Dalton State College's Blue and White men's basketball scrimmage Tuesday night at the Mashburn Arena in the Georgia city's trade center may not have extra drama, but it will have an added drama dimension.
Noted movie producer Mitch Davis will be in Dalton on Tuesday and Wednesday, including at the 7:30 scrimmage, to further his intention to put together a motion picture about Roadrunners coach Tony Ingle. Davis plans to meet with potential movie partners Wednesday at the trade center.
"The leading lights of Dalton and Chattanooga want to know more about this project, so I am flying out to discuss it with them," Davis said in a DSC release.
Ingle grew up poor and faced other adversity in Dalton and was a scrappy guard for the old Dalton Junior College powerhouse. Last year he coached the four-year version of that alma mater to the NAIA national championship in the Roadrunners' first season of postseason eligibility and second year of existence. He previously won an NCAA Division II national title with Kennesaw State.
Ingle long has been a motivational speaker and has written a book about his life's story. That was before beginning his sizzling success with the Roadrunners in his 60s.
Dalton State College men's basketball coach Tony Ingle shouts instructions to his team during the second half of last season's NAIA Division I championship game against Westmont in Kansas City, Mo. Dalton State won the title in its first year of eligibility and second year overall."Tony Ingle is irrepressible and irresistible," Davis said in the release. "Someone called him 'the Will Rogers of basketball,' and that's exactly the way I see him. Every time he opens his mouth, something entertaining comes out. He's going to make me look like a great screenwriter because his dialogue is going to jump off the page."
Davis was involved in producing such movies as "Dead Poets Society," "Newsies" and "The Rocketeer" and wrote, directed and produced "The Other Side of Heaven." He is a producer and the director and co-writer of "Christmas Eve," which features Patrick Stewart, Jon Heder and Cheryl Hines and is set for nationwide release on Dec. 4.
Davis said his movie on Ingle has the working title of "Coach Tony" and will be an inspirational story along the lines of "Remember the Titans," "Hoosiers" and "The Blind Side."
"I am excited to come to Dalton and meet with potential partners in the movie," Davis said in the release. "I am hopeful I can make a movie that will make Dalton as proud as Tony's Roadrunners did last year."