Adam Yauch Releasing New Documentary

the seedy underbelly of high school b-ball

April 12, 2008, 10:07 AM

Beastie Boy and basketball enthusiast, Adam Yauch, is preparing for the release of his new documentary titled 'Gunnin' For That No. 1 Spot.' The film, set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York later this month, chronicles the 'celebrity-grooming' that takes place in high school basketball. With the obscene paychecks and instant fame that come with professional sports, the high school homes of these young athletes have taken on responsibilities that reach beyond simply teaching kids to play the game and giving them an outlet to do so.

Yauch doesn't appear to take sides regarding this controversial new practice in high schools, which some would argue places the possibility of celebrity above education, but rather wants to give a glimpse into the world of these aspiring athletes. Yauch said he was struck by the amount of attention the potential basketball stars generated at such a young age.

"They have this infrastructure around them, and they are being groomed for stardom," he told the Associated Press.

"When I was in high school I wasn't getting the quantity of media that these guys are," he said."But it's not necessarily a bad thing."

Many of the players he filmed when he began the project two years ago are now some of college basketball's biggest stars, including Kansas State's Michael Beasley and UCLA's Kevin Love.