By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
High School Musical 3 is one of the top movies at the box office and while the movie centers on a high school musical revue, the plot of the original movie was based on the relationship between high school basketball star Troy Bolton and math genius Gabriella Montez. Which got us to thinking, who are the greatest high school movie athletes?
Troy Bolton doesn’t make our list, but three other basketball players do, along with five football players, a wrestler and a karate prodigy. We decided to exclude athletes from documentaries, so you won’t find Arthur Agee or William Gates from Hoop Dreams. Also, the athlete must be somewhat realistic, so you won’t find Michael J. Fox’s portrayal of Scott Howard from Teen Wolf either.
Here’s a look at our top 10 Hollywood high school sports standouts.
10. Daniel LaRusso, Reseda – The Karate Kid
Daniel LaRusso moves to a new town, and when a Halloween prank goes awry, Daniel is pummeled by members of the Cobra Kai dojo. Mr. Miyagi, the handyman at Daniel’s apartment, saves Daniel, played by Ralph Macchio, and eventually teaches him the art of karate. Daniel learns the skills unwittingly while waxing Miyagi’s car and sanding the floor, but he enters the All-Valley Tournament and proves himself to his rivals by defeating Johnny, Cobra Kai’s best fighter, in the finals with a “Crane Kick” to Johnny’s chin. Memorable quote: “I learn plenty, yeah, I learned how to sand your decks maybe. I washed your car, paint your house, paint your fence. I learn plenty!”
9. Stefen Djordjevic, Ampipe – All the Right Moves
All-star defensive back Stefen Djordjevic has a dream of escaping the steel town in Western Pennsylvania where he’s grown up and the only way out is with a football scholarship. However Stefen, played by Tom Cruise, learns one important lesson – don’t talk back to the coach! Djordjevic is kicked off the team after accusing the coach of quitting on his players during a big game, which Ampipe loses. Throughout the movie, Djordjevic and the coach, who is seeking a college coaching position, have a battle of wills until ultimately the coach realizes the error of his ways and offers Djordjevic a scholarship at the college where he will be coaching. Memorable quote: “We didn’t quit, you quit!”
8. Boobie Miles, Permian – Friday Night Lights
Miles is the star running back for Permian High School in Buzz Bissinger’s novel. An emotional player with learning disabilities, Miles transforms from an arrogant unlikable character into a sympathetic one following a knee injury that ends his football career. Once football is no longer a ticket to a college scholarship, Miles, played by Derek Luke, is left to ponder his academic shortcomings and how they will shape his future. Memorable quote: “I get straight A’s. I’m a athlete.”
7. Willie Weathers, Camp Kilpatrick – Gridiron Gang
Gang member Willie Weathers is at Camp Kilpatrick, a juvenile detention facility, for murder. When Sean Porter, one of the facility officers, receives permission to start a football team, Weathers, played by Jade Yorker, joins and becomes one of the team’s star running backs. After a loss in their opener, the Gridiron Gang, goes on to a successful season with Weathers providing most of the offense. The movie is based on a true story with Weathers portraying Michael Black, who went on to play football at Washington State and with the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. Memorable quote: “Everybody listen up. The Gridiron is a football field. On the Gridiron, we do it my way, not your way. Your way got you here. Whatever gang you claim, whatever hood you're from, this is your hood now.”
6. Louden Swain, Spokane – Visionquest
Louden has just one goal in mind – defeat state wrestling champion Brian Shute of Hoover High School. Only one problem. Shute weights 168 pounds and Swain, played by Matthew Modine, weighs 190. Swain spends much of the movie trying to cut weight, causing problems at home and on the team. Swain eventually faces the seemingly indomitable Shute and comes away with the victory. Memorable quote: “I’m gonna drop down to 168 and wrestle Shute.”
5. Charles Jefferson, Ridgemont – Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ridgemont high football standout Charles Jefferson is a nice enough guy, just don’t mess with his car! Even though it is actually Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) who destroys Jefferson’s 1979 Chevrolet Camaro, Jefferson is led to believe that rival Lincoln High School has done the damage. Poor Lincoln High School. Jefferson, played by Forrest Whitaker, wreaks havoc on the opponent, making every tackle and sending the quarterback to the hospital. Memorable quote: “Tackle by Jefferson!... Jefferson!... Jefferson!... Jefferson!”
4. Gerry Bertier, T.C. Williams – Remember the Titans
Bertier may not have been the best athlete in the movie “Remember the Titans,” but he is the most memorable. The story, set in Virginia, focuses on the relationships and rivalries between two racially divided schools that are consolidated into one – T.C. Williams High School. Bertier is initially portrayed as prejudiced against black players, but eventually he becomes friends with the black players on the team and his relationship with Julius Campbell helps unite the team into a state champion. In the movie, Bertier, played by Ryan Hurst, is paralyzed in an automobile accident prior to the big game. In reality, Bertier was injured after the season. He was selected the National Prep School player of the year in 1971 and received all-state and All-American honors, according to Wikipedia. Memorable quote: “Alice, are you blind? Don't you see the family resemblance? That's my brother.”
3. Odin James, Palmetto Grove – O
Based on Shakespeare’s Othello, Mekhi Phifer plays the hero, an all-state basketball player named Odin James. But like all Shakespeare plays, tragedy ensues. Tension arises between coach Duke Goulding and his son Hugo, who doesn’t receive the same attention from his father as Odin does. Additionally, a love triangle involving Hugo, Odin and Odin’s girlfriend Desi Brable complicates matters. Like Othello, lies are told, alliances are broken and characters die a tragic death. Memorable quote: “My life is over, that’s it.”
2. Jimmy Chitwood, Hickory - Hoosiers
Chitwood is the star player for the Hickory Huskers, the small-town team that surprisingly reaches the Indiana state championships in the 1950s. The movie is based loosely on the Milan team that won the state title in 1954, and Chitwood’s character is based on Milan star Bobby Plump. Like Plump, Chitwood holds on to the ball during the final seconds and makes the game-winning shot to beat South Bend Central from approximately the same place that Plump made his game-winning shot to beat Muncie Central. Chitwood was portrayed by Maris Valainis, who ironically was the only actor among the Hickory players who did not play high school basketball. Memorable quote: “I’ll make it.”
1. Jesus Shuttlesworth, Lincoln – He Got Game
Trying to play basketball, raise your younger sister on your own and figure out where you’re going to play in college is hard enough, now Jesus Shuttlesworth, the best high school player in New York City, has to deal with his dad, who has just been released from prison in order to convince his son to play basketball at the warden’s alma mater. Much of the movie shows the dilemma Jesus, played by NBA great Ray Allen, has to resolve – making his own choices or bowing to the wishes of his father, who will receive a lighter sentence if Jesus chooses to attend Big State. The two square off in a memorable one-on-one basketball battle that will decide where Jesus goes to college. Memorable quote: “Basketball is like poetry in motion, cross the guy to the left, take him back to the right, he's fallin' back, then just J right in his face.”
