Ever wonder what life was like for Jerryd Bayless and Brandon Jennings before being a Wildcat? The documentary, "Gunnin' For That #1 Spot," gives a little taste, as it follows eight high school players - including former Wildcat Bayless, who's bound for the NBA, and Jennings, who will be a UA freshman in the fall.
The film, directed by the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, was shown as a sneak peek in the Gallagher Theater in the Student Union Memorial Center last night, though it doesn't officially hit theaters until June 27 - the day after the NBA draft. The hour-and-a-half-long flick is a must-see for any high school or college basketball enthusiast.
The film - which touches on the media coverage, recruiting of the players and the free shoes they get - starts with an introduction of each player and leads to his participation in the first Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at the famous Rucker Park in Harlem, N.Y., in September 2006.
With the help of some sweet special effects and a rap-laden soundtrack, the players expose themselves for who they really are.
Syracuse forward Donte Green talks about his tight-knit relationship with his little brother in a barber shop, Kevin Love gives love to his grandma and Jennings' little brother, Terrence Phillips, is asked who the best basketball player in the whole world is.
"The whole world?" Phillips asks. "Brandon."
While practicing on an outdoor hoop, Jennings says he's going to impress the crowd at Rucker Park with a windmill dunk - his brother most likely taking notice.
Bayless is shown in a constant professional manner - his dad even tells him to "look up when you talk" as he announces his commitment to Arizona in high school - though he is shown taking a yoga session later.
"Arizona is a football state," Bayless said. "So in order to get that national recognition, you just have to kill."
NBA-bound forward Michael Beasley is the most playful student-athlete in the film. In his first appearance in the opening minutes, he puts his finger to his lips as he looks into the camera, sneaks up behind Bayless and pulls down his old-school Arizona shorts, causing a thunder of laughter. Beasley's actions make sense, seeing as he was the one who cut off a girl's ponytail and mooned his teacher in the first grade.
After they made their way up to New York, the 24 players took part in an instructional camp and helped paint a court - and each other. After Jennings shows off some of his dance moves, highlights of the game are shown, kicking off with Bayless' opening drive - a left-handed hook that misses badly. It's fun to look back to an event that happened a year-and-a-half ago and see that he's always been bad at going to his left - something he's working on diligently as his pro career approaches.
But Bayless did plenty of good things in the Elite game, too, earning the nickname "Pay Up" en route to scoring 15 points and helping the Blue Team win 141-137.
Jennings, dubbed "Doo Be Doo," had many crowd pleasers on his way to 12 points and 15 assists for the White Team. And as promised, Jennings walked the walk after talking the talk, ending the game with a one-handed windmill dunk.
In the end, Jennings and Bayless were named co-MVP's for their respective teams, giving Arizona two more reasons why it's nicknamed "Point Guard U."
