Guru of Go (3 Apr. 2010)

We follow the career of Paul Westhead who became famous as a coach for his fast break system of play. His career encompassed winning NBA and WNBA titles and intense controversy at the college level.

Director:

Bill Couturié

Storyline

There has always been questions raised about Allen Iverson's conviction for a fight he was involved in as a young man. The film maker goes back to his home town to try and understand the events and how they have left a mark on the town he calls home.

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Genres:

Sport

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Details

Release Date:

3 April 2010 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

User Reviews

Another Good Documentary

30 for 30: Guru of Go (2010)

*** (out of 4)

ESPN documentary takes a look at head coach Paul Westhead who won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers before being ran out of town due to Magic Johnson. After a few other losing seasons he found himself only able to get hired by the small Loyola Marymount where he put in his "run and gun" style of play. His fortunes turned when he landed superstars Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers but soon tragedy would strike when Gathers would die on the court. This episode is yet another winner but I there's one major problem with it. It seems like the producers or director didn't know what type of story they wanted to tell. It starts off being about Westhead and his fast style of basketball but it quickly centers in on Gathers and his shocking death. There's no doubt that Gathers' story is the most interesting one so I'm curious why they didn't just make the documentary about him. Westhead's early career is looked at quickly as was his post-LM days so why they tried to make him center stage is beyond me. The documentary does work as a nice tribute to Gathers as we get interviews with his teammates, trainers and even his brother who is still heartbroken by his death. I thought the documentary did a very good job at showing how magical his talent was and how important the NCAA tournament was after his death.