Basketball or Nothing (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Modern Day Warriors - full transcript
As their pursuit of a state championship captivates the Chinle community, the team's seniors start to ponder life after high school.
Let's go, Wildcats!
Let's go, Wildcats!
Okay, now, listen, we have to work hard
from the beginning.
But, if we do what we're supposed to do,
then our chances are good.
We have 32 minutes.
One of us will go home,
one of us will continue.
If we execute
on defense and offense,
hey, everything else
should fall into place.
- Okay?
- Hey, hey, hey.
Have some fun out there, guys. Play hard.
Whoo! The Wildcats of Chinle!
We want to win state.
No one's ever done it here in Chinle,
so we want to be the first one to do it.
It's my last year,
could be my last game.
So, every game I just play my hardest,
hoping we can go on to the next game.
And the coach
of the Wildcats,
Raul Mendoza!
If we make it to the final four,
and to the state championship
with this year's team,
I really feel that we can
get that championship
and bring it to Chinle High School.
One, two, three, Wildcats!
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
Welcome to
the Prescott Valley Event Center
for the Arizona 3A Conference
quarterfinals.
Today it's the 19th seed
Wickenburg Wranglers
against the sixth-seeded Chinle Wildcats.
The winner is headed to the final four.
Chinle! Wildcats!
Hey, nice jump right away.
Know who you got.
Chinle! Wildcats!
They're our team!
Go, D-up!
Wickenburg controls the tip
and immediately turns the ball over.
High, low.
Angelo Lewis to Cooper Burbank.
He nails the three.
Back, get back!
Wickenberg looking to run.
Chance Harvey knocks it away.
Nice defense by the senior.
Cooper to Angelo and a nice flick
to Willy Carrol, who lays it in.
Nice guard movement by the Wildcats.
And Wickenburg takes a timeout.
Don't try to do too much on offense.
Just keep attacking.
Let's go. Come on.
Hey! They don't wanna run. Let's go.
Wickenburg with a jump hook
off the mark.
Push, push. Get it out. Get it out!
Let's go with it.
Chance Harvey pushes it up
and Cooper Burbank, drive inside...
gets the friendly wall.
Gotta get the board. Let's go.
Angelo Lewis with the rebound
and the put back.
Bring it!
Chance Harvey for three.
And it's good.
Patient.
Patient!
Dewayne Tom for three.
And Chinle is putting on a clinic
right now.
They lead by ten into the half.
Okay, now...
We got a lead.
We just gotta keep working at it.
Don't slack off.
We gotta keep working, working, working...
Don't let up defensively.
And you got to keep
pushing, pushing, pushing... Okay?
Let's finish. Let's go.
One, two, three, Wildcats!
Coming through, coming through.
Cooper Burbank inside,
gets his own rebound and lays it in.
Way to go, Coop!
Chance Harvey takes the charge.
Yeah, set a pick on the ball.
If we can set a pick on the ball,
we can get lay ups.
Angelo Lewis to Elijah James for two.
Cooper Burbank takes it
right to the basket.
Too easy, guys. Too easy.
Everything is going right today
for the Wildcats.
Yeah.
And the Chinle WIldcats
are headed to Phoenix
and a berth in the state final four,
final score 64 to 55.
Congratulations, you made the final four.
Let's go home and get ready
to go to Phoenix. Hey, good job.
- Good job, guys.
- Good job.
Stayin' right here!
You guys are the first team since 2009
to go to the final four.
- That's a long time.
- All right, guys!
It means a lot, you know.
We're gonna be...
going there after almost a decade.
We have that fight in us and that drive
to get the championship.
And with the squad we have,
I know we can pull it off.
But it's up to us to make it happen.
And that's what we want to do.
I can just envision
the parade in Chinle,
and then I imagine a ring right here,
like... like Mendoza has,
but bigger.
In the state of Arizona, there's
a lot of teams that are very good.
But this senior group
is a special group of kids.
I'm very fortunate
to have those kids on the team.
Because of their character,
I think they deserve to do well
in the state tournament.
That's the first time
we ever did something that big.
And we just want to make our...
our community proud out there.
I've been talking with my parents
and I want to... I want to start college,
but after college, I want to come back
and help my people here.
Okay, guys,
grab a hamburger bun. Come eat.
My goal is a scholarship.
I've been getting letters from colleges,
but not many schools.
I've got smaller schools right now,
and what I'm trying to do right now
is just get myself known out in the world.
Go!
I'm really proud of my son.
He'll be graduating pretty soon,
and he has college on his mind.
I just hope that his plans follow through.
My goal here is
to get a scholarship to play sports.
It's hard to get noticed out here,
even when you're in a place like this.
He loves
playing basketball and baseball.
Hopefully, he gets a scholarship.
Yeah, I'm... I...
I know he's going to do it.
He's going to do it. Mm-hm.
I believe in that.
My dad passed away when I was five, so...
one of my main concerns is to come back
and take care of my mom
and my little brother, too.
I mean, he... he really needs my help...
to guide him the right way.
I just think about
how I'm gonna do in college.
Like, what can I do to make myself better?
What can I do to make my family proud?
Not going to college is not an option.
I'm nervous because I don't know
where I'm gonna go, and it's scary, too.
It's really stressful, because, you know,
I have to get out of the reservation
for a while, you know...
because I've seen...
you know, my family
struggle so much, and...
You know, I wanna take care of them, too.
But the only way for me
to get into college right now
is to win a scholarship.
Josiah, he has dreams,
he... he sets himself goals.
You know, I want him to be...
a better... person than me.
He's a good kid.
Mid-range...
Don't shoot threes.
Try to get inside,
shoot the mid-range shot.
It's exciting.
Here they are now, one game away
from the state championship,
two games away
from having the Gold Ball.
They have a difficult task at hand.
Winslow's tough.
Everybody on the sideline.
But I know we can get the job done.
I saw Winslow play.
I looked at some tapes already.
And, to be honest with you, if we play
like we're capable,
I think we can go to the... the finals.
They score a lot,
but they're not physical.
Okay, let me have
the white team real quick.
Black, let's go. You're Winslow.
Good, even if you're an arm length away,
you still have to mirror the ball
with your hands.
Remember, 10 is quick.
So, let's say, 10 gets the ball here...
and he cuts through.
Right away, they're
gonna pick and roll inside.
Once they get in the paint,
they can go to the basket or pull up.
And number 40 can do both.
He can shoot the three...
go to the basket or pull up mid-range too.
So, stay with him
wherever he goes, Chance.
I hope that this thought
becomes a reality for us.
These guys can do it,
and I can't wait, you know?
Journey starts tomorrow.
Okay, hey... we've gotta do it.
We can't just be happy to be there.
- Ready?
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
There is an enormous amount
of pride behind the team.
This is the pride of our
modern day warrior stepping up
and the pride of the people
and the fan base
and the families and the community.
We're always fired up for state.
This is the year.
Our Wildcats are gonna take
the state title. And I believe in them.
It's awesome for a reservation school
to actually be going out for final four.
But if they were to come back
with the championship,
that would be great, man.
That would be awesome, for reals.
As much as they love basketball here,
being the best fans
in the state of Arizona,
they deserve a championship.
We are proud of you!
We are proud of you!
So much
is going through my head,
because this happens
to a very small amount of people.
So, just to be among those people
who get to experience this is...
probably one of the best feelings
in the world.
Peace out!
It's pretty crazy, seeing all
these kids meeting us outside the school,
sending us off to the state playoffs.
When I was little,
I was in one of the rallies.
I was high fiving the people
that played before me.
I always wanted to know how it felt.
Good luck, guys.
I've seen movies
where they have this send-off.
You know, I've always wanted to live it,
to be, like, part of it.
See you later!
Coming up, right side!
Yeah!
I want to be one of the first people to...
bring a title back for Chinle, you know?
I think everyone in the community
would feel... proud.
It would be great
to be able to raise that flag in the den.
We win or we lose...
they're gonna get something
out of this experience.
That's bottom line.
So, they're gonna take something
from this experience that's...
that's gonna last a lifetime.
We're four quarters away
from being in the big... the big game,
the last game of the season.
Why not go get it?
Coop... let's go play.
All right.
You begin to think about it and...
not many people
have been in the final four.
And knowing that
I'm gonna be going there,
it felt... it felt special, you know?
Are you nervous?
Yeah.
Hella nervous.
Oh, snap! Look at that.
Just remember,
we play in an arena just like this.
Everyone's nervous to walk in,
but once we start walking in,
everyone starts to see us,
and all our Chinle fans
start cheering for us,
and it felt pretty good.
Welcome to
Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Arizona,
the site of the Boys'
3A State Tournament final four.
In the first semifinal tonight,
it's the top seed Blue Ridge taking on
Valley Christian.
That'll be followed
by the sixth-seeded Chinle Wildcats
against the second-seeded
Winslow Bulldogs.
My biggest concern
is trying to keep the guys calm...
and trying to get them to focus
and just reassure them.
"Hey, let's just go and play
and not think about the arena here,
the state tournament..."
You know, just play.
Come into the locker room
ready to play.
To know what's on the line is pretty...
It's kind of nerve-wrecking.
Hey, listen, there's nothing...
secret about it.
We've done it all year long.
We've just gotta go get the job done.
That's all.
You cannot relax.
You've gotta be on a sense of urgency
all the time.
Number 10 is a quick guy.
Give him room. Don't get too close,
because he'll blow by you.
And offense, like I said,
if we're patient,
we'll get good shots, I guarantee you.
Play hard defense
and shut these guys down.
Everybody gotta board.
You guys control the tempo.
Let them play Wildcat basketball,
all right?
- Wildcats on three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
I'm very confident,
because we all come together.
We played together
when we were smaller,
and we're all one big family.
And that means a lot,
'cause it's my last year.
We take care of each other
and love each other,
because we won't be like this again,
you know.
We'll all be, like,
grown up one day, you know?
Let's do it!
We are just about ready to tip it off.
The top-seeded Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets
have punched their ticket into the finals.
They'll play the winner of this game,
Chinle versus Winslow,
for the State Championship
on Monday night.
The best defense of the season
is right here, guys. Let's play it now.
- Go, Coach.
- Get it done.
- Go.
- Get it done.
The tip controlled by Chinle.
We're out. We're out!
Find them, find them!
There's Elijah James
with a foul line jumper.
Yeah!
Go, go, go with it. Go with it!
Cooper Burbank with the rebound
and the outlet pass to Angelo Lewis,
and he lays it in.
There you go. Every time, LoLo!
A strong start for the Wildcats.
Take him all the way.
Dewayne Tom at the top of the key. He
splits the defenders and hits the rudder.
And quickly, Chinle is up seven.
Good job.
Angelo Lewis with the rebound
and the put back.
Yeah!
Chinle with a strong start.
They lead by seven after one quarter.
Guys, hey. Stay with it! Stay with it.
Protect this lead now.
Keep this lead. Build it.
- Take care of the ball.
- Hey, let's go.
- Keep playing.
- Wildcats on three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
- Let's go!
- Turn around. Turn around!
- Second quarter is underway.
Winslow pushes the ball up...
Go, re!
And the three-pointer, it's good.
By number 10, Darius James.
Come at them, hard!
Cooper, push it up right away.
Winslow with the trap and the steal.
Hey, you can't let that happen.
Good ball movement by Winslow.
And the game is all tied up.
You've gotta be alert on that!
Winslow rips away the rebound.
- And it's James again!
- Timeout!
- The lay in, and a foul.
- We need a time.
Timeout, Chinle.
Winslow has their first lead of the game.
Hey!
Physically, these are hustling right now.
Can't leave them open.
Remember, the closest man, you gotta go.
It don't matter if it's your man, okay?
Stop penetration.
We can't go to sleep. Come on. Go!
Gotta go!
P-up, P-up!
Winslow with the ball.
Darius James
guarded by Cooper Burbank.
And it's James with the nice move.
Great finish by the junior.
Go, go!
Cooper drives to the basket.
But it won't go for the Wildcats.
P-up, let's go!
James again on the drive,
with a tough lay in.
Winslow responds in the second quarter,
and they'll take a three-point lead
into the locker room at half time.
Guys...
you gotta want the ball more than they do.
You can't be passive.
You've got to want it.
Offensively, we need to be more patient.
Make them work on defense.
A couple of times,
they caught us on the trap.
When you pass the ball,
try to find the open man
and we'll get your shots.
Keep your poise. Keep your poise.
At this point in time,
I think you can match up with anybody.
- Let's go. Come on. Ready?
- Let's go!
- Wildcats on three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
Lo, come to the middle of the trap.
And the second half is underway
here at Gila River Arena.
And the jumper is good
by number 40, Ricardo Villanueva.
Gotta get the ball!
Winslow again with a smooth lay in.
Bulldogs by seven,
midway through the third.
Hey, we gotta rebound.
The rebound and put back,
and Winslow takes
- a commanding 13-point lead.
- Timeout!
Coach Raul Mendoza has seen enough
and he'll take a timeout.
Hey!
Keep your composure.
We got...
We can get better shots than that.
We're beating ourselves, taking bad shots.
But we've gotta get some stops too.
Make sure we give no more lay ups to them.
Make sure we get
a high percent. Let's go.
Pick on the ball, pick on the ball.
Chinle looking for a spark.
Go, LoLo! Go to work.
Angelo Lewis draws contact.
The basket is good, and the foul.
- Go to work, LoLo. It's all you.
- Do it again!
- Again!
- Angelo drives, a great look
to Peyton Wagner for the lay in.
- The lead is down to single digits.
- Be on them!
Wildcats hanging around.
Top, top!
Dewayne Tom with the steal,
pushes it up...
and lays it in.
Chinle down six.
We've seen this before from the Wildcats.
They had an incredible comeback
to open the state tournament against ALA.
We're not out of the game!
Defensively, we've gotta
keep making stops.
Don't quit now.
We've got five minutes to go.
- You can do it!
- Okay, guys!
- Let's go, man!
- Don't give up!
- On three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
Let's go!
He's running it. Help, help.
No. Killin' us.
Winslow answers back.
It's James again.
That a boy. Let's go!
Winslow with a tough rebound
and put back.
The lead is back to ten.
Angelo Lewis directing traffic,
and it's stolen.
Turn around, turn around!
Winslow the length of the court
for the lay in.
And just like that, the Bulldogs are up 12
with just three minutes left in the game.
Can we get a timeout?
Guys, I know you're tired.
Just play smart.
Play with a little sense of urgency
on defense. Okay?
We can do it. Come on, let's go.
- Let's go!
- Wildcats on three.
One, two, three, Wildcats!
Let's go.
Come on, too easy. Let's go.
And it's James
one more time for Winslow.
That might be the dagger.
The dream season for the Wildcats
is coming to an end here tonight
at Gila River.
Chinle won the 3A North.
They made it to the final four.
They fall short at the hands
of the Winslow Bulldogs.
68-57 is your final.
Here we go!
On three, ready?
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
- Go shake hands.
Winslow is moving on
to the state title game.
Chinle's quest for their
first ever state title
will have to wait another year.
Okay, guys.
We had a good year.
We wanted to be the best in the North,
we did.
We wanted to make it here,
and we did.
The only thing is that we just didn't
finish what we... we came to do.
So don't put your head down.
Just look at it and say,
"Hey. What can I gain from this?
This is what makes me a better person."
Right?
Good job.
Don't be draggin' your head.
Don't be slumpin' your shoulders.
You guys made us proud.
I know it's a tough loss.
I see some emotions and...
it's good that as young men,
you can feel
what you're feeling right now.
It's what makes you a stronger person.
And, uh...
you know, I'm proud of you personally,
but I can guarantee you
the whole rez is proud of you.
And then when we get home,
you can walk with your head up high.
We're the only team from the rez
in the final four.
- All right?
- Okay, man.
This was the group
that was supposed to win it, you know?
That's what I believed at the start
and I saw it all.
Just... didn't happen.
Can't make another group like this.
That's just how special it was.
I'll miss you.
Dewayne.
Hey.
Thanks for being part of the team.
I hope you better get to work.
Willie.
- I'm gonna miss you. All right?
- Yes.
You're... You're our man, Elijah.
You don't say much,
but I'm gonna miss you.
Hopefully, I'll see you again next year
and you'll be ready to be back over here.
- You too, Cooper.
- Thank you.
And... And same thing with you.
Lo, good job.
Lo.
Uh, it's kind of heartbreaking,
but, you know, um...
you know this will be a memory
that I'll cherish forever.
I just wish we made history a little,
but this team is special, and...
next year's team,
they're gonna do great things too.
And it's just a matter of time before we
get a state championship for Chinle.
The goal of the basketball team
is always gonna be
to try to win a state title.
But, as an educator, we always say
that the biggest thing we want
on top of that
is for our students to...
to learn the lessons
that the sport has to provide us,
and to apply those lifelong lessons
to become more successful in life.
The ultimate goal is for those
student athletes to become
successful in whatever avenues
they pursue after high school.
Soak it in, enjoy it.
I'm going to
an American Indian college called SAGU,
Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
It's in Phoenix.
And... I got recruited
for basketball for... for them, and...
I'll be rooming with Chance
and that's... that's pretty cool,
'cause I get to go with one of...
one of my friends from Chinle High School.
Hey, look at the camera.
Yeah, I'm the first one
in my family to get a scholarship.
I want to help my mom out a lot,
and just, I don't know...
just, like, have a good life, you know?
To have Dewayne and Chance have
the opportunity to play at the next level,
to me, that's probably more important,
because now they have a chance
to get their education...
Just keep faking like you're signing.
This is...
...and pursue what they need to do
and have a successful life
in their adulthood.
Well...
when I signed to college...
the day before, I'm talking to my mom...
...about how my dad would
have been proud of me.
When I sat there...
I sat there signing my paper, and...
I was looking for my dad.
I thought he would be there for me.
That was hard, but...
I know he's proud.
Everybody, smile.
- Cheese.
- Good?
The hardest part about leaving the rez
will be leaving my family...
He can't stop
waving for the photographer.
...just leaving them here.
Look, look.
Smile at Chance. Look, smile.
- Cheese!
- Cheese!
He's cute.
I just want to thank the parents
especially,
to have the opportunity
to work with their kids.
I'm gonna miss both of them especially.
We wouldn't have had the success
we had this year without them.
So, we got some big holes
to fill in for next year,
when these guys leave.
This right her is what this whole thing
is all about.
Not just the school
and not just the court, but right here.
Everything they've learned here,
everything they've experienced here,
they've gotta take this
and apply it to life.
This is only the beginning
of the next step.
I know you're prepared,
so go do it right.
Good job, guys.
Thanks for coming in today.
Senior year's not only here,
but it's done in two days.
Soon as you walk across that stage,
it's... it's it, you know?
At the start of Josiah's senior year,
he had come to me, and he was
concerned about his future.
So I told him to make a shortlist,
you know, top five, top six schools
that he would like to go to.
We talked about ASU, right?
And that's... that was what you said
was the school that you wanted to go to,
because it has your major.
Mm-hm. It has my...
Yeah, my electronics teacher
was telling me
it's the best school in the state
for my major
and one of the best in the country, so...
So I just did some quick math
and looked up stuff with ASU,
if that's still the place to go.
You're talking $27,530 a year.
That's tuition, that's fees,
that's room and board.
So, 27,500...
We're talking $30,000.
That's a new truck, man,
every year for four to five years.
That's... That's the thing
that I was worried about too,
'cause, uh, the...
I think the only way
for me to get into a good school
or to a university I really want to go to,
is an athletic scholarship.
I don't really see that happening
with ASU right now.
I don't know, I just don't want
to keep moving forward
and have everything just go downhill.
But ASU is it though, right? You...
If you had your pick of the litter,
- It's ASU, with that electronics program?
- Yeah.
Well, the next step is this.
Hold on.
Read it out loud.
It says, "Dear Josiah,
Congratulations, you have been
admitted to Arizona State University
for the fall of 2018 semester.
We are also pleased to inform you
that you have been selected
as an Obama Scholar.
This letter is more than
an offer of admission to ASU.
It is our confirmation that you possess
the skills and abilities to succeed
in the Sun Devil Community.
We congratulate you on achieving
this important milestone."
So, what do you think that means?
- I'm in?
- You've been accepted.
Do you know what
the Obama Scholarship is?
No.
Do you have any idea
what this means?
He's gonna see Obama?
This means...
everything is covered.
Everything.
This is over $30,000 a year
until you finish your degree.
This is tuition...
fees...
room, board...
Pack your bags, brother, you're goin'.
Oh!
Oh...
I'm so happy for you.
I'm proud of you.
Oh, dear.
Phew!
This is... pretty amazing, and...
One of my lifelong dreams
is to go to college, and...
You know, hopefully
I get the highest degree I can, so...
- Oh, gosh, I'm just... nervous.
- "Congratulations."
My heart's still racing.
- I just... can't believe it.
- Wow!
So, traditionally, they say,
"What do you do
when something becomes a part of you?"
What do you need to do with that
right now...
to make it a part of you?
- Breathe it in.
- Yeah.
- Four times.
- Four times.
In four to five years from now,
we want another piece of paper
in front of you...
that is a college degree.
You know, and then, hopefully,
you can bring your success back here
and help the next generation.
That's how we change our communities.
It's my first time graduating.
Nervous.
I always look at it this way,
it's always about the kids.
Because I always believe it's the seniors
that set the tone on the team.
Chance, Dewayne, Josiah...
were a big key to the success of the team.
The class of 2018,
let's give them a round of applause.
That showed
what they're capable of doing,
by leading that team to the final four.
The more you think about it,
the more you realize how fortunate we were
to have those young people on our team.
And then, you realize
how much you're gonna miss them, you know?
Not just as... as a player,
but as an individual.
Chance Harvey,
son of Laprail Brown.
Dewayne Tom,
son of Nathaniel and Jerilene Tom.
Josiah Tsosie, son of Rosalyn Halwood.
Wow.
Graduation, and high school is over.
Now, it's time to go on to college
and pursue my dreams.
Our kids have struggles.
They may be greater or lesser
than those of students
off the reservation, or in cities,
but the takeaway is our kids
are capable of amazing things,
and they're turning obstacles
into opportunities.
Subtitle translation by Suzanne Gardent
Let's go, Wildcats!
Okay, now, listen, we have to work hard
from the beginning.
But, if we do what we're supposed to do,
then our chances are good.
We have 32 minutes.
One of us will go home,
one of us will continue.
If we execute
on defense and offense,
hey, everything else
should fall into place.
- Okay?
- Hey, hey, hey.
Have some fun out there, guys. Play hard.
Whoo! The Wildcats of Chinle!
We want to win state.
No one's ever done it here in Chinle,
so we want to be the first one to do it.
It's my last year,
could be my last game.
So, every game I just play my hardest,
hoping we can go on to the next game.
And the coach
of the Wildcats,
Raul Mendoza!
If we make it to the final four,
and to the state championship
with this year's team,
I really feel that we can
get that championship
and bring it to Chinle High School.
One, two, three, Wildcats!
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
Welcome to
the Prescott Valley Event Center
for the Arizona 3A Conference
quarterfinals.
Today it's the 19th seed
Wickenburg Wranglers
against the sixth-seeded Chinle Wildcats.
The winner is headed to the final four.
Chinle! Wildcats!
Hey, nice jump right away.
Know who you got.
Chinle! Wildcats!
They're our team!
Go, D-up!
Wickenburg controls the tip
and immediately turns the ball over.
High, low.
Angelo Lewis to Cooper Burbank.
He nails the three.
Back, get back!
Wickenberg looking to run.
Chance Harvey knocks it away.
Nice defense by the senior.
Cooper to Angelo and a nice flick
to Willy Carrol, who lays it in.
Nice guard movement by the Wildcats.
And Wickenburg takes a timeout.
Don't try to do too much on offense.
Just keep attacking.
Let's go. Come on.
Hey! They don't wanna run. Let's go.
Wickenburg with a jump hook
off the mark.
Push, push. Get it out. Get it out!
Let's go with it.
Chance Harvey pushes it up
and Cooper Burbank, drive inside...
gets the friendly wall.
Gotta get the board. Let's go.
Angelo Lewis with the rebound
and the put back.
Bring it!
Chance Harvey for three.
And it's good.
Patient.
Patient!
Dewayne Tom for three.
And Chinle is putting on a clinic
right now.
They lead by ten into the half.
Okay, now...
We got a lead.
We just gotta keep working at it.
Don't slack off.
We gotta keep working, working, working...
Don't let up defensively.
And you got to keep
pushing, pushing, pushing... Okay?
Let's finish. Let's go.
One, two, three, Wildcats!
Coming through, coming through.
Cooper Burbank inside,
gets his own rebound and lays it in.
Way to go, Coop!
Chance Harvey takes the charge.
Yeah, set a pick on the ball.
If we can set a pick on the ball,
we can get lay ups.
Angelo Lewis to Elijah James for two.
Cooper Burbank takes it
right to the basket.
Too easy, guys. Too easy.
Everything is going right today
for the Wildcats.
Yeah.
And the Chinle WIldcats
are headed to Phoenix
and a berth in the state final four,
final score 64 to 55.
Congratulations, you made the final four.
Let's go home and get ready
to go to Phoenix. Hey, good job.
- Good job, guys.
- Good job.
Stayin' right here!
You guys are the first team since 2009
to go to the final four.
- That's a long time.
- All right, guys!
It means a lot, you know.
We're gonna be...
going there after almost a decade.
We have that fight in us and that drive
to get the championship.
And with the squad we have,
I know we can pull it off.
But it's up to us to make it happen.
And that's what we want to do.
I can just envision
the parade in Chinle,
and then I imagine a ring right here,
like... like Mendoza has,
but bigger.
In the state of Arizona, there's
a lot of teams that are very good.
But this senior group
is a special group of kids.
I'm very fortunate
to have those kids on the team.
Because of their character,
I think they deserve to do well
in the state tournament.
That's the first time
we ever did something that big.
And we just want to make our...
our community proud out there.
I've been talking with my parents
and I want to... I want to start college,
but after college, I want to come back
and help my people here.
Okay, guys,
grab a hamburger bun. Come eat.
My goal is a scholarship.
I've been getting letters from colleges,
but not many schools.
I've got smaller schools right now,
and what I'm trying to do right now
is just get myself known out in the world.
Go!
I'm really proud of my son.
He'll be graduating pretty soon,
and he has college on his mind.
I just hope that his plans follow through.
My goal here is
to get a scholarship to play sports.
It's hard to get noticed out here,
even when you're in a place like this.
He loves
playing basketball and baseball.
Hopefully, he gets a scholarship.
Yeah, I'm... I...
I know he's going to do it.
He's going to do it. Mm-hm.
I believe in that.
My dad passed away when I was five, so...
one of my main concerns is to come back
and take care of my mom
and my little brother, too.
I mean, he... he really needs my help...
to guide him the right way.
I just think about
how I'm gonna do in college.
Like, what can I do to make myself better?
What can I do to make my family proud?
Not going to college is not an option.
I'm nervous because I don't know
where I'm gonna go, and it's scary, too.
It's really stressful, because, you know,
I have to get out of the reservation
for a while, you know...
because I've seen...
you know, my family
struggle so much, and...
You know, I wanna take care of them, too.
But the only way for me
to get into college right now
is to win a scholarship.
Josiah, he has dreams,
he... he sets himself goals.
You know, I want him to be...
a better... person than me.
He's a good kid.
Mid-range...
Don't shoot threes.
Try to get inside,
shoot the mid-range shot.
It's exciting.
Here they are now, one game away
from the state championship,
two games away
from having the Gold Ball.
They have a difficult task at hand.
Winslow's tough.
Everybody on the sideline.
But I know we can get the job done.
I saw Winslow play.
I looked at some tapes already.
And, to be honest with you, if we play
like we're capable,
I think we can go to the... the finals.
They score a lot,
but they're not physical.
Okay, let me have
the white team real quick.
Black, let's go. You're Winslow.
Good, even if you're an arm length away,
you still have to mirror the ball
with your hands.
Remember, 10 is quick.
So, let's say, 10 gets the ball here...
and he cuts through.
Right away, they're
gonna pick and roll inside.
Once they get in the paint,
they can go to the basket or pull up.
And number 40 can do both.
He can shoot the three...
go to the basket or pull up mid-range too.
So, stay with him
wherever he goes, Chance.
I hope that this thought
becomes a reality for us.
These guys can do it,
and I can't wait, you know?
Journey starts tomorrow.
Okay, hey... we've gotta do it.
We can't just be happy to be there.
- Ready?
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
There is an enormous amount
of pride behind the team.
This is the pride of our
modern day warrior stepping up
and the pride of the people
and the fan base
and the families and the community.
We're always fired up for state.
This is the year.
Our Wildcats are gonna take
the state title. And I believe in them.
It's awesome for a reservation school
to actually be going out for final four.
But if they were to come back
with the championship,
that would be great, man.
That would be awesome, for reals.
As much as they love basketball here,
being the best fans
in the state of Arizona,
they deserve a championship.
We are proud of you!
We are proud of you!
So much
is going through my head,
because this happens
to a very small amount of people.
So, just to be among those people
who get to experience this is...
probably one of the best feelings
in the world.
Peace out!
It's pretty crazy, seeing all
these kids meeting us outside the school,
sending us off to the state playoffs.
When I was little,
I was in one of the rallies.
I was high fiving the people
that played before me.
I always wanted to know how it felt.
Good luck, guys.
I've seen movies
where they have this send-off.
You know, I've always wanted to live it,
to be, like, part of it.
See you later!
Coming up, right side!
Yeah!
I want to be one of the first people to...
bring a title back for Chinle, you know?
I think everyone in the community
would feel... proud.
It would be great
to be able to raise that flag in the den.
We win or we lose...
they're gonna get something
out of this experience.
That's bottom line.
So, they're gonna take something
from this experience that's...
that's gonna last a lifetime.
We're four quarters away
from being in the big... the big game,
the last game of the season.
Why not go get it?
Coop... let's go play.
All right.
You begin to think about it and...
not many people
have been in the final four.
And knowing that
I'm gonna be going there,
it felt... it felt special, you know?
Are you nervous?
Yeah.
Hella nervous.
Oh, snap! Look at that.
Just remember,
we play in an arena just like this.
Everyone's nervous to walk in,
but once we start walking in,
everyone starts to see us,
and all our Chinle fans
start cheering for us,
and it felt pretty good.
Welcome to
Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Arizona,
the site of the Boys'
3A State Tournament final four.
In the first semifinal tonight,
it's the top seed Blue Ridge taking on
Valley Christian.
That'll be followed
by the sixth-seeded Chinle Wildcats
against the second-seeded
Winslow Bulldogs.
My biggest concern
is trying to keep the guys calm...
and trying to get them to focus
and just reassure them.
"Hey, let's just go and play
and not think about the arena here,
the state tournament..."
You know, just play.
Come into the locker room
ready to play.
To know what's on the line is pretty...
It's kind of nerve-wrecking.
Hey, listen, there's nothing...
secret about it.
We've done it all year long.
We've just gotta go get the job done.
That's all.
You cannot relax.
You've gotta be on a sense of urgency
all the time.
Number 10 is a quick guy.
Give him room. Don't get too close,
because he'll blow by you.
And offense, like I said,
if we're patient,
we'll get good shots, I guarantee you.
Play hard defense
and shut these guys down.
Everybody gotta board.
You guys control the tempo.
Let them play Wildcat basketball,
all right?
- Wildcats on three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
I'm very confident,
because we all come together.
We played together
when we were smaller,
and we're all one big family.
And that means a lot,
'cause it's my last year.
We take care of each other
and love each other,
because we won't be like this again,
you know.
We'll all be, like,
grown up one day, you know?
Let's do it!
We are just about ready to tip it off.
The top-seeded Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets
have punched their ticket into the finals.
They'll play the winner of this game,
Chinle versus Winslow,
for the State Championship
on Monday night.
The best defense of the season
is right here, guys. Let's play it now.
- Go, Coach.
- Get it done.
- Go.
- Get it done.
The tip controlled by Chinle.
We're out. We're out!
Find them, find them!
There's Elijah James
with a foul line jumper.
Yeah!
Go, go, go with it. Go with it!
Cooper Burbank with the rebound
and the outlet pass to Angelo Lewis,
and he lays it in.
There you go. Every time, LoLo!
A strong start for the Wildcats.
Take him all the way.
Dewayne Tom at the top of the key. He
splits the defenders and hits the rudder.
And quickly, Chinle is up seven.
Good job.
Angelo Lewis with the rebound
and the put back.
Yeah!
Chinle with a strong start.
They lead by seven after one quarter.
Guys, hey. Stay with it! Stay with it.
Protect this lead now.
Keep this lead. Build it.
- Take care of the ball.
- Hey, let's go.
- Keep playing.
- Wildcats on three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
- Let's go!
- Turn around. Turn around!
- Second quarter is underway.
Winslow pushes the ball up...
Go, re!
And the three-pointer, it's good.
By number 10, Darius James.
Come at them, hard!
Cooper, push it up right away.
Winslow with the trap and the steal.
Hey, you can't let that happen.
Good ball movement by Winslow.
And the game is all tied up.
You've gotta be alert on that!
Winslow rips away the rebound.
- And it's James again!
- Timeout!
- The lay in, and a foul.
- We need a time.
Timeout, Chinle.
Winslow has their first lead of the game.
Hey!
Physically, these are hustling right now.
Can't leave them open.
Remember, the closest man, you gotta go.
It don't matter if it's your man, okay?
Stop penetration.
We can't go to sleep. Come on. Go!
Gotta go!
P-up, P-up!
Winslow with the ball.
Darius James
guarded by Cooper Burbank.
And it's James with the nice move.
Great finish by the junior.
Go, go!
Cooper drives to the basket.
But it won't go for the Wildcats.
P-up, let's go!
James again on the drive,
with a tough lay in.
Winslow responds in the second quarter,
and they'll take a three-point lead
into the locker room at half time.
Guys...
you gotta want the ball more than they do.
You can't be passive.
You've got to want it.
Offensively, we need to be more patient.
Make them work on defense.
A couple of times,
they caught us on the trap.
When you pass the ball,
try to find the open man
and we'll get your shots.
Keep your poise. Keep your poise.
At this point in time,
I think you can match up with anybody.
- Let's go. Come on. Ready?
- Let's go!
- Wildcats on three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
Lo, come to the middle of the trap.
And the second half is underway
here at Gila River Arena.
And the jumper is good
by number 40, Ricardo Villanueva.
Gotta get the ball!
Winslow again with a smooth lay in.
Bulldogs by seven,
midway through the third.
Hey, we gotta rebound.
The rebound and put back,
and Winslow takes
- a commanding 13-point lead.
- Timeout!
Coach Raul Mendoza has seen enough
and he'll take a timeout.
Hey!
Keep your composure.
We got...
We can get better shots than that.
We're beating ourselves, taking bad shots.
But we've gotta get some stops too.
Make sure we give no more lay ups to them.
Make sure we get
a high percent. Let's go.
Pick on the ball, pick on the ball.
Chinle looking for a spark.
Go, LoLo! Go to work.
Angelo Lewis draws contact.
The basket is good, and the foul.
- Go to work, LoLo. It's all you.
- Do it again!
- Again!
- Angelo drives, a great look
to Peyton Wagner for the lay in.
- The lead is down to single digits.
- Be on them!
Wildcats hanging around.
Top, top!
Dewayne Tom with the steal,
pushes it up...
and lays it in.
Chinle down six.
We've seen this before from the Wildcats.
They had an incredible comeback
to open the state tournament against ALA.
We're not out of the game!
Defensively, we've gotta
keep making stops.
Don't quit now.
We've got five minutes to go.
- You can do it!
- Okay, guys!
- Let's go, man!
- Don't give up!
- On three.
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
Let's go!
He's running it. Help, help.
No. Killin' us.
Winslow answers back.
It's James again.
That a boy. Let's go!
Winslow with a tough rebound
and put back.
The lead is back to ten.
Angelo Lewis directing traffic,
and it's stolen.
Turn around, turn around!
Winslow the length of the court
for the lay in.
And just like that, the Bulldogs are up 12
with just three minutes left in the game.
Can we get a timeout?
Guys, I know you're tired.
Just play smart.
Play with a little sense of urgency
on defense. Okay?
We can do it. Come on, let's go.
- Let's go!
- Wildcats on three.
One, two, three, Wildcats!
Let's go.
Come on, too easy. Let's go.
And it's James
one more time for Winslow.
That might be the dagger.
The dream season for the Wildcats
is coming to an end here tonight
at Gila River.
Chinle won the 3A North.
They made it to the final four.
They fall short at the hands
of the Winslow Bulldogs.
68-57 is your final.
Here we go!
On three, ready?
- One, two, three, Wildcats!
- Go shake hands.
Winslow is moving on
to the state title game.
Chinle's quest for their
first ever state title
will have to wait another year.
Okay, guys.
We had a good year.
We wanted to be the best in the North,
we did.
We wanted to make it here,
and we did.
The only thing is that we just didn't
finish what we... we came to do.
So don't put your head down.
Just look at it and say,
"Hey. What can I gain from this?
This is what makes me a better person."
Right?
Good job.
Don't be draggin' your head.
Don't be slumpin' your shoulders.
You guys made us proud.
I know it's a tough loss.
I see some emotions and...
it's good that as young men,
you can feel
what you're feeling right now.
It's what makes you a stronger person.
And, uh...
you know, I'm proud of you personally,
but I can guarantee you
the whole rez is proud of you.
And then when we get home,
you can walk with your head up high.
We're the only team from the rez
in the final four.
- All right?
- Okay, man.
This was the group
that was supposed to win it, you know?
That's what I believed at the start
and I saw it all.
Just... didn't happen.
Can't make another group like this.
That's just how special it was.
I'll miss you.
Dewayne.
Hey.
Thanks for being part of the team.
I hope you better get to work.
Willie.
- I'm gonna miss you. All right?
- Yes.
You're... You're our man, Elijah.
You don't say much,
but I'm gonna miss you.
Hopefully, I'll see you again next year
and you'll be ready to be back over here.
- You too, Cooper.
- Thank you.
And... And same thing with you.
Lo, good job.
Lo.
Uh, it's kind of heartbreaking,
but, you know, um...
you know this will be a memory
that I'll cherish forever.
I just wish we made history a little,
but this team is special, and...
next year's team,
they're gonna do great things too.
And it's just a matter of time before we
get a state championship for Chinle.
The goal of the basketball team
is always gonna be
to try to win a state title.
But, as an educator, we always say
that the biggest thing we want
on top of that
is for our students to...
to learn the lessons
that the sport has to provide us,
and to apply those lifelong lessons
to become more successful in life.
The ultimate goal is for those
student athletes to become
successful in whatever avenues
they pursue after high school.
Soak it in, enjoy it.
I'm going to
an American Indian college called SAGU,
Southwestern Assemblies of God University.
It's in Phoenix.
And... I got recruited
for basketball for... for them, and...
I'll be rooming with Chance
and that's... that's pretty cool,
'cause I get to go with one of...
one of my friends from Chinle High School.
Hey, look at the camera.
Yeah, I'm the first one
in my family to get a scholarship.
I want to help my mom out a lot,
and just, I don't know...
just, like, have a good life, you know?
To have Dewayne and Chance have
the opportunity to play at the next level,
to me, that's probably more important,
because now they have a chance
to get their education...
Just keep faking like you're signing.
This is...
...and pursue what they need to do
and have a successful life
in their adulthood.
Well...
when I signed to college...
the day before, I'm talking to my mom...
...about how my dad would
have been proud of me.
When I sat there...
I sat there signing my paper, and...
I was looking for my dad.
I thought he would be there for me.
That was hard, but...
I know he's proud.
Everybody, smile.
- Cheese.
- Good?
The hardest part about leaving the rez
will be leaving my family...
He can't stop
waving for the photographer.
...just leaving them here.
Look, look.
Smile at Chance. Look, smile.
- Cheese!
- Cheese!
He's cute.
I just want to thank the parents
especially,
to have the opportunity
to work with their kids.
I'm gonna miss both of them especially.
We wouldn't have had the success
we had this year without them.
So, we got some big holes
to fill in for next year,
when these guys leave.
This right her is what this whole thing
is all about.
Not just the school
and not just the court, but right here.
Everything they've learned here,
everything they've experienced here,
they've gotta take this
and apply it to life.
This is only the beginning
of the next step.
I know you're prepared,
so go do it right.
Good job, guys.
Thanks for coming in today.
Senior year's not only here,
but it's done in two days.
Soon as you walk across that stage,
it's... it's it, you know?
At the start of Josiah's senior year,
he had come to me, and he was
concerned about his future.
So I told him to make a shortlist,
you know, top five, top six schools
that he would like to go to.
We talked about ASU, right?
And that's... that was what you said
was the school that you wanted to go to,
because it has your major.
Mm-hm. It has my...
Yeah, my electronics teacher
was telling me
it's the best school in the state
for my major
and one of the best in the country, so...
So I just did some quick math
and looked up stuff with ASU,
if that's still the place to go.
You're talking $27,530 a year.
That's tuition, that's fees,
that's room and board.
So, 27,500...
We're talking $30,000.
That's a new truck, man,
every year for four to five years.
That's... That's the thing
that I was worried about too,
'cause, uh, the...
I think the only way
for me to get into a good school
or to a university I really want to go to,
is an athletic scholarship.
I don't really see that happening
with ASU right now.
I don't know, I just don't want
to keep moving forward
and have everything just go downhill.
But ASU is it though, right? You...
If you had your pick of the litter,
- It's ASU, with that electronics program?
- Yeah.
Well, the next step is this.
Hold on.
Read it out loud.
It says, "Dear Josiah,
Congratulations, you have been
admitted to Arizona State University
for the fall of 2018 semester.
We are also pleased to inform you
that you have been selected
as an Obama Scholar.
This letter is more than
an offer of admission to ASU.
It is our confirmation that you possess
the skills and abilities to succeed
in the Sun Devil Community.
We congratulate you on achieving
this important milestone."
So, what do you think that means?
- I'm in?
- You've been accepted.
Do you know what
the Obama Scholarship is?
No.
Do you have any idea
what this means?
He's gonna see Obama?
This means...
everything is covered.
Everything.
This is over $30,000 a year
until you finish your degree.
This is tuition...
fees...
room, board...
Pack your bags, brother, you're goin'.
Oh!
Oh...
I'm so happy for you.
I'm proud of you.
Oh, dear.
Phew!
This is... pretty amazing, and...
One of my lifelong dreams
is to go to college, and...
You know, hopefully
I get the highest degree I can, so...
- Oh, gosh, I'm just... nervous.
- "Congratulations."
My heart's still racing.
- I just... can't believe it.
- Wow!
So, traditionally, they say,
"What do you do
when something becomes a part of you?"
What do you need to do with that
right now...
to make it a part of you?
- Breathe it in.
- Yeah.
- Four times.
- Four times.
In four to five years from now,
we want another piece of paper
in front of you...
that is a college degree.
You know, and then, hopefully,
you can bring your success back here
and help the next generation.
That's how we change our communities.
It's my first time graduating.
Nervous.
I always look at it this way,
it's always about the kids.
Because I always believe it's the seniors
that set the tone on the team.
Chance, Dewayne, Josiah...
were a big key to the success of the team.
The class of 2018,
let's give them a round of applause.
That showed
what they're capable of doing,
by leading that team to the final four.
The more you think about it,
the more you realize how fortunate we were
to have those young people on our team.
And then, you realize
how much you're gonna miss them, you know?
Not just as... as a player,
but as an individual.
Chance Harvey,
son of Laprail Brown.
Dewayne Tom,
son of Nathaniel and Jerilene Tom.
Josiah Tsosie, son of Rosalyn Halwood.
Wow.
Graduation, and high school is over.
Now, it's time to go on to college
and pursue my dreams.
Our kids have struggles.
They may be greater or lesser
than those of students
off the reservation, or in cities,
but the takeaway is our kids
are capable of amazing things,
and they're turning obstacles
into opportunities.
Subtitle translation by Suzanne Gardent