Basketball Books

I loved reading this book with my children! First of all, the illustrations are darling! The sweet looks on the children's faces really draw the reader into the book. Children can really relate to the characters who all want to play different games at recess. They finally decide on a way in which everyone can play together and have a good time while doing so. I recommend reading this book to your own children at home as well as students in school!

"Life in the Valley of Death" by Edward R. Ward is an excellent and highly thought provoking book that can be appreciated by NCAA Basketball devotees and also the shrinking minority of social students looking to learn more about race relations, structural racism, and sociological interaction through the deceptively small scope of Missouri Valley Conference basketball in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Ward begins with a brilliantly and thoroughly researched guide through that brief period of college basketball history. He leads the reader through the information with intelligence, sensitivity and subtle humor.

He closes the book with a discussion of the philosophical and sociological implications of the tumultous time of sports history where segregation, contempt for black people and the desire to win was balanced on a political, social, and academic tight rope.

Any reader will find that once one finishes with the body of content, the actual reading is only half way over, as Ward has tightly packed his end notes with additional anecdotal and general facts, findings and reflections that range from Bill Walton's coaching tips to postmodern analysis of diversity within large institutions.

Ward's quality of prose never disappoints and shows that he not only possesses the ability to research, but also the skill of storytelling.

David Masciotra

Freddy Jordan is a 14 year old boy with problems. His parents are splitting up, he is being laughed at in school, and he has trouble on the basketball court. The only bright spot in his life is his girlfriend, Lucille. The book tells about one wild week in Freddy's life.Funny and poignant with strong moral message.

Lisa Leslie in this book is portrayed as a goddess, which she is, on the court anyway. Lisa Leslie is the player to be in basketball, man or woman.

The Lives of Riley is the ultimate portrait of the current Miami Heat Coach and President Pat Riley. Heisler traces back Riley's childhood and details the life of Pat's father, Lee. He also looks at Riles' playing days at Kentucky as well as his journeyman NBA career. The most impressive section is how Riley became Lakers' coach and continued their winning tradition. Heisler also examines Chris Riley's role in her husband's career and Pat's revival with the New York Knicks. After reading this, you will understand what makes Riles so successful and such an awesome motivator.

May has an uncanny ability to immerse the reader in his intimate dealings with the subsets of society he studies. As a participant/observer in this high school basketball community, May is able to both pose and answer questions that the casual reader would never be privileged to embark upon alone. The end result of this work is to share a rare perspective of the struggles faced by the specific black youth of "Northeast" high school, and of the impact of social elements in the creation and attainment of life goals by youth in general. Great book.

"Long Shot" is an unusual book on a number of counts, with elements that aren't often found in a single volume of children's "sports" literature. First, it's a sports story in which the protagonist is a girl--a crackerjack basketball player (hurrah!)--and it's well and intelligently written, with lively dialogue and delightful touches of humor. The kids and the adults seem like real people, and the story develops relationships both on and off the basketball court. The author really captures the cliffhanger excitement of competitive sports--and also handles the downside of competition (and its meanness) in a way that kids, both girls and boys, will really be able to relate to. I enjoyed this book so much that I stayed up late one night reading it...and I'm an adult! The kids I gave it to loved it just as much as I did, so it's now on my list of favorites for gifts.

'Long Shot' was an excellent mystery book. I liked how the three detectives got the basketball star to go along with the scouter and take all of the things he gave him. They followed the scouter around, and then...I like mysteries and I especially like this book. You should read it if your into young reader mystery books. Almost all fo Megan Stine's mystery books are really interesting and creative. I suggest you should buy a copy or check it out of the library.

I liked the book because it was very helpful in helping me find out how magic johnson got to where he wanted to go . I also liked the book because of the pictures and good illustration of what happend .Also I enjoyed the book because of how the author caught the readers attention by putting out key facts and details for the reader to understand it better.

The best part of the book was when they won the nba title by beating the boston celtics in seven. Also magic recieved mvp honors.

The author did a good job describing the charecter by stating factual data on the charecter situations. By describing the climax of when he led the L.A. lakers to the nba finals.

I also have Morgans Zone Offenses and Defense video(I wish I had the dvd). Together they are everything you'd want for high school coaching. I have Coach Woottens book Coaching Basketball Successfully and trust me this is enough to make any program successful. You can also learn from his demeanor while he is teaching.