“Last Chance U: Basketball” Review

posted March 15, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports, Arts & Entertainment by Emily McGlynn

Becoming a college athlete is not just all fun and games. It takes hard work, determination, and patience.

In the new 2021 Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U: Basketball,” viewers can feel the pressure, the pain, and the joy that comes with playing basketball and risking everything. This documentary is an insightful, heartening must-see.

In 2015, the first season of “Last Chance U: Football” was released on Netflix. Same concept of following troubled athletes trying to make it, but different sport.

The football version was extremely successful, and five seasons later had people invested.

The documentary follows a community college basketball team in a suburb of Los Angeles, California. These men have either been through a lot of trauma or they did not have good enough grades to get into Division I schools for basketball.

At the community college, they are fighting to build themselves up academically and physically. They are constantly trying to prove themselves and get out of the situations they have been through.

What’s great about this version of Last Chance is that watchers can feel and maybe even relate to each of the players looked at in the series. The cameras follow them around and ask them how they are healing from their past through basketball.

It sounds so simple, and it is so beautiful to listen and see.

In the football version, it was all over the place listening to the player’s talk about their lives. In this series, we get an in depth look of each player in a chronological order.

We get to experience how basketball has shaped them for the better through their renewal.

Most people get teary when it comes to the coach, John Mosely. The coach is the star of the documentary.

It’s so sweet to see how passionate and understanding he is with his players and how much he cares about their progress. Mosely inserts himself into the players’ lives and he tries to make things happen for them.

If they need extra help with a skill or even making sure they have a meal, Mosely is there. He is the tape and glue of the documentary. 

Now, there are many documentaries out there like this one, varying in different subjects like imprisonment or sports. This is different in that many more can relate to basketball.

There are eight episodes, each running over 45 minutes. It is a long and emotional TV series, but it is worth the watch.

You do not want to miss out on the stories that are told exclusively here.

It is something remarkable to watch someone mature in so many ways and succeed in their goals. Obviously, this article is not going to say if any of the players got a D1 offer, you must watch to find out.
“Last Chance U: Basketball” is going to be the new trend of documentaries that people are going to be talking about.

Don’t miss out on this rollercoaster exposure.

You might find yourself doing more research about these men after watching. The effect is that great.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Emily McGlynn is a freshman majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact her, email at esm5378@psu.edu