hitey (Brian) Durham is a living legend at Tree Hill High School. He has coached The Ravens, the basketball team there, for 35 winning seasons, and the gymnasium is even named in his honor. Whitey has coached some great players and teams, but he thinks that Dan Scott, the father of Nathan and Lucas, may be the best he ever had. Whitey thinks of his gym as a church, so he likes it quiet and clean. On the court, Whitey's word is law. He's strict and demands the best from his players. He often refers to them as "ladies," or lets it be known just how seriously he takes the sport, warning them that, "The sun won't rise if you lose the game." He firmly believes that basketball is a team game, so no player can be more important than the rest, but Whitey's philosophy took its toll years ago. He benched Dan for disobeying him while the team was still winning in the state championship game but, when he called Dan back in the last quarter, Dan refused to play in order to show Whitey how important he thought he was, and The Ravens lost their chance to win the championship. This feud between Whitey and Dan has grown even worse through the years. Losing that championship is not the only thing that haunts Whitey. He regrets the college jobs he never took and, more than anything, he regrets not have taken more time to be with his wife Camilla before she died, because of his commitment to coaching. Off the court, however, Whitey's a kind man. He worries about his players and the people who surround him and always has an encouraging word for them. This year, if Whitey is able to get Nathan and Lucas to work together, he might finally lead the Ravens to what he's yearned for so long: their first state championship.

Besides a love for hoops, it would seem that Lucas and Nathan are two young men with little in common - except for the dark secret that they share the same father. Arrogant and assured, Nathan is the star of the high school basketball team and hails from the wealthiest family in town. Quiet, brooding and driven, Lucas is a loner, the only child of a single working mom. He's always kept his distance from Nathan. But their lives collide when a twist of fate puts Lucas on Nathan's team. The rumor that's haunted the boys since childhood now becomes more than just whispers as the half-brothers compete not only for control of the court, but also for the heart of Nathan's girlfriend. So unfolds a deep and bitter conflict that's been years in the making; one that will play itself out in their homes, their hearts and at school as they struggle to come to terms with who they really are - and the fact that they may have more in common than they ever imagined.