Basketball Books

Women's basketball books occupy a special niche in sportswriting.
Writing about a male players, an author might ask, "How did they make it into the big time?"
Writing about women, authors are forced to ask, "How did they get here at all?" This question adds a new dimension to the stories of women athletes. Players as young as today's collegians have had to overcome stereotypes. Many played on boys' teams -- or tried to.

Gallaudet women have to overcome a double stereotype -- being not only female, but also deaf. There was a time when opposing teams would openly ridicule deaf basketball players. One player was devastated as a high school student when a coach from a Christian academy openly laughed at her speech. She made the team but never forgot the experience.

However, the players want to be taken seriously as athletes. They do not want or need pity or condescension. To Coffey's credit, the book focuses on basketball, not deafness. We learn how players and teams compensate for a silent world. They can hear someone dribbling behind them. Referees are briefed: players can't hear the whistle so they may not stop playing immediately. And players on "hearing" teams need ASL translators who understand basketball terms.

Yet ultimately the story is about the game: coming together as a team and working to win. Like any sports book, there are stories of triumphs as well as tears. We come to care about the players as they, like all college athletes, balance basketball and books.

Perhaps the most difficult story takes place after the book was written. Ronda Jo Miller, an All-American center, cannot reach her goal of playing on a WNBA team. In stories posted on the internet, we can learn that she earned admiration of players and coaches during the tryout camp. She eventually played professionally in Denmark, with a "hearing" team, and has played in Kansas City with an expansion league, the WNBL.

What happens to the other athletes? Playing on a winning team can change lives and I found myself hoping they will continue to feel like winners, long after the season has ended.

Wayne Coffey not only knows sports but he knows how to write tight, action packed chapters. This story moves. Interpersed with backgrounds on the team members, the history of deaf culture, the story tracks the team through an incredible season. I am not an avid basketball fan nor did I have any particular interest in deaf culture, but this book captured my interest from the first page and held it throughout.

A rare find.

Beautifully written that, at turns, is funny, touching, fascinating and absorbing. I read it at a single sitting.
Such wonderful character studies of the players, their families and the world of Gallaudet. If you like basketball, if you like visiting other cultures or if you just like stories that bring people to life, you'll love this book. Highly recommended.

This book is so good I couldnt stop reading it! It's an inspirational story about human nature, what it takes to be the best and something I knew nothing about previously...deaf culture. It's a well written, must read for anyone who has ever worked hard for something...hearing or deaf.

I am a great admirer of Kim Mulkey as both a player at La Tech and as a coach at Baylor! She has been a "winner" where-ever she's been and her book is also a "winner"!

Reading this book was enjoyable because it gave me a deeper insight into what makes Kim Mulkey tick. The background from childhood through coaching was excellent--not too detailed, but just enough info to explain things. Reading Kim's coaching philosophy and current stance at Baylor was interesting. I highly recommend this book.

I've heard Kim Mulkey speak in person as well as seen her in action coaching and this book sounds just like her. She is very forthright and as always, tells it like she sees it. Except for a few repeated or inserted sections that seem to interrupt the flow, the book is a very good read.

Kim Mulkey wrote an interesting auto biography, which helps us know how she became so succesful in her career. It is great reading for any fan of women's basketball and working mothers who in spite of the demands on their time, keep family first.

The drills in this book are well organized and laid out so that the beginning coach can use them from the 6 year old beginning player up to championship caliber high school squads. I have been coaching youth basketball for over 23 years and this is one of the best instruction manuals I have used. Outstanding.

I've coached my son's team for three years as a dedicated parent, but my b-ball drills have been re-treads of my old Jr. & Sr. High drills. I looked for a book for awhile before finding this one; it has given me many fun & challenging drills easy enough for 9 - 11 year old boys with variations that expand as their skill level increases. I'd think that this book would be adequate at least through Middle School age. Perhaps the only caution is that this book assumes that the reader--if not the players--knows the game well. In other words, it is not a book to teach the coach the game.

I was new to coaching youth basketball and needed ideas for drills. This book was helpful with drills as well as good diagrams and explanations.

This book is an excellent resourse for any coach. There is a chapter for each fundamental of the game. Each chaper has a nice progression of drills and a purpose behind each. Each individual drill has a referenced prerequisite section, a detailed break-down and diagram of the drill, and crucial teaching points as a ruberic. It also has a section to help you plan your practices for the entire season.

I have read many books on basketball instruction and this one is a must have.

My child loved this book. Unlike the other Arthur chapter books, the books from the "Good Sports" series have not been shown on "Arthur" on tv.

I read Arthur And The Pen-Pal Playoff. I think this book is great. I think little boys and girls will want to read this wonderful book. This book is great for nine year olds to read.
Little kids will want to read this book over and over again, it's an adventure. This is a way to keep young ones away from the TV. I do recommend this book.

When Arthur talks up his basketball skills in a letter to a pen-pal that he was assigned to write for class, he feels that he's in over his head. His pen-pal writes back that he's a great basketball player as well and then he learns that his pen-pal is the lunch-lady's grandson. Next thing he knows, Mrs. McGrady (the lunch-lady) arranges them to play a one-on-one basketball game. The thing that's great about this story is that it's a situation that many readers can identify with. Eventually, Arthur's forced to face his situation head-on, but he's not the only one...

This is the last book of the "Arthur Good Sports" series. Whether any more books will be published in this series is not yet known, but the six-year 2001 set make a great addition to the "Arthur" series.

This book is a really well written, precise book on the coaching techniques of basketball. The diagrams are nice and clear and really helped me in coaching. It is a wonderful book!

Having known Bob Ociepka as coach at Chicago's Gordon Tech High School, I can testify first-hand to wealth and depth of knowledge he brings to life in this book. I myself am a basketball coaches' son and I can tell you that you will find no better book on teaching team basketball than this one.

I used it when I was coaching my kid's team. I can see where it would be very helpful for a full-time coach of older players, too. I liked the photos and associations made with current stars. It made it easier to envision the play

If you think you know something about the history of our top three American sports, you should try this one. Fox will tell you so much about what happened that you will shake your head saying, "I didn't know that." He tells his story eloquently. The breath and depth of his knowledge in some popular areas is awesome, especially his account of the evolution of the jump shot. I was left impressed with the degree of research that was necessary for such an interesting book. While his selection of pictures is interesting, it is the factual research concerning little known facts that will leave you a more knowledgable student of sports in America.

If you think you know something about the history of our top three American sports, you should try this one. Fox will tell you so much about what happened that you will shake your head saying, "I didn't know that." He tells his story eloquently. The breath and depth of his knowledge in some popular areas is awesome, especially his account of the evolution of the jump shot. I was left impressed with the degree of research that was necessary for such an interesting book. While his selection of pictures is interesting, it is the factual research concerning little known facts that will leave you a more knowledgable student of sports in America.

Most sports books focus on a single sport; this book is unusual in that it deals with three: baseball, football, and basketball, all on the pro level. In a terrific opening chapter, Fox discusses what he considers to be the defining moment for each sport, and for each it ends up being the same concept: putting the ball in the air (the "invention" of the jump shot in basketball by Kenny Sailors, the utilization of the forward pass by Benny Friedman, and the sudden blossoming of the home run with Babe Ruth).

Each team is then given a separate chapter in which Fox relates its early developments; Fox is particularly interested in the formative years of each sport: baseball prior to 1900, football when it was more a slugfest and teams just slammed into one another, and basketball when it actually was played inside a cage (thus the term "cagers" for basketball players). Finally, there's a chapter each on the "national" team for each sport: the Yankees, the Packers, and the Celtics.

Fox has done his reasearch well, but the book is more than just another history book. Humorous anecdotes abound, and Fox is forthright about how drink, drugs, and sex ruined many a career. You won't find your typical hero worship here either (except for maybe Ruth, Friedman, and Bill Russell), just a lot of interesting information about the three most popular pro sports in America. Highly recommended.

I'm sure that this book will soon find it's way back into print after Knight's dismissal from Indiana University. Whether you believe that Knight was the greatest college basketball coach of all time, or the biggest bully of all time, you owe it to yourself to read Mellen's book. Say what you will, Knight is not a simple man. After reading this book, you may not have any symphathy for Knight, but you can't dispute his knowledge of the game, determination, and committment to excellence.

Joan Mullen's book is an eye-opening experience for the typical college basketball fan. She looks past all of the hype surrounding one of the game's greatest coaches and gets down to his true passion: The success and development of the young men trusted to his care. This is great book and illustrates the many facets of Coach Knight. I highly recommend it, especially for those of you who have already read Feinstein's book, A Season on the Brink. This book offers a more objective approach.

This book is a fascinating look at the general, Robert Montgomery Knight, one of the most interesting coaches in all of sport. This book follows him through a season to give you a total picture of the man. It shows you far more than the narrow, negative view John Feinstein took, and it also debunks many of the myths about Knight the media has created. Through it all you see Knight's humor, wisdom, candor, ability, and yes ocassionally his temper. You see why he is the character, and the winner he is. You also see why his players love him.

I enjoyed reading this book. It takes the reader behind the scenes and shows how much effort goes before and behind the actual game. It was a wonderful
reminder of the fun I have when I get to attend a women's basketball game.
Virgil A. Place, M.D.

As an avid fan of college women's basketball for almost thirty years, I found this book enjoyable on several levels. First, it was enlightening to learn some of what it's like inside a national powerhouse women's basketball program; the author's stories brought me inside the excitement of a well respected program. Secondly, the chapters are about Stanford, a university recognized for its scholarship; it grows scholars who happen to be athletes. The narratives about recruitment, coursework, and balance of student and athlete were informative. Thirdly, the details about the boosters who built the Fast Break Club itself were funny and touching. The author brought me along for the ride when she took a tour of the PAC-10 schools, and I was inside the hearts of boosters who traveled in sickness and in health to support their teams, no matter the weather or the time zone.

And finally, the author is a good writer and storyteller, her chapters and narratives flow well, the many photos add to the book, and I didn't want to put the book down. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in women's basketball. If you don't have a team to cheer for before you start the book, you will want to find one after you finish reading it!

Boosters Always Win! The Fans of Women's Basketball is a very engaging personal account of how a small group of people banded together to form what has become a very dynamic, educational, and highly effective booster organization that contributes enormously to the Women's Basketball program at Stanford University.
Harriet Benson has succeeded in giving little snapshots into behind the scene issues of what it took to develop The Fast Break Club, it's struggles, how it might best serve the program, it's future. For those who have followed the team, this is a bit of a trip down memory lane. It's a great read for anyone connected with the team or anyone interested in forming a booster organization to support any group.
The Fast Break Club now has a life of its own that nurtures not only the program, the players, the coaches, but the boosters as well. "If you build it they will come", and indeed they did!

I'm sorry I haven't read the book yet, so I gave it a neutral 3. Nah, I'll give it a five, because it's about girls' basketball in the sixtie's. See below.

I just saw a screening of the independent film, Believe in Me, at the Santa Barbara film festival. I'm writing about it here, so that when it is finally distributed, maybe this will help boost the audience.

The screenplay is an adaptation of a novel written for juveniles, Brief Garland, by Harold Keith, which was first published in 1974.

The film focuses on the character of the coach of a girls' basketball team in a small town in western Oklahoma during his first years at the school in 1964-66. He arrives to coach the boys team, but is maneuvered into the coaching job for the girls. Over the course of the film, he learns how to coach the girls, and helps develop a competitive team at a school where girls' basketball had never been supported before.

I watched the film with particular interest because I played high school basketball in 1964-68 in Tennessee, where, as in Oklahoma, we played the six-on-six half-court game that most girls played until after Title IX was passed in 1972. I was disappointed to see that the girls in the film played the full-court five-on-five game, which is slower, messier, and lower-scoring than the half-court game we played. By playing with fewer players, the court was less crowded, and girls had more freedom to drive to the basket. Since defenders made long passes to move the ball upcourt to the offensive team, the speed from end to end was actually faster than the boys' game!!
Had the film's auteur truly appreciated the game that the heroines of the film actually played in the sixties, he may have created an even more exciting film, with less forced editing to simulate speed and grace.
I know, I know, you don't believe me. Oh well . . . .

That said, the movie was great fun, and easy to recommend for the whole family.

I first read Breif Garland when I was 14 at the request of my coach. I was amazed to find that 25 years later I still enjoyed it. This book is a must read for girls involved in athletics as well as their parents. Without coaches like Lee and players like Pat, Candy and Frances (which are based on real live people) we would not have women's sports today. If you love girls basketball you'll love this book!

I read this book in 1974, while I was playing girls' basketball in Oklahoma. Not only is it based on real people, but it could be any of a number of girl's basketball teams in the state. (Oklahoma had high school girls basketball long before Title 9.) As a girls' basketball coach myself over the past 20 years I have remembered this book often and experienced all of the things that are a part of coaching girls, both the triumphs and the heartbreaks. Harold Keith touched on them all with first-hand knowledge. I tried for years to get my own copy, so I'm thrilled it has been reprinted. It would make an excellent read for anyone who plays, coaches, or even knows about the sport of women's basketball. I am certain you will enjoy it.

Chamique Holdsclaw: My Story is a powerfully inspirational book recommended for people to read in 5th grade or up. It tells the story of how Chamique went from the projects of Astoria, Queens to having a successful basketball career at the University of Tennessee where she won 3 National Championships to being picked #1 in the draft by the WNBA Washington Mystics. Throughout everything Chamique has put her family first, especially her grandmother. This is a well-paced book that you can read quickly, and it has a feel-good story to it as well.

This is a awesome book keeps the reader wanting to read. You see what it takes to get to the top Chamique's life was never easy but she made it through all the hard times with her brother and grandma by her side. This book is 2 thumbs up.

This story is about Chamique's life and everything she went through to play for the WNBA. Her life was never easy she had lots of promblems all through out her life. What of the worst things she faced was getting separated from her mother at a early age. She spent most of her life with her grandma who she will never forget, her mom had a drinking promblem and spent most of her time away from Chamique. Chamique also had a little brother that she took care of. She lived in a apartment with her grandma and brother, she played basketball in the park near her house, while girls were busy brushinhg their hair Chamique was busy beating the boys and practicing. This is a awesome book and if you enjoy watching the WNBA or any basketball you should read this book and learn what it takes to get to the top.