If Coach Carter, Then One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill is one of the shows I continue to revisit because of the nostalgia and familiar comfort, arguably isn't like anything else I have seen on TV. (And I watch A LOT of TV shows). What made this challenge particularly hard was that One Tree Hill covers so many elements in one show that I haven't seen depicted that way in another. And as I sat on the prompt of this challenge for a couple of weeks now, it finally hit me! The comparison lies in the direction and inspiration of the creator! Mark Schwan, in my opinion, was such a genius in how he went about creating this show and using so many elements to drive a 9 season narrative. Aspects of family ties, friendship, relationships, personal development, basketball, internal struggles, mental health, and music made the show as big as it was in my eyes.

I started looking at Mark Schwan as a creator and realized that he also wrote the script for the movie Coach Carter starring Samuel L. Jackson. A movie that focuses on a coach's determination to push student-athletes farther than they imagined by challenging them academically and on the basketball court. While there are many parallels to One Tree Hill in regards to broken family dynamics, sports, relationships, friendships, personal and athletic development, and internal struggles, what I found to be the anchor to both the movies and the show was the influence of their coaches.

In One Tree Hill, Coach Whitey Durham was the basketball coach for over 15 years and a significant source of wisdom and advice to the students and many adult supporting characters. Using basketball as a metaphor for life and personal greatness that can be achieved. Mentoring through the knowledge acquired throughout his years made him one of the most loveable characters on the show. He was tough but fair. Stern but loving. A father figure to anyone in need.

In Coach Carter, you see head coach Ken Carter in almost the same light. Ken returns to his alma mater as a coach and takes notice of the student-athletes he would be in charge of mentoring. These students inspired the film's direction by their potential being seen by an outsider who continued to challenge them to be better.

When it comes to recommending TV shows or movies, I always consider who is getting these recommendations. What do I know about this person? What do they like, and why is the big thing for me. I love stories that have significant characters and great character development. Regardless of the genre or the plot, the show's moments will be sold by the characters, so I consider them first and foremost when making any suggestions.

My first instinct when thinking of a show that may make you want to watch One Tree Hill as a follow up was Boy Meets World, for I feel they checked most of the boxes that made One Tree Hill great in my eyes, but it lacked in so many ways that I think would have been a disservice to the series.

If you were someone who struggled with feeling love at home, someone who was always in the spotlight but never really seen, I would 100% recommend that you keep your eyes on Brooke Davis and Nathan Scott when you watch the show. These two characters, in my opinion, go through the most significant transformation in regards to their development. Their stories remind you that while struggling is inevitable, reaching for your goals can keep you centered; there is so much work that has to be done on the internal level to truly get to a place of peace in your life. A peace that can come from creating your own family, surrounding yourself with positive influences and relationships in your life but more importantly, doing the work to break the cycles that almost broke you.

If you were someone who had a kind heart and truly loved looking out for those around you and being a helping hand, I would recommend that you keep an eye on Lucas Scott, Haley James, and Marvin McFadden. These characters genuinely do drive the series in the early years. Lucas, often the narrator of the show, is someone who reads and watches everything around him. He is our voice of reason and understanding; he is our anchor, someone we root for and genuinely want to succeed in life. Haley, his best friend, is the best friend with a heart of gold. She goes through massive transformations and tests of characters as well, but she is our emotional comfort on the show. The way she genuinely loves the people in her life is a reminder of the friends we ought to have and ought to strive to be.

If you need a parent figure, I turn you to Karen Roe, Keith Scott, and Whitey Durham. All three of these characters remind me of the parent, uncle, and coach I wish I was surrounded by growing up. Karen is a single mom who moves through life with the notion that you get what you earn in life. Karen is gracious, tough, compassionate, and shows up for anyone in need. It is often apparent that Karen became the mother figure she may have been denied growing up. Keith, very similar to Karen, is the uncle of both our main male leads and the brother of their father, and someone who truly lives independently. He is open to anyone and everyone who comes to him and often tells you what you may not want to hear, but it instantly registers as something you need.

When anchoring myself to these characters and their stories, I think of Coach Carter and consider how I was someone drawn to Ken Carter's story. This basketball coach not only turned an entire high school team around but someone who also changed the trajectory of all his player's lives. Watching One Tree Hill instantly provides that same comfort within the first few episodes with Coach Whitey Durham.

One thing that was noticeable in Coach Carter was that we never saw any of the characters' parents significantly when it came to raising these boys. Much like with Karen in One Tree Hill, the film's family structure came from Ken Carter, his wife, and his son. A place that became a safe haven for one of the most troubled yet promising characters of all, similar to our Nathan Scott from One Tree Hill.

There is a hopefulness that moves you when watching these stories that are beyond relatable. It goes beyond throwing yourself in the lives of strangers for a couple hours, and then you forget about it. The shows have such a lasting impact because you begin to see yourself, your friends, your family, and your future. The loves you want to have, the friendships you want to maintain, the family you wish you could create, it all resonates in a way that seems more like an after-school special than a young adult drama series.

If you do thoroughly enjoy Coach Carter, the story, the history, the heart, and the direction of the film, then you will 100% really enjoy diving into the lives and multiple seasons of One Tree Hill. Traveling with these characters from their late teens into adulthood, learning more about yourself in the process, being inspired in the process, and genuinely rooting for everyone to grow past their own limitations will become a part of you. Same with Coach Carter, if you love One Tree Hill but don't want to commit to another multiseason show, consider Coach Carter. Fall in love with the heart of the movie as you are moved to root for each character's well-being and growth. Coach Carter does something so well that they take every character from beginning to end and gives them a completely new story. No one comes out of the movie the same as they started, and that truly is what made me think of this comparison. Not so much the story as it is the characters, understanding that in just two hours on screen can show a tremendous shift that really does inspire you to do the same in your own life.

When you are connected to people and love being inspired by people rather than things, you latch onto their evolution as you watch them grow. Learning and accepting more about themselves than you would know to be true from the moment you meet them.