Advent Calendar House - TV Holiday & Christmas Specials

Full-Court Miracle

Episode Summary

A Disney Channel Original Hanukkah Movie based on the true story of a former college basketball star turned Hebrew school coach who may or may not be the ghost of Judah Maccabee. Guests: April Ryley, J.W. Friedman

Episode Notes

🕎 It’s 2003, and a team of Hebrew school basketball players think they’ve found the ghost of Judah Maccabee in a random guy living in a van.

It’s time once again to think about the Seleucid Empire as we watch a Disney Channel Original Hanukkah Movie very loosely based on the true story of former college basketball star Lamont Carr and a yeshiva’s struggling team looking for a leader.

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🎙 Guests:

April Ryley (@where2nextapril, @thefancygeologist).

J.W. Friedman (I Don’t Even Own a Television).

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

1. “Full-Court Miracle” on Disney+.

2. Lamont Carr’s obituary in Virginia Magazine, 2017.

3. Psychocandy, an experimental pop duo of Cassie Steele (Julie) and Jase Blankfort (Stick).

4. UVA’s Athletics website circa 2003.

5. Alex’s prized Dr. J basketball card isn’t even a rookie card and isn’t that valuable.

6. “Jewball,” a novel featuring the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association basketball team.

7. Sadly, the only upload I could find of the hip-hop cover of the Dreidel song is a smartphone recording of a TV playing this movie.

8. This basketball movie’s NBA star cameo is provided by Jerome Williams.

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📼 Commercial Break:

Microsoft Encarta Commercial, 1995.

Returning Student, a 40-year-old’s journey to finish the college degree he never got.

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Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.
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