Last Chance U: Basketball

Last Chance U: Basketball would have been an excellent sports docuseries under any circumstances, but what makes it extraordinary is the fact that it was filmed during the 2019–2020 season, which means that certain real-life events collide with the Huskies’ story. ... The coronavirus pandemic eventually affects the team as well, leading to one of the more visceral and moving attempts on television so far to capture the loss and uncertainty that immediately set in as the epidemic began.

Last Chance U may have found its ideal coach. ... This scrappy coach was blessed with a bumper crop of talent, each with their own Last Chance U-ready narrative. ... Watching Mosley clearly anguish over his loss, I found myself wishing, for the very first time in a year, for the true return of sports.

Like the best “Last Chance U” seasons, this collection of ELAC episodes strikes a nice balance between highlighting school staff and these players trying to plan for their respective futures.

This franchise remains invigorating, though, matching no-look-pass thrills with telling little moments.

It's one of 2021's early standouts for all of the reasons you expect and a few you don't see coming. ... Without helmets or masks, it's a sport where emotions are on full display and it's also a sport that allows closer camera access, especially for a team that doesn't play in a cavernous arena packed with fans. Add in that basketball teams simply play more games and that means that Last Chance U: Basketball has more and more intimate sports action than its predecessors, delivered with the usual propulsive sense of in-game momentum.

The endearing, energetic Mosley makes Last Chance U: Basketball a compelling watch.

Mosley is the embodiment of a teacher’s noble purpose. It is here that the intimacy and intensity of basketball – with nowhere to hide on that small court, or in a tightly woven squad of 16 players – brings this season of Last Chance U to an emotional pitch that the show has not always been able to hit.