NYC Theatrical release of "The First Basket"at the Village East Cinema 10/29. Running for 10 days. Check out our website www.thefirstbasket.com for more info and clips. The trailer is also featured on Yahoo! Movies.
Did you know that a Jewish kid from New York scored the first basket in the NBA?
A New York movie if ever there was one, The First Basket follows the little-known history of Jews and basketball at the beginning of the 20th century. When Ossie Schectman, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn, made the first basket for the New York Knickerbockers back in 1946, who knew that he would be credited for scoring the first points in NBA history?
In fact, several of the NBA teams had evolved out of the semi-pro teams, settlement houses, playgrounds, schoolyard and community center leagues, and college teams that sprung from the Jewish inner-city neighborhoods of the early 20th century. While the era of Jewish professional basketball players has passed, the story of these sports pioneers illustrates how the American 20th Century was shaped by the experiences of many immigrant groups.
The First Basket follows these Jewish basketball experiences, from ash cans placed on the stoops of brownstones, to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
Email Mitch.FirstBasket@gmail.com with questions
