Local ballplayers get shot at stardom

Skyler Higgins of Remsen and David Parkinson of Akron, sitting in the front row, are playing the roles of two MOC-Floyd Valley basketball players in a movie being filmed in Orange City and directed by Northwestern College professor Jamey Durham, who previously filmed the show "The Prairie Pirates." Akron graduate Kyle Hughes also acts in the film, along with a former "Days of Our Lives" actor. [Click to enlarge]

It's nothing unusual for them to slip into a varsity uniform and gather around the coach for some pre-game talk.

Only this time, the basketball game is staged.

The playbook is a script.

And the coach used to appear on "Days of Our Lives."

The three local ballplayers are acting in a movie being filmed in Orange City called "Winning Favor."

It's based on the true story of five boys that grew up playing driveway basketball together in Orange City. Eventually they split into the town's two separate schools -- Unity Christian and MOC-Floyd Valley -- but in 2005 both teams became state champions.

Higgins, a junior at Remsen St. Mary's, Hughes, a 2008 Akron-Westfield graduate, and Parkinson, a senior living in Akron, are playing the parts of three of those boys.

The idea for the film, initiated by Anita Bomgaars, a mother of one of the Orange City boys, was picked up by Jamey Durham, a Northwestern College professor who already produced one award winning feature-length family film, "The Prairie Pirates."

Casting for "Winning Favor" -- which is set for release in the fall of 2009 -- was held in April.

When Higgins' mom Cari heard about the auditions, she immediately thought of her son, whose love for basketball dates back to when he was 1 month old and was given a kids' hoop.

"Skyler's first question about the audition was 'I'd play ball, right?'" Cari said. "And I said, 'Yes, it's a basketball movie, but they want to hear you speak too.' Again Skyler repeated, 'But I'd get to play ball?'"

At auditions they had to read a script and run some basketball drills.

"We found out the agents in Hollywood were impressed that there are Northwest Iowa athletes that could act," Cari said.

In Akron, Hughes said he first saw the advertisement calling for actors in a newspaper during study hall.

"It started out as a joke with my friends, but then I decided, 'Why not?'" he said, adding that he convinced Parkinson to join him. "I didn't think I'd actually get a part."

Hughes had been in speech and one community play, and he played basketball his freshman and junior years at Akron-Westfield, but was a little rusty when it got to the audition.

"They had us dribble around a little, and I was terrible," he laughed. "They actually had David play defense on me, and when I did a crossover, he stripped me. I thought there was no way they would ever cast me in a basketball movie."

But they did -- picking him to play one of the Unity Christian players. Higgins and Parkinson play MOC-Floyd Valley players.

One of the first scenes they filmed they had to improvise: the friends hanging out in a hot tub after a game.

"None of the guys really new each other," Parkinson said. "But we all talked like we were friends since kindergarten. It was instant friendship."

Parkinson said he's liked acting since second grade when he was involved in children's theater.

In "Winning Favor," he plays the son of the team's coach.

In a way it's a fitting role for Parkinson. His dad Craig was the basketball, baseball and football coach at Akron-Westfield for 30 years.

"I think it's a lot easier to relate," Parkinson said. "I was brought up with sports all around me."

The man playing Parkinson's dad is former "Days of our Lives" actor Matthew Ashford. The Davenport native played Jack Devereaux on "Days" off and on from 1987 to 2006, and now he's playing the MOC-Floyd Valley head coach.

"Anita (Bomgaars) was looking for Iowa actors and contacted my agent in L.A.," Ashford said while taking a break from filming. "It was a good opportunity to come back."

Off the set, Ashford has enjoyed some backyard basketball with his co-actors.

Parkinson said the professional actor is great to work with.

"He sets the tone for the room," Parkinson said. "We're all inexperienced in acting, but in the intense scenes he sets the mood. The scene when we're in the gym after we lose to Boyden-Hull gets pretty intense."

Filming itself has been rather intense. The cast and crew put in some 14-hour days to get it all done.

But Hughes, Higgins and Parkinson agree that they've had some unique experiences.

In one scene, they had to run killers -- a back-and-forth sprint workout. At first, the crew sprinkled them with water to make it look like they had been sweating.

Then they had to re-take the scene.

Eight times.

"By the eighth time, we were all actually dripping in sweat," Higgins laughed.

In another scene, a jump ball shot, the cameraman was on rollerblades and glided right through the set, Higgins said.

And during the game scenes, the bleachers full of "extras" playing the role of basketball fans were told by the director to cheer wildly after a player made a shot -- even if he missed it.

"We had to make it sound like a big deal," said his mom, one of the extras.

One of the more charged moments of "Winning Favor" is the scene where the MOC-Floyd Valley coach asks his team to come up with a mission statement. It's a significant scene, Higgins said, because the coach is finally putting the proverbial ball in the players' court. This is where Higgins, who has performed in state 4-H shows, has his main speaking part.

"The line I say ends up being on T-shirts and a big banner in the gym," Higgins laughed. "I see it everywhere, so it's that much easier to memorize."

Being filmed is a new experience for the three players. Parkinson said he has to keep remembering not to look at the camera.

It's not that nerve-wracking, though, Higgins said.

"Once the camera is rolling, it doesn't feel much different than actually being in a game," Higgins said. "I'm just being a basketball player but on a different team."

Once filming is finished, the movie will go into the editing stage. The release in fall 2009 seems a long way away, Parkinson said.

"The anticipation is going to kill me," he laughed.

Hughes said he thinks "Winning Favor" will be a great family film and worth the wait.

"I think people will really be engaged in the relationships among the players on both squads," he said. "When you look at how they both ended up winning the state championship and were from the same community, it's pretty incredible."