Yes the title of this blog could easily apply to me. I was always the girl hanging out with the guys. I befriended mostly boys by sharing my love and knowledge of hip hop, or just from tagging along with my cousin Iran. He had no problem taking me with him everywhere he goes, including to the studio with his boys or to ciphers. But this blog isn’t about me; it’s about the documentary I had the honor of seeing premiere last weekend.

A Woman Among Boys is a film commissioned by ESPN to chronicle a year in the life of Coach Lovelace, the first woman to coach The Boys and Girls high school boys varsity basketball team. A former student of Boys and Girls, she comes back out of the love for the game and the students. But it is not really about her personal struggle, as her basketball record garnered her respect on the court. It becomes the story of the players themselves. While at first it seems the film revolves around the championship game against Lincoln that will determine who is the best team in the city, it becomes something way more gratifying after they lose.

That’s when we get a glimpse of what Lovelace is really fighting for, for her team to make it beyond the walls of Boys and Girls high school and to college. In this battle she is triumphant – all her seniors get full athletic scholarships to attend college. This is the struggle I could most identify with, as these kids are the first to attend college in their families and to have a way out of the tough neighborhoods they grew up in.

Whether you are a basketball buff or not, I promise you will be touched by this documentary. Not only is coach Lovelace a winning coach, but she really loves and fights for her kids to succeed both on and off the court. The documentary shows her fight for these kids, not only to graduate high school (Boys and Girls only graduates about 1/3 of their students) but to get them to college and ultimately flourish in life. How can you not appreciate that? And, the boys themselves are charismatic. There is some unintentional comedy that at times can be hilarious.

Check out ESPN to see when A Woman Among Boys airs again. This film was made in part by resources at DCTV, an org that supports the independent filmmaking community. You may remember another lil amazing doc they made called Bullets in the Hood. Check out other great films they are screening @ www.dctvny.org.