press conference and the arena, Pete walks past a small playground with kids playing basketball—he approaches, then helps coaching them. An epilogue later reveals that the university would be suspended from tournament play for three years. Pete did continue to coach, but at the high school level; Tony graduated and played pro ball in Europe; Ricky Roe got injured and returned home to run the family farm, and Neon and Butch dropped out of college, but both now play in the NBA. Cast Nick Nolte as Coach Pete Bell Mary McDonnell as Jenny Bell J. T. Walsh as "Happy" Kuykendahl Ed O'Neill as Ed Alfre Woodard as Lavada McRae Bob Cousy as Vic Roker Larry Bird as Himself Matt Nover as Ricky Roe Shaquille O'Neal as Neon Boudeaux Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway as Butch McRae Anthony C. Hall as Tony Marques Johnson as Mel Robert Wuhl as Marty Cylk Cozart as "Slick" Jim Beaver as Ricky's Dad Louis Gossett Jr. as Father Dawkins (uncredited) Nigel Miguel as Dolphin Player Cameos (Playing Themselves) Bobby Knight Jerry Tarkanian Jim Boeheim Kevin Garnett Allan Houston Dick Vitale Todd Donoho Rick Pitino (credited as Richard Pitino) George Lynch Calbert Cheaney Bobby Hurley Eric Anderson Greg Graham Joe Hillman Jamal Meeks Keith Smart Production Blue Chips was filmed in Frankfort, Indiana (arena interior) and French Lick, Indiana, as well as in Chicago and New Orleans and in Los Angeles on the campus of the University of Southern California. Nolte actually shadowed Bob Knight during many games in 1992 to research the role. Knight appears in the film as himself but has no scripted lines. French Lick is the hometown of Larry Bird, who plays a scene with Nolte at the outdoor court of Bird's home. This was actually the same court (located on the property that Bird had purchased in the early 1980s) that was used in a Converse television commercial in 1984 starring Bird and Magic Johnson. In a scene showing Nolte driving to French Lick, local radio station WSLM 98.9 FM can be heard in the car. In the final version, this scene was edited out. Blue Chips features several famous players and coaches playing themselves, Jerry Tarkanian, Rick Pitino, Matt Painter, and Jim Boeheim among them. Legendary Boston Celtics point guard and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Bob Cousy has a role as the athletic director of the college where Pete