4 comments about Clyde Drexler: Clyde the Glide.

1. Clyde Drexler was always my favorite player not only for his on the court play but for his off the court demeanor. He was always friendly and a perfect gentlemen. This book just reenforces those attributes and shows a man who is content and proud of his career.



2. Clyde the Glide was One of My Favorites when I was a Kid. he was always on point from Phi slamma Jamma to His days with Portland to Houston. He was a champion a Winner on the Court&Off the Court. this Book is cool because it gives his takes on various stages of his career also it has former players,coaches,etc.. who speak on what they thought of his Great career. Clyde Drexler is One of the Greatest Players Ever.



3. This was a great book about one of the nicest, classiest players the NBA has produced. Very insiteful, lots of good comments from family, friends, former coaches and players. I also have always loved reading anything that Kerry Eggers writes -- one of Oregon's best sports writers of all time.
   
   The only one little thing that was missing for me -- being an absolute sports junky -- were the lack of season-by-season stats that any great biography has at the end of the book. There's nothing better than looking over regular season and playoff stats about the individual you're reading about like in so many other great sports books.
   
   The copy I purchased also had a DVD included with an interview of Clyde. I was hoping to pop it in and see some highlight material from his playing days, but all that you see is Clyde sitting in a chair the entire DVD saying basically the same things he said in the book. Kind of a downer also.
   
   All-in-all, I rate it a five for just a solid sports book (minus stats, mind you). This coming from a Blazer fan you loved the teams of the 80s and early 90s when Clyde, Porter, Kersey, Buck, Duck and Uncle Cliffy were lighting up the NBA!



4. Once again Clyde shows why he was one of the most classiest players and person in the NBA. He is one true Hall of Famer. I highly recommend this book for the true Sports fan!!!!!

5 comments about Getting Open: The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball.

1. This well-written book took me back to Shelbyville IN in the 1950s, when every barber shop displayed a picture of the 1947 championship team and every patron knew all their names. No one would question the effect Bill Garrett had on his home town, but few could have predicted the impact he would have on collegiate sports for years to come.
   
   The little town of Milan provided great sports drama for the movie "Hoosiers," but the life of Bill Garrett is more than a sports story. He did for NCAA athletics what Jackie Robinson did for Major League Baseball. Young people of today would be shocked to learn what he endured just a couple of generations ago.
   
   Thanks to Tom and Rachel Graham Cody for this great read. As a Purdue grad, it pains me to praise a book that casts such a positive glow on Indiana University!



2. This is a good book and a good read. If you're from small-town Indiana (like me) and old enough to understand what single-class "Hoosier Hysteria" really meant, then you'll like this book.
   
   However I respectfully offer that it's not a 5-star book. It may be a 5-star story in search of a 5-star telling.
   
   I just finished the book yesterday, and I find myself wishing the authors had been less dispassionate. Or more passionate? Whatever.
   
   So who was Bill Garrett? The book talks a lot about his life and times, and provides some ancedotes, but always left me wanting more about Bill. Sadly, Bill wasn't available to be interviewed, but his teammates, friends and wife were all sources for the book.
   
   Here are some examples:
   
   We learn a lot about how Bill came to enroll at IU, but we don't learn about the man himself. Bill left Tennessee State after enrolling, and took a bus to IU. No one was available to meet him there! How did he feel about this?
   
   Bill was on the road and separated from his wife for several years while he knocked around the fringes of professional basketball. How was their relationship affected? We don't know.
   
   Finally - the authors talk about the changes in college basketball in the 1950's (pp 169-175), Branch McCracken's sporadic recruitment of black players, yet fail to mention that IU WON the NCAA championship in 1953!
   
   Sorry 5-star raters...it's a good book and a story worth telling, but could be a lot better. Probably a better movie than a book.



3. Seldom have I been so touched, entertained, and educated by a book as I was by Getting Open, which I read in two days. It is truly a masterpiece and something I will keep on my bookshelf for the rest of my life.
   
   Although born and raised in Indiana, I didn't know much if anything about Bill Garrett before reading this book, but I was just blown away by his story. Not knowing the story, it was almost like reading a well-crafted novel and I hung on every new development the authors revealed. I also didn't know much about the racial intolerance of the times. My neighborhood and high school were all white, so I really had little if any contact with blacks before I went to Indiana University as a freshman in 1963. It hardly seems possible that such racial intolerance existed in the Midwest so recently before then.
   
   This book exceeded all my expectations and I highly recommend it to anyone, whether you're a basketball fan or not. If you have any ties to the Hoosier State or to Indiana University, you will love it all the more.



4. At the pinnacle of his high school career - leading Shelbyville High to the Indiana state championship; a team that had three black starters - not one college scout in the arena attended the game to recruit Bill Garrett or his two teammates due to the color of their skin.
   
   At the pinnacle of his collegiate career - leaving the court to a standing ovation that lasted several minutes - Bill Garrett was refused service in a restaurant days later; one that had on its marquee that it welcomed fans of Indiana Unniversity basketball.
   
   And when Bill Garrett was ready to launch his pro career, the team in his home state did not draft him.
   
   But Bill Garrett was stronger than those who attempted to keep those doors closed. And we are better because of him.
   
   For author Tom Graham - with his co-author/daughter Rachel Graham Cody - the book took seven years of reseach, and certainly a lifetime of not denying the facts from the past and understanding the urgency in the present to set the record straight.
   
   Getting Open is more than a biography on Garrett and how he integrated Big Ten basketball by playing and starring for IU. It is a history of institutionalized racial hatred in the State of Indiana - at one point in the 20th Century, the KKK essentially controlled all essential government offices - and the tireless work of person's from different sides of the tracks to fight the good fight.
   
   Graham is a Shelbyville native who was old enough to vividly recall the times, which certainly helped as he meticulously did his research to cut through the fiction that builds from facts as the years tumble on.
   
   It is a book from the heart that will make you realize how we must celebrate those who had the courage then by continuing to challenge those who want to forget - or rewrite - the past.



5. This book is an incredibly well written and well documented story that should be more widely read. It is an important history that many sports fans, and non-sports fans, will enjoy tremendously. It is an inspiration to us all, and offers many lessons and insights about overcoming racism. Thank you to the father-daughter authors for getting out this story!

5 comments about Wilt: Larger than Life.

1. Robert Cherry takes anecdotes from famous and regular people whose lives' intertwined with Wilt Chamberlain, and mixes them in with his narrative summary of the legend's life and statistics to form a biography that entertains while never sensationalizing. Anyone interested in the NBA or college basketball is going to find this book to be a captivating read.
   
   Highly recommended, but be aware that the one thing the book lacks is a statistical record of Wilt's collegiate and NBA career.



2. Wilt Chamberlain once said "Nobody loves Goliath. I'm here to say that after reading "Wilt, Larger than Life" I refute that. The book gave an indepth look at not only Wilt the basketball icon, but Wilt the person. It explored relationships he established outside of basketball and how he maintained those frendships until his untimely death. After reading the book I also had more appreciation for Wilt the basketball player. I feel that not only was he one of the greatest players of all time, but he met and exceeded all of the expectations that were placed on him when he very well could and was in some cases viewed as a freak of nature.



3. At the risk of sounding redundant. This book was great and gives a lot of insight into a very fascinating individual. Personally I could have done with less information on what exactly happened in the quarters of key basketball games and more on the other things that Wilt did throughout his life. However this was still a good purchase, worthwhile read, and I am very greatful for the author to have taken the time and effort to write this book.



4. Great book. I loved every page except page 155. That Bob Kashey character can't be real. I know a Bob Kashey that hangs out at Chile's in Lake Mary, Florida and this can't be him although he keeps insisting it is. In any case, it is a great book, well worth the investment.



5. This is the third consecutive book I've read that is badly in need of some editing. Let's start with the front cover, which displays the following quote from sportswriter Dick Schaap: "The definitive biography . . ." Really? The book's copyright date is 2004 . . . Dick Schaap DIED in December of 2001.
   
   Regarding Chamberlain's athleticism and interest in track and field, the last sentence of page 61 reads, "He certainly had the requisite speed, stamina and strength to become an Olympian, maybe even a medalist". Fair enough. But then, the opening line to the next paragraph starts, "Because one can't speculate on what he might have accomplished in track and field . . ." Hello? Rewrite!!!
   
   Add to that the annoyingly endless use of parenthetical phrases to embellish sentences that need no embellishing, and this book can be hard to read. There are so many examples of this, that it's impossible to realize just how annoying it is without actually reading the book. Figure on a mininum of one per paragraph, and as many as three in one sentence.
   
   The saving grace of this book is the subject. Wilt Chamberlain was without question one of the most interesting and accomplished of America's 20th century athletes. For me, greatness in athletics is about winning, which is why I'll always choose Bill Russell and Jack Nicklaus as the greatest of the century. But for statistical accomplishment, only Wayne Gretzky and perhaps Jim Brown can compare to Wilt. And as physical specimens go, Jim Brown is probably the only team sport player whose speed, strength and endurance match up to Wilt's. The other measure, and the one that probably puts Wilt up on his highest pedestal, is the somewhat nebulous "impact on the game". Bobby Orr in hockey and Lawrence Taylor in football are the only other athletes I can think of who are even in the shadows of what Wilt did for basketball. This was truly a remarkable athlete and an interesting man off the field as well. Although I wouldn't give this book a strong recommendation to the casual sports fan, if you are looking for an in depth biography about a great basketball player and a pretty good overview of basketball in the 50's and 60's, this is not the worst place to wind up. But I'd look elsewhere first.

3 comments about Don't Call Me Coach: A Lesson Plan for Life.

1. Don't Call Me Coach: A Lesson Plan for Life
   Over the years we have watched Phil Martelli develop into one of the best story-tellers around. His presentations are fun, his messages very worthwhile. When working with Pete Nelson on the "Jameer" book, I had an opportunity to see Phil's intelligence and attention to detail first hand. This continues in this book and reinforces how lucky we who have been part of Philadelphia-area basketball have been.



2. I had the chance to meet Phil Martelli in person and hear his inspirational speech. For that one hour he was excellent, very funny and witty with alot of good advice. This inspired me to purchase his book. Though the book captures all the ideas of the in-person speech it is not quite up to par to having him in the room and it does tend to drag in parts. For that reason I didn't give it the full five stars.
   
   The book has a lot of good lessons (we are all coaches and teams) that don't require an intricate knowledge of basketball or to be a sports fan to appreciate his advice. A decent quick read.



3. I recommend this book for any parent, coach, business leader, teacher - or as Martelli says - everyone - since there is a coach in all of us.
   
   This must read book is not just for the sports lover. Martelli shares his own life lessons as a coach and offers a balanced view for helping people achieve their best. I've bought a book for my teenage children to read.

5 comments about Playing for Knight: My Six Seasons with Coach Knight.

1. I've read pretty much every book about Robert M. Knight and must say that Steve Alford's book is the best. He is honest in his opinions and praises and criticizes his old coach when he feels necessary. Better than the widely hailed "Season on the Brink," after reading this book you'll see that there truly is a method to Knight's madness and that he is truly a great man.



2. Steve Alford goes to Indiana University where he plays basketball for Coach Knight. He plays under Coach Knight for six years. During his six years with Coach Knight he has his ups and downs. An up is he wins a national title. A down is the war stories. The war stories are the strange ways Coach Knight gets you to understand his thinking. For instance he made two of the senior players plan how to get to the game. They had to bring all the equipment, get bus tickets, and make a starting lineup.
   
   If you like books about basketball you should read this. One reason you should read this, is you can learn many valuable lessons. One is to try the hardest you possibly can in practice. My second reason is it's a tremendous read. I loved reading this book, because I love to play basketball. My final reason is if you play for Coach Knight in the near future you can learn what not to do, such as loafing around in a game. Which means: not hustling for loose balls, not rebounding, and not getting back on defense. These are the things that get you chewed out.



3. Unfortunately the media influences a lot of people to focus on the "perfectionist" Bob Knight.
   
   That coach is the one who loses control when things don't go, in actuality, as he visualizes them in that steel trap he calls his mind.
   
   History will, most probably, over-record those incidents he has exposed on television; and have been blown out of proportion in print. History will misplace the accomplishments of the greatest coach ever, as a coach and, most of all, as a behind the scenes parent. Not only a good father to his blood children but to those hundreds of "adopted children" who are his players, coaches and his coaches players.
   The quiet coach has raised money for a myriad of purposes but has ALWAYS been there for his "kids". This is the coach that will leave a silent legacy that, not only has changed college basketball but has influenced, directly or indirectly, an untold number of our community leaders and teachers of our children.
   
   Steve Alford is a perfect example of this. As is Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski), Dan Dakich, Jim Crews and (maybe) Mike Davis.



4. Indiana basketball legend Steve Alford, describes what it was like playing for the General, Bob Knight. Alford shows us in the book the genius of Bob Knight. He also talks about the temper tantrums, mind games, and manipulations he and his teammates had to go through while playing for the General. In the book, he describes some of the war stories about coach Knight. Alford, talks about the brilliance of the General and how he made him become a better player and person.
   This book was very inspiring to me. Not only did I learn that Steve Alford is from my hometown, I learned many more things about his family and his relationship with his coach. In the book, Alford talks many times about how hard he had to work to achieve all of his goals in life. All of the countless hours he spent on the court and how they paid off. If you are looking for an inspiring and motivational book, this is an excellent choice. I think all younger kids that are basketball players should read this book. It may have many goods tips for them. "Playing for Knight", would definitely teach them, how hard work can get you to the top. They may also learn more about life's little lessons. Knight had the willingness to sacrifice victory just to teach his players a larger lesson about work, pride, and honor. If your are thinking of reading a book, this a great story to start with.



5. Alford admits that he cleaned up Knight's language in this book. Bob Knight was famous for swearing up and down the court and all around, sometimes even when the camera and microphone were on. Alford probably also had some selective memory since being a professional in basketball who would eventually go on to be a coach, he didn't need Bob Knight as an enemy. Alford and some other players admitted as much when Knight was fired from Indiana a few years ago that they weren't always as honest about what went on as maybe they could have been. But that's understandable.

   If you buy into the idea that sports is another kind of warfare, then Knight's style made sense. Think Bryant and the Junction Boys here. Knight did coach military before Indiana, too. But this story is not really a book about Bobby Knight. There are bunch of those. It concentrates just on that time when Alford was there, in the 80s, probably when Knight's power and prestige were at their greatest. Despite his size (Alford is on the short side to be a basketball player) he had skill and determination, and apparently the obedience that Knight wanted in a player.

   Alford's daydream at the end will never come true, at least not in the way he sees it. He saw Knight still being at Indiana, and no one would have ever thought he could be toppled from there. He thought despite the drawbacks it would still be an excellent opportunity for his son, and he wouldn't hesitate to recommend playing for Knight. It was an experience.

No comments about Larry Bird: An Indiana Legend.

5 comments about David Thompson: Skywalker.

1. David Thompson was a great basketball player in college and had a great start in his pro career. Unfortunately, David gave in to the lure of drugs and his career and life suffered. Somehow, through his belief in God and his love of family, David was able to eventually overcome his demons. His rebound was too late for his basketball career, but not too late to save his marriage.
   David is very clear in discussing his problems. He makes no excuses. His love for his God and his wife are also very clear, as he credits both with saving his life and sticking with him.
   His review of the important 1974 NC State-UCLA semi-final game was very detailed and fascinating. I know he could not do that with every game or even every important game, yet still I would have liked more detail about his interactions with teammates and coaches. At times, this book was more about his redemption (which is more important in the grand scheme of things), than his basketball career, but a few more stories would have rounded out the book. He did play with some greats of the game and in the ABA. Surely he could have pulled out a few more stories.
   Even with this one complaint, the book is well worth reading. David Thompson may have ended up being a better person than he was a basketball player!



2. Enjoyed this look into the life of David Thompson, both the good, the bad the really bad and the good again. The chapter recalling the 1974 NC State/UCLA semi-final game was so detailed, it was like watching it all over again. Additionally, the book did not shy away from the dark side of David Thompson's life and although he may have not fulfilled his full professional basketball potential, it is gratifying to see his life is now at peace. Not just for hoops fans, but hoops fans will throughly enjoy !



3. The essence of David Thompson's impact on the NBA and it's fans is captured in the following memory...a playoff game in 1980 with Thompson's Denver Nuggets playing the Seattle Supersonics in the Seattle Kingdome...the game was in it's closing minutes and the outcome was no longer in doubt (Seattle had the game well in hand). Most TV viewers (especially those of us on the East Coast) had already undoubtedly turned off the TV, but I noticed that DT was still in the game. Telling myself to keep watching as Thompson may do something memorable, I kept my attention focused until with about 30 seconds remaining, DT had the ball at the top of the key. Faking left and driving right, he took off from just inside the dotted circle...cuffing the ball in his right hand (at 6' 4" his hands were too small to palm the ball), he sailed in and threw down a one-handed windmill tomahawk slam over two amazed Sonics that brought me and the remaining crowd in the Kingdome to it's feet. My mission then complete, I felt it was safe to then turn off the TV and go to bed.
   
   It was with these type of memories that I obtained a copy of Skywalker...I needed to know how this mega-talented legend fell so far. What I got and what other readers of this work will get is a completely honest mea-culpa...straight forward and with no excuses Thompson explains his rise from a shy teenager just discovering that an amazing leaping ability could lead to superstardom to his equally amazing fall from that lofty position. He explains his addictions and insecurities and how these affected him and those he cared about...all culminating with a remarkable recovery topped-off with his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1996. Along the way we also get a first hand account of the building of the legend and an inside look at the 1970's and 80's NBA...the legendary players and unfortunately the legendary drug use.
   
   DT became a nationally known superstar in the early 70's of course as a member of the National Champion North Carolina State Wolfpack...the team that essentially unseated the mighty UCLA Bruins of John Wooden and Bill Walton (who pens an excellent forward to this book). He shuns the NBA and instead becomes the star of the ABA's Denver Nuggets...further driving a wedge between the leagues that ultimately leads to the 1976 merger. Year after year Thompson sets the bar for "high-wire", above the rim ball (along with Julius Erving) that preceded Michael Jordan by over 10 years (Jordan admits that Thompson was his main boyhood idol). His career is full of legendary highlights such as the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk contest and culminates in 1979 with his end-of-season battle with George Gervin for the NBA scoring title. Scoring 73 points in the season ending game against the hapless Detroit Pistons, DT takes the lead in the race. Gervin plays that evening and knows exactly how many points he needs to score and breaks through with 63 points of his own against the equally hapless New Orleans Jazz winning the title and adding to his own legend as well.
   
   As important as the basketball side, the personal side of Thompson's story is the strongest part of this work. Thompson's writing style certainly isn't Pulitzer worthy, but it's the force of his story and his uncompromising explanations of his personal problems that capture his audience and is what ultimately sells this book. Cocaine and alchohol drag him down and forces him out the league at a relatively young age...injuries also had much to do with it and he argues that the long term abuse may have led to them. A jail term (where he watches Erving's retirement from the NBA) and many re-hab visits force Thompson to consider building a better life and he becomes a born-again Christian. This is the avenue that ultimately leads to his recovery and Hall of Fame induction in 1996.
   
   A strong read and an important one especially for young fans of the NBA, David Thompson has a strong message for all. Having been at the heights of fame and at the lowest of lows, DT's life takes on an important meaning...all fans and players should read this to see the fragile hold fame has on it's participants. I highly recommend this.



4. David Thompson was Awesome Back in the day.Imagine DR.J,Jordan,Kobe&Vince Carter&with Madd Hoops that was David Thompson. if the NBA of Today was Allowed Back in the day then David Thompson would Be talked about the same way Lebron James&Kobe are today.same goes with DR J. this Book tackles His Whole Career from college,ABA&NBA&also Off the court.David Thompson is One of the Most Gifted Atheletes that I Ever saw as well.Props to Him always.



5. This book tells the amazing story of the basketball protegy that goes to NC State, wins the NCAA championship, goes to the ABA and becomes the best player immediatly, then goes on to success in the NBA. Unfortunatly, drug use and a bad fall in a nightclub rob him of a MJ-like career. Now he has found God and cleaned himself up. A very inpsiring book.

   By the way, he tells a story of how NC State was put on probation for his recruitment, and how UNC is to blame! Very juicy stuff.

No comments about A Coach for All Seasons.

5 comments about Bob Huggins: Pressed for Success.

1. Bob Huggins reveals his excellent coaching skill and extreme discipline that anabled him to build a basketball powerhouse at the University of Cincinnati.



2. I just have one question for everyone who has read this book? Is Bob Huggins disguised as God or is God disguised as Bob Huggins?



3. This book excedes all expectations and tells what it is really like to run a winning program. He holds nothing back and tells it like it is. He is not afraid of the consquences of his actions because his players know that he will lay the smack down. Anyone who does not like this book must be a Xavier(Norwood University) fan or a fan of another confrence usa team.



4. This book relives the great teams of the early Nineties. If you attended UC in the Eighties and Nineties then you'll love this book



5. It what could of been an interesting book about the sometime volatile coach, Huggins spends too much time discussing season after season, game after game. The early part of the book is better. This is where he discusses how he came to be a coach. I wanted more about the behind the scenes look at coaching rather than a game by game summary

No comments about La Pirámide del Exito: Construyendo Bloques para una Vida Mejor.