Basketball Books

This should win a Pulitzer this year. The content is tremendous, full of insightful garb about the most cantankerous coach to ever pace the hardwood sideline. Plus, one writer in particular really bolsters this literary masterpiece, James D. Horne. Buy this book while supplies last.

This is a very good view of the overall career of Norm Stewart at Mizzou. It is unique in it is a compilation of articles from the Columbia Tribune starting with a game in February, 1956 through his retirement this past April, 1999. For the avid Missouri basketball fan it will bring back alot of fond memories and things long forgotten. For the newer fan, it will point out just what kind of coach Norm Stewart was and bring out a side of him alot of people don't know about. For just the rabid basketball fan, it is an interesting look at some of the great upsets by Missouri basketball teams, such as over Notre Dame in 1980 in the NCAA and Louisville in 1982, along with the battles within the Big 8. It's an easy read with alot of good pictures.

Everything went like clockwork from the time I ordered "Through my Eyes" by Bruce Weber until it arrived in perfect condition in the mail. Thank you so much.

This is very quick, easy and light reading, but it's a wonderful walk of remembrance through the 2004-2005 basketball season. It's sprinkled along the way with revelations about Bruce Weber, the man. I truly recommend the book to any Illini fan who would enjoy "reliving" that dream season.

Some tidbits:

* When Weber entered the Ohio State arena (before that fateful first loss), an Ohio State fan yelled, "You're going down, Coach!"

Weber replied, "Thank you."

* Weber's voice is the way it is because of a surgery he had when he was 8 or 9 years old. He had polyps in his throat and they were lasered/burned off.

His remembrances of the Arizona game, the championship game, and the beginnings of his professional relationship with Gene Keady are a treat to read and too special to be entirely revealed here.

No, it's not bestseller material (like Three Nights in August), but for rabid Illini fans such as myself, it's well worth the read.

The book is very colourful. Full of pictures. But not a lot of "inside" stories. Great quality!

Lazenby captures the zest of the Bulls' drive, determination and heart. Pages of action packed sequenced season photos function as a valuable single source edification of the Bulls/championship season. TOPS!

Blue Ribbon College Basketball Forecast: 2003-2004 by Chris Dortch breaks down all the NCAA top level basketball teams for the coming season, and looks at the year before. It gives information on positions for players, likely minutes, depth, possible performance and a lot of other information you wouldn't find anywhere else in one source. Slightly changed, but still an excellent book.

The Blue Ribbon does exist for the 2003-04 Season! Here is the deal: Brasseys is no longer the publisher and the book is not being sold anywhere (including Amazon or bookstores -sorry) except directly from the new publisher (Ambrose Printing).

To get this year's edition you must go to blueribbonyearbook dot com.

Enjoy!

I have twin girls that play basketball. Jan's guidance has helped them move to the next level in play. They both moved up to the Freshman "A" team. This is in a 5A High School. If your young player wants to improve their playing skills then Lahodney's drills are just what the doctor ordered! I highly recommend this book for any basketball player.

This book gives lots of highly recommendable drills that will help you in your practices, at all levels. Fundamentals are covered very well and lots of set plays are well explained too.

I love this book; I'd carry it with me to practice but for the title. Well done, coverage of topics perfect.

"Complete Idiot" may be off-putting to some, but this book does cover a lot about coaching children, and basketball. It is especially helpful to those that lack experience working with kids' teams. I found it a little light on comprehensive basketball basics, but the history was interesting. Haven't checked out completing books, so I don't know how it compares to others in the marketplace.

Young teenage girls should enjoy the story of Becky Walden. Just prior to the start of her junior year in high school, Becky learns that her father has been transferred. Through long hours of practice, Becky has made herself ready to assume a starting position on her high school basketball team. Now she has to begin all over again. Though sure of her talent, Becky tries to make her introduction to the new basketball team as inconspicuous as possible

This book was well written and was very entertaining. The lead character, Becky, showed a lot of courage and drive. I look forward to the sequel!

This book clearly deserves more than five stars.

Seldom do I find a new type of nonfiction book that is an improvement over its predecessors. Court Vision is such a book.

The concept is simple. Take famous people from all walks of life who are among our most talented individuals. Find the ones who know about NBA basketball either from a fan's or a player's perspective. Interview them about how they get insights into what they do from basketball, what their field can bring to basketball, and use a common questioning format so that the perspectives build on one another. Edit the results ruthlessly.

Although the book is ostensibly about basketball, the result is that you also see these observers in a new way through the common lens of their relationship to basketball. For example, some of the very mild-mannered public figures like Tom Brokaw use the four letter word that begins with "f" in their comments. Knowing that they were being taped, I am surprised by their language. Obviously, the public personnas and the real person are at variance in some ways. A further example comes from Walter Matthau's addiction to betting on the games, even though he doesn't enjoy it (the winning isn't enough fun to offset the pain of losing).

You will have your own favorite sections. If I quote a lot of the best material, it will spoil the book for you. But it may whet your appetite to know who some of the interviewees are:

Woody Allen (filmmaker)

William Cohen (President Clinton's Secretary of Defense)

Edward Villella (ballet dancer and choreographer)

Chris Rock (comedian)

Erica Jong (novelist)

Gene Siskel (film critic)

Donald Trump (businessman)

Reverend Edward Aloysius Malloy (President, Notre Dame University)

Julia Child (chef)

Mario Cuomo (former Governor of New York)

Alan Dershowitz (law professor)

Seiju Ozawa (conductor)

Sharon Stone (actress)

Saul Bellow (novelist)

In general, the comments by those who played basketball are the most interesting. But the narrow lens that our profession brings to our perspective is also very clear. Few draw on analogies and metaphors from outside their profession.

Many people are not well schooled in basketball. Their interest usually starts with the rise of Michael Jordan, so stars of the past are seldom mentioned. No one seems to have an explanation of how Michael Jordan could take off at the free throw line and dunk the ball. One interesting hypothesis presented is that he used some sort of extrasensory power.

Basketball players are also looked on as individuals. You get comments on the Latrell Spreewell coach-choking incident, immature behavior on the court and off, and the important potential role of education in these young peoples' lives.

Most of the observers either live in New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, so you get a lot about the Knicks, Lakers, and Bulls. Some residual Larry Bird sneaks in now and then.

This book would also make a great gift for anyone who is an NBA fan. But you should give it to yourself first. It's too terrific to wait for.

To expand on the perspective developed by the book, I suggest that you think about what you could learn to apply to your profession and hobbies from NBA basketball. What could NBA basketball learn from you?

Have a ball!

"Court Vision," by Ira Berkow, celebrates the diversity of those who not only love, but also appreciate the complexities of basketball. Looking at the sport through the eyes of people who use their own fields of high expertise as a prism, elevates the game from the purely mechanical to the art form which it surely is. In the book, Frank Stella, the artist, speaks of the beauty of the game "..in the coordination and getting it all together." We're dealing with magic also- the defiance of gravity engaged in by basketball's foremost practitioners in their daily work.All sorts of contradictions to conventional physics are rampant when they come to play: they float when lesser men crash to the ground, and they have the capability of going backwards and forwards at the same time. Kary Mullis, the Nobel laureate, speculates about this ability to float, about whether mental strength is capable of violating physical law, or whether they're "...putting helium in their shorts."

If great basketball players are a special breed, then some of those who try to make serious sense of who they are and what they do, are special too. It helps to have been or even to still be in the trenches. Berkow's last book, "To the Hoop," dealt with another grave defiance, that of having to come to terms with oncoming age. In it, he recounts the tribulations of an over 50 player of pickup games, beset by a bum knee and much younger teammates and opponents. This time around, he lets Johnnie Cochran, Tom Brokaw, Mario Cuomo and all the standouts he has interviewed do most of the talking. Yet the experienced journalist's hand is there to keep matters on track. The leitmotiv is always close to the surface, the need to make esthetic, emotional and intellectual sense out of this hybrid of sport, metaphysics and art.

Sex, opera, psychiatry, music, the law and other indispensable pursuits have been given a voice by Berkow in this winning attempt at illuminating a complex subject. The last interview says it all though. It is with that acute observer of the chronic human condition, Saul Bellow. In response to the question as to whether there is anything in basketball or a specific basketball player with which Bellow might identify, the visionary of Chicago (now unaccountably in a Boston exile,)speaking of Michael Jordan, has the final word on the subject: "I do identify myself with this power to hang in the air."

This book is a treasure for anyone who has a link to college basketball in new jersey. I personally know at least 5 people mentioned in the book. The day by day account of mr. hurley's life as a coach and father is great, but some of the 'harsher' realities of grooming inner city young men to be successful basketball players are missing.

Bob Hurley gives an amazing account of what it's like to be a basketball father. He follows the career of his two sons, Bobby, at Duke, and Danny, a guard for Seton Hall. While having two sons to follow in college basketball, Coach Hurley finds time to lead his St. Anthony's team to a state championship. This book speaks volumes about what type of man Bob Hurley Sr. is.

This book gave a very good feel for the state of Alaska and the diverse issues facing native people in remote villages while being very appealing to the sports enthusiast. Mike D'Orso made me feel like I was an active participant and I could feel the visceral energy of the whole cast as the Fort Yukon Eagles fought their way to the finish of the basketball season.

Eagle Blue provided great insight into the game of basketball within the small towns of Alaska,specifically among native american communities. The author did an outstanding job of combining culture, hoops, and history within the story. This book also included some interesting political questions regarding government subsidies,drilling for oil, and information on the state and people of Alaska.
As a whole I loved the first half of the book but was somewhat disappointed in the sportswriting done by D'Orso. His basketball descriptions left a great deal to be desired. As an example the author uses players numbers to describe the action, for instance; #12 comes back with a three, or #13 with a floater. On a personal note I also have a problem when an adult writer spends time with high school students who are engaging in illegal activities, drinking /smoking. Much like my similiar feelings with the author of Fall Rivers Dream.
However, that being said a good read with many wonderful insights.