Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Last Chance U: Basketball’ on Netflix, a Gripping Look at Hardwood Dreams

For five seasons, Last Chance U was a tentpole of Netflix’s growing collection of sports coverage, showing life at the outer fringes of college football. Now, that approach is moving indoors, taking those desperate dreams to the court with Last Chance U: Basketball. This eight-part documentary series follows the East Los Angeles College Huskies, a community college team built from former top-level recruits and players with few other options chasing their last chance at glory as they compete for an improbable California state title.

LAST CHANCE U: BASKETBALL: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: “I wish I did a lot of things differently,” Joe Hampton says matter-of-factly into the camera. “I regret a lot of things. I was supposed to be in a position to help my family a long time ago, and… I’m here. So, yeah.” The candid admission of regret from a former Division I recruit helps set the tone for the show.

The Gist: College basketball is a big-time business, and there’s a well-oiled pipeline for top recruits as they head to traditional powerhouse schools chasing March Madness and future NBA glory. Then there’s the places players end up when things don’t go as planned, like East Los Angeles College. One of the nation’s largest community colleges, coaching ELAC’s long-struggling basketball team was once viewed by many as “the worst job in the state of California”. That changed when John Mosley arrived. The passionate, enthusiastic and wildly-driven coach has shaped the Huskies into a playoff contender on a mix of former high school stars and Division I recruits who, for one reason or another, ended up here for one more shot at hardcourt success.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Obviously the most natural point of reference is the show’s football predecessor, Last Chance U, or similar basketball documentaries like Basketball or Nothing, but in seeing coach Mosley’s at-times-comical enthusiasm and willingness to believe when no one else does (contrasted with his low-key but supportive assistant coach), I got a faint, welcome whiff of Ted Lasso in it, too.

Our Take: “The majority of the kids I deal with don’t have but one door,” Coach Mosley notes. “And if they make a mistake, that door is closed.” East Los Angeles College isn’t a dream destination for any basketball player, but it’s a destination for some still hoping to keep that dream alive.

There’s players like Joe Hampton, a highly-touted prospect out of the famed Oak Hill Academy, who saw his NBA dreams falter after a series of devastating injuries and a subsequent spiral saw him kicked out of Penn State. There’s players like KJ Allen, once recognized as the top high school player in Los Angeles, who couldn’t move on to traditional college stardom like his teammates did due to poor grades. There’s players like 6’-9” center Malik Muhammad, with the size and skill to play at a top level but who’s lacked the motivation to bring it all together. There’s players who didn’t quite have the athleticism, the support, or the luck to catch on at other programs. And then there’s Coach John Mosley, who’s determined to get something out of them.

Mosley is an immediately endearing figure, almost comically devoted to the team he’s charged with molding. He demonstrates plays so energetically he falls over, leaving his players chuckling while he screams—not abusively, but almost pleadingly, for them to care. He works long hours, even going so far as to polish the Huskies’ court himself because he wants to ensure it’s done right. It’s clear that, at times, his players consider him to be borderline crazy, but it’s that wild abandon that’s allowed him to turn what was once a perennial doormat–a team that went fifteen years without a winning season—into a regular playoff participant. They haven’t been able to make it over the hump, though, and Mosley knows they risk being branded as a team that can’t win when it counts. This might be his most talented squad yet, but he’s got a tough task ahead overcoming his players’ struggles. East Los Angeles College doesn’t have much in the way of resources—there’s no dorm, no meal plan. “This is the meal plan,” one player laughs, brandishing a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich—and the players all go home each night, to a variety of living conditions.

It’s this difficulty and these stakes that make Last Chance U: Basketball work. It’s not the highest-level basketball—some of the Huskies’ opponents look no better than average high school players. But there’s a real struggle to make this team better, and to give these players—many of whom do have the talent to compete at a higher level—another chance to pursue their dreams elsewhere.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: After a hard-fought game, the players regroup in the weight room to continue working, while Coach Mosley speaks of his hopes for his players and his laments for former players who didn’t make it. It’s hopeful, but honest, and it has you rooting for all of them.

Sleeper Star: The Huskies’ undersized point guard, Deshaun Highler, isn’t their best player, but he’s one of their biggest personalities. After both of his parents died when he was young, he grew up quick and grew up tough, and is the “alpha” on the team, playing with the same fire and borderline meanness as his idol, former NBA star Allen Iverson.

Most Pilot-y Line: In describing the mix of players that they attract at the junior college level, ELAC’s athletic director is blunt. “It’s the three As. Not so strong athletically, not so strong academically, or they’re assholes.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. In the prior, football-centric incarnation of Last Chance U, each season rose or fell on the personality of the coaches. The endearing, energetic Mosley makes Last Chance U: Basketball a compelling watch. “Don’t put on a show!” he screams before one game, ironically in front of a Netflix camera crew. “Win the game!”

Scott Hines is an architect, blogger and internet user who lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, two young children, and a small, loud dog.

Watch Last Chance U: Basketball on Netflix