On arrival for his first day at Disney + ‘s prestigious Westbrook School for Girls Great shotJohn Stamos’ disgraced basketball coach Marvyn Korn is confronted with Yvette Nicole Brown’s no-nonsense Headmaster, Sherilyn Thomas: “Coaches here aren’t just teachers,” she tells him. “They are expected to be role models.” But is Korn able to lead by example?
The Full House and IS Bold plays the infamous sports figure at the center of the David E. Kelley-produced drama, which debuted Friday. The opening edit reveals the irreparable act that caused him to be fired by the NCAA: In a moment of anger, Korn threw a chair at an umpire, ending his Division I career in one fell swoop. When his agent (played by guest star Adam Arkin) doesn’t give him another job in Division II or [shudders] Division III basketball, Korn accepts to perform at the aforementioned girls’ high school, which turns out to be his most challenging job to date.
Of course, Korn doesn’t make it easy for himself – or someone else for that matter. In introducing himself to the Westbrook Sirens, Korn cautions that he’s not always a nice person. “If I call you stupid, I give you permission to ignore it,” he says. ‘But if I tell you why you’re stupid, i want you to pay close attention. He shames power forward Destiny Winters (he eventually apologizes, but claims losing five pounds will help her reach her full potential on the field); scolds nearly shooting guard Samantha “Giggles” Finkman, who suffers from Pseudobulbar affect , out for laughing during his introduction; and suspends star player Louise Gruzinsky for talking back.
Korn comes out a little better with his assistant coach, Holly Barrett (Gleeis Jessalyn Gilsig). After their first training, Barrett Korn asks for an ‘introductory beer’. They discuss the fine line Korn has to walk as he coaches teenage girls, and a bond about their shared failed marriages: Korn was too committed to work to make time for his family; Barrett cheated on her husband, who checked out their relationship long before her affair.
Unsurprisingly, Louise opens a whole can of worms on the crate. Her father, wealthy businessman Larry Gruzinsky (Battlestar GalacticaMichael Trucco), paid for the Westbrook basketball court. And his latest sizable donation came with a big question: he insisted that Westbrook hire Coach Korn in the hope that he would change the luck of the Sirens and mold Louise into a sought-after Division I candidate. Larry confronts Korn about his decision to suspend his daughter ahead of the big game against Laguna, but Korn is unshakable in his decision – at least at first. Barrett tells Korn that under Louise’s arrogant appearance someone is quite vulnerable, but Korn won’t believe it until he sees it with his own eyes. He’s even drafted a backup plan: He wants Giggles and teammate Carolyn “Mouse” Smith to work together to fill Louise’s shoes. He encourages them to get to know each other and develop a steadfast chemistry, but there is already history: Mouse was in love with Giggles and acted on it, because he misunderstood the situation.
Before the race day, Louise Korn almost drives across the parking lot. She is too emotional to drive. She stops and tells her coach that her father has put considerable pressure on her to go to Stanford or UCLA. When scouts attend Friday’s game and see her sitting on the bench, they’ll wonder if the team’s rising star doesn’t have basic leadership skills. Korn, who may or may not have his own daddy issues (more on that later), sees Louise for who she really is, and agrees to let her dress for the game. She still can’t play, but she can trick scouts into thinking she’s pulled a hamstring.
After a full week of two days, it’s time for Westbrook to show Laguna what they are made of. But at the end of the first half, the Sirens are lagging behind. The home team returns to the locker room, where Coach Korn opens up to the girls as part of a much-needed pep talk. He tells them that he wasn’t such a good player himself and that his father thought he was ashamed. (A ha! #DaddyIssues) “Those words have driven me more than any other word not to be,” he says. “But the irony of those words is that they made me lose myself, get tantrums and seats … But at the end of the day, after every game, I could look in the mirror and tell myself that I “Did everything I could to try to win – that I did my best. And that’s all I ask of you. Do your best … You have no chance to fight unless you fight.”
The ladies give their all, but are still six points behind, with 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Barrett pulls Korn aside and urges him to put Louise in the game. He made his point and the girls proved themselves. They need their poet. Louise taps in, but misses the winning shot. The final score: 56-53. She looks to the stands and sees Larry. There is nothing but disappointment in her father’s eyes.
After the game, Korn tells his players that he expects to beat Laguna next time – “but we’ve only just started.” As he goes out, Sherilyn pulls him aside and tells him, “That loss was better than any win we’ve ever had.” Obviously, his methods work.
At the end of the night, Korn returns to his hotel room and receives a call from his teenage daughter Emma. He fills her in on his first game and assures her he was true to himself – without rip all heads off. “Daddy, I kind of feel like this could be good for you,” she says. Korn agrees.
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