The premier showing of The Forgotten Coach — The John McLendon Story — will be Thursday at the University of Kansas.
The documentary of McLendon, who this year became the first person enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach and contributor, was directed by Kevin Willmott.
It was inspired by McLendon’s biography, “Breaking Through: John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer” by Milton Katz.
The film reviews the remarkable life of McLendon, the first black student at Kansas to earn a physical education degree and study under basketball inventor and KU professor, James Naismith.