Basketball Books

Wonderful book for youngsters and coachs. Clear list of basketball practice principles, drills and plays with color pictures. It also appeals to youngsters by knowing the superstars of NBA, but this book is way too old 1995. Look forward to having a new revision.

Dear reader,
I a read a book called Basketball Basics by Mark Vancil. I liked this book because it gives the steps on how to shout, dribble, and pass. It also gives some drills to practise at home. I give this book 4 stars because it's a good learner book, but it only has 124 pages. So if you are a beginner, this is the book for you!

'Nutty Can't Miss' is a can't-miss masterpiece. Every parent needs to buy a copy for their kids. This book has all the best stuff that comes in pre-teen literature - quality sports action, strong friendships, crushes, and even hypnosis... especially hypnosis. AWESOME!

i loved nutty, i loved his buddy orlando, and i loved Dean Hughes for writing this book. we're all nutty for Nutty.

thanks, Mr. Hughes - you totally filled in the empty space that was my childhood.

I liked the book Nutty can't miss by Dean Hughes because when William taught Nutty to never miss I thought to myself that I couldn't do that in a couple years of practice. He was working on a deep concentration technique, much like imaging, in which Nutty sees himself making every single shot and does that in real life.
I was also amazed because he got on TV and I won't be on TV probably until I'm older than fifteen. Every boy my age can relate to Nutty's acomplishment. When Nutty missed that long shot by like ten feet, it was probably very embarassing to him. I would have been embarassed too.
Last, I was surprised when William the assistant coach said "your hero days are over Nutty because I think I now understand the flaw in my whole system. It was all too clear there at the end". I thought he was going to be a huge NBA superstar but I don't know if he was or wasn't. Finally, that was one of the best books that I have ever read.

When the book was published in 2002 in honor of the 50 years since Hebron won the state championship, I was familiar with the basic story: tiny Hebron the "giant killer" with its collection of farm boys and other kids, vs. the big time. A standard underdog story that Americans really love, especially when it can no longer be repeated, at least in Illinois.

The basic theme is of course true. After all, tiny Hebron did win. What the authors made clear, however, was that this was no fluke. David and Goliath, ok. Triumph of the underdog? Not really. I had not realized how solid a program Hebron had at the time nor that they were actually one of the favorites to win it all, sitting at 31-1 for the Sweet Sixteen and coming off a strong 1950-51 season. Thus, Hebron isn't exactly a "Hoosiers" equivalent, and the authors specifically compare the two stories in one section.

I appreciated the background material on the town, the families, the coaches, and the good teams of earlier years, such as when Howie Judson led them to the state tournament in 1940. Think back to the pre-WW II years when Elgin, Rockford, and other towns had only one high school, if they even existed. A certain sentimentality for the old days would only be re-enforced by a list of Coach Ahearn's "Instructions to the Basketball Team", reprinted. Who can argue with "3. If you can't be gentlemen around teachers, the school, students, and the community, do not go out for the team. We have plenty who will." With about 40 boys in the whole school? Well, maybe not, but you get the idea who was in charge and what was expected.

The authors move through the highlights and bumps of the Giants' 51-52 regular season, with the tournament starting at about the halfway point of the book. They found a good balance of sufficient detail about the games and the events, without too much play-by-play, considering we all know the outcome. The box scores in the back are a nice touch, as are copies of some press reports.

The final sections cover the newspaper stories about the win, the celebration, and the drop in Hebron's results the following years. The obligatory "where are they now" content updates the players, coaches, and other key people in the story.

No doubt this book has a small audience. I recommend it for any fan of Illinois HS basketball, especially those interested in some history. You don't have to be an old-timer, although perhaps that might help.

If you like the movie "Hoosiers," you'll love "Once there were Giants." I have seen the documentary and read the book and I am still in awe of what tiny Hebron accomplished, something that can never happen again because of division conferences nowadays. The personalities in this book are so sincere, it could only have come from the midwest.

Mr. Brown has done it again with a very insightful and thoughtful sports read! I would highly recommend this book.

An outstanding debate on the best Philly athletes of the last 50 years. Brown offers up such wide ranging criteria for consideration that you can make the case for a varied list of athletes - and the Philly fans have done just that!

For a non Philadelphia fan/native the book is a great refresher on the careers of some of the lesser known and somewhat forgotten athletes of the city as well. Brown's done a great job of assembling long time local journalists, broadcasters and fans to add their personal anecdotes to the mix as well.

I say this with all due affection but this is a great bathroom reader!

As a father of a 3-year old girl and another on the way, I'm concerned that our culture "tells" young girls that their worth is dependent on what other people think about how sexually attractive you are. But sports seems to be one way that women can feel good about their bodies without having to worry about what others think about how they look.

At any rate, this book has become one of my favs because it helps my daughter learn about the "true" meaning of the term "Princess" apart from the Disney meaning of the word. That is, she can define herself according to her standards rather than someone else's.

I love fairy tales, and "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" has always been one of my favorites. I read this book to my daughter and we both loved it. It's a twist on the traditional fairy tale; the princesses sneak away to play basketball, rather than to meet up with hunky princes. It's a major shot of girl power! They don't need to wait around for men to amuse them: they amuse themselves! Go, girls!

My daughter, however, was confused about the multicultural princesses. I explained about families being about love, not color of skin, and she seemed satisfied with that. Personally, I enjoyed the fact that the princesses were all drawn with their own "personalities" (if that can be shown in a picture) and weren't the cookie-cutter princess stereotype of blonde hair, blue eyes, size two...

The rhyme scheme has a few rhythmical flaws, but flows pretty well. The third time (!!) reading it, I did it as a rap, which my daughter really enjoyed.

All in all, a delightful read and a nice way to show girls that they can make their own destinies and enjoy whatever they want to enjoy.

If you like playing basketball you may like the book Rebound. This book is about three boys named Scott, Sean, and David. David is in a wheelchair because he got into an accident. Scott is a troublemaker. Sean is a young boy about 14 and he wants to play basketball on the school team. He tried out last year but didn't make the team. The beginning of the new school he got into a fight with the kid named David. He went to the principles office and he almost gotten suspended because he fought a kid in a wheelchair. Even though David punched him first. As a punishment he had to be the host of David. As this went on they became friends. Did Sean make the basketball team or did he fail to make his dream happen? Read the rest of the book to find out what happened.
Chloe' B.

Sean and David were brought together by their vice-principal, who had caught them fighting on school property on the very first day of school. Sean was forced to be David's guide, since he was new to the school. He had no choice but to accept this job, or it was a phone call to his parents. Sean had already had an extremely bad year the year before, and he couldn't risk getting into trouble again or his chances on making it to the school basketball team would be slim. David, on the other hand, didn't get into any trouble at all since he was handicapped and sat in a wheelchair. Not long after that inccident, they become best friends. David teaches Sean how it is like to live a life in a wheelchair and Sean starts to understand what David has to go through each and everyday, with people treating you like you were a retarded.

The reason I really enjoyed this book was because it teaches you a lesson. Even though people in wheelchairs can't move their legs, it doesn't mean that you have to treat them differently. When you give them special treatment, it makes them feel like there is something wrong with them. It really hurts them knowing that they will never be able to use their legs again to run around and do what they use to do. They are still humans. In this book, David was an excellent basketball player. He beat Sean even when he was on the wheelchair, while Sean got to use his legs to move around.

My favorite part is when David invites Sean to a basketball game. Sean has absolutely no idea who is playing against who in this game. David won't tell him becasue he wanted to surprise him. The only thing that David tells him is to get the best seat there is so he could see the players. When Sean went to his seat, he saw a bunch of boys in wheelchairs wearing gold uniforms. Sean recognized one of those boys. It was David, he was going to play in the game with his team.

carolmanp6

March Madness has returned, leading to a series of ill-conceived brackets, non-stop ESPN analysis and often heated discussions over whose alma mater is going to take it all this year. Everyone with even a passing attention for the game gets caught up, reviving old rivalries and remembering that last big game. No doubt it's even bigger for the friends and family of players, who remember when their boys played in the high school gym.

It's that affection for young players that fuels "Remember Westville," James Bryant's history of the 1976 Westville Tigers. Westville, a small Illinois town known mostly as home to the first night high school football game, saw their high school basketball team embark on a winning streak that motivated players and fans alike. Winning several regional tournaments, they eventually lost a super-sectional but still established the best season in school history.

To reconstruct this almost epic year Bryant conducted extensive interviews with Coach Hardy, as well as the entire team, assistant coaches, rival coaches and family members. He covers Hardy's first years as coach and tracks the path each player took to get on the court, moving on to play-by-play descriptions of bigger games. It gets off to a slow start - there are almost too many little details, such as Coach Hardy's inscriptions in the high school yearbook - but the excitement builds as the stakes rise.

The book's research is considerable, but its construction feels less like a narrative and more like a documentary. Bryant, a former radio broadcaster, structures the book as a series of commentaries followed by long quotes from players and coaches. The language makes it seem like there should be a running reel of game highlights or players' faces, which makes the book's almost complete lack of pictures rather surprising.

What the book lacks in visual aid it makes up for in commitment, both affectionate and perceptive. Competition with rival schools Chrisman and Schlarman will resonate with anyone even peripherally involved in high school athletics, and the feel of the game comes across in several of the more tense reenactments. Anyone who either knew the players personally or becomes attached to them will enjoy updated biographies at the end - none of the players went pro, but all enjoy comfortable lives and share fond season memories.

"Remember Westville" is the story common in sports - small school team, up against the odds, uniting the town in a quest for glory even if the final win eludes them. With every player and coach talking to him Bryant has put together an in-depth history, even if some of the hometown pride will be lost on non-Westville residents.

This book is a great read! Much like Friday Night Lights, this book blends history with the incredible basketball season of 1976. Its an inspirational book that would be an ideal for any high school fan of basketball or football. Any fan who has experienced a season with your own kids or if you are just a fan of high school sports, get this book. It tells about the highs and lows of high school sports, and what a team goes through on an individual level and as a unit.

This is a great book for players and coaches, there is a ton of valuable information inside. Read this book if you want to become a better player or coach.

Obviously Dick Devenzio was impressive in many ways. His ability and drive was amazing as was his passion for teaching. Were this review on him, it would be an unqualified 5+.

Running the Show offers some of Dick's ideas on leadership and you can "feel" his enthusiasm through the words. On the other hand, there is not a whole lot that can be learned if you are an "old hand". I gave it to my 14year old and I fully expect that she will get more out of it than I did.

It is well written and I heartily recommend this for younger and/or less experienced players and coaches.

In addition to this book being a "labor of love", Steve Carp leaves no stone unturned regarding the history of the team. Chock full of facts and statistics, as well as personal observation, it is easy to read and comprehend even if one is not a fan of the team, or of the sport.

Being a local from Las Vegas I have always been a fan of the Rebels Basketball Team. "Runnin" is a great vivid look into the 'entire'history of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Steve does not throw any punches as he looks into the drama and glory that continually surronds this team located in the heart of 'Sin' City. A good book for any basketball aficionado or weekend couch viewer.

A Season with Dick Bennett, an inside look at Bennett's Wisconsin basketball team during the 1996-1997 season, is outstanding. I'm sure many people looking at this review have no idea who Dick Bennett was. This is unfortunate, as Bennett was a terrific coach who did not get the publicity of, say, Bobby Knight or Dean Smith. Ferris does a terrific job of introducing the Dick Bennett to the reader. The book is somewhat similar to Feinstein's Season on the Brink,although not quite as good. (To be sure, the subject is a far more sympathetic figure).

Ferris, a coach himself, gives the reader a revealing look at Dick Bennett, not only as a basketball coach, but more importantly as a husband, father, and mentor to his players. Bennett, while not as well known as Bobby Knight or Dean Smith, was one of the best coaches in the game. He would take a less than superb Wisconsin team to the Final Four three years later. In this book, he is portrayed as both an excellent coach and an outstanding, if flawed, human being. Most readers will , as I did, come to the conclusion that Bennett is as good a person as Ferris portrays him. Bennett is proof that a coach does not have to be a boor (e.g. Bobby Knight) to win at the Division I level.

The reader will also appreciate Ferris' inclusion of a glossary, as some of the terms used in the book were fairly technical and might not be understood by a casual basketball fan. Basketball coaches, whether high school or college, will gain from studying Bennett's philosophy. My only complaint with Ferris is that he does not ask the Badger players how they feel about playing for Coach Bennett. Without that perspective, I felt the portrayal of Dick Bennett was incomplete. Nevertheless, I still recommend this book.

One sequel I'm sure many Badger fans would love to read: the story of Bennett leading Wisconsin to their miraculous run to the Final Four in 2000. Given the relative lack of talent on that team, the word miraculous is not an overstatement.

This book provides a great portrait of an educator dedicated to excellence. Coach Bennett provides the author with intimate access to not only his team, practices, games, and staff meetings, but inside his own life and thought processes. What is exposed is a man dedicated to faith, family, and dedication to excellence. His strong Christian values are reflected in the five intangible concepts stressed to his team: Humility, Passion, Unity, Servanthood, and Thankfulness. Of particular interest is the role of faith through the tough times a highly competitive season brings, dealing with the anger and disappointment that can result, then using those situations as a catalyst for change and improvement. A chapter "Prepare To Succeed By First Eliminating Failure" is must reading for any dedicated basketball coach. His feelings on the down side of personal competitiveness and the skewing of personal priorities are outstanding reflections. In a time where coaching has become in many instances style over substance, Coach Bennett's team concepts and personal toughness in the face of adversity reveal the substance of a champion on and off the court. His insights on Indiana's Bob Knight during their preparation to compete are interesting as well. Eric Ferris's book provides the reader with an intimate look at the competitive toughness needed to succeed in major college basketball. Anyone who liked "Bob Knight, His Own Man", John Wooden's "Reflections On A Lifetime", and "The Smart Take From the Strong" will love this book.