Jayhawkers (film)


Jayhawkers is an American sports drama/biographical film directed by Kevin Willmott, following the life of Wilt Chamberlain, Phog Allen, and the 1956 Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.

Synopsis

The film follows Phog Allen, head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team from 1919 to 1956, recruiting 7 foot 1 inch Wilt Chamberlain, and the trials and tribulations that Chamberlain faces during his time with the Jayhawks, as well as Lawrence, Kansas being a parallel to the Civil Rights Movement.

Cast

A portion of the budget was raised through the crowd-funding site Kickstarter, with over $54,000 raised.
Shot in Lawrence, Kansas, Topeka, Kansas, and Leavenworth, Kansas, the film stars then-current Kansas Basketball player Justin Wesley as Chamberlain.
A teaser trailer was shown at Late Night in the Phog 2012, and as of February 2014, two more trailers were released online. The film premiered in Lawrence, Kansas on February 14, 2014, and made its public debut on February 28, 2014 at Liberty Hall near the University of Kansas campus.