Beyond Banners

ABOUT THE FILM

Beyond Banners is a feature documentary about a rural Black community that built one of the most improbable high school basketball dynasties in America. The story begins in the civil rights era, when a single family created a youth program that became a foundation of opportunity for generations. Through that program, a father and son shaped hundreds of young people who carried the lessons of discipline, mentorship, and resilience into their adult lives.

The film traces this multi-decade legacy from its rise to its current moment of vulnerability. Time has passed. The community has changed. And the institutions that once held young people together no longer operate with the strength they once had.

At its heart, the film asks one central question:
What remains when a community’s legacy is at risk of being forgotten — and does that legacy live in the people it shaped or in the banners hanging on the walls?

CREATIVE TEAM

The Beyond Banners™ team brings experience from Amazon and Netflix.

Andre Jackson – Brings rich and diverse storytelling experience from industry.

Sue O’Hora – Credits include When Wire Was King.

Everett Ray – Known for bold, emotional visual cinematography.

Jeremy Zunk – Sound Mixer with work featured on HBO and PBS.

Barrinton Baynes – Digital Curator specializing in archival preservation.

FEATURED VOICES

Tubby Smith

Randolph Childress

Dr. Ida E. Jones

Hall of Fame coach reflects on how basketball helped a rural Black community navigate integration and find its voice.

Dr. Ida E. Jones

Randolph Childress

Dr. Ida E. Jones

Historian turns a small school’s story into a lens on race, power, and whose victories history chooses to remember.

Randolph Childress

ACC legend shares how one coach’s belief helped shape his path to national recognition and the NBA.

Neil Greenberger

Randolph Childress

Former Washington Post Sports Editor connects the unexpected rise of Gwynn Park to the top spot after it had long been ignored.

Lou Wilson

Neil Greenberger

Lou Wilson

Rival coach remembers the scrappy courts where identity and pride were forged far from the spotlight.

Howard Matthews

For more than three decades, Howard Matthews shaped generations of young athletes and built the community foundation that fueled Gwynn Park’s rise.

Steve Matthews

Howard Matthews

Howard Matthews’ youngest son, Steve took up his father’s mission and led Gwynn Park to unprecedented heights, keeping a fading dynasty alive for the generation that followed.

Larry Gandee

Championship Coaches

Coached Gwynn Park for 12 years, reaching eight state title games and winning six. His success set the foundation for Gwynn Park.

Championship Coaches

Tim Carney (1968)
Larry Gandee (1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1980)
Owen Johnson Sr. (1983)
George Leftwich (1987, 1988)

I LIVED THIS STORY…

I was coached by Steve Matthews. I saw the wins and the quiet pride that came with being a Yellow Jacket. I watched teammates earn scholarships and make deep tournament runs, but few outside our community noticed.

I graduated from Gwynn Park in 1998. Years later, I realized our basketball legacy had been overlooked. No one else was going to tell the story, so I had to.

This is more than a film. I’m walking in my life purpose.

It’s my way of honoring history and leaving something to inspire future generations.

SYNOPSIS

We bled black and gold, not red.