OnBasketball.info
Archive for May, 2009
May 31, 2009 at 8:13 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
The full story of one of the greatest and most colorful coaches in the history of college basketball, told here for the first time. From the playgrounds of Rockaway, to the NCAA championship, to the broadcast booth, there has been only one Al McGuire. This is his story, as quick-paced and fascinating as the coach himself.
Customer Review: Fascinating subject slowly delivered
I love basketball and always thought Al was a great guy. While I looked forward to this book and am glad I read it, I cannot recommend it. Al is an interesting funny guy but that doesn't come out in the book. The book reads clinically without the emotion of Al McGuire felt through the writer. I did enjoy hearing of his early life but it was too long. Same for Belmont Abbey. Along the way you do learn interesting facts like he had a losing record when hired at Marquette. But, generally, as much as I liked the subject, the book did not live up. PERSONAL MCGUIRE STORY. I was at the Memphis State game described on Page 229 where with 45 seconds left and up by 5, an MSU player stepped in the foul lane losing the Tigers a one and one and probably the game. Yes, Al left the court with both hands raised. Raised in what he later called the "Irish salute", middle finger extended. Al had incited the crowd, touched us with his enthusiasm. When he came later to call some Keith Lee games, he fondly remembered the game and how he left the field. This is the "Al" the country knew and loved.
Customer Review: Missing
Mr. Moran does an excellent job of recapping the Al McGuire era at Marquette University. He also tracks the career of Coach Al especially well. The book was a labor of love, but the author should have more closely looked at the "whole" Al McGuire. That's why the book is, at best, average. What's missing is a sense of color brought on by perspective; the deep-down interpretations that the passage of time permits. As a long-time follower of Marquette basketball -- and a Marquette J-school grad to boot -- I believe too much of the book was newsy. Mr. Moran recanted stories that were well-known and well-publicized. Case in point: the oft-repeated Delsman fight. What would have been interesting was to probe deeply the fundamental emotions that brought together some of the best college basketball talent and Al McGuire. What emotions were running through Jim Chones' psyche as he rejected UCLA and others for McGuire and MU? Or, why in succession, did Larry McNeill, Maurice Lucas and Bo Ellis all choose Marquette. What did their heart say? What was so special about this man that his players would attend college at Concrete University (despite McGuire's pleadings that Marquette had "green grass")with virtually no other African-American students. The ballplayers had a profound impact on Marquette's outlook toward relationships among African-American and caucasian students. Mr. Moran documents this seldom discussed element of life at MU well. He effectively illustrates the Jesuit-Catholic response to one of the most basic precepts of the Christian church. On the basketball side, Al lost as much talent to the NBA as he recruited in the early 1970s. Certainly the arguable loss of at least one and possibly two or more national championships weighed heavily on his psyche. We know from the author that Al wanted his players to make money -- but could have they made more by staying in school? The author glosses over these emotional and practical issues. It would have been nice to know what happened when the NBA called for Jim Chones. The look on McGuire's face, the visceral emotion that was overcome by logic and compassion. As baketball's flower child, McGuire's views about casual drug use would have been interesting. Especially given that marijuana use on campus was common at the time and one star player was arrested for marijuana possession in the championship year. Finally, there was very little discussion of what has since happened to Al's players. The author glosses over this point. The success of any college professor -- including a coach -- is the measurement of his impact on the post college career of his players. That's not just the NBA. It's what they did with their education and their lives. What would have made this book special was to make it an oral history. Let then author narrate and then, rather than quote witnesses and Al, let people tell their Al stories in their own words.
Click For More Details
May 30, 2009 at 5:12 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Customer Review: Good Book
This book is a good learning tool to use in informing others.
Click For More Details
May 30, 2009 at 12:19 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
In the mid-1970s, the city of Boston entered a period of upheaval on both its historic cobblestone streets and its legendary parquet basketball court. The Boston Celtics’ long dominance of the NBA came to an abrupt end, and the city's image as a hub of social justice was shaken to its core. When the federal courts declared, in 1974, that the city was in violation of school desegregation rulings and would need to institute a busing program, Boston became deeply polarized.
Then, just as the city was struggling to pull itself out of economic and social turmoil, the Boston Celtics drafted a forward from Indiana State named Larry Bird. Upon the arrival of the “Hick from French Lick” to Boston in 1979, the fates of team and city were reborn. Pride, championships, reduced crime, and an economic boom re-emerged in Boston.
In Rebound!, author Michael Connelly chronicles these parallel but intertwining worlds. It is an account of a city in financial, moral, and social decline brought back to life by the re-emergence of the Boston Celtics dynasty and the return of hope, purpose, and pride to “Hub of the Universe.” Interviews with city officials, former players, and others on the frontlines provide a fascinating exploration into this tumultuous time.
Click For More Details
May 28, 2009 at 3:28 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Customer Review: A wonderful book
I think this book is a wonderful book for anybody to read. If you like basketball and mystery this is the perfect book for you. You will not have nightmares from this book, and you will not be able to put it down.
Customer Review: "A Neat Book"
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting reading about some basketball stars and a stolen trophy. I would really rate it four and a half stars but I wasn't able to. The reason it "would" be four and a half stars is because every once and a while I got a tiny bit bored. I still love reading it because it has more than that. I loved reading about the basketball clinic. I LOVE this book!
Click For More Details
May 27, 2009 at 5:39 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Engrossing account of major turning point in college sports--Len Bias's cocaine-induced death.
Customer Review: Could have been better
This book provides a good chronicle of the events leading to and immediately following the Len Bias tragedy. Where it falls short is in its glowing portrayal of a certain University Chancellor, who prior to the tragedy knew full well what was going on in the Athletic Department, but after the tragedy pinned all responsibilty on others. This has come to light in the years following the publication of this book. In this respect the book missed the mark.
Customer Review: A great account
This story was a great account of the turning point of college basketball, in which the view began to shift more towards the personal and academic side of the athlete as opposed to the athletic side. I would read it all over again.
Click For More Details
May 27, 2009 at 2:08 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Click For More Details
May 26, 2009 at 1:28 am · Filed under Uncategorized
First published in 1986 by Random House, this revised and updated second edition includes expanded information on Bob Knight, women's basketball, coverage of The Region, and more. Included are stories of Damon Bailey and Glenn Robinson, Stephanie White and Gene Keady, along with updated stories of Knight, Bird, Oscar and the Mounts, Judi Warren, and Milan and Attucks.
Customer Review: EXCELLENT
IN THE STATE OF INDIANA, BASKETBALL IS THE STATE RELIGION.
THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK IF YOU HAVE LIVED BASKETBALL OR IF YOU HAVE LIVED IN INDIANA. I HAVE LIVED BOTH.
Customer Review: Never received the book!
I've tried to get someone to solve my problem of never receiving this book and still no answers and still no book. Should have received middle of December and can't get them to get back to me or ship to me. Not happy!
Click For More Details
May 25, 2009 at 1:52 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Thoroughly explains and examines each aspect of the multiple match-up zone defense. Explores the advantages of the multiple match-up zone defense, and covers the specific defensive alignments and general placement of defensive personnel, terminology of the defense, terminology of the opponents offensive schemes, positioning/location and required stances used by each player, slides, player box-out responsibilities, stunts, variations of defensive alignments/sets, methods to defend specific offensive actions, breakdown drills, and more. Contains over 170 diagrams and illustrations.
Click For More Details
May 24, 2009 at 2:11 am · Filed under Uncategorized
From basketball's origins in Canada to modern China--with stops in Iowa,Italy, Arizona, and Angola--Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventureably tracks the international growth and popularity of basketball. AlexanderWolff simply (and convincingly) explores basketball's reach as a driving forceand saving grace.Some countries mimic the NBA to the last detail, while the game provides asymbol of freedom and opportunity in more restrictive countries. Interviews withplayers, coaches, and local legends provide insight into how the sport hasevolved, and what it means, in their respective countries. Perhaps mostimportantly, we see that, like soccer, basketball is a part of the socialfabric, played everywhere by children, sometimes with little more than the rocksDr. James Naismith had. Although Wolff covers much ground, he covers it quickly;details beyond the game are relatively sparse, as though he had a tightschedule. Still, the book is thoughtfully prepared, the interviews engaging, andWolff a sure-handed writer.So why the drive in small countries to play basketball? As a Lithuanian noted: "In Lithuania today, if you have money, you have no reputation, because yourmoney is black [market] money. If you have reputation, you are teacher,scientist, artist--but you have no money. Only basketball player has moneyand reputation." True, this observation applies to many sports worldwide,but Big Game, Small World stands as part of the proof. --MichaelFerch
Customer Review: A wonderful journey
This is an essential read for anyone interested in basketball history and all those, such as myself, who are excited by the increasingly international dimensions of the game. Wolff starts his journey in Princeton, the home of pure, fundamentals-driven b-ball, and visits many disparate corners of the globe, examining the local idiosyncrasies of the game through colorful anecdotes, a bit of philosophizing, and a great sense of humor. One of the things that caught my interest was hearing the names of former American hoopsters now playing overseas. Ever wonder what happened to Richard Dumas, the former Phoenix Sun who looked like a budding superstar in the 1993 NBA finals against the Chicago Bulls? You'll find out in this book. Another fascinating thing that caught my attention is the way in which hoops is so affected by politics in many countries. Wolff looks at how hoopsters had to literally dodge landmines to make it to their games in the former Yugoslavia and in present day Angola. His chapter on Africa is outstanding; it left me convinced that Africa is the real untapped reservoir of future NBA superstars. Another place in which b-ball and politics are inextricably entwined is China, where the state is finally loosening its hold over sports. In Bhutan, the monarch is literally the hoopster in chief. Wolff relates the interesting story of how hoops came to this tiny, Himalayan kingdom. These are just a few of the great stories contained within this book. Besides numerous international sojourns, Wolff also writes on the game closer to home, with some great chapters set in Philly, Peoria, Kansas City, and Washington D.C. I can't say much more other than to give this book my highest recommendations!
Customer Review: Comprehensive and Fascinating
This may be the most far-reaching basketball book I have ever read. Wolff chronicles the game's impact and value in such disparate locations such as a modernizing China, the backwaters of Eastern Europe, and even within Bill Bradley's aborted 2000 presidential campaign! Since the author visits such a long list of out-of-the-way places, you would expect his prose or reporting to suffer as the book progresses. Rather, Wolff keeps the story light and full of offbeat humor, while using his sharp skills to sniff out a story. For example, the author learns much about the Phillippines' national league and even meets the country's greatest player. Yet he is not satisfied with basketball's role in the country until he wanders the streets and unearths the tale of a local's fight to build a community court. The story is broken down into epsiodes, as Wolff devotes each chapter to one of his stops. This makes it easy, should a particular subject or country interest you, to read the book slightly out of order. Yet the author does tie together many of his threads, and makes Big Game, Small World an informative look at the ways the game of basketball is shaping (and being shaped by) the world, as well as doubling as a minor commentary on many countries' natures and traditions.
Click For More Details
May 23, 2009 at 4:01 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Whenever David beats Goliath it's news; everything is suddenly possible. In Indiana, where basketball is an obsession, and high school basketball a religious pilgrimage to the state championship, the potential for Davids--remember Hoosiers?--is both magnificent and ever possible. But in 1996, Indiana changed that. Despite outrage and protest, the state opted to revamp the format that allowed all its high schools to compete against one another for the state title, and instead to institute a divisional system that would segregate schools by size, allowing for four champion teams. As unpopular as the decision was, it made the 1996-97 season--the last to be played under the old rules--emotionally charged and sociologically above the rim in richness. William Gildea's examination of that final season is ripe with the voices of coaches and players, and vivid in its replay of big games. But the book's real strength is off the court in Gildea's observations and reportage on the ethos of small towns, small-town virtues, and the place of sports in the community. Where the Game Matters Most is a championship volume in any league.
Customer Review: Hard to Put Down
From the moment this book tips off to the ring of the final buzzer this is a great read.
Gildea takes us on the court, in the locker room, and most importantly into the lives of young men who live for basketball in a state where basketball is sacred. Indiana is the perfect setting for this tale of one season and there is the dramatic aspect that this will be the last season where a "true" statewide high school basketball champion will be crowned because of the demise of the historical tournament format.
Not just for sports junkies! The author skillfully weaves these elements together into a compelling story that will make for a quick read for any fan of this type of book.
Customer Review: Exceptional
Great for anyone who loves basketball or interested in Indiana history. Easy for anyone to read, yet remains engaging.
Click For More Details
Next entries »