In 1966 the Texas Western Miners quieted ignorant cynics and changed the game of basketball when they won the NCAA championship with the first all-black starting lineup.
 Story: When former girls basketball coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) is hired to coach Division I basketball at Texas Western, he packs up his family and heads to El Paso. He may have to live in the boys’ dorm and make next-to-nothing, but at least his meals in the cafeteria are free.
Texas Western has never had a worthy basketball team, so no upcoming players will give Haskins and his recruiting offers any attention. Not satisfied with mediocrity, he heads to the street to pick up the talent no one else wants. Soon he has players from the Bronx, the YMCA in Gary, Indiana, and the Detroit steel mills. The administration isn’t so happy with his zeal, as he has recruited seven black players at a time when there were no black players in any of the southern colleges. As one of them sneers, “That just isn’t done.” Even the recruits are skeptical of Haskins, each thinking he has been recruited as the token black bench-warmer. Haskins retorts, “I don’t see color. I see quickness and I see speed, and that’s what you got.”
Glory Road follows the Miners from their surprising first victories all the way to the NCAA championship game against the  Kentucky Wildcats led by longtime coach Adolph Rupp (Jon Voight). The story may not follow all of the details exactly as it happened, but most of the embellishments help round it out for an entertaining experience. Josh Lucas absolutely nails his portrayal of Haskins, and his passionate interaction with each of the players will resonate with all who have had a coach that has pushed them to give their best.
Pro-Social Content: The story of Don Haskin’s Texas Western Miners is one of defying expectations. His scrappy, small-town team had little chance to win a game, much less win social approval for their unconventional lineup of black athletes. The story drives home the importance of hard work, persistence, and teamwork. The black and white peacemaking borders on cliché but is still noble. Although not central to the plot, the relationship between Tina and Bobby Joe is responsible while still fun and flirty.
Objectionable Content: Glory Road has some rough spots that you should be aware of before bringing the younger siblings.  One player is assaulted in a public restroom by violent bigots. Brace yourself for other outbursts of racism including taunting spectators, racial slurs, and aggressive threats. These scenes are vital to the story, and therefore never seem gratuitous. There are also a few minor swear words.
Summary/Suggestions: Critics will be quick to discredit this film because of shared themes with Jerry Bruckheimer’s football flick Remember the Titans. But to shrug off the movie as a “basketball version of Remember the Titans” is short-sighted. The story is true, and it is told well. Director James Gartner creates a flawless portrayal of 1960s El Paso. The actors range in experience, but together they tell the story with honesty and conviction. It’s a sports-movie that non-sports fans will still enjoy.
-Adam Robezzoli and Matt Smith
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