The Basket (1999)

Peter Coyote (E.T., Erin Brokovich) and Karen Allen (The Perfect Storm) star in this touching family drama about the unifying power of basketball in a community torn apart by war. Both a riveting sports film and a tale of triumph over adversity, The Basket is "a hoop dream movie with a whole lot of heart" (Dallas Morning News)! In 1918, when the wheat-farming townspeople of Waterville, Washington, welcome home their first wounded son from WWI, they'restruck by the harsh reality of war. And just as bigotry and hatred toward two German orphans dividethe close-knit community, a new schoolteacher, Martin (Coyote), rolls into town with some strange ideas and an even stranger leather ball. Through the brand-new game called basketball, Martin strivesto bring harmony to the town...before it tears itself apart!