Basketball Books

I loved this book. Like John Nordahl, I'm a Magic fan, and I'm happy to see that he said Orlando Arena was a great place to see a game. Too bad I'm from North Carolina and have never been there. Nordahl gives a good description of every arena; you won't be disapointed.

John Nordahl takes an NBA fan's dream trip around the country to each NBA city. Giving his opinion of each arena and the fans that inhabit it, Mr. Nordahl is sure to spark some controversy along the way.

When I was in my early teens, I devoured adolescent sports fiction, reading every book in the area that was in the Harding Junior High library. One of my favorites was this book, and it is one of the few that I read several times. A gang of boys about to be placed in juvenile jail often get together to play basketball. While they are talented, they understand very little about the game. One day, a man (Ed Sorrell) that they do not know starts observing their play and one day he offers to coach them. At first they reject his offer, but after they have no other way to play, they let him teach them. After one lesson, they realize that he really knows basketball.
However, they have no gym to practice or play in, so Sorrell is able to make a deal with a church on 23rd street where the boys work at the church in exchange for the opportunity to play there. They continue to practice and begin impressing everyone with their improved attitude. A church league is formed and the church sewing guild makes uniforms for the boys.
They begin their games and demonstrate that they are very good, largely due to the coaching abilities of Ed Sorrell. They win, which brings publicity and it turns out that Sorrell had a boy that recently died and that he is one of the best college coaches in the country. He disappeared after his son died and his wife comes to visit him. He is given his old job back, which disappoints the church team. In a happy ending, Sorrell realizes that his work with the boys has saved them from a life of crime and restored his ability to face the world. Therefore, he gives up the college job and comes back to teach the local high school team.
This is one of the most upbeat sports books I have ever read. Yes, it has the obligatory ending where the big game is played and won. However, it goes beyond that, expressing sports as a way to make bad boys into citizens and showing that sometimes the best way to help yourself is to help others.

We read a condensed version of this book in class. I really enjoyed it. I really cared about the characters. It also had good basketball elements; the games were very descriptive. Ed Sorrell was one of the greatest characters I have read in a long time. It's not just a basketball book: It also has great characters. Even though it was published in '58, it's pretty much timeless. I felt most of the book was relavent today. I definitely reccomend it to anyone who is looking for a good book.

A.C. writes a nice summary of his life. I would have liked just a little more insight into college and pro basketball.

A.C. Green is one of the classiest men in the NBA. Buy this book now and learn to live like a champion! You will enjoy his stories of his Laker days as well as his current ones. Great Book

I feel that this book truly portrays the life of an African-American superstar in the 60's and 70's. He is a bit egotistical at times, but is always truthful (except for the part about all the women). All through his career, he is called a loser because of what his team is accomplishing and not him. In his first several years, his teams consistently played the Celtics in the playoffs, and instead of the Warriors vs. the Celtics, it became Bill Russel vs. Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt would consistently beat out Russel in every category, yet his team would still lose. When this happened, Wilt was called the loser. He was told that Russel schooled him time and time again, when really, it was the other way around.
This book accurately portrays what it would be like to face the "Loser" label your whole life. It wasn't fair at all, but Wilt successfully had a good season after another. I definately reccomend this book to anyone who likes success stories or if you like sports biographies. In fact, I recommend it to anybody

Over twenty-five years ago, Wilt Chamberlain took the belief that professional athletes are dumb and flushed it like a loose stool. In this book, he shares truths about his groundbreaking NBA salaries, his views on dating, and other famous basketball personalities. His sense of humor entertains his readers, while his intelligence, clearly evidenced by his vocabulary, constantly enlightens. For everyone old enough to vote, this book will be a wonderful experience.

This book tells you about a couple of WNBA Stars. It tells you a short story about many stars of the WNBA including Cooper, Lobo and Leslie. Where they went to college, and other interesting things. You should read this book if your interested in knowing a little more about the WNBA players.

I loves this book. It made me feel like I personly knew the players. The reason why I gave it 5 stars was because I think the author did a great job on the part where it talked about Lisa Leslie.. I'm a huge fan of Leslie and James Ponti did an great job. The author sat down with each player and talked with each one of the WNBA player that are in the book..... I love this book and I recormend this book. I hope you like this book like I did!!!!

This book is an autobiography of Pat Conroy. If yourexecting the Prince of Tides...look elsewhere for FICTION!... I must admit a bias since I went to college in the South and attended many games against the myriad of colleges Conroy excelled against, seven years later though. I also played basketball, and as most of my teammates would say i had more desire than skill...so I identify with Pat Conroy of his Citaldel days. If basketball bores you, move on and find your reading enjoyment elsewhere!

Pat Conroy hasn't written a basketball book in the style of the wonderful "A Season on the Brink". Here, the actual season takes a bleacher seat compared to the main theme of coming of age and dealing with a wide emotional range, from great pleasure to enduring abuse that can make a reader squirm.

The basketball itself is interesting enough, with details pulled together after 30 years thanks to a concerted mining expedition with former teammates, a rather successful lot in middle age. As Conroy says, winners develop bonds with each other that last, with memories they want to keep. Losers, well, they move on and don't need any reminders.

The Citadel team underachieved, losing several close games, with the finger-pointing going to themselves and their mediocre coach Mel Thompson. One might think of Bobby Knight or some other screamer as a coach, but at least Coach Knight knew what he was doing and could usually motivate his boys. On Coach Thompson, we hear plenty of how he brought out the worst or sapped their energy with an ill-timed remark or action. Plus, the average college player didn't have to survive the brutal hazing of freshman year and the other challenges of a military school.

In Conroy's case, life intervenes even more in the presence of his father, well-known to people already aware of Conroy's work. A vision of Robert Duvall as the obnoxious Dad was impossible to avoid, with never a kind word and, in reality, degrading insults even when Pat was at his best. How he could (usually) shrug off the abuse is beyond me, other than it must have come from the same reservoir that make him a tough scrapper on the court.

Other threads include some fine mentors on campus who helped Pat survive and develop his literary interests, a distressed pregnant girl he falls for, the honor system, and a nice summary of high school hoops while on the move. As with many survivor stories, a key individual often makes the difference at a critical time or over a sustained period, and Conroy had his benefactors. There is no doubt that he is a very loyal person who appreciates what others did on his behalf. He even had enough loyalty to Coach Thompson, for some reason, leading to some strange appreciative remarks at the end, and he even had some surprising partial reconciliation with Dear Old Abusive Dad. Conroy is one guy who is all over the map emotionally.

Pat Conroy, the brilliant novelist, brings his fantastic writing style to his own memoirs in My Losing Season. Pat describes his life from his early childhood through his college years at The Citadel. His father, a Marine, was both physically and verbally abusive throughout Pat's lifetime. When Conroy Senior wasn't beating Pat's mom, he was taking his aggressions out on any one of the seven Conroy children. They learned to avoid him whenever possible and do what they could to avoid raising his ire. Pat found solace in the game of basketball anywhere he could find it. In school he found structure and guidance, on the street courts he found art and guts. But no matter where Pat played he loved every aspect of the game and the various nuances that he could learn.

Conroy chronicles the difficulties of his home life and then the hardship of being a plebe in a rigorous military college where athletes were practically loathed. In many ways, Conroy's situation did not improve when he escaped his father's daily wrath. But what Conroy explains is that these tribulations were the basis of his personal character building and moments that he now looks back on with feelings of gratitude and appreciation. He writes of his journey to becoming a writer and how he balanced his academic studies with the rigors of college athletics.

Conroy has written a delightful book that reads like his novels but with the added touch of his reality. He does not hesitate to address his own shortcomings as a human, writer, and athlete. This lends credibility to his descriptions of his youth and how that youth shaped his adulthood. My Losing Season contains many references to Conroy's works of fiction and at times discusses the outcome or plots of his novels that may be considered spoilers by those that have not read the novels. However, mostly, it is a unique insight into the author's thought process that will likely lead to a more enjoyable reading of these fictional books. My Losing Season will be enjoyed by those already loyal to Conroy and those that are finding him for the first time.

My Losing Season is the story of The Citadel's '66-'67 season. Pat Conroy begins the book with a little background as to how he got into basketball and fell in love with the game, as a child in a military family moving from town to town every year. He takes the reader through his journey up until he arrives at The Citadel for college. While Conroy does give tremendous details about his experience at The Citadel, the majority of the book deals with the '66-'67 basketball season. Conroy takes the reader game for game through the ups and mostly downs of the season - their crazy coach Mel Thompson, the Green Weenies, the loss of confidence of the starting 5, and all the teams they play in the Southern conference.

As a reader you'll get to know these guys - DeBrosse, Cauthen, Kennedy, Zinsky, Tee Hooper, etc - you truly feel for them especially because they're real people and these games really happened! It's a great lesson on what one can learn from losing. Are those lessons more important that having a winning season? My only complaint was that since every chapter was really a different basketball game it got tedious at times. You definitely have to be a sports enthusiast to enjoy this book!

I have a message for Pat Conroy: STOP YOUR WHINING. I read the book on a recommendation from a friend - however, I wish had not wasted my time on it. Mr Conroy did a masterful job of weaving the story of his life into his expereinces at the Citadel. But, personally, I could not take his whining attitude - the tough plebe system at the Citadel, his "Great Santini" father, his demeaning basketball coach, the reaction from Citadel alumnists over his bashing of their school. This book seemed to infer that he was suffering some inhumane, life-long injustice. Give me a break!! I regret that Mr Conroy's reputation as a great writer and the publisher's willingness to support this project allowed the book to be published in the first place. For anyone paying attention to the rest of the world, this book is a crock...one word of advice for Pat Conroy: suck it up!! Alas, I think it's too late for Mr Conroy. One other note: You would never, ever see wrestler write a book like this!!

The book is in great shape and got to my house sooner than expected... Positive stuff all around...

This book is fairly well-scribed but definitely lacks the insight/depth that I would have preferred from a coach like Jackson. The most absurd and hypocritical part of it all is that Phil the Moneygrubbing Hippie who only wins when he has starpower, returned to the Lakers a year later---making this book basically null and void. Typical of a person of his pathetic ilk. Not a role model for anyone. And he's a mediocre coach. Phil Jackson is the Joe Torre of hoops.

I have always perceived Phil Jackson to be a an introspective and intellectually curious individual. This book has further bolstered that opinion. A fairly easy read, the depth of Phi's candor is perhaps what is most striking. He unabashedly relays his thoughts on how Shaq could be a better overall basketball if he focused on playing defense, his admiration of Karl Malone and Gary Payton for taking on diminished roles yet working hard, and then there's kobe. When this book was publicised back in 2005 in it the media (shocker) gave the impression that Kobe was villified throughout the book. Needless to say that perception is inaccurate. Although this book is about the tumultous 2003-04 season,Kobe hover's heavily over much of Phil's rumination. Phil's thoughts of Kobe are conflicted. On one hand there is the criticism of Kobe ( the aspect o of the book which the media dwelt on)his headstrong, occassional combustible personality, his refulsal to adhere to the triangle, seeming indifference, even ingratitude to the Laker's organization for their support during his rape trial, and feuds with Shaq. Phil's criticism of Kobe is tempered by him deeply analyzing the context in which the various incidents play out, and his (phil) role in agitating or diffusing the situaition. Overall, Phil seems to have a reluctant reverence of Kobe Bryant. This is mostly conveyed by how much he compares Kobe to Michael Jordan. The interpretation of this book should be subject to understading the context in which it is written. Phil's thoughts seem jarringly raw until one realizes that they were entries made into his personal journal. At that point he may be forgiven a little.

I was curious to see just what exactly this book would be like. I mean, the "last season" was not really the kind of season that Phil Jackson was looking for when he decided to write this book. Although the Lakers did have some brewing turmoil going on inside the organization, with the additions of Gary Payton and Karl Malone, it was assumed that they were the ordained NBA Champions. Well, did not turn out that way. But the growing Shaq vs. Kobe feud provides some ammunition. I like Phil Jackson and think he is a good coach and all and I guess this book is pretty good. If you are an NBA junkie and if you are a Laker junkie, it is essential. But if you just consider yourself a casual fan, it might be a tad dry. One thing is clear, Kobe is the creep that you always thought he was and I find it so enjoyable that he is stuck on a Laker team going nowhere, while Shaq has moved on and won another championship.

The book is written in a disorderly manner. At times he jumps around so much that it's hard to follow. Entertaining and informative as far as showing life as a coach of Lakers, especially Kobe and Shaq, the two dominant players, and biggest "problem children" on the team. Two players who were just down-right childish at times (especially Kobe). Phil had an especially tough time with Kobe, the ever so narcisitic MJ wannabe.

"When I stood up and took my warm-up jacket off, everybody from our neighborhood stood up with me. There was a roar that made even the players on the floor look over to see what was going on..." Do you want to find out what happens next? Well then read this novel to see for your self.

This book is about a young basketball player, Lonnie, that has the potential to become a superstar in the NBA. The team he plays on is from Harlem, New York and with some help from his coach, Cal, he leads his team to the championship.

The book Hoops by Walter Dean Myers is a great novel for 7th to 9th grade readers. I couldn't believe the ending and I thought it would go a totally different way. I was asking myself when this & that were going to happen; and so many other questions. I thought it was even more exciting at the end because there is basketball envolved so its like watching the last seconds of a game tick away. I thought the theme of this book is a great life leason and it can be found on page 183. "I know I can't win all the time, but I got to keep myself in the game, got to keep my game together, so at least I have a chance. I think the theme is you can't always win but you still have to try and give it your best shot. I think this because Lonnie is use to winning all the time and then he loses something at the end.(Can't say what so read and find out)

Lonnie is a seventeen-year-old basketball player from Harlem. He wants to do something with his life but he hasn't really thought much beyond high school and basketball. This summer there is a huge tournament for teams throughout the city. Lonnie and his friends form a team, and are assigned a coach, a man named Cal whom Lonnie thinks is a worthless drunk. At first Lonnie even refuses to play, but then changes his mind and joins the team.

As the team starts practicing for the tournament, Lonnie ends up spending a lot more time with Cal, who is harder on him than on anyone else on the team. Lonnie comes to realize that Cal, a former NBA player who ruined his career by gambling, really thinks his basketball game has promise. Maybe it even has enough promise to get him noticed by college scouts.

I liked that the characters in this story all had faults; it made them much more engaging. You usually expect the coach in a story like this to be wise or to have learned from his mistakes, but Cal was still fighting his demons, which made him much more real.

HOOPS

This story is about seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson who is a terrific basketball player who participated in a citywide basketball tournament of champions. Lonnie's coach Cal knows he can make it to the NBA if he doesn't pressure it. Cal knows because he once? Had A chance. Could Lonnie and his teammates blow a chance of a lifetime.
Hoop's is one of the best basketball books I've read yet. It will thrill you as you read through this book's pages at a time. This book will leave your moth wide open and surprised by the end of the book. Since this book was so good I would rate this book at the top.

The book i read is called HOOPS by Walter Dean Myers. HOOPS is a good book about a boy named Lonnie trying to get to the NBA. It shows how difficult it is to get to the NBA. I think you should read HOOPS because it will give you knowledge of what you have to go thruogh to get to the NBA. Hoops is for all basketball lovers. If you want to learn more about HOOPS then read the book.

This was on the board approved list for my school and I read it in hopes of teaching it to my class. Sex, drugs, cheating, stealing and alcohol...there is a good message, but it is hidden pretty deeply. I would let students read this if they are advanced in maturity and had a good set of values, otherwise I would not want my teens to read this.

And you'll find a picture of Larry Colton. I'd think 15 months would be long enough to find out Montantans can READ. At the very least he could have changed the names of minors before discussing their intimate lives.

It is written by a male.....lots of the individual basketball player's feelings were not there.....I would of liked to hear about the feelings of the Crow people.....the facts however were very interesting.

Raw telling of a tough story. Captivating, heartwarming, heart stopping; leaves the reader in awe of the young women portrayed in the book; their struggles and triumphs gritty and real. It's a page turner.

The minute I picked up this book I could not put it down. Basketball is a large part of the Indian school systems and culture. This tells of the huge obsticles that Indians have to overcome to succeed and survive. I read this book at least once a year and am overwhelmed each time by the adversity that the Indian culture has to deal with. They are children with dreams but often do not have the environment and support they need to succeed and leave the reservation.

Writer/journalist Larry Colton went to the Crow Indian reservation in southern Montana to write a magazine story on high-school basketball and discovered something else altogether: the life-and-death struggle of a native American culture struggling to survive in a world of poverty, alcolholism, racism and shattered family values.

The story is familiar to anyone who has spent time on the reservation or peeked behind the curtain of today's native Indian society beyond that presented by Hollywood or weekend tourist pow-wows.

Colton's first-person account revolves around a 17-year-old girl basketball player who stars on the court, but off it skips school, smokes pot and has unprotected sex with a 20-something loser who couldn't care less about her -- or anything else, for that matter.

Sharon LaForge is a reluctant anti-hero, who takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride split between periods of pulling for her to succeed and hating her for wasting every opportunity that miraculously manages to come her way.

Every time the reader wants to give up, turn their back and walk away from Sharon as a lost cause, she does something to pull them back on her side -- all of this transpiring, ironically enough, within the shadows of the monument marking Custer's Last Stand at the Little Big Horn.

This book won the Frankfurt eBook Award for Best Nonfiction Book and the Alex Award in 2001 and earned praise from the New York Times Book Review, Library Journal, Parade magazine, and Keith Olbermann, among others.

You can't go wrong here. Strongly recommended.

Travel Team by Mike Lupica is about a boy named Danny Walker who is said to be too short to play on the basketball travel team, so he tries to prove everybody wrong. Then he and his dad create their own team. Pre-teens who like basketball will want to read this book.

Readers looking for a book about basketball will enjoy this book. This book would probably be better for boys. The characters and the setting seemed real. The conflict seemed like it could happen to someone in the same situation. While there is some inappropriate language, it makes the characters seem real. Overall this was a great book because it had a lot of detail to help make pictures in the readers mind.

I've spent many years involved in youth Basketball and Lupica captures it very well. Both my young son and I enjoyed the book, and the basketball games themselves flowed nicely. A little hackneyed backstory (in youth basketball the little guys are the stars as bigger kids grow into their coodination so the "poor little guy" angle was tough to take) but it's all well presented and the targeted audience will believe.

Overall something to recommend.

Travel Team by Mike Lupica is an exciting book about a twelve year old boy named Danny. Danny is a very good basketball player who has been cut from his team because he is too short. Danny and his father form their own team from the other children who were cut and have a shot at beating the Vikings.

Travel Team is a very exciting and funny book. The only with the book is that it used some words that it could have done without such as the cursing. The Travel Team is worth reading because it has a great plot and Mike Lupica uses third person narration which is makes me feel like I'm there with Danny and it is usually easier to understand, which makes it a great book for kids.

Mike Lupica's Travel Team is an engaging story about a thrown-together team that was started because some of the kids that tried out for the town travel team were meaninglessly rejected at the tryouts. Danny Walker was the most offended player that was deferred by the harsh scouts at the tryouts because of his small size. His dad, Richie Walker, was the star point guard of the 12-year-old Middletown Vikings travel team when they won the nationals. Richie was described by sportscasters back then as "The biggest little kid from the biggest little town in the world" (21) when his team was on their way towards an upset in the Nationals Championship. Danny's dad soon decides that all of the discarded players that didn't even get a chance should still be able to play, so he arranges another travel team for the town and gives them all a chance to play. The conflicts along the way for the Middletown Warriors are a huge battle for them, but they manage to gather enough players and enter the local seventh-grade travel team league.

My review is on Travel Team by Mike Lupica. Travel Team is about a pre-teen Danny Walker who loves to play basketball, and is amazing too. His height is one exception. In this book, even with Danny's height, he is still one of the best players on his travel team and in his town. Danny Walker lives with his mom in New Jersey. His dad was one of the world's best basketball players till when in the NBA, he had an accident that ended his career. When his dad came to town things changed. Although Danny this year didn't make the travel team like the last 3 years, that doesn't stop him and his dad to start their own travel team. After everything Danny goes all the way to becoming on of the best players in Middletown, New Jersey. I give this book five stars. The reason is because it shows how a passion can go a long way into becoming a fulfilled dream. It shows teamwork, perseverance, a lot of effort to be the best. I believe this book is great for those who like sports.