Crips And Bloods Shooting Baskets, Not Each Other (Temporarily) (UPDATE)

Kilpatrick, a juvenile detention center in Malibu, is making a run at a sectional hoops title, thanks to a theatrically plucky coach and an uneasy Bloods-Crips alliance. Where have I heard that before?

Under the eye of coach Kurt Keller, rival gang members serving time at Kilpatrick have decided to throw alley oops instead of punches ( crotch or otherwise).

It's a pretty astonishing story. The kids at Kilpatrick come and go based on their sentences, thus the roster is constantly in flux; the team has 100 percent turnover each year. (Why, it's like a John Calipari-coached team, only without all the vacated games.) The moral of the story: Gang members in juvie will temporarily team up to win a few basketball games and become the subjects of a nice little puff piece.

UPDATE: Kilpatrick won! But then had to forfeit their title because they used a player who had exceeded his eligibility. This seems appropriate. [ LA Times] H/t Eric and Jason.

Gang rivals on the street, teammates on the court [LA Times]