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Dir. Adam Yauch

Rating: 6.1  |  0 User Reviews  |  Send to Friend

By Piers Marchant

They come from all over the country -- though, disproportionately enough, two from Oregon and Maryland, respectively -- richly talented hoopsters joining up for the first ever "Elite 24" game at historic Rucker Park in Harlem. Adam (MCA) Yauch and his crew follow the game fairly conclusively, but they focus in particular on eight young men, soon to be either household names or tossed on the junk pile of wasted talent. Shot mostly in 2006, Yauch does little bio spots for, among others, Michael Beasley -- the second pick in this year's NBA draft; Jerryd Bayless, a point guard phenom from Phoenix, who is also coming to the pros after a spectacular freshman season at Arizona; Tyreke Evans, a kid from Chester, PA, who has been surrounded by his older brothers all his young life; and Kevin Love, the gifted low block player and outlet passer who very nearly helped UCLA win a national title this past April. Though the subject matter might suggest nothing but endless MTV-style highlight videos over a hip-hop soundtrack -- and to be sure, there is a sizable helping of such -- Yauch also at least suggests some of the other issues swirling around these kids, some of whom weren't even seniors in high school at the time of the game. He interviews scads of coaches, parents and sneaker reps for insights into the nature of the business. The kids, many of whom having been coddled as superstars since before they could grow beard stubble, often seem vulnerable and extremely impressionable, being moved around and positioned by adults like dried leaves in a wind storm. The game itself, whose highlights more or less match much of what passes for a "competitive" all-star game (score at halftime 72-68, a ridiculous number that even the announcer emceeing the event couldn't get over), doesn't terribly much matter to these kids -- Yauch's point, if there is one besides general hoop adoration -- is more a matter of notification: These are some of the kids who will be in the crosshairs over the next decade or so as their careers unfold. Get used to it.

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