Last Chance U

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Well I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. I'm maybe midway through the Laney season? I'm in the middle of the episode where they are diving into RJ's messed up upbringing.

Some highlights of this season:

*Less drama than all the prior seasons, sort of refreshing not to wade through all that bullshit dumbassery on an episode to episode basis. Probably why this season doesn't feature "that one lady" that basically babysits all these kids through their college curriculum. I've seen glimpses of Sakai Metcalf (I think thats her name) but she hasn't been very hands on with the kids so not sure she has the same sort of job. Seems more like a secretary for their athletic department than anything.

*A lot more detail into the human element (as pointed out by @Wild Turkey) and making us care for each player. Makes more sense to go this route given how these players aren't on scholarships & they are scraping together a living to make ends meet.

*John Beam is a helluva coach. Easily the most likable coach we've seen so far.

*Dior is such an easy kid to root for. Kids like him deserve better recognition.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Well I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. I'm maybe midway through the Laney season? I'm in the middle of the episode where they are diving into RJ's messed up upbringing.

Some highlights of this season:

*Less drama than all the prior seasons, sort of refreshing not to wade through all that bullshit dumbassery on an episode to episode basis. Probably why this season doesn't feature "that one lady" that basically babysits all these kids through their college curriculum. I've seen glimpses of Sakai Metcalf (I think thats her name) but she hasn't been very hands on with the kids so not sure she has the same sort of job. Seems more like a secretary for their athletic department than anything.

*A lot more detail into the human element (as pointed out by @Wild Turkey) and making us care for each player. Makes more sense to go this route given how these players aren't on scholarships & they are scraping together a living to make ends meet.

*John Beam is a helluva coach. Easily the most likable coach we've seen so far.

*Dior is such an easy kid to root for. Kids like him deserve better recognition.

I'll be interested in your take when you finish the season. There does seem to be some cracks in the Beam persona as a coach and one of his former players/current assistant coach makes some comments later that seem critical but it could have been the editing as well.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I'll be interested in your take when you finish the season. There does seem to be some cracks in the Beam persona as a coach and one of his former players/current assistant coach makes some comments later that seem critical but it could have been the editing as well.

So far he has been a great coach but they haven't dove very far into his history as a coach other than highlighting a bunch of accomplishments and mentioning all the players he helped in the Oakland area. Mostly refereed to as a good "father figure". I do wonder though if there is more beneath the surface though. He doesn't necessarily strike me as the guy his history portrays him as, at least not consistently.

 

[Wild Turkey]

So far he has been a great coach but they haven't dove very far into his history as a coach other than highlighting a bunch of accomplishments and mentioning all the players he helped in the Oakland area. Mostly refereed to as a good "father figure". I do wonder though if there is more beneath the surface though. He doesn't necessarily strike me as the guy his history portrays him as, at least not consistently.

No, it's more like the game is starting to pass him by him not adapting and some over-promising and under-delivering on expectations. You'll see.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

No, it's more like the game is starting to pass him by him not adapting and some over-promising and under-delivering on expectations. You'll see.

I could see that. Definitely appears to be in the twilight of his career. Did building Laney Football from the ground up take everything out of him? Not to mention being the head of the athletic department (director) probably takes some of his attention away from football since they have baseball, basketball, swimming, track & field & water polo teams.

 

[Wild Turkey]

I could see that. Definitely appears to be in the twilight of his career. Did building Laney Football from the ground up take everything out of him? Not to mention being the head of the athletic department (director) probably takes some of his attention away from football since they have baseball, basketball, swimming, track & field & water polo teams.

My impression is that he did the high school thing (became a legend) and probably was bored so he took the Laney job. He seems extremely attached to Oakland and didn't want to leave but also wanted to see what the next level was like so he jumped to junior college. My guess is that his state retirement is secure from his high school days and he sees his change as a low risk and his high school connections could give him an edge. If it gets to be too big a pain in the ass then he retires and really has no pressure. Laney can't fire him or the backlash would be huge. He just has to be careful that when he has had enough that he walks away and doesn't ruin some of the goodwill he has built up. Guys that can't give it up often cross that line.