Robby Benson plays a talented but naive high school basketball star who wins a scholarship to a perfection-driven college. Here he discovers that he's way out of his league, easily outclassed athletically by his opponents and by his own team. In addition, he runs up against the sort of arm-twisting corruption that often occurs in a college where winning is the only thing. Only the support of his new girlfriend Janet (Annette O'Toole) sees him through his first two semesters. He must weather the bullying of his teammates and his mean-spirited coach (played by G. D. Spradlin). There was plenty of shuttling between cast and production staff in
One on One
. Besides starring in the film, Benson co-wrote the screenplay (with his father Jerry Segal), while director Lamont Johnson portrays Benson's alumni sponsor.