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The filmmakers had trouble filling the FieldHouse with extras for the final game, and needed to move people around when shooting different angles. Extras were given 1950's hairstyles and their clothing was checked for anachronisms.
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The actual game was played between the Milan Indians and the Muncie Central Bearcats. For the movie, the South Bend Central Bears were the opponent. The true championship took place in 1954, not 1952 as in the movie, and the score was Milan 32, Muncie Central 30.
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In the locker room before the final game, on the blackboard are the last names of the players on the opposing team. These are the real last names of the actors who make up the Hickory team.
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The movie was renamed "Best Shot" in Europe because most Europeans wouldn't know what a Hoosier was.
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The actor who played Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) was the only player on the Hickory team not to play high school basketball. He did play college golf at Purdue his freshman year.
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Wade Schenck, who plays equipment manager/reluctant player Ollie McClellan, has his real-life sister Libbey Schenck encouraging him during the games as a Hickory cheerleader (credited).
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An actual Milan Indian Guard, Ray Craft, was in the movie. Craft was the person that greeted the Huskers when they got to the state finals, and he also was the one that told Coach Dale that it was time to take the court before the state final.
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Maris Valainis was told that whether he made the last shot or not, people were going to rush the floor because of the need for a wide shot of the court. Luckily, he made it as shown in the movie.
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Steve Hollar who played Rade Butcher was actually playing basketball for DePauw University at the time. This caught the attention of the NCAA. Later it was deemed that he was acting and not playing and was given a three-game suspension and was charged 5% of his acting fee.
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The scene with Jimmy and Coach Dale talking while Jimmy shot baskets was filmed in one take. Maris Valainis said that he "wasn't even listening to him." "I was just concentrating on making them and I made one and they kept going in."
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Jack Nicholson was the original choice to play Coach Norman Dale but had a schedule conflict. Told the producers he knew they were on a tight schedule to shoot, and if they found another actor to go ahead. If not, he could do it the next year. Gene Hackman then signed on for the part. (from the DVD bonus features)
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For the scene where Dennis Hopper walks onto the court drunk in the middle of the game, Hopper wanted a ten-second notice before calling action. At the ten-second notice, he spun around in circles until action was called, allowing him to stagger onto the court in an awkward fashion in order to appear drunk.
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The actor playing Ollie once left the set to watch his high school basketball team play. He was a junior on the team when he got the role and was feeling homesick, so he decided to go watch them. The crew had to contact his mother to get him to return.
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Ranked #4 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Sports" in June 2008.
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During one of the games, Hickory is shown playing Decatur. The Director was born in Decatur, Indiana.
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Jimmy Chitwood has only 4 lines of dialogue in the whole movie. He has 3 lines in the scene where Coach Dale wins the vote to keep his job, then "I'll make it" in the climactic game.
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