Love and Basketball. Sanaa Lathan (The Best Man) is the fiercely driven, hot-tempered Monica, (The Mod Squad) is Quincy, an NBA player’s son

Gina Prince-Bythewood, a former college athlete, puts a spin on this one-on-one tale of Love and Basketball. Sanaa Lathan (The Best Man) is the fiercely driven, hot-tempered Monica, a tomboy who gives her all for basketball. Omar Epps (The Mod Squad) is Quincy, an NBA player’s son who has pro dreams of his own. Next-door neighbors since first grade, they start as rivals (she flabbergasts the boy by outplaying him in a game of driveway pickup) and age into best friends and lovers.

The romantic complications follow a familiar game plan, but the film throws a fascinating spotlight onto the contrast between men’s and women’s basketball. While Quincy plays college ball on huge courts to cheering, sold-out crowds, we see Monica’s sweat, tears, and sheer physical dedication in front of tiny audiences in small gyms and second-rate auditoriums.