woulda, shoulda, coulda.” He asks her to pull over and turn the car off, getting into the passenger seat and asking why she’s crying. She tells him she needs to play in the game and that basketball is all she cares about. “I’m not better than you that way,” she says before apologizing. She tells him her dad expects her to get recruited by a college for basketball and her chances will be over if the scout hears that she was suspended for her attitude. “It’s about making my father proud,” she says. Coach Korn softens a little bit, telling her she can dress and sit on the bench at the game, but not play. “Scouts will think you had a pulled hamstring or something,” he tells her. Getting out of the car, Sherilyn stands on the curb watching and asks what he was doing in a student’s car. He asks if there’s a policy against it. “There’s such a thing as optics,” she cautions.

At that evening’s practice, Holly tells him he’s softening already over the way he bent his rule for Louise. He laughs, telling her he’s only been there two days and he’s already made two players cry, asking if he’s made her cry, too. While the girls run drills, Marvyn and Holly go over plays on a markerboard inside his office where she confesses that they really need Louise to play in order to win. He calls Mouse and Samantha in, who are taking charge in Louise’s absence, asking them to spend time together outside of practice to get inside each other’s heads. Both girls look a little uncomfortable with the idea and he asks if they don’t like each other. Mouse thinks Samantha has a crush on her and Samantha denies it. Holly tells them they don’t have to do it and they leave. “What just happened,” Coach Korn asks Holly, looking stunned. She tells him it’s just the usual confusion girls have at this age.

Back at the sports bar, Marvyn and Holly drink beer and he tells her he doesn’t think he can do this. He brings up everything that’s happened with the girls in just his two first days and asks what else he needs to know about girls, making Holly laugh. “I had no idea what I was in for,” he says, as Holly reminds him that he knows basketball better than anyone.

The Laguna Niguel game has arrived and Coach Korn preps his team in the locker room, sharing a John Wooden quote that inspired him before every game. “Success is a peace of mind, knowing that you made the effort to be your best,” he says before the game starts. Even though the Sirens are playing on their home court, they’re getting clobbered with a score of 16 to 38. During a break, Coach Korn gets frustrated with the girls for all of the mental mistakes they’re making. Looking at Holly and realizing he’s being too tough, he asks for their eyes to be on him and he reveals that he wasn’t actually a good basketball player himself, his father calling him an embarrassment. Those harsh words drove him more than the John Wooden quote. “But the irony of those words is that they made me lose myself,” he adds. “I throw tantrums, I throw chairs.” He tells them to just go back out there and try their best. “Life is bigger than basketball.” He says “Do your best” may sound lame, but it’s been his secret to success all his life. “That’s all I got. That’s all I’ve ever had. What do you got?”

Back out on the court, the Sirens drastically improve their game, bringing the score up 50 to 56. Coach Korn calls his last time out, bringing the girls together and asking if anyone can hit a 3. The girls all agree that Louise is the only one who can. Holly pulls Marvyn aside and tells him to set an example and let her play. He turns around and calls Louise in, telling her there’s no timeouts left. In the crowd, we see Larry Gruzinsky sitting with Sherilyn, both of them looking excited. Louise quickly makes a shot, adding 3 points to the score. After the other team takes the ball down the court, Louise gets it back and throws it just as the time runs out. It hits the backboard, touches the rim, and rolls over the side, not going in. The final score is 53 to 56, the Sirens lost. Louise is crushed as she looks into the stands and sees her dad looking mad.

The girls are in the locker room when Coach Korn walks in and tells them the next time they play Laguna Niguel, he expects to beat them. “This outcome was unacceptable,” he sternly says, before smirking and adding “But we’re just getting started.” Back out in the gym, Sherilyn approaches him and says “That loss was better than any win we’ve ever had.” He asks her to tell the girls, but she says “I told the coach” and leaves.

Back in his hotel, Marvyn has ESPN on when he gets another call from his daughter Emma. He asks why she’s up, saying it’s 1:00 am where she is at. Asking questions about his day, he tells her they didn’t win the game and when she asks, he says he didn’t throw any chairs. Asking if he was him, he says “Most of the time I was.” Emma tells him she thinks this job will be good for him. “Me too,” he agrees.

## Cast

### Starring

* John Stamos as Marvyn Korn
* Jessalyn Gilsig as Holly Barrett
* Richard Robichaux as George Pappas
* Sophia Mitri Schloss as Emma Korn
* Nell Verlaque as Louise Gruzinsky
* Tiana Le as Destiny Winters
* Monique Green as Olive Cooper
* Tisha Custodio as Carolyn “Mouse” Smith
* Cricket Wampler as Samantha “Giggles” Finkman
* Yvette Nicole Brown as Sherilyn Thomas

### Guest Starring

* Adam Arkin as Sam
* Michael Trucco as Larry Gruzinsky
* Michael Wilbon as Himself
* Tony Kornheiser as Himself

## Songs

Come this Far by Chloe Kohanski

Girls by Sweyd

Unstoppable by Windsor

Good Time Good Life by Eric Bowman

Anything by The Shimmy Yeahs

Girl Gang by Gin Wigmore

## Quotes

**Holly:** Holly Barrett, Assistant Coach.

**Marvyn:** Marvyn Korn.

**Holly:** It's a great honor, Coach. I'm a big fan. You have no idea.

**Marvyn:** No need for that.

**Holly:** Oh, no, I don't feel the need. We don't kiss the ring around here, if you hadn't noticed.

**Marvyn:** Oh. (Sighs) So, any advice for me?

**Holly:** On coaching basketball?

**Marvyn:** On coaching girls.

**Holly:** Uh, well, I'm tempted to say just treat them like the boys.

**Marvyn:** But?

**Holly:** You didn't treat the boys so well.

**Marvyn:** Uh-huh. Do you have any advice that might actually be helpful?

**Holly**: Sure. These girls are gonna lead the world someday. Some of them are a little anxious to get started. They can be a bit much. My advice would be not to take them on if you can avoid it. And don't pretend. They will see right through it. Other than that... let's go coach some basketball.

**Marvyn:** Hi, my name is Marvyn Korn, and I will be your new coach. I've been instructed to be direct with you, so... I am mostly a nice person. Sometimes I am not. Expect to be yelled at. Don't take it personally. If I call you stupid, I give you permission to ignore it. But if I tell you why you're stupid, then I want you to pay close attention.

**Marvyn:** You. I'm sorry, are you chewing gum?

**Louise:** Don't be sorry. Not your fault.

**Marvyn:** What's your name?

**Louise:** Louise. Louise Gruzinsky.

**Marvyn:** Okay, team, while Louise Gruzinsky and I take a moment, let's start with balance. I want you all to close your eyes, lift your left knee and touch your nose with your right hand. Left knee, up. Eyes, closed. Right index finger on the nose. Do it. Do it. Now are we gonna have a problem, Louise Gruzinsky?

**Louise:** I hope not, Coach Korn. I know you have a way of doing things, but this is Westbrook.

**Marvyn:** Tell me.

**Louise:** No disrespect to the geniuses you coached at Wisconsin, but we won't respond to "my way or the highway". Treat us with respect, and we'll respond in kind. This is very constructive criticism.

**Marvyn:** Right. Thank you. I appreciate that.

**Louise:** I hoped you would. Especially since you're... kind of cute. If I'm gonna grunt and sweat five days a week for some guy, at least let him be good-looking.

**Marvyn:** Oh, please tell me you did not just say that.

**Louise:** I couldn't possibly have.

**Marvyn:** Okay, team. Eyes, open. Legs, down. I want you to raise your right hand as high as you can. Right hand, raise it. Now knees bent. Good. Now I'd like you all to wave goodbye to Louise Gruzinsky. She's suspended from the team.

**Louise:** What?

## Trivia

* John Stamos filmed the opening scene for this episode the same day he was filming the series finale for *Fuller House* where John is known for playing Uncle Jesse in the original series and the reboot.

## References

1. ↑ TV Recap: “Big Shot” – NCAA Coach Marvyn Korn Arrives at Westbrook in the Disney+ Pilot
2. ↑ [1]