‘Wheels’ puts up an inward shot

A youth basketball team that happens to get around the court on wheelchairs rather than sneakers is the focus of an unblinklingly honest documentary tonight that delivers much more than you might expect.

“Kiss My Wheels,” an hourlong effort airing at 10 p.m. on KCET, could easily have taken the slam-dunk route by editing the story of the Zia Hot Shots into stridently upbeat scenes involving high-fiving competitors and back-slapping coaches who feel they’ve triumphed just by rolling onto the court. And who could argue with that?

But producers Miguel Grunstein and Dale Kruzic take us much deeper, into sweaty practice sessions that sometimes end in tears and frustration; to bone-jarring tournament competition where the Zia team is sometimes frightfully overmatched; and into the lives of players for whom any sports competition pales before the challenges they face in their day-to-day existence.

The inspirational moments are there too, and they’re rendered all the more powerful because of the realistic framework into which they’re embedded. The team, comprised of a diverse group of boys and girls based in New Mexico, has its eye on qualifying for the national tournament, and the players’ efforts toward this goal gives the documentary a solid narrative push.

Team caption Muthu is the spiritual centerpiece. The youngest of 13 children born to a family in India ill-prepared to deal with her disabilities, she was abandoned on a street corner at age 5. She was shuffled from one orphanage to another before being adopted by an American couple, and now, as a member of the team, she feels doubly blessed. But her ongoing health problems are like a dark cloud on the horizon.

Head Coach Pat, in a wheelchair since childhood, is a circuit court judge when he isn’t on the court for the team. His mix of tenderness and toughness inspires the players to exceed their own expectations for themselves, and they revel in the freedom they feel when they’re playing against others just like them.

“It’s like I’m flying,” says one player. “It’s like I’ve been let out of prison.”