Fast Break

Fast Break (1979) follows David Greene, a passionate New York delicatessen worker and basketball fanatic played by Gabe Kaplan, who lands a coaching job at a small Nevada college on the condition he builds a winning team. He recruits a ragtag group of talented but unconventional street players from New York, including one player hiding a surprising secret, and attempts to mold them into champions. The film blends comedy, sports action, and heart as the unlikely squad battles against the odds to prove themselves on the court.

• Gabe Kaplan starred after his Welcome Back, Kotter TV fame.
• Bernard King played Hustler, launching his NBA stardom visibility.
• Filmed on location at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
• One player character, Preacher, was secretly a woman in disguise.
• The film featured real basketball action with minimal stunt doubles.

• You can't win a game you don't play.
• I didn't come all the way out here to lose.
• These guys can play ball, they just need a chance.
• A deal is a deal, and I intend to win.
• Basketball isn't just a game, it's the only game that matters.