the androgynous Swish to pose as a male in order to play on the team. David and his newly formed quartet head west and immediately set about finding a suitable fifth man among the shallow talent pool of Cadwallader athletes. He settles on Sam Newton, nicknamed "Bull", who makes up in lane-clearing muscle what he lacks in basketball skills. Despite the team's cultural differences, David develops Cadwallader into a contender. The team ultimately catches the eye of Bo Winnegar, head coach of the elite team David must beat in order to make his coaching job a viable proposition. David must find a way to get Winnegar to agree to a game, which, as team manager Howard puts it, will be "like getting the Ohio State Buckeyes to play football with Radcliffe." Nevertheless, after the resourceful coach learns that Bo enjoys billiards, he enlists Hustler in setting up a sting operation that forces Bo to agree to the game. As the impossible matchup becomes a reality, David's team faces even bigger challenges. A hitman has tailed Preacher to Nevada, leaving Preacher to fear for his life as he takes the court. And just prior to tipoff, David makes a deal with a police officer to allow D.C. to play in the big game before answering to the law for his illegal activities. During the game, David's wife and mother show up to share in the realization of his lifelong dream. Cast Gabe Kaplan as David Greene Harold Sylvester as D.C. Randee Heller as Jan Michael Warren as Tommy "Preacher" White Bernard King as Leroy "Hustler" Monroe Bert Remsen as Bo Winnegar John Chappell as Alton Gutkas Reb Brown as Sam "Bull" Newton Richard Brestoff as Howard Mavis Washington as Roberta "Swish" James Laurence Fishburne as Street Kid Production Prior to shooting, the fictional Cadwallader team practiced for two weeks with UCLA assistant coach Jim Harrick, who was credited in the film as a technical advisor. Basketball court scenes were shot at Claremont Men's College in Claremont, California. Promotion Columbia Pictures employed an unusual strategy to promote the film by sending out a press release that gave the impression that Cadwallader was a real university (complete with phone number and return address in Bunkerville, Nevada) that was presenting honorary degrees to, among others, Vice President Walter Mondale, singer Dolly Parton ("for her leadership in behalf of women's rights") and businessman Henry Ford