After a premiere event the previous Friday, the documentary about the Bay Area Phoenix’s quest to win the Women’s Basketball League Americas last year was made available to the public last week. The 68 minute film introduces viewers to the Women’s Premier Basketball Association and the players who participated in the two tournaments to crown a champion. The games are covered in depth with plenty of footage from the Bay Area and Colombia. It offers plenty to those not familiar with the league and to those who want a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the event.
Trailer
Full Video
The video is available to subscribers to the league’s channel on Bench, the service that they use to stream their games as well:
https://app.jointhebench.com/videos/jn7c5hkr31x4xa044q0vgcgjv57p5pvw
Review
The documentary starts by introducing viewers to the WPBA and how the league qualified for a global opportunity as well as the challenges to funding the trip. The players and staff involved were introduced and their interviews are heavily interspersed as the story gets told. Preparations for the tournament are shown with practice and travel footage and then there is plenty of detail is included about each of the games that the team played.
For newcomers to the sport or those who are unfamiliar with this part of global basketball, the film does an excellent job of providing the information to understand what is happening and what the team and league are trying to accomplish. The clear chronological progression of the narrative avoids some of the confusion that can arise from sports documentaries that jump around timewise. While the main focus of the story is this tournament, with the story of the league still being written, there is also discussion of the future and footage from this season’s tryouts and games as well as events after the tournament.
For those are already aware of the league or those wanting to see the basketball side of this tournament, there is plenty of coverage of practices, film sessions, locker room speeches, and games to whet the appetite. Coaches and players discuss the challenges of getting ready for this tournament and there was plenty of footage from behind the scenes. Those who watched the original games on the FIBA broadcasts are treated to high-quality clips that were not available live. Basketball junkies certainly would not decline even more coverage, but each game of the adventure is covered in some detail.
In a summer with a number of international basketball documentaries being released, this film definitely showcases a different side of the basketball world with an American team trying to win a continental club tournament. With attention towards women’s basketball growing in the United States, this showcases a different side of the infrastructure here and the international scene than is usually covered. For basketball fans in the Bay Area or beyond, this is well worth watching.
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