‘Hoosiers’ Writer Doing Screenplay About Iowa Basketball Team

He became famous for writing 'Hoosiers,' a movie about an Indiana boys high school basketball team. That came in 1986. Seven years later he wrote, 'Rudy,' about the against-the-odds-success of a walk-on football player at Notre Dame. Now, he'll tackle another true story, this time about a girls high school basketball team from Iowa.

Angelo Pizzo is the man who wrote the screenplays for those two famous movies. Now, he's attempting to score (pardon the pun) again with a story about the 1956 six-on-six girls basketball team from Maynard, Iowa. They won the Iowa girls state title that year. There weren't different classes. Maynard was tops in Iowa, period. The movie will be based on the book, Maynard 8 Miles, which was written by Brian J. Borland. It covers, not just the team and its impact, but also life on a family farm... specifically the life of star player Carolyn Nicholson Borland. Borland is the mother of the book's author.

Borland told KWWL,

The book tells of Carolyn’s exceptional talent and scoring records, how she led her Maynard High team to overcome huge obstacles and win a state championship, and how she changed the game of six-on-six forever. It’s also a love story. I always knew my dad played for the Badgers, but my mother was so modest that until I was in the 40s, I never knew she was a superstar and for awhile was the darling of an entire state. When I learned about that, I started researching it, and what a story I uncovered.”

The storyline for the movie will also feature Glenn Borland, Carolyn's husband, and Brian's father. He played basketball at Oelwein High, less than 10 miles from Maynard. He would later become captain of the Wisconsin men's basketball team.

The movie will be co-produced by Brian Borland and former Wisconsin head men's basketball coach, Bo Ryan. It's expected to be produced next year. I, for one, can't wait to see the finished product. We've had "The Final Season," about the Norway baseball team. I bet this one will be just as good, if not even better. The best part? The movie is expected to premiere in Iowa... let's hope it's shot (last pun) here as well.

[via Maynard8miles, IMBD, and KWWL]