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'Free Throw' to Net Compton High Student $40,000 for College

Manhattan Beach resident Court Crandall documents the lives of eight Compton High School students with GPAs of 3.0 or greater as they prepare for a free throw competition in which they will net college scholarship money.

Lines can divide us and they can also be put to good use.

When it comes to Manhattan Beach resident Court Crandall, the advertising creative director, screenwriter and author has turned a free throw line into a unifying experience.

His "Free Throw" charity event will happen Friday, March 25 at Compton High School, where eight randonly selected students out of 80 with GPAs of 3.0 or higher, will get the chance to shoot to score money to pay for their college tuitions.

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Crandall's "Free Throw" will also become a documentary. Through it, viewers will learn about the kids' lives, hopes, dreams and obstacles as they prepare for the ultimate free throw competition in front of the entire student body.

The winner at the free throw line will receive a $40,000 scholarship, with each runner-up netting $1,000 for the same use.

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“My friends and neighbors in Manhattan Beach have been wonderful,” said Crandall, noting that most of the money raised for the shooters has come from Manhattan Beach. “They have really stepped up big and have supported me getting this dream into reality.”

The contest participants are Efren Arellano, Donald Dotson, Omar Guzman, Arturo Mendez, Allen Guei, Victory Holley, Diana Ramirez and Elisabed Cervantes.

“When I heard my name, I just got overwhelmed with emotion,” said Arellano, a Compton High senior. “I wanted to dance, cry, scream and laugh. It was all these different emotions at once; it was by far one of the best days of my life.”

“Each kid has been a blessing to work with,” said Crandall. “They all want to win so badly but I think really they are just grateful for being noticed for everything that’s right in their community.”

In addition to helping the students with their education, Crandall wanted to do something to highlight the positive changes within Compton and help the good people who live and work there to redefine the N.W.A. “Straight Outta Compton” image that has been used to negatively portray the city since the early 1990s.

Since the release of the album "Straight Outta Compton" by rap group N.W.A. in 1988, the city of Compton has been presented as a city of lawlessness where gangs rule the streets. And for a time, much of that perception was reality.   

During that time, Compton was known as the 17th most dangerous city in the nation, with ineffective police, school and college systems, and where corruption was so rampant that its former mayor was sentenced to three years in prison.

In 1993, the Compton Unified School District was taken over by the state. In 2000, the Compton Police Department was disbanded amidst charges of corruption. In 2006, Compton Community College lost its accreditation, and two of the city's previous mayors received prison terms—Walter Tucker and Omar Bradley.

“I know my parents have told me that Compton was a different place 10-15 years ago,” Arellano said. “There was a lot more violence, but I am happy that I am part of the new Compton.”

Many of Compton’s civic leaders were apprehensive of Crandall’s motives when first approached about the idea.

“They were wary of my intentions at first,” Crandall said. “They have been burned many times by people in the entertainment industry who have continually perpetuated the negative stereotype of Compton that they wondered what my true intentions were.”

After meeting with Crandall, Compton civic leaders embraced the idea and “Free Throw” has the full support of Jesse Jones, the principal of Compton High School, as well as Eric Perrodin, the mayor of Compton. 

Crandall, whose screenwriting credits include “Old School” and “A Lobster Tale” and whose book, “Hugville,” is a children's book, got the idea for "Free Throw" when he wondered if he could create a line that could bring people together instead of divide them. 

After watching his son grow up playing club basketball with a number of boys from Compton, he was hit with an idea while watching a game one day.

“I’m watching a game and it hits me,” Crandall said. “I thought why not use my resources in the entertainment industry, along with my friends in Manhattan Beach, and get involved in helping some of these kids get an education.”

If you want to find out more information on “Free Throw,” which is expected to be released in late September, go to freethrowmovie.com. To donate directly to the students, go to www.kickstarter.com/projects/freethrow/free-throw?play=18&ref=search.

Crandall expressed gratitude to all who have donated to and supported his endeavor, including his ad agency "Wong, Doody, Crandall, Wiener," which invested money and resources with approximately a half dozen staffers involved from the beginning of the project.

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