The Fundamentals

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#282: “The Fundamentals”
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21: Wish You Were Here! ↓
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Proverbs 1:5

5let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance--

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The Fundamentals

“The Fundamentals” is episode #282 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Marshal Younger, and originally aired on September 17, 1994.

Summary

Jimmy Barclay attends a basketball camp with Phil McFarland, a teen who thinks he knows everything there is to know about the game.

Plot

It’s basketball season. Camp What-A-Nut is putting on a clinic. Dale Jacobs and Tom Riley are coaching. Jimmy Barclay, Phil McFarland, and Rusty Gordon are participating. Phil is a hot-dog player, and not a bad one. He makes every shot he tries, but his style leaves little to be desired. Unfortunately, he thinks he plays great. Phil stubbornly refuses to listen to any instruction from Tom. Then Tom asks Rusty to play against Phil. Rusty is bigger, and better, than Phil. Rusty ends up blocking every one of Phil’s shots.

Phil is so humiliated that he steals Rusty’s expensive shoes and hides them in a locker. Jimmy lies about it for Phil. When Rusty’s father finds out, he is so upset about this, he doesn’t let Rusty come to the camp the next morning. But Rusty does return that afternoon, again showing up Phil.

Phil finally realizes that he doesn’t know as much about basketball as he thought. He seeks out Tom’s help. Finally, Phil’s shooting improves to the point that he actually scores on Rusty!

Meanwhile, Dale talks with Jimmy about the lie he told to protect Phil. Dale explains that Phil isn’t a Christian. His father hoped that sending him to the camp would be a good influence on him. Jimmy realizes that he’s made a mistake. In front of Phil, Jimmy apologizes to Rusty. The camp ends, and both Phil and Jimmy realize that sometimes the only way you can improve is by getting back to the fundamentals.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why did Jimmy lie for Phil?
  2. Why did Phil finally seek out Tom’s help?
  3. Why should we watch our actions and attitudes at all times?

Cast

Heard in episode

Role Voice Actor
Alex Jefferson Gary Lydie
Dale Jacobs Phil Lollar
Jimmy Barclay David Griffin
Phil McFarland Chad Reisser
Rusty Gordon (Malone) Shawn Svoboda
Tom Riley Walker Edmiston

Mentioned in episode

Character Mentioned By
George Barclay Jimmy Barclay


Notes

Trivia
  • This show marks Marshal Younger's directorial debut.
  • This is the first episode to feature Tom introducing the show during the opening theme.
  • The star basketball player in this episode, Alex Jefferson, shares the same name as the popular character Alex Jefferson from the Novacom era.
  • This episode and #301: “The Good, the Bad and Butch” are both examples of Southern-born Marshal Younger using "tennis shoes" in the mouths of Odyssey characters who otherwise say "sneakers."
  • The term "fundamentals" (meaning the basics) is commonly used in sports to refer to the generic technical skills required to play. The term itself is not used within this episode, though it would have been perfectly in context for any of the coaches to bring it up. In the closing wrap-up, Chris mentions that the audience should, like Jimmy, remember the "fundamentals" of Christianity.
  • Jimmy's interest in basketball was first mentioned in #48: “Heroes”.
  • Phil McFarland mentions his favorite player being David Malone, a player for the Bulls, to the point of claiming his fadeaway jumper is similar to Malone's. Presumably, Malone is based on Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan (in the middle of his first retirement), who frequently used a fadeaway jumper in his later career. Malone's last name is also an allusion to Utah Jazz great Karl Malone.
Goof
  • This episode contradicts Camp What-A-Nut, Part 1, which mentions that Camp What-A-Nut is "far out" from Odyssey by several hours drive. All other episodes have mentioned the distance of Camp What-A-Nut from Odyssey, so the fact that the basketball camp is a "commuter camp" is never explained.

Quotes

Jimmy Barclay: All the knowledge in the world doesn't mean a thing unless you apply it.

Dale Jacobs: Congratulations, Rusty.
Rusty Gordon: Thanks. And thank you all. Because without you, there would've been no one to clap for me.

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