Drew Murphy (James Bingham)
Drew kept the vibe playful by opening with a joke: “I just want to say, I’m white,” he quipped.
“On our club team, I was the only white kid,” he noted, “but I learned so much about the world in a way which I never would have learned if I didn’t take those buses into Seat Pleasant for practice. And it showed me how separated most of us are in the world,” he continued. “Our team is different. We were all together, and that’s something that’s going to stick with me for a long time.”
Where he’s headed: “I didn’t get recruited, but I’ll be going to Georgetown as a journalism major.”
Musa Rahim (Caleel Harris)
Before Musa took the mic, his father Naim (Sean Baker) paid special tribute.
“I love you so much, so damn much,” Naim told Musa. “When you were born, I became a dad. When you held that basketball, I became a coach, and coaching you has been a joy. I want you to remember, there is nothing you cannot do.”
Musa thanked his other coaches before putting the spotlight on Coach SeymourGreyson (Wayne Hughes). “I learned [that] sometimes the best thing to do —in the game and in life — is to pause, press reset and tie your shoes. So, thank you for that,” he said.
Addressing his team, Musa told them there is “no group of people that I’d rather go to battle with every day than you guys [right] here… I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I love y’all.”
Where he’s headed: “I am taking my talents —my hip hop talents — to the Clive Davis School of Music at NYU.”
Royale Hughes (Ozie Nzeribe)
The defensive player with a sharp analytical mind thanked Edwards for making him “a part of something I’ll never be part of again in life.”
“My father grew up in [Washington, D.C.] He was poor, became rich and he pushed me. So I take nothing for granted,” he shared. “My mother, from the motherland Nigeria, she pushes me so I don’t forget where I come from. But coach, you pushed me to help me realize where I could go. You all did.”
Where he’s headed: “I’m going to Howard University with my brother Phil, here, where I’ll be a business major and help provide analytics for the basketball team.”
Jace Carson (Isaiah Hill)
Before Jace reached the mic, Coach Edwards reminisced about how their journey began.
“Can I just tell you how crazy I used to think your mama was?” Edwards said through tears. “She walked up on me in the hardware store talking about I need to be your coach, and I’ll be damned if she wasn’t right. I needed to be your coach. I needed to be in your life.
“My biggest fear was that you would fall short of your dreams,” he added. “The thing about fear is that it can become contagious, take on a life of its own. I have never seen you run away from what scares you. You face it head on until that three-headed giant is cut down. Never be afraid to be afraid. Continue facing your fears head-on —that’s how you make your future. That’s what makes you great. The universe has your back, Jace Carson, and so do I. I love you.”
When it was Jace’s turn to speak, he immediately thanked his sister Jackie (Jordan Rice) for always looking out for him and never holding a grudge despite him receiving so much attention. He then singled out his mother for being his biggest cheerleader.
“Mom, I had an idea about being a basketball player. You taught me how to make that a vision,” Jace said. “I don’t know how you did, but I do know that the loudest voice cheering from the sidelines is you.”
“Coach, I got this pocket watch for my birthday. It reminds me to always be a 24-hour person like you,” Jace continued. “My relationship with my father is a work in progress. He checks in with you to see how I’m doing. But he also checks in with you because he knows how much you mean to me. Mom taught me how to be a man. You taught me how to do it with swagger.
“To my teammates, my brothers, thank you for riding with me. I love y’all, and I apologize in advance if I ever [have to] face y’all on the other side of the court. I’m [going to] give y’all hell.”
Where he’s headed: “I’m undeclared. Most of y’all know, most of my offers went away. After the championship, Georgetown offered me a scholarship.”
At the end of the episode, Jace revealed to Crystal that UCLA —his first-choice school —offered him a full ride.
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