A sort of “Hoosiers” for African-Americans, “Glory Road” tells the story of the 1966 Texas Western Miners, the first all-black team to win the NCAA men’s basketball championship. Packed with nearly every sports cliché you can imagine, the film at first appears to be just another mediocre entry in the underdog-to-top-dog genre, a la “Remember the Titans.” But the racial elements, and the team’s place in American sports history, add a depth that transcends banality.

Texas Western, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso, was a middle-of-nowhere school with a middling hoops reputation when a driven Oklahoma native named Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) began coaching the men’s team in the early 1960s. Realizing early on that he couldn’t recruit with the big boys - especially in the lily-white Southwestern Conference - Haskins and his assistants soon began prowling the playgrounds of Detroit, Gary, Ind. and the South Bronx, where they eventually signed black players no one else seemed to want.

A harsh taskmaster whose practices were lengthy and brutal, Haskins was also a color blind mentor whose only obsession was winning. In an era when the prevailing wisdom held that at least one white player had to be on the floor to enforce the team spirit and discipline black players supposedly lacked, Haskins produced an all-black five that played solid defense and controlled offense. That team eventually reached the national championship game where, in the kind of symbolism only reality can provide, the Miners went up against an all-white team from the University of Kentucky which was coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp, notorious for his refusal to recruit, and sometimes even play against, black athletes. Texas Western’s 72-65 victory is considered by many to be a Rosa Parks moment, the event that convinced colleges everywhere to begin recruiting black talent.

It’s a great story, even if director James Gartner tells it in ways that are overly familiar. When it comes to clichéd scenes, “Glory Road” has them in spades:

* There’s the “Can’t we all just get along? -- white and black players bonding” sequence, in which the big white doof proves he can dance at a black house party (no surprise that there’s lots of Motown on the soundtrack).

* There’s the “beleaguered coach’s wife (Emily Decanal) questioning whether her husband’s obsession is worth it” scene, although unlike other films of this type, this sequence is sparked by some racist hate mail Haskins has been hiding from his spouse.

* And there’s the “headstrong player must learn to adapt to the system, thereby creating a winning team” subplot. In this case, it’s star guard Bobby Joe Hill (Derek Luke), who has to rein in his flashy play for the sake of team unity. Hill goes on to become the star of the championship game.

Despite its predictability and surface-deep characterizations, however, “Glory Road” manages to be a powerful and emotional experience. If nothing else, it’s a reminder of the racism blacks had to endure in the civil rights era, and how some brave Americans, both black and white, helped break down the barriers between the races. The film may not be the definitive word on the subject, but its heart is certainly in the right place.

One final note: stick around for the end credits. They feature mini-interviews with the real Don Haskins and players from both teams, including former University of Kentucky star and current Miami Heat coach Pat Riley. These sound bites are fascinating, and worth your time.