For Immediate Release Contact: Carol Sisco, CPTV (860) 275-7212 [email protected] cptvsports.org, cptv.org
CPTV Sports to Air Documentary House Family: A Season in the Life of the Hillhouse High School Girls Basketball Team on Friday, November 28 at 8 p.m.
The Film Follows the Hillhouse Girls Basketball Team of New Haven on its Dramatic Quest for Victory in the 2011-2012 Season
HARTFORD, Conn. (November 18, 2014) – CPTV Sports is pleased to announce that it will air the documentary House Family: A Season in the Life of the Hillhouse High School Girls Basketball Team on Friday, November 28 at 8 p.m.
WFSB Channel 3 Sports Reporter John Holt — co-host of GameTime, CPTV Sports’ weekly look at sports throughout Connecticut — spent the 2011-2012 season documenting the girls basketball team at New Haven’s James Hillhouse High School on its quest for a fourth consecutive state championship. The resulting hour-long film tells the moving story of one community and its beloved basketball program seeking victory — even as it is surrounded by tragedy in a city ranked as one of the most dangerous in the United States. House Family ultimately conveys stories of triumph, inspiration and extraordinary athleticism, while also exploring important issues of crime, loss and race.
The film showcases Hillhouse player Bria Holmes, the first Connecticut girl selected to play in a McDonald's All-American game, and follows her as she faces pressures in the college recruitment process as well as high expectations for the “4-peat.” However, the film also explores Holmes’ personal struggle as her mentor, Timothy “T.J.” Mathis, is gunned down on a New Haven street within days of the start of Holmes’ senior year.
-more-
Documentary House Family: A Season in the Life of the Hillhouse High School Girls Basketball Team to Air on CPTV Sports / Page 2
Holmes and the other players and coaches – including Head Coach Catrina Hawley-Stewart, whose sister died in an suspicious fire, and who is raising her sister’s three children as a result – must compete against a backdrop of violence, with New Haven experiencing 34 homicides in 2011, four of which (including the killing of Mathis) are linked to the Hillhouse girls basketball program.
The team perseveres, however, because as Hillhouse Principal Kermit Carolina says of the team’s quest for victory under Hawley-Stewart’s guidance, "It's not just basketball; it's bigger than basketball."
House Family’s premiere on CPTV Sports will be immediately followed at 9 p.m. with a special edition of GameTime, in which Hawley-Stewart will join John Holt to provide updates about what has happened to many of the people featured in House Family since the film’s footage was shot. She will also discuss the process and experience of having her team’s story documented in House Family. In addition, Quanisha Solomon, who was the senior point guard for the 2011- 2012 team featured in the documentary, will contribute insights. Finally, a bonus scene supplementing the film will premiere, continuing the story of Colleene Smith, a Hillhouse senior featured in House Family who suffered a heartbreaking knee injury.
"When I first learned the story of Hillhouse Girls Basketball Coach Catrina Hawley-Stewart, and the fact that she was winning championships while simultaneously – and unexpectedly – raising her late sister's three children, I immediately sensed she was an extraordinary person," said Holt on the making of House Family. "The year I spent documenting her team's triumphs and struggles served to confirm that. I felt her story and her team's story merited a full documentary to convey the scope of the good things it’s doing against a backdrop of real life challenges."
"CPTV Sports is proud and honored to debut this extraordinary documentary on our network," said Bob Yalen, director of CPTV Sports. "This is a story of young women struggling with pressures off the basketball court as they deal with the high expectations of repeating as state champions on the court. John Holt captures both the joy and the angst that the women of Hillhouse must endure as the season progresses."
-more-
Documentary House Family: A Season in the Life of the Hillhouse High School Girls Basketball Team to Air on CPTV Sports / Page 3
CPTV Sports is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Columbia Dental and exclusive radio partners 97-9 ESPN and Fox Sports Radio 1410.
CPTV Sports is available on Frontier TV channel 65; Comcast cable channel 966 (with Comcast Danbury, Bethel and Ridgefield on channel 256); Cox Communications cable channel 805; Cablevision channel 139; Charter channel 180; Thames Valley channel 87; and MetroCast channel 418. The channel is also available digitally over the air at channels 24.3 (Hartford), 49.3 (Bridgeport), 53.3 (Norwich) and 65.3 (New Haven).
About CPTV Sports A not-for-profit channel owned and managed by Connecticut Public Television (CPTV), CPTV Sports is Connecticut's only 24-hour local sports network broadcasting Connecticut high school, college and professional sports. CPTV Sports brings viewers games from the state's high schools, including live coverage of CIAC state championships, and coverage from Yale, Sacred Heart, CCSU and other state universities. Professional and semi-professional teams such as the Connecticut Sun (WNBA basketball), New Britain Rock Cats (MiLB baseball), CFC Azul (PDL soccer), and the Connecticut Wildcats (AMNRL rugby) give viewers a chance to see the best professional competition in the state, while coverage of unique events such as horse show jumping, Little League baseball, auto racing, roller derby, bowling, women's fast-pitch softball, dog shows, robotics, spelling bees, CSL soccer, and the Nutmeg State Games provides a broad range of competitions throughout the state. For additional information, visit CPTVSports.org. CPTV is a media service of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN). It is a locally and nationally recognized producer and presenter of quality public television programming, including original documentaries, public affairs shows and educational programming. CPTV has built a reputation as a leader in children’s programming, including playing an historic role in bringing Barney & Friends™, Bob the Builder™ and Thomas & Friends™ to public television. The station offers 11.5 hours of positive, nurturing children’s programs each weekday, reaching 450,000 households each week. For more information, visit CPTV.org.
###