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Archive for June, 2008
June 30, 2008 at 12:01 am · Filed under Basketball Books
Spectacular plays may make the highlight reels, but winning results from consistent execution of sound fundamentals. Youth Basketball Drills contains all the drills you need to develop the essential skills. Authors Burrall and Patrick Paye have outlined drills and variations that cover the entire scope of the game in both offense and defense. The book shows you how, when, and why to use each drill.
The progression of drills will help you develop your team from beginners to the advanced level, skill by skill. The essentials of basketball offense and defense are addressed, including drills for
• balance and agility,
• ballhandling,
• passing,
• cutting,
• screening,
• rebounding,
• shooting,
• defensive stance and footwork,
• individual moves, and
• team defense.
When you're coaching young players, it's important to start out right. Youth Basketball Drills gives you the know-how and practice tools to teach young players the fundamentals they need to excel.
Customer Review: bball coach
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.
Customer Review: Useful for younger boys
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.
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June 28, 2008 at 11:40 pm · Filed under Basketball Books
Runnin' the Show spells out what it takes to be a real leader on a basketball court. Insightful and unusual, this book covers many original ideas and creative concepts that lead to winning basketball. Not a typical basketball book, Runnin' the Show is an indispensable guide for coaches and players trying to lift their basketball to a higher level.
Customer Review: Awesome for players and coaches
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.
Customer Review: Good, not great
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.
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June 28, 2008 at 11:32 am · Filed under Basketball Books
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Basketball is the most comprehensive and up-to-date basketball-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round basketball-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.
No other basketball book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book will have players increasing strength, power, agility, and overall quickness on the court, leading to an increase in rebounds, steals, blocked shots, and overall defensive efficiency. You will build the strength and power needed to dominate the post and under the basket and you will build the stamina and endurance needed to go strong until the final whistle.
Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!
As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20.
Customer Review: New Edition is Way Better
I'm a multi sport athlete who trains all year round regardless of what sport I play. I bought a few of these Ultimate Guide to Weight Training books, and they definitely helped me train specifically for the different sports that I play. Then about a year later I received an email from amazon that there was a new edition out. These upgraded editions are even better than the originals, with more articles and a lot more sport-specific information. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who plays a lot of sports or wants to specifically focus on training for one sport in particular.
Customer Review: Best Weight Training Product I have ever used......
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training is by far the best product on the market. I have tried everything from a personal trainer to those basketball strengh shoes, but nothing increased my strength, speed and vertical jump like the Ultimate Guide. This is the real thing people. See for yourself.
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June 27, 2008 at 4:36 am · Filed under Basketball Books
The life story of legendary Coach Tex Winter. At the age of ten, Tex experienced the untimely death of his father. What resulted was an awakening belief in the coordinated efforts of family members to work together as a team. His family experiences and resultant skills laid the foundation for what became known as his Triangle Offense, a strategy that revolutionized college and professional basketball. Coach Tex Winter: Triangle Basketball is an inspiring story of overcoming hardship to develop the attitudes and relationships for success at home, school and career. Contains 160 full-color pages of news clips, personal notes, photographs, and Tex's chalkboard sayings. Includes quotes from family, friends and legends such as Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and others.
Customer Review: Tex Winter is a Great Teacher and Coach
The Book inspire me a lot how to be a great coach. And inspire me the main concept of Triangle offense which is very important to my coaching career for teaching the youth how to paly basketball in Team Concept with a well designed offense stragety by Tex Winter!
Customer Review: Great coffee table book for the home!
Ann Parr does an excellent narrative on Coach Tex Winter's life. A great read packed full of both vintage and recent photos as well as memorable quotes from family, friends, players and coaches in a superbly designed graphical format that is pleasing to the eyes. As a father and granddad, I highly recommend it as a gift for your kids - who could easily learn a thing or two from Tex's wisdom and philosophy on the importance of honesty, integrity and teamwork...not just in basketball, but in every aspect of one's daily life (a positive example that seems to be often missing in America these days).
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June 25, 2008 at 1:17 pm · Filed under Basketball Books
Basketball training has advanced tremendously in recent years. New and improved exercises, drills, workouts, and performance tests are now considered as essential as shooting practice in becoming a top player on the court.
Build your strength and power to be a beast on the boards. Improve your quickness and agility to be a defensive stopper. Increase your vertical jump to rise over defenders for uncontested shots. Complete Conditioning for Basketball, including a bonus 40-minute DVD, explains and shows how to get in ultimate shape to play the sport.
Developed by the National Basketball Conditioning Coaches Association--experts who train NBA players--this instructional package applies to both males and females and to various levels of competition. Get the most out of your workouts to make the most of your opportunities on the court. Use Complete Conditioning for Basketball to fulfill your potential from the opening tip.
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June 25, 2008 at 11:51 am · Filed under Basketball Books
In a city mired in endless decay, where the youth suffer through all the horrors of urban blight, hope comes in a most unassuming form: a tiny brick schoolhouse run by two Felician nuns where a singular basketball genius takes teenagers from the mean streets of Jersey City and turns them into champions on the hardcourt. Coach Bob Hurley had been working miracles at St. Anthony High School for over thirty years, winning state and national championships and offering his players rescue from their surroundings through college scholarships, when he met his most dysfunctional team yet. In The Miracle of St. Anthony Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to these streets.
In The Miracle of St. Anthony, acclaimed sports journalist Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season, as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to the city streets.
Acclaim for The Miracle of St. Anthony:
?It takes two ingredients to make a book special: a great story and a great storyteller. The Miracle of St. Anthony has both. Bob Hurley is a remarkable coach; Adrian Wojnarowski is his equal as a writer.?
?JOHN FEINSTEIN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A SEASON ON THE BRINK
?Takes you through this miracle season where this high school basketball team didn?t have the greatest talent but somehow came out on top . . . [Coach Hurley] is dedicated to these city kids and helping them overcome the obstacles that the city can offer. A lot of his lessons are not about basketball, but about life, and doing things the right way.?
?BILL RAFTERY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
?Compelling.?
?Chicago Tribune
?A classic.?
?Boston Globe
?Astonishing?
?New York Post
?Hard to put down.?
?The Washington Post
Customer Review: Great Coaching Story--Can Learn a Lot!
This is a very good inspirational book about an underdog inner city basketball team rising up to be the best, coached by Bob Hurley--best high school coach in small, broken down parochial school. Kids all had problems and he taught character and perseverance as well as basketball. It's tells how the coach motivated and taught his players. Parts moved a bit slow but it's definitely worth your time reading this one!
Coaching (and teaching) tips I got out of it included the following:
*Always keep the bar high and require respect.
*Never let anyone slide--keep on them all the time.
*Coach all the players, not just the best.
*Make kids earn your respect and ignore them until they do.
*Give everyone a role--even those on the bench.
*Use drastic measures (wrestling practice) to punish sloppy playing.
*Use the drastic measure practice for motivating in the future.
*Let the players experience the glory, keep low profile as coach.
*Help players make good decisions concerning their futures.
Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"
Customer Review: Fantastic!
What a great, inspirational book. On top of that, it was only $5 when I purchased it, so you can't go wrong there. If you enjoy basketball, I strongly suggest you read this book!
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June 24, 2008 at 5:25 am · Filed under Basketball Books
Basketballs fun--let's play!Find all the basics ion this lively guide.
- The markings on a basketball court
- What basketball players wear
- The three team positions
- The excitement of passing the ball
- The thrill of making a basket
All these and more are included, with a useful glossary at the end.
Customer Review: Nice introduction to the game for younger kids
Gail Gibbons's My Basketball Book offers a nice introduction to the rules of basketball with attractive illustrations. The rules are displayed during a game between two teams of kids, the Comets and the Blasters. Gibbons's text offers enough details to give younger gradeschoolers the basics of the game in a fun manner. It's a favorite for my basketball-obsessed son.
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June 22, 2008 at 2:54 pm · Filed under Basketball Books
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June 22, 2008 at 11:54 am · Filed under Basketball Books
Customer Review: Fabulous Five Freshmen
"What scares you Jalen? Death, said Jalen,... because I can't imagine a world without me in it." The cockiness that was the Fab Five is captured perfectly by Mitch Albom in his book the Fab Five; Basketball, Trash Talk and the American Dream. Like Albom's other books Tuesdays with Morrie and 5 People You Meet in Heaven, his story telling engulfs the reader and transforms a normal story into a legendary tale. Albom recognizes the important interaction between people in their actions and conversations and captures that in his writing. This story, the Fab Five, was a great book and one of the best for any sports fan. The "Greatest Class Ever Recruited", as Albom called them, is a great story that is told from behind the scenes, during the Fab Five's historic career at the University of Michigan. The Fab Five by Albom is the finest sports book because Albom's humorous and stylish writing brings to life the events surrounding five freshmen that transformed college basketball.
The Fab Five is a book about Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson, the fabulous five freshmen at the University of Michigan. A group assembled in many different ways, each contributing a unique story to what brought them to Ann Arbor. Albom takes his first few chapters describing the intricate lines that connected each player to Ann Arbor. Jalen and Chris were from Detroit and went to UofM because they were always best friends. Ray Jackson and Jimmy King are from Texas. Ray Jackson was noticed accidentally while scouts were in Texas recruiting other players. For Jimmy King, he came to UofM because Juwan Howard, his roommate on a recruiting trip, was going. And to put it all together, Juwan became a Michigan Wolverine because his recently diseased grandmother wanted him to go to UofM. Together they became the Fab Five and marched their way on campus and took the college basketball world by storm making it to back-to-back NCAA men's national championship appearances.
The caliber of talent that sounds this book is one for the history books. However, the Fab Five would not be the book it was without the writing and story telling ability of Mitch Albom. Albom has been voted the number one sports writer an unprecedented seven times by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He has hosted a TV show on ESPN and written many famous books as well as a sports column for the "Detroit Free Press". His ability to touch every reader regardless of background is rare. He makes people cry reading Tuesdays with Morrie and people stand up in cheer for the `91 Michigan basketball team in the Fab Five. Undoubtedly, Albom is one of the best writers in American and is writing about one of the best sports teams America has ever witnessed.
Albom accurately describes the sequence of events leading five high school seniors to main-stream college freshman superstars. But one of the things that makes this story one for the ages is that while on many teams today it is rare to see two freshmen starting a game, in 1991 the Fab Five were five freshman players who all started on a team that made it to the NCAA men's Championship basketball game. Having five freshman start a national championship game is unheard of and still to this day, unmatched. Albom predicts, "There will never be another group like the Fab Five." Through what brought them to Michigan, through every behind the scenes event, through every exciting and electrifying game, this book comes to life in front of the readers' eyes. As the book progresses the plot thickens for these young athletes as if Albom himself wrote the story. Every big game and tournament game was commentated as if live from the radio. Albom writes, "And with 21 seconds left, Michigan lead by just a basket, 71-69. `No three-point-shots,' fisher yelled." The games brought a sense of involvement for the reader taking them back in time to the game. With writing style that is clear and descriptive, and while combined with the dazzling games provided by the Michigan Basketball team, this leads to a suspenseful, well illustrated book that makes the heart pump and adrenaline rush. While watching the suspenseful games, Albom knew greatness at the very moment it happened and was there to preserve ever moment of history in his book; a book about kids who became "The Greatest Class Ever Recruited."
They had become the most popular names and faces in college basketball. In Ann Arbor, they sold jerseys and shorts for a hundred and fifty dollars total; "They sold out in a heartbeat," Albom wrote. Stories like these make this book different than any other sports book, a book written while the events occurred with detailed stories nobody else could get. He also wrote about that one game they all walked onto the court with their fashionably baggy shorts, black socks and black shoes revolutionizing college basketball, and he was there to catch every story and detail. Black socks, black shoes and baggy shorts all surprised people watching college basketball. Later looking back, people would contribute these five freshmen as revolutionizing basketball and creating its image today. Albom knew this and felt it was necessary to capture their uniqueness in this book. Mitch Albom, like the rest of the world knew greatness while it was happening and the passion and enthusiasm that he wrote with to illustrate that greatness he was witnessing is another example of why this book is so fabulous.
Albom also included inside stories, taking the reader to a place only a few were able to see. Inside the games, inside the practices and inside the family that was the Fab Five. When Jalen walked in the first day as a freshman and announced, "Freshmen verse ya'll," everyone in the gym was stunned. Where most freshmen come in to find themselves at the bottom of the barrel, these freshmen came in and ran right to the top. After saying, "Freshmen verse ya'll," the five freshman went on to win three scrimmages against the upper classmen. Albom wrote, "The Fab Five has been born." While many people could watch the televised games and see for themselves the spectacle surrounding these freshmen, he took this audience backstage and incorporated these stories that give the reader more than they could otherwise see. Stories about crazy pranks to trash talking rants and bizarre interviews to the baggy shorts and black socks and shoes, is why Fab Five gives the reader more than a sports book. It gives the reader a legendary, and even though no previous knowledge is necessary a substantial amount of time is essential because putting the book down once the readers starts if difficult.
The Fab Five is a humorous, entertaining and well written book, but furthermore, it is an inside look at one of the greatest college basketball stories. Mitch Albom, as one of America's most heralded writers, gives one of his best writing performances for his perfectly illustrated, historical tale of "The Greatest Recruiting Class Ever." He captivated my attention and sparked my interest in Michigan Basketball because of his urban style humor and story telling ability. While most other historical accounts tend to be boring, Mitch Albom captivates his readers and provides one of the best books about sports; a must read for any sports fan. Albom quoted Jalen Rose, "they'll be talking about us for 20 years." This is true about the Fab Five and the Fab Five will be talked about for many years to come
Customer Review: No doubt.
With all the kids going to the pros now this book just gets more and more interesting. College hoops may never be the same as it was when the fab five were together. Although it may be wrong to say they were the reason for so many changes, they were certainly style agents of the nth degree. No doubt about the power of youth and potential and Albom captures all of it with a lot of excitement and enjoyment.
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June 20, 2008 at 4:13 pm · Filed under Basketball Books
What do Julius Erving, Larry Brown, Moses Malone, Bob Costas, the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Slam Dunk Contest have in common? They all got their professional starts in the American Basketball Association.
The NBA may have won the financial battle, but the ABA won the artistic war. With its stress on wide-open individual play, the adoption of the 3-point shot and pressing defense, and the encouragement of flashy moves and flying dunks, today's NBA is still -- decades later -- just the ABA without the red, white and blue ball.
Loose Balls is, after all these years, the definitive and most widely respected history of the ABA. It's a wild ride through some of the wackiest, funniest, strangest times ever to hit pro sports -- told entirely through the (often incredible) words of those who played, wrote and connived their way through the league's nine seasons.
Customer Review: Great Read, Facinating History
I can't recommend this book highly enough. I love basketball to death but have the misfortune of coming of age in the late 90's, well after the holy trinity of MJ, Bird, and Magic and WELL after the ABA.
This book is an oral history that gives some amazing insights as to how things were before the world of cable and internet and before the NBA was the marketing juggernaught it is today. It is also full of ridiclous stories about players, coaches, fans, and owners. It is facinating to see what aspects of the ABA resonate in todays NBA. Though some of the book is dated (the book was written in 1990) in terms of how things are relayed to the reader, the essense of the book has and will continue to hold up very well.
Customer Review: Best Sports Book Ever.....Probably So
What can I say about Loose Balls that has not already been said??...Probably nothing...There is a reason why Sports Illustrated ranked this book Number 13 on the Top 100 Sports Books of alltime and why it is still in print 18 years after first coming out....That reason is it's a great book that is the definitive history of the ABA and at the same time has you literally laughing out loud at times...I had more laughs reading this book than I do at most movies....Most people in other reviews have noted the principals like Fly Williams...Marvin "Bad News" Barnes....John Brisker..Pat Boone.. Julius Erving..etc..etc so I won't rehash or spoil the tales but they are memorable because they are true....Pluto's genius in putting this book together was that he let the principals tell their stories and he just put them on paper in an orderly format and let the story tell itself...No need to do anything else...I was pretty young during the ABA Days so I only remembered a little about it,but after reading this book I felt like I was there for all 9 years of the ABA....I can't recommend a book any more than I do this one...Buy this book...you will not be able to put it down once you start and I guarantee you will get a ton of laughs
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