Show Your Work

New York City. Now.

Coach Steve is with his dejected STEM academy team watching championship game
between two powerhouse high schools.
Former NBA player Odyssey Odom is also in the crowd, watching with his son Rakim and current coach Hayden Payne.
Coach Steve goes one-on-one with his talented point guard Royce — he cites Malcolm Gladwell — makes 10,000 free-throw demand for the summer before his senior year.
Coach Steve laments his has-been status as a former player and embattled high school coach with Kenrick, a basketball-loving math teacher.

Odyssey has a heart-to-heart with Rakim, who decides to transfer to Coach Steve’s STEM academy.

Coach Steve gets the news of “Rakim bringing his talents to” the STEM academy — he immediately checks in Royce and his headspace.

Coach Steve huddles up with his sister Lacey, the assistant coach, and Kenrick to devise new schemes built around Rakim (a forward on his previous team, but definitely the center of the STEM academy squad).

Odyssey invites Coach Steve to have dinner with the family; Coach Steve invites Royce to come along.
On the first day of school — Rakim dominates the popularity contest, sparks friction with Royce.

Coach Steve introduces both transfer student Rakim and Kenrick as a special assistant to the team.

First squad practice — team and Rakim have trouble grasping the new system. Royce immediately objects to the “11+1” set-up (“It can’t be “Rakim & the Team” if we’re gonna do this — it’s got to be one Team, capital “T.”)

Kenrick has the squad study and simulate three historic basketball games: Texas Western vs. Kentucky, 1966; Charlie Murphy’s “Shirts” vs. Prince’s “Blouses;” and Villanova vs. Georgetown, 1985

The team actually loses its season opener to a comedy high school (an opponent gives a Reggie Miller-like performance at the end, 9 points in 70 seconds).
Meanwhile, Royce begins a romance with Prishika, a senior who is determined to go to a West Coast school for college, while Royce is committed to a Southern university.

The team makes adjustments and wins its second game. The players start to gel in the new system — the STEM academy gets excited with renewed pride as they run up a winning streak.

The STEM academy’s spring production (a gender-swapped, multicultural version of “Grease”) is shutdown by a studio cease-and-desist order. Even more pressure lands on the basketball team as the playoffs begin.

The team plays its most fortunate game of the season in the semifinals: the opposing center forgets the time outs remaining, the opposing point guard is faked out by Royce to pass him the ball accidentally — Royce and Rakim watch as both players break down in tears.

The STEM academy makes it to the state championship game vs. Rakim’s old school and former coach — they trail at halftime and mount a furious comeback!

Just before the 4th quarter, Royce and senior shooting guard Roosevelt foul out on back-to-back plays, leaving the squad with an all-bench, underclassman backcourt.

Coach Steve turns Rakim loose and Rakim unleashes an unstoppable shot — the STEM academy wins!!

Junior-Senior prom night — Rakim brings the Towers twins, the STEM academy’s track stars as his dates. Royce brings Prishika, with her parents as chaperones.

Rakim and Royce make up.
Royce: “Well, Rakim, it really is your team now.” Rakim: “It’s our team. But after tonight, the world is yours.”
They hug it out, go on their separate paths.