The Heart of the Game
Encyclopedia
The Heart of the Game is a sports documentary
about the Roosevelt Roughriders
girls basketball team. The movie is centered around their star player Darnellia Russell and the Roughriders new coach Bill Resler.
, becomes their new girls basketball coach. Relser, a coach who uses animal and nature themes to motivate his team, believes they can win the Washington State championship but they fall short in the first game of the state tournament.
A couple of years later, Darnellia attends Roosevelt High School where she makes the junior-varsity team. Learning of her natural talent, Resler recruits her for the varsity squad. In the following years, the talented Roosevelt team falls short of winning the state championship in close games. Darnellia receives letters of interest from several major universities. However, after her junior year, Darnellia becomes pregnant by her longtime boyfriend and drops out of school.
After giving birth to a daughter, Darnellia returns to Roosevelt for her fifth year. The WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) bans Russell from playing basketball due to a rule that states that high school students can only play on their teams for four years, unless a hardship is involved. Darnellia, believing that having an unplanned child constitutes a hardship, appeals the decision. Attorney Ken Luce represents Darnellia in court and a judge rules in Darnellia's favor. The WIAA takes the matter to court again, and for the second time the judge grants Darnellia the right to continue playing. However, the WIAA files a lawsuit against Darnellia and Roosevelt High School. In defiance of the WIAA, the Roughriders continue to play with Darnellia on the team.
Darnellia and her team return to the Washington State high school basketball championship tournament and play their rivals, the Garfield Bulldogs
in the finals. Darnellia leads the team to the school's first state championship. Two days later, the WIAA dropped their case. Darnellia graduates from high school with honors and is named the Northwest Player of the Year.
Although Darnellia didn't receive any college scholarships, she attended North Seattle Community College
.
On July 8, 2008, it was announced that Darnellia has committed to attend Lakehead University
in Thunder Bay
, Ontario
, Canada
for the 2008-09 season. Lakehead is a member of the OUA (Ontario Universities Athletic) Conference and the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport
).
Lakehead Thunderwolves Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jon Kreiner regrets to announce that recruit Darnellia Russell has decided to return home to Seattle and not play for the Thunderwolves this season.
Kreiner said Russell wanted to return home as she found being separated from her two daughters was much more difficult than she had anticipated.
Russell said it was not an easy decision. “I am really sorry for letting everyone down. I knew it was going to be very difficult leaving my kids but this was way more difficult then I can put into words. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to get me to Thunder Bay; the Lakehead University Athletics Department, coaching staff, players, friends in Seattle, my Seattle coach and all the media who have been so kind to me. This was a tremendous opportunity for me and my decision to leave had nothing to do with the coaching staff or players. I miss my kids and need to be with them.”
Coach Kreiner said he was disappointed but was sympathetic to Russell’s choice. “Darnellia’s decision to go back home is an understandable one but also a disappointing one. I had hoped that she would take a little more time to give it more of a chance but we are very happy to have provided her the best opportunity and situation we could for her to achieve her degree while playing at Lakehead University. Darnellia has brought great international media attention to our program and I am honoured that she decided to play for us.”
Lakehead Athletics Director Tom Warden said he understood Darnellia’s decision. “I understand about commitment to family and we’re very sorry it didn’t work out for her here at Lakehead. We wish her the best of luck in the future.”
Mackenzie Argens, one of the freshmen Resler inserted during the state championship game, received a basketball scholarship to the University of Washington. A torn ACL sidelined her for the 2007-2008 season and was granted a medical redshirt. She started 6 games as a redshirt freshman during the 2008-2009 season and averaged 4.1 points per game.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the Roosevelt Roughriders
Roosevelt High School (Seattle)
Roosevelt High School is a public school in the Seattle Public Schools district of Seattle, Washington, USA. Founded in the 1920s, Roosevelt continues to be one of the largest schools in the greater Seattle area....
girls basketball team. The movie is centered around their star player Darnellia Russell and the Roughriders new coach Bill Resler.
Plot
The film begins two years before the African-American Darnellia Russell attends the predominantly white and upper-class Roosevelt High School. Bill Resler, a tax law professor at the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, becomes their new girls basketball coach. Relser, a coach who uses animal and nature themes to motivate his team, believes they can win the Washington State championship but they fall short in the first game of the state tournament.
A couple of years later, Darnellia attends Roosevelt High School where she makes the junior-varsity team. Learning of her natural talent, Resler recruits her for the varsity squad. In the following years, the talented Roosevelt team falls short of winning the state championship in close games. Darnellia receives letters of interest from several major universities. However, after her junior year, Darnellia becomes pregnant by her longtime boyfriend and drops out of school.
After giving birth to a daughter, Darnellia returns to Roosevelt for her fifth year. The WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) bans Russell from playing basketball due to a rule that states that high school students can only play on their teams for four years, unless a hardship is involved. Darnellia, believing that having an unplanned child constitutes a hardship, appeals the decision. Attorney Ken Luce represents Darnellia in court and a judge rules in Darnellia's favor. The WIAA takes the matter to court again, and for the second time the judge grants Darnellia the right to continue playing. However, the WIAA files a lawsuit against Darnellia and Roosevelt High School. In defiance of the WIAA, the Roughriders continue to play with Darnellia on the team.
Darnellia and her team return to the Washington State high school basketball championship tournament and play their rivals, the Garfield Bulldogs
Garfield High School (Seattle, Washington)
James A. Garfield High School is a public high school in the Seattle Public Schools district of Seattle, Washington, USA.Located along 23rd Avenue between E. Alder and E. Jefferson Streets in Seattle's urban Central District, Garfield draws students from all over the city...
in the finals. Darnellia leads the team to the school's first state championship. Two days later, the WIAA dropped their case. Darnellia graduates from high school with honors and is named the Northwest Player of the Year.
Although Darnellia didn't receive any college scholarships, she attended North Seattle Community College
North Seattle Community College
North Seattle Community College is a two-year community college in Seattle, Washington. It is one of the three colleges comprising the Seattle Community College District , and one of the 32 member colleges of the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system.Founded in 1970, NSCC is...
.
After the movie
On November 10, 2007, Roosevelt fired Resler as head coach. Roosevelt said that they wanted to go in a "different direction."On July 8, 2008, it was announced that Darnellia has committed to attend Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for the 2008-09 season. Lakehead is a member of the OUA (Ontario Universities Athletic) Conference and the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
).
Lakehead Thunderwolves Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jon Kreiner regrets to announce that recruit Darnellia Russell has decided to return home to Seattle and not play for the Thunderwolves this season.
Kreiner said Russell wanted to return home as she found being separated from her two daughters was much more difficult than she had anticipated.
Russell said it was not an easy decision. “I am really sorry for letting everyone down. I knew it was going to be very difficult leaving my kids but this was way more difficult then I can put into words. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to get me to Thunder Bay; the Lakehead University Athletics Department, coaching staff, players, friends in Seattle, my Seattle coach and all the media who have been so kind to me. This was a tremendous opportunity for me and my decision to leave had nothing to do with the coaching staff or players. I miss my kids and need to be with them.”
Coach Kreiner said he was disappointed but was sympathetic to Russell’s choice. “Darnellia’s decision to go back home is an understandable one but also a disappointing one. I had hoped that she would take a little more time to give it more of a chance but we are very happy to have provided her the best opportunity and situation we could for her to achieve her degree while playing at Lakehead University. Darnellia has brought great international media attention to our program and I am honoured that she decided to play for us.”
Lakehead Athletics Director Tom Warden said he understood Darnellia’s decision. “I understand about commitment to family and we’re very sorry it didn’t work out for her here at Lakehead. We wish her the best of luck in the future.”
Mackenzie Argens, one of the freshmen Resler inserted during the state championship game, received a basketball scholarship to the University of Washington. A torn ACL sidelined her for the 2007-2008 season and was granted a medical redshirt. She started 6 games as a redshirt freshman during the 2008-2009 season and averaged 4.1 points per game.