In Coach Carter (directed by Thomas Carter, Paramount Pictures, 2005), Coach Carter (played by Samuel L. Jackson) locks the doors to the school gym after the school’s undefeated men’s varsity basketball team fails to maintain the academic standards they agreed to during the pre-season. Despite pressure from parents, the school board, and members of the community, Carter is determined to lead these young men to a better life. He believes the life skills and values from an education are more important than winning basketball games. As a result of his decision to focus on his students’ education, many of them graduated from high school and continued to college.