Basketball Guru is a compelling feature documentary being produced by award winning Bay Area filmmaker Doug Harris about the life and contributions of basketball’s legendary Coach Pete Newell.

As a member of the illustrious group of college basketball coaches in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Pete Newell’s contributions far exceed his 234-123 record as a 14-year college coach. Considered by many experts in basketball circles as truly one of the greatest minds in the sport, his revolutionary methods for teaching still have a strong influence on the many of today’s greatest basketball coaches on all levels. Coach Pete Newell is one of only three coaches to capture basketball’s Triple Crown, winning the NIT championship (1949 USF), NCAA championship (1959 Cal) and the Olympic gold medal (Rome 1960).

Influenced by his college coach and mentor Jimmy Needles at Loyola University in Los Angeles, Newell’s coaching style in the 1940s and 1950s of pressure defense and systematic offense helped to bring national recognition to college basketball on the West Coast. The success of his teams at the University of San Francisco and University of California played a big role in the expansion of pro basketball out west in the early 1960s. Prior to the dominance of UCLA basketball under legendary coach John Wooden, Newell was considered the dean of coaches and was given the nickname Basketball Guru by a host of national sportwriters.
Newell’s departure from college athletics during the turbulent 1960s unrest at Cal Berkeley landed him an executive position in the NBA, where he served as the general manager of the expansion San Diego Rockets franchise in 1968. After the franchise moved to Houston, he went on to serve as the general manager for the Los Angeles Lakers, and orchestrated the famous trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that brought Kareem Abdul Jabbar to the team. During later stints in the NBA with several other teams, Pete returned to his alma mater (Loyola Marymont University) to establish the Big Man Camp to help NBA centers and forwards develop their skills in the fundamentals of basketball footwork. Since its inception, the camp has trained a long list of some of professional basketball’s greatest post players. Some of the most noted recipients of Newell’s tutelage include: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Walton, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal along with a long list of other prominent NBA front line players. Over the 30 plus years of existence, the camp was Newell’s special way of giving back to the game of basketball that he loved so dearly.

Having passed away in November 2008, the loss of Pete Newell was a big blow to the worldwide basketball community. The likes of USA Basketball president Jerry Coangelo and longtime protege Bobby Knight, two of his closest friends regularly attest to his monumental contributions to the sport. Through in-depth interviews with some of basketball’s greatest Hall of Fame players and coaches, the film will explore Pete Newell’s legacy in a heartfelt and entertaining way. “Pete Newell was a man that was genuinely interested in sharing information about basketball and coaching to people on all levels. It wouldn’t matter if you were an NBA coach or a high school coach, he was just plainly interested in helping you to become the best coach or player that you could possibly be,” states filmmaker Doug Harris. “I believe Pete Newell’s story will have a tremendous impact on countless viewers interested in learning more about the impact this legendary man had on the game of basketball over the span of seven decades.

Aired on February 24th 2016 at 7:30pm on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area [after Warriors Heat game]