I'm not saying Robbie Benson was not entitled to some "Get Back" at the Coach, But How do you think he faired when he told the Coach to basically "shove It" at the end and expect to stay on the team??
shareHe didn't intend to stay on the team. It seems clear that he intended to transfer to another university, and play for a less vindictive coach.
shareYes but in college basketball that happens all the time. There are always players who clash with the coach and move on so it's actually realistic in that regard.
shareHe tells Coach Smith "All the way up with a red, hot poker! I can play anywhere I want!" Who knows if he decided to continue playing, or to focus on his studies.
shareEven though Annette O'Toole had inspired an interest in his studies, I think he was really more interested in studying Annette O'Toole, so the idea that Henry was gonna retire from basketball to become an academic genius is probably stretching it a bit.
Henry's reasoning is that he has just hit a game-winning shot for the No. 1 team in the country in a nationally-televised game, so plenty of other coaches at other schools saw it, so presumably some of them would want him on the team.
But knowing now what he knows about the business of college sports, he will not take all their promises seriously and (you would guess) will select a coach who won't be such an A-H.
Don't forget, Henry was also a highly regarded high school prospect, just one year earlier. He would have absolutely no trouble getting a scholarship to go play elsewhere.
sharehe could have gone elsewhere,although in the movie Western U. is a thinly veiled reference to UCLA,so there would have been reasons to stay too.
shareAlso, that coach like has a rep of being an a-hole so the other coaches would understand the transfer and not question it. It's very hard to believe the coach was a Prince to work with until Henry came along.
shareHenry was interested in BOTH hoops and Janet (Annette O'Toole), and to be honest playing for Moreland Smith was miserable. Remember, Smith had a goon beat him up, and tried to get him kicked out of school. By walking away, Henry also showed Janet that he has self respect and after proving a point, will not be treated like a dog. Henry (after sitting out a year) can go to almost any school (except say Ivy League or Stanford (A point I made before)). Henry will never end being a Chemistry Major (let alone end up being Einstein), but Graduating from College (with a REAL Degree not just a bogus Diploma like say Parks & Recreation from Penn State, that qualifies you for nothing except being a forest ranger or something), and a life with Janet that is not only possible, but highly likely.
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