Fast Break

David Greene is a basketball fanatic living in Brooklyn, New York who alternates his time between playing in neighborhood pickup basketball games and managing a delicatessen. Formerly a junior high-school coach, he dreams of making his living coaching basketball and has sent numerous letters to colleges in the hope of fulfilling that dream—much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife Jan, who wants only to buy a home and start a family.

Just when David thinks his dream will forever elude him, he is offered a dubious job coaching the men's basketball team at Cadwallader University, a fictional Nevada college. The job only pays $60 for each win, but David is promised a lucrative contract if he can lead Cadwallader to victory over Nevada State (one of the top 10 teams in the country). David accepts the job but is unable to convince his wife to join him in his cross-country quest, and David's marriage is therefore threatened as he pursues his dream.

David begins building his team with his friend Hustler, a talented baller and pool ace whose own fortunes turn sour when his "pigeons" realize they've been sharked. David and Hustler recruit Preacher, who also has good reason to escape his situation, as there is a contract out on him for having impregnated a powerful cult leader's 15-year-old daughter. Next, David and Hustler ferret out Hustler's acquaintance D.C., whom David recognizes as a former high-school star who has traded his chance at basketball glory to run numbers. Finally, David and Hustler visit Swish, a female finesse player with a great jump shot. David convinces the androgynous Swish to pose as a male in order to play on the team.

David and his newly formed quartet head west and immediately set about finding a suitable fifth man among the shallow talent pool of Cadwallader athletes. He settles on Sam Newton, nicknamed "Bull", who makes up in lane-clearing muscle what he lacks in basketball skills. Despite the team's cultural differences, David develops Cadwallader into a contender. The team ultimately catches the eye of Bo Winnegar, head coach of the elite team David must beat in order to make his coaching job a viable proposition. David must find a way to get Winnegar to agree to a game, which, as team manager Howard puts it, will be "like getting the Ohio State Buckeyes to play football with Radcliffe." Nevertheless, after the resourceful coach learns that Bo enjoys billiards, he enlists Hustler in setting up a sting operation that forces Bo to agree to the game.

As the impossible matchup becomes a reality, David's team faces even bigger challenges. A hitman has tailed Preacher to Nevada, leaving Preacher to fear for his life as he takes the court. And just prior to tipoff, David makes a deal with a police officer to allow D.C. to play in the big game before answering to the law for his illegal activities. During the game, David's wife and mother show up to share in the realization of his lifelong dream.