ESPN '30 for 30': 'Morningside 5' Revisits LA High School Basketball Stars 25 Years Later

Coming off the network’s first Oscar win for “OJ: Made in America,” ESPN’s latest “30 for 30” film delves into Los Angeles sports history once again.

Premiering Tuesday night, “Morningside 5” is a fresh, new story for most viewers, but it’s well-traveled ground for filmmaker Mike Tollin, who first filmed five high school basketball stars — Stais Boseman, Dwight Curry, Corey Saffold, Dominic Ellison and Sean Harris — from Inglewood, California, back in 1992.

Then new to Hollywood himself, documentary filmmaker Tollin teamed up with “Head of the Class” actor Brian Robbins to capture the essence of inner city high school basketball in their debut sports documentary.

“Morningside High had an esteemed reputation for basketball excellence and had just won the state basketball title, plus their five pre-eminent players were all returning for their senior years,” Tollin told TheWrap.

Also Read: ESPN's Latest '30 for 30' Film Spotlights Brilliant But Troubled Soccer Star George Best

Seemingly destined to be the Michael Jordans of their era, the five players “all imagined that they would be receiving full scholarships to Division 1 schools to play basketball — that was their dream,” he added.

But life and sports often don’t turn out the way we plan …

After chronicling their senior year in 1993’s “Hardwood Dreams,” Tollin — who’s also the co-founder of Mandalay Sports Media — went on to direct and produce feature films such as “Varsity Blues” and “Radio,” plus TV hits including “Smallville,” “One Tree Hill” and “Arli$$,” but fate would always draw him back to Morningside.

He revisited the former star players 10 years later and now 25 years on, he tells the latest chapter in their life stories for “30 for 30,” following the success and failures they’ve faced since first hitting hoops on that Inglewood court.

“All but one of them has moved away from basketball and they’re all just finding their way in the world,” Tollin told TheWrap. “What I love about this film is it isn’t really a story of triumph or tragedy in any great measure — it is a film about real lives.”

See the full interview with Tollin below.

TheWrap: How did you first get involved with the kids at Morningside High?
Mike Tollin: I was always a documentary guy at heart, and when I moved to L.A. I had an idea to try and find an inner city high school in which the profile was largely related to athletic achievement in the face of academic underachievement. “Hoop Dreams” was happening at the exact same time (unbeknown to us) and this behemoth was about to change the sports media landscape as we knew it, but we went merrily along our way and started digging around the Los Angeles inner city schools and found this school in Inglewood that had an esteemed reputation for basketball excellence and had just won the state basketball title, plus their five pre-eminent players were all returning for their senior years … It was kind of set up perfectly.

All five of the returning starters imagined they would be receiving full scholarships to Division 1 schools to play basketball — that was their dream.

How deeply involved in their lives did you become while filming the initial doc, “Hardwood Dreams”?
We spent most of the school year there in classrooms, at practice, getting to know the families and going to the games. Not surprisingly, a lot of surprises unfolded. It didn’t go exactly according to the textbook plan for their senior year.

Also Read: Veteran Kirstie Ennis Makes Historic Summit Climb for Heroes Project

Did you always think that you’d continue to follow their story?
At the time, I was very aware of a British film called “7 Up” that Michael Apted made in 1964, which started out following a group of children and then continued to check in with them every seven years. They are now working on “63 Up.” I thought this story might lend itself to that sort of serialized treatment over time.

What kind of impact did “Hardwood Dreams” have when it was released in 1993?
The first film got into Sundance, won some awards, was bought by Fox, we got Wesley Snipes to narrate … it kind of became our calling card and it was the one that convinced Brian and me to become partners. We stayed in touch with those guys and several of them did go on to play major college basketball. When it got to the 10 years later mark, we found them and filmed all over again.

Considering everything else you’ve achieved in your career since, how did you end back at Morningside?
I was lucky enough to be a part of the founding production team for “30 for 30” about 10 years ago. The idea was (and still is) to encourage filmmakers to tell first-person stories, to really exercise their vision and address their own passions. I got very close with [“30 for 30” co-creator] Connor Schell, and he was always encouraging me to bring something that was really my film, that I was personally attached to and would direct. This was when the 20th reunion at Morningside was coming up in 2013.

I said ‘I am only going to do this if I can get all five of them,’ and they kind of banded together. The star player had moved to a little town in Minnesota, all but one had moved away from basketball and they were just finding their way in the world. What I love about this film is it isn’t really a story of triumph or tragedy in any great measure — it is a film about real lives. They had gone on such different paths, but basketball continued to play some part in all of their lives.

On the surface, the film is about sports, but it is much deeper and really about other things.

Also Read: Stephanie McMahon, Mark Giordano Among Winners at ESPN Sports Humanitarian Awards

Was it hard to introduce new viewers to what is a very familiar story to you?
The original film isn’t available anymore — you can’t even find it on video or online — which I think, ultimately, works in our favor for this as people are coming to it fresh. That’s why we presented it as we did, where you see an abridged version of the first two films to really set up where they are today.

What has the initial response been so far?
We’ve had a couple of screenings — people really dug in and got on for the ride. They’re not looking for that big trailer moment but got into discovering these five characters. Byron Scott and Paul Pierce — two former NBA stars who grew up in Inglewood — came out at the L.A. screening, and to hear them gush about these guys and call them the heroes of Inglewood “because they made lives for themselves and turned around the cycle of absentee fatherhood in the inner city” made us all feel so good. Ratings and box office records come and go, but being able to make a change is what makes it worth while.

Also Read: Why OJ Simpson Will Be Granted Parole This Week

Will there be another Morningside installment in the future?
I feel like I am in it for life. I’ve got at least two more of these in me.

In the meantime, what is next for Mandalay Sports Media?
We are deeply involved in the feature film slat and are hoping our next project will be an adaptation of “The Art of Fielding” by Chad Harbach with IME. I never thought it was possible to get the rights to the book, then we waited five years and it came back to us. We are absolutely thrilled at the opportunity. We are still working on a draft of the script and haven’t cast it yet, but by the end of the summer, we’ll be elbow deep into it.

The headmaster (Guert Affenlight) is kind of the lead character, we haven’t gone out to anyone yet. That is a real, bona fide leading man role.

“Morningside 5” premieres Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

'OJ: Made In America,' and the 30 Other Game-Changing '30 for 30' Films (Photos)

The five-part "O.J.: Made In America" marks a watershed moment for "30 for 30," the ESPN documentary series that has proven to be one of the best concepts the network has ever come up with. Co-created by Connor Schell and Bill Simmons in 2009 to chronicle 30 stories from the "ESPN era" beginning with the network's founding in 1979, the series has elevated filmmakers, creating unforgettable works that have received awards, critical acclaim and festival selections many times over.

Also Read: ESPN’s ‘OJ: Made in America’ Documentary: 7 Things You Need to Know
ESPN
30. "Trojan War"
Pete Carroll turned the USC Trojans into the first college football powerhouse of the 21st century before leaving for the Seattle Seahawks amidst NCAA sanctions. USC alum Aaron Rahsaan Thomas looks at the beginning of the Trojans' steady decline: The Team's loss in the 2006 national championship game against Texas.
ESPN
29. "The Price of Gold"
The Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan scandal was one of the most disgraceful in women's sports. It was also insanely profitable for figure skating. Director Nanette Burstein takes a look at the incident 20 years later and what it meant for both the sport and Harding's turbulent life.
ESPN
28. "Youngstown Boys"
The rise and fall of college dynasties and the corrupt side of school sports has been a regular topic on "30 For 30." The film takes a look at the scandals that surrounded Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel and fallen star Maurice Clarrett, the latter of whom ended up in prison.
ESPN
27. "The 16th Man"
This documentary about the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was hosted by South Africa shortly after the end of Apartheid, featured Morgan Freeman -- who played Nelson Mandela in the biopic, "Invictus," -- is the narrator.
ESPN
26. "The Birth of Big Air"
What if I told you the guys who made "Jackass" contributed to this series? After earning fame by filming guys doing stupid things, Jeff Tremaine directed this documentary about the life of Mat Hoffman, the greatest BMX rider of all time. Hoffman's interviews reveal the drive that not only defines his life, but the core philosophy of action sports as well.
ESPN
25. "Winning Time"
This film is one of the lighter pieces in the "30 For 30" lineup, but also one of the best executed. It focuses on the playoff duels between the Pacers and Knicks in the mid-90s, a series that made Reggie Miller one of the top NBA players not named Michael Jordan, especially when taunting Knicks fanatic, Spike Lee.

Also Read: Spike Lee Honors Prince With Purple People Party in Brooklyn
ESPN
24. Straight Outta L.A.
In the 80s, Al Davis took his ball and left Oakland, bringing his Raiders to Los Angeles. In the 13 seasons they played there, the Silver and Black captivated their temporary home, as well as this documentary's director, Ice Cube. "Straight Outta L.A." shows how L.A. and the Raiders were a perfect fit for each other, and how they inspired the imagery and philosophy of N.W.A.

Also Read: ‘Barbershop: The Next Cut’ Review: Ice Cube Comedy Layers Workplace Sitcom with Social Advocacy
ESPN
23. "Playing for the Mob"
Jim Sweeney was a Rhodes Scholar and a Naismith Award-winning superstar at Boston College. So why did he take money as part of a points-shaving scheme? "Playing For The Mob," directed Joe Lavine and Cayman Grant, is another great corrupt college sports tale.

Also Read: ESPN’s ’30 for 30’ Marks 5th Anniversary with Ray Liotta Voicing College Basketball Mob Documentary (Video)
ESPN
22. "Jordan Rides The Bus"
At the peak of his athletic and cultural dominance, Michael Jordan stunned everyone by leaving basketball to give minor league baseball a try. "Bull Durham" director Ron Shelton, himself a former minor league player, goes inside the motives that led one sport's greatest ever to enter a sport where he was outmatched by so many.
ESPN
21. "Bad Boys"
The '89-90 Detroit Pistons are one of the forgotten great teams in NBA history, which is weird because in their time they were hated. "Bad Boys" looks at Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and the rest of the players that made up one of the grittiest, most physical teams in basketball history.
ESPN
20. "Of Miracles And Men"
What's it like to be on the losing end of a miracle? "Of Miracles and Men" looks at the Soviets who lost the "Miracle on Ice" and goes beyond that upset to show what it was like to be a hockey player blocked from playing in the NHL by the Iron Curtain.
ESPN
19. "Fernando Nation"
In 1959, the Latino residents of L.A.'s Chavez Ravine were forcibly evicted so their homes could make way for the construction of Dodger Stadium. Two decades later, a chubby 19-year-old from Sonora, Mexico, named Fernando Valenzuela became the biggest star not just on the Dodgers, but all of baseball.

Also Read: Vin Scully Graces Sports Illustrated Cover, Says He’s ‘Uncomfortable’ With Tributes
ESPN
18. "Four Days In October"
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the kind of sports moment "30 for 30" was made for. The Yankees were three outs away from once again killing the dreams of their rivals and sports' most famous losers, the Red Sox. Instead, the Red Sox rallied from a 3-0 series deficit, and "Four Days In October" shows how the infamous Curse of the Bambino was broken in the most unlikely of circumstances.

ESPN
17. "Slaying the Badger"
The 1986 Tour de France is widely considered to be the greatest story in cycling history. American Greg LeMond had helped his teammate Bernard Hinault win the previous year, and Hinault had pledged to return the favor. What unfolded that year en route to LeMond becoming the first American to win the Tour showed how cycling is a constant struggle between rivalry and friendship; individual and team.
ESPN
16. "Requiem For The Big East"
"O.J. Simpson: Made In America" isn't the first documentary Ezra Edelman has made for ESPN. "Requiem for the Big East" was a dive into one of his favorite things in sports: Big East college basketball. He ties in the conference's rise with that of ESPN and shows how the two forces combined to change college basketball into the form we know today.
ESPN
15. "The Announcement"
Magic Johnson has become such an esteemed elder statesman in basketball and in Los Angeles that it's easy to forget the trials he faced when he revealed he had HIV. "The Announcement" restores weight to his famous confession and explores what Magic faced shortly after his sudden retirement.

Also Read: Magic Johnson Pledges Support to Charlie Sheen in HIV Battle: ‘I Hope He Joins Me in Educating the World’
ESPN
14. "Kings Ransom"
August 9, 1988, was a red letter day for hockey and a day that has lived in infamy for Canada. Wayne Gretzky, national hero, was being traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. "Kings Ransom" explores the intense backlash the move received north of the border and the transformative impact it had on the NHL, as Gretzky helped expand the sport's appeal into new territory as he led the Kings to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance.
ESPN
13. "I Hate Christian Laettner"
This is one of the funniest "30 for 30" to date. Christian Laettner was one of the most dominant college hoops players of his time, and like the university he played for, everyone loved to hate him. Rory Karpf talks with Laettner in a film that explores how an athlete can inspire such passionate hatred for reasons both valid and ludicrous.

Also Read: Duke Basketball Legend Christian Laettner on Being So Hated That ESPN Made a ’30 for 30’ Film About It
ESPN
12. "You Don't Know Bo"
Bo Jackson never won a championship, but he did something even better: he became a mythical figure. With the help of some creative animated pieces, Michael Bonfiglio delves through fact and fiction to explore the incredible legend Bo built around himself -- and what he left behind.
ESPN
11. "Pony Excess"
Thaddeus Matula was the son of an SMU professor and a rabid fan of the school's football team, the Mustangs. He was eight when the Mustangs faced the unthinkable: the NCAA was shutting down their program for two years, bringing an end to their dominance. "Pony Excess" is Matula's retelling of that scandal, digging into the football team's dealings with oil tycoons and corrupt politicians in a city and decade that was consumed by greed.
ESPN
10. "Broke"
A sobering documentary that proves the adage "mo' money, mo' problems" is more true than you might believe. Billy Corben interviews retired athletes who lost all their wealth from their pro career through poor investments, bad friends, and of course, the temptation of materialism.
ESPN
9. "Fantastic Lies"
Marina Zenovich, director of "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," created this scathing piece on the 2006 Duke Lacrosse case, exposing how the public's outrage at injustice can sometimes become overzealous and catch innocent people in the crossfire.
ESPN
8. "Muhammad and Larry"
In 1980, Muhammad Ali wanted one more title match against Larry Holmes. The fight proved what everyone but Ali already knew: The Greatest was past his prime. Using archival footage of the fight he shot himself, director Albert Maysles shows the humanity of both fighters, including the dark side of Ali that fueled his competitiveness, and the reluctance of Holmes to put down his friend and idol for good.
ESPN
7. "Catching Hell"
Every Cubs fan wonders what might have happened if Steve Bartman had let Moises Alou catch that foul ball in 2003. Director Alex Gibney lifts the curtain on what happened to Bartman after that infamous catch and questions why sports fans so often dwell on singular moments of bad luck.

Also Read: HBO to Develop Alex Gibney’s Death Row Drama Starring Laura Dern
ESPN
6. "The Best That Never Was"
Marcus Dupree was the greatest high school football recruit of his generation and the pride of his hometown of Philadelphia. He then went to Oklahoma and quickly fizzled out. Director Jonathan Hock tracked down Dupree to find out what went wrong and how Dupree was able to come to peace with the direction his life ended up taking.
ESPN
5. "Four Falls of Buffalo"
It hurts to watch your team lose a title. To have that happen four straight years is almost unimaginable. Yet that's what Buffalo Bills fans experienced as their team lost four consecutive Super Bowls. But instead of just lamenting their defeats, "Four Falls of Buffalo" becomes a love letter to the city the Bills call home, as well as a call to really consider just what the Bills managed to achieve.
ESPN
4. "The U"
In the 80s, a pair of cultural phenomena changed Miami forever: "Miami Vice" and The U. This documentary follows the latter, showing how the Canes' dominance brought South Florida's most well-known university unprecedented fame and party school cred before it hit a brutal decline.
ESPN
3. "June 17, 1994"
Everyone remembers where they were when O.J. Simpson drove that white Bronco, but do you remember what else happened that day? From Stanley Cup parades and World Cup matches to the MLB lockout, director Brett Morgen explores a day in sports history unlike any other in one of the first prominent "30 For 30" installments.

Also Read: OJ Fact Check: Two White Broncos?
ESPN
2. "Hillsborough"
"Hillsborough" covers the human crush at an FA Cup match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in 1989 that killed 96 people. Police blamed fans for the incident, but a new inquest exonerated them and delivered a verdict of unlawful killing earlier this year.
ESPN
1. "The Two Escobars"
This is not only the greatest "30 for 30;" it is also one of the greatest documentaries in recent memory. Andres Escobar was a hero to the people of Colombia, yet the national team he played for was bankrolled with by the infamous drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. "The Two Escobars" is one of the finest examples of how sports can become more than a game. Sometimes, it can all too literally become a matter of life and death.
ESPN

1 of 31

From ”The U“ to ”The Two Escobars,“ we count down the 30 greatest documentaries that ESPN’s critically-acclaimed series has gifted us

The five-part "O.J.: Made In America" marks a watershed moment for "30 for 30," the ESPN documentary series that has proven to be one of the best concepts the network has ever come up with. Co-created by Connor Schell and Bill Simmons in 2009 to chronicle 30 stories from the "ESPN era" beginning with the network's founding in 1979, the series has elevated filmmakers, creating unforgettable works that have received awards, critical acclaim and festival selections many times over.

Also Read: ESPN’s ‘OJ: Made in America’ Documentary: 7 Things You Need to Know

View In Gallery

'OJ: Made In America,' and the 30 Other Game-Changing '30 for 30' Films (Photos)

7DAYFREETRIAL

7
DAY
FREE
TRIAL