Through the Fire: Sebastian Telfair and Coney Island Basketball

Through the Fire is the story of a young man and the game of basketball and how basketball will change his life, the life of his family and the young man's Coney Island community. That young man is Sebastian Telfair and Through the Fire follows him through his senior year of high at Abraham Lincoln High School, a high school basketball powerhouse in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York during the 2003-2004 basketball season.

Sebastian Telfair was touted as a basketball prodigy when he was in junior high school. This movie, produced by ESPN Entertainment, shows clips of young Sebastian playing on the basketball courts of the Coney Island housing projects. Telfair's star was helped along through his family: his cousin is the New York Knicks point guard, Stephon Marbury and Telfair's brother, Jamel Thomas, was a basketball star for Providence College in the late 1990s. Thomas was not drafted into the NBA and this rejection crushed the hopes of the family and community.

Basketball, in Coney Island, is a way of life, and for many young men, basketball might be the only route out of poverty and the the housing projects that dominate the Coney Island landscape. Thomas descirbes how he has to support his family by going to play basketball in Greece. A former teammate of Thomas and Marbury describes, quite sadly, how he hoped to get out of Coney Island through basketball. Unfortunately, he now spends his days wandering the basketball courts, just living in the past. Telfair knows this will not be his fate. He commits early in his senior year to the University of Louisville and Coach Rick Pitino. Throughout his senior year, Telfair dominates the competition, playing through injury, in the hopes of leading his team to a third New York City Public School Basketball Championship.

The movie does a fine job of showing the growing tension in Sebastian. On one side, the dream of playing college basketball at a high level. On the other side, the dream of riches in the NBA. The growing number of scouts at Telfair's practices and games concerns Telfair and his future college coach, Pitino.

As the basketball season grows to a close, Telfair is openly considering the NBA. The pressures of providing for his family seem to overrule his commitment to Louisville. Lincoln High School wins the third championship. Meanwhile, Telfair is courted by sneaker companies and is driving an extremely nice car, and at this point, the choice is clear, the NBA has won.

We never actually see Telfair attending classes or talking about school. In fact, in mid-May, he heads to Greece to train with his brother. On Draft Day, Telfair goes to an undisclosed location while his family anticipates his selection at rapper Jay-Z's 40/40 club in Manhattan. Jay-Z made many appearances in this movie as a supporter of Telfair and his high school basketball team. The anticipation of Telfair's family waiting for his selection is palpable and as player and player are selected and Telfair is not, frustration seems to set in. At last, Telfair is selected by the Portland Trailblazaers. An eruption of emotion flows throughout the club. Sebastian has made it and his family has made it. They will be able to move out of the projects. Their future rests on the back of an 18 year old, 6 foot tall, basketball player.

Through the Fire is a compelling effort and illustrates how important basketball is to certain parts of this country. Although most people probably do not want to admit this fact, it really is all about the money. I found myself rooting for Sebastian to go to college for some much needed seasoning. However, being a basketball fan, I knew exactly how this story would turn out.
It is a story that will continue to play out across generations of inner city children and families who future rests on a child getting a ball through a basket. Indeed, in the last shot of Through the Fire, Telfair's young brother, only in elementary school, is being coached by another of Telfair's older brothers. You can never stop working.