Alex Schlotsky (Alex D. Linz) is a 14-year old freshman at Philadelphia Hebrew Academy, where he and his friends are on the school's struggling basketball team, the Lions. Without a good coach and with a dream of winning the Liberty Tournament and defeating their school's rivals, the Warriors, Alex and his friends are determined to find their own Judah Macabee to coach their team. During one day of practice at a local park, Alex finds what he believes is their coach—Lamont Carr, a college basketball star whose knee injury prevented him from getting to the NBA. After interrupting his practice, Alex and Lamont don't get off to a good start. The next day, however, Alex offers to pay Lamont to coach their team for a while: Lamont reluctantly agrees.