Basketball Statistics Blog

Basketball Books Review: This week eBA DVICE !

The Assist: Hoops, Hope, and the Game of Their Lives
By: Neil Swidey

In this engaging book about Boston's Charlestown High School basketball team, Swidey, a staff writer for the Boston Globe Magazine, explains that being part of the Charlestown program was no guarantee that a kid would become a success.... But dropping out of the program dramatically increased the odds that he wouldn't.

Head coach Jack O'Brien benefited from the team aside from its gaudy won-loss record. Unmarried and with a shattered family history, O'Brien found that the rigid team structure... offered the trappings of home. Like a concerned parent, O'Brien worked year-round to keep his kids away from the overwhelming daily wave of crime and bad influences and into the security of a college-educated future.

Swidey masterfully shows over the course of two seasons the struggle O'Brien and his players face in maintaining success on and off the court. The coach observes the lives of his two star players, Ridley Johnson and Jason Hood White, go in very different directions after they land out-of-state college scholarships.

Swidey expertly examines the slippery slope of Charlestown's success, tying it into Boston's disastrous busing scandal and an underwhelming legal system that perpetuates crime, while he builds narrative momentum and details his subjects with the touch of a skilled novelist.

This is a prodigiously reported, compulsively readable book that readers (sport fans or not) will savor.

Hardcover: 358 pages
Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (January 7, 2008)
Language: English

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tags:  basketball  ~  books review   ~  Neil Swidey  ~  coaching
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Basketball Books eBA DVICE:

Taking Shots:
Tall Tales, Bizarre Battles,
and the Incredible Truth About the NBA
By: Keith Glass

The NBA is in trouble. And as NBA agent Keith Glass describes it–he's part of the problem! If team owners are willing to throw millions of dollars his way for marginal players, why should he be the only one with the self–restraint to say "no?"

In his insightful, funny, and often mind–numbingly bizarre tales of life in the NBA, Keith Glass lets it fly from half–court. He'll tell you how we got to the present state–where an agent who makes millions off the game can't sit through one; why our NBA stars couldn't capture Olympic gold; why one of the greatest high school players he ever saw ended up in Attica prison instead of the NBA; why selfishness has attached itself to the league; and why the game he loves is in dire need of help.

With informative chapters such as "How to Feed Your Family on Only $14 Million a Year," "Eighty–one Feet of White Centers," and "From 6'11" to the 7–Eleven," Glass shatters the myth of NBA marketing: that everything about the game is great, that tickets are worth over $100 apiece, and that as long as the fans in the luxury boxes are happy and weighed down with jerseys and merchandise, all is well.

But have no fear! Keith Glass will not preach about the evils of highlight film slam–dunks and gangsta rap tattoos–he'll just have you falling down laughing as he flagrantly fouls the league that was once the home of Jordan, Magic, and Bird–not to mention Wilt, Russell, Kareem and all the greats in between.

Keith Glass has coached basketball at the high school and college levels (he was an assistant coach at UCLA), and has been a longtime agent for NBA players. He lives in Rumson, New Jersey, with his wife, Aylin Guney Glass, who played professional basketball in Turkey. He is the father of five children—Sami, Tyler, Alex, Maggie, and Lucas.

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This Week Basketball Book eBA DVICE !

Same Knight, Different Channel
By: Jack Isenhour

Basketball legend Bob Knight is fond of saying that he has never gotten over West Point. In Same Knight, Different Channel, Jack Isenhour takes him at his word. A player on Knight’s first West Point team, Isenhour shows how the controversial coach has changed little from his early days at the academy, temper tantrums and all. Knight made up his mind there to "win-gotta win" and follows that philosophy to this day.

Knight’s sentiment was in step with the core value of "there is no substitute for victory" at West Point, where soldiers were being trained to fight and win the next war.
So it came as little surprise following Knight’s 18-8 record in his inaugural 1965-66 season-a season in which the twenty-five-year-old hot-headed coach berated officials, totaled chairs, and got into his first shouting match with an athletic director-that West Point chose to keep the young Coach Knight on.
What’s a tantrum or two in the name of winning? With that, "Bobby T" was born. Knight’s bad-boy persona-the hair-trigger temper, the acting out, and the defiance-was codified as at least tolerable, if not acceptable, behavior.

Relying on firsthand experiences and interviews with teammates, administrators, and Knight himself, Isenhour traces the pattern of misbehavior established during Knight’s inaugural year at West Point, during his last days at Indiana, and to his reemergence at Texas Tech.

The result is the most even-handed portrait of Knight to date. In a narrative both lively and irreverent, Same Knight, Different Channel demonstrates who Knight is today and shows how he was shaped by his experiences at West Point, ending with a thought-provoking discussion of just what it takes to play, coach, and win in the high-pressure world of college basketball...."

Jack Isenhour an award-winning television journalist, was a seldom-used guard on Bob Knight's first Army basketball (1965-66). His premise is that the Knight we know today--controversial, temperamental, successful--was forged by his tenure at West Point when he became the Cadets' head coach at the ridiculously young age of 25. The raw material was there: a fierce competitor in high school and college, Knight was the kid skidding around the court diving after loose balls.

When Army coach Tates Locke resigned to take another position, he recommended that his young assistant succeed him. Knight's inherent competitiveness flourished at West Point during the Vietnam era.
He developed a style--stifling defense, patient offense--that maximized the skills of players who were not big and not heavily recruited.

Filled with great anecdotes from former players and Isenhour's self-deprecating replays of his time--yesterday and today--with Knight, this is a compelling look at the early career of a man who will soon become the winningest college coach in history.

  ... more info ...

tags:  basketball  ~  basketball books review  ~  Bob Knight  ~  basketball coaching
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Basketball eBooks May eBADVICE:


The Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Drills:
Game-Changing Drills from Around the World
By Giorgio Gandolfi

"... All coaches look for an edge that will help put their team over the top against their rivals.

The Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Drills helps you take your team to the next level with the most effective offensive drills from the world's best coaches.

Run practice sessions that can produce dominant players using these elite instructional workouts taken from around the globe.

You'll bring a fresh perspective on the game to your players, all while teaching solid fundamentals, improving offensive performance, and driving up the score with teams at any level.

Covering everything from basic footwork to fast breaks, with advanced variations for more experienced players and teams, author Giorgio Gandolfi has collected more than 150 drills from the best-of-the-best to equip you with the necessary skills to: ..."

 • Author: Giorgio Gandolfi
 • Format: eBook
 • Number of Pages: 272 pages
 • File Size: 4482 KB
 • Browse Duration in Minutes: 60
 • Wireless Delivery: Included within a minute of placing your order
 • Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 4 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
 • Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1st. edition
 • Publishing Date: September 9, 2009
 • Language: English

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tags:  basketball  ~  books review   ~  Giorgio Gandolfi  ~  Offensive Basketball Drills
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Basketball Books Review: The Weekly eBA DVICE !

Basketball on Paper
Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis
By Dean Oliver

Journey "inside the numbers" for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning-or losing-ways of a Basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn’t diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance.

Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they’re winning or losing, and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching.

Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history - such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley - and how they contributed to their teams’ success. He does the same for some of the NBA’s "oddball" players - Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman - and for the WNBA’s top players.

Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of Basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting.
Whether you’re looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver’s Basketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success.

... more           info ! ...

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Basketball Books Review: The Weekly eBA DVICE !

Game
By: Walter Dean Myers

Drew Lawson lives and breathes basketball. He plans to use basketball as his ticket out of Harlem, and everyone knows it. The problems start when Coach "House" Hauser changes the game plan.

The Lawson family is a bit unusual for their neighborhood. Drew is lucky to have both a mom and dad living under the same roof, and although money is a struggle, both parents work. He and his sister have been raised to value life and set high goals. News from their neighborhood only makes the paper when it is bad news. Shootings, stabbings, and robberies are the usual stories, and Drew's mother frets when those stories involve young people.

The Chargers basketball team could offer Drew a chance at a better life. He is a decent player and has his sights set on playing Division I college ball in hopes of being a future NBA player. As a star Chargers' player, it just might be possible. Unfortunately, it seems that Coach House has other plans.

It is mid-season and suddenly Coach House has brought in two new players - a couple of white players. That doesn't bother Drew and his team too much until it becomes evident that Coach plans to start these new players in positions that clearly threaten Drew's game. What is Coach trying to do? Is there a method to his madness or is Drew's future at stake?

GAME is set in Walter Dean Myers' home territory in Harlem, and is filled with his trademark characters and plenty of action. Readers hear Drew's story in between bouts of realistic play-by-play basketball scenes. Myers fans as well as basketball lovers will find this a satisfying read.

About the Author
Critically acclaimed and bestselling author Walter Dean Myers has garnered much respect and admiration for his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people. Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award for Monster, and five Coretta Scott King Awards, recipient of two Newbery Honors, and a National Book Award finalist for Autobiography of My Dead Brother, he is considered one of the preeminent writers for children. He lives in Jersey City, NJ.

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (January 2008)
Language: English

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Basketball Books April eBADVICE:


Outside the Limelight: Basketball in the Ivy League
By Kathy Orton
with Forewords by John Feinstein

Outside the Limelight is the first book to look inside Ivy League basketball and at the boundless enthusiasm that defines it.
With painstaking reportage, Kathy Orton weaves together the stories of coaches and players as they move from fall practice through an entire season and ahead to the NCAA tournament.

Vividly capturing the internal fervor of the personalities who champion their game—all the triumphs and disappointments of an Ivy hoop season.

Kathy Orton has covered college basketball for the Washington Post for more than a decade. She was also the newspaper's beat writer on the NFL's Baltimore Ravens for two seasons, including their Super Bowl season in 2000.

Table of Contents

Foreword Preface
1 Origins of a League

Part I Great Expectations
2 A Mom-and-Pop Store
3 Great Scott
4 Multicultural Quakers
5 Getting Under Way
6 Roll Crimson Pride
7 Backdoor Cuts
8 A Tradition Tarnished
9 Bright Lights, Big Stages

Part II The Heart of the Season
10 Harvardization
11 Conference Calls
12 We Interrupt This Season . . .
13 The Road Is the Thing
14 Everyone Onto the Court
15 Brothers in Arms
16 A Rivalry Like No Other
17 Topsy-Turvy Weekend
18 Dreams Deferred
19 And the Winner Is . . .

Part III Tournament Hoopiness
20 The Wait of Expectations Epilogue

 • Author: Kathy Orton with Forewords by John Feinstein
 • Binding: Hardcover
 • Number of Pages: 240 pages
 • Publisher: Rutgers University Press
 • Publishing Date: September 11, 2009
 • Language: English

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Basketball Books Review:


Coaching Youth Basketball:
The Guide for Coaches & Parents
by John Mccarthy Jr.

A Practical Guide To Coaching Youth Basketball The Guide for a Fun and Successful Basketball Season !
Do you need some guidance before you start coaching this basketball season ? Coaching Youth Basketball, 3rd edition gives you everything you need to make this season a success.

It covers all of basketballs fundamentals and gives coaching tips for every aspect of the game including:

 • dribbling and passing skills;
 • proper shooting technique for all types of shots;
 • offensive concepts and plays for beginner and intermediate players;
 • defensive tactics for getting the ball back;
 • the responsibilities of centers, forwards, and guards;
 • how to work together as a team.

Table of Contents
Foreword and Preface
Chapter 1 ~ The Game of Hoops
Chapter 2 ~ The Players
Chapter 3 ~ Shooting
Chapter 4 ~ Dribbling
Chapter 5 ~ Passing
Chapter 6 ~ Offense
Chapter 7 ~ Defense and Rebounding
Chapter 8 ~ Running a Practice
Chapter 9 ~ The Psychology of Coaching
Chapter 10 ~ Your Players' Health
Chapter 11 ~ Coaches' and Parents' Checklists
Glossary and Index

 • Author: John Mccarthy Jr.
 • Format: Paperback, 208 pages
 • Publisher: Betterway Books (September 12, 2006)
 • Edition: 3rd.
 • Language: English

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Books Review:

The Sports Book
By: DK Publishing

The astroturf-clad coffee table book is more than just a conversation piece. It's the sports buff's bible, with rules and game-winning strategies for more than 200 sports, including 35 Summer Olympics events. -- Men's Fitness

"The Today Show"
"Any sports fanatic will love this."

Book Description
Featuring the largest and most diverse range of sports of any comparable book-more than 200 in all-from basketball to bobsledding, karate to korfball, synchronized swimming to ski-jumping, this up-to-date and authoritative guide presents information sourced from leading experts and sports governing bodies around the world to give you the most comprehensive book on sports to ever hit the market.

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: DK Publishing
Language: English

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February 2010 eBA Best Seller:

Hard Work: My Life On and Off the Court
By Roy Williams and Tim Crothers
with foreword by John Grisham

Roy Williams, head coach of the University of North Carolina men’s basketball team, the Tar Heels, has the highest
winning percentage in NCAA history.
Over the last seven years, the 58-year-old Asheville, N.C., native—who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007—has won 205 games, including 24 in the NCAA Tournament.
That’s more Final Fours, more wins, and more NCAA Tournament victories than any basketball coach in the nation.

Hard Work tells the story of Roy Williams’ life that few people know, in Williams’ own distinct and colorful way—his troubled upbringing, his college years, his years of trying to make ends meet before becoming a head coach.

It reveals how determination took him from an impoverished home in the mountains of North Carolina to the very pinnacle of coaching success, culminating in the 2009 NCAA National Championship (his second in five years).
And it pulls back the curtain on one of college basketball’s most guarded programs as witnessed by one of the most successful, dominant coaches, at the prime of his power.

 • Authors: Roy Williams and Tim Crothers
 • Binding: Hardcover
 • Number of Pages: 288 pages
 • Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
 • Publishing Date: November, 2009
 • Language: English

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Basketball Book Review:

Leading with the Heart
By Mike Krzyzewski - Coach K

The book has four sections--"Preseason," "Regular Season," "Postseason," and "All-Season"--and each of those has four chapters.

Each chapter begins with three quotes ("Too many rules get in the way of leadership" leads off chapter 1), and ends with bulleted tips summing up the chapter's message. Between the quotes and the bullet points are anecdotes about Duke Basketball games and (occasionally) Krzyzewski's life outside Basketball.

What you come away with is an understanding of why Krzyzewski is a great Basketball coach, why former Duke assistants such as Tommy Amaker and Quin Snyder are probably going to become great Basketball coaches, and how anyone who's currently a coach can become a better coach....

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tags:  basketball  ~  coaching  ~  Mike Krzyzewski  ~  statistics
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This Month eBA Store Bestseller:

Personal Foul: A First-Person Account
of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA
by Tim Donaghy

The media has speculated and sports fans have debated, but until now no one has known the real story. Personal Foul takes an in-depth look at former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and the betting scandal that rocked professional basketball.


Containing never-before-seen documentation and correspondence between the league office, referees, coaches, players and owners, this is the decisive book that reveals exactly what was done and how it all happened. Which games were affected and how? Is it true that referees targeted particular players? Just how much did the NBA know and when? How did the mafia get involved?


Personal Foul answers all of these questions and more. Thrilling and poignant, Personal Foul takes the reader on the journey of one man wrestling his own demons and shines a light on a culture of gambling and "directive" officiating in the NBA that promises to change the way sports fans view the game forever.

... to read excerpts from the book the NBA
doesn't want you to read ! and see the videos !
click here and go to eBA Portal ...

 • Authors: Tim Donaghy
 • Binding: Paperback
 • Number of Pages: 268 pages
 • Publisher: VTi-Group, Incorporated
 • Publishing Date: December 3, 2009
 • Language: English

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Unforgettable Basketball Legends: Bob Cousy

Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy (born August 9, 1928 in New York City) is a former American professional basketball player. The 6'1", 175 lbs. Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969-70 season. Born to French immigrants, Cousy had a highly successful career with the Celtics, winning six championship rings, being voted into 13 All-Star and 12 All-NBA First and Second Teams and winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1957. An excellent book was written ( see on the left ) by Bill Reynolds about 'Cousy: His Life and Career'.

Photograph: Vedia PhotoStream

Bob Cousy - 1957 NBA MVP

Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969–70 season.

Cousy first demonstrated his basketball abilities while playing for his high school varsity team in his junior year. He obtained a scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross, where he led the Crusaders to berths in the 1948 and 1950 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and was named an NCAA All-American for three seasons.

Cousy was initially drafted as the third overall pick in the first round of the 1950 NBA Draft by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, but after he refused to report with the Blackhawks, he was picked up by the Boston Celtics.

Cousy had a highly successful career with the Celtics, winning six championship rings, being voted into 13 All-Star and 12 All-NBA First and Second Teams and winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1957.

In his first 11 seasons in the NBA, Cousy led the league in assists eight consecutive times and introduced a new blend of ball-handling and passing skills, earning him the nicknames "The Cooz," "Houdini of the Hardwood", and—as he was regularly introduced at Boston Garden—"Mr. Basketball."

After his player career, he coached the Royals for several years, and even made a short comeback for the Royals at age 41. Afterwards, he became a broadcaster for Celtics games. He was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971, and in his honor, the Celtics retired his number 14 jersey and hung it into the rafters of the Boston Garden, where it has remained since.

Cousy was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971, the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1981, and the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, making him one of only four players that were selected to each of those teams.

tags:  basketball  ~  coach's digest ~  basketball players  ~  Bob Cousy
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This Month eBA Bestseller:

Pro Basketball Prospectus 2009-10
By Bradford Doolittle and Kevin Pelton

"... For the last two seasons, Basketball Prospectus has been at the cutting edge of the NBA's statistical revolution, exploring how teams win and why as well as integrating plenty of old-fashioned tape and first-hand observation to analyze players and teams.

Now, we're following in the footsteps of our predecessors at Baseball Prospectus and our college counterparts by providing that same level of insight in book form.....

Doolittle and Pelton capture the thrills and frills of the upcoming pro-basketball season in this soon-to-be classic, Pro Basketball Prospectus 2009-2010. Basketball Prospectus serves as a meaningful guide for both the avid fan and the novice.

Pelton, a pioneer in the usage of APBR metrics in professional basketball, uses expert analysis to assess the viability for success of each franchise. Alongside the statistics is an upbeat narrative giving the reader an inside-look into the league. The book uses both trends, expert opinion and a keen knowledge of team personnel to forecast success. ..."

... to read the complete review of 'Pro Basketball Prospectus 2009-10'
and see the three videos
click here and go to eBA Portal ~ November, 30 2009 ...

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Basketball Statistics Book Review:

"Basketball on Paper:
Rules and Tools for Performance Analysis"
By Dean Oliver

Journey "inside the numbers" for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning-or losing-ways of a Basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn’t diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance.

Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they’re winning or losing, and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching.

Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history - such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley - and how they contributed to their teams’ success. He does the same for some of the NBA’s "oddball" players - Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman - and for the WNBA’s top players.

Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of Basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting.
Whether you’re looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver’s Basketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success.

You must be logged in to read or post a comment. Register

tags:  basketball  ~  basketball books review   ~  Dean Oliver  ~  basketball statistics
visit:  eBA Portal  ~  eBA Forums  ~  eBA Encyclopedia  ~  eBA Clinics

This Month eBA Bestseller:


The Book of Basketball
The NBA According to the Sports Guy
by Bill Simmons with forewords by Malcolm Gladwell

There is only one writer on the planet who possesses enough basketball knowledge and passion to write the definitive book on the NBA... more to the point, he's the only one crazy enough to try to pull it off...

Bill Simmons, the from-the-womb hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com's Sports Guy, is that writer. And The Book of Basketball is that book.

Nowhere in the roundball universe will you find another single volume that covers as much in such depth as this wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining look at the past, present, and future of pro basketball.

From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens-and then closes, once and for all-every major pro basketball debate.

Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons's one-of-a-kind, five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball.

And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball.

Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game's finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.

... to read the Excerpt from 'The Book of Basketball':
Meeting Isiah Thomas at a Topless Pool In Vegas
and see the three Bill Simmons videos
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Basketball Book Review:

101 Basketball Out of Bounds Drills
By: George Karl

Book Description
An amazing collection of 101 out-of-bounds drills from coaching legend George Karl. Ideal for coaches of players of all skill levels.

About the Author
Coaching legend George Karl is in the top 20 of winningest coaches in NBA history, and is in the top five of winning percentages for active NBA coaches. Karl has coached for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle Super Sonics, and the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Unforgettable Basketball Legends:
Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man ... called Charles Barkley... ?

Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? is the most personal and important book Charles Barkley has written.

He lays himself open here, and because he does, he brings the same straight talk out of everyone with whom he engages in his journey around America to talk about the things that matter most and are the hardest to say - things having to do with race, and money, and identity.

Why is it that we can talk about all sorts of big issues, but when the subject of race is raised, we all freeze up ?

Photograph: Vedia PhotoStream

Charles Barkley - 1991-92: his last season with the 76ers

Barkley was a great Basketball player who was never afraid to speak his mind on any number of topics. In this book, he attempts to discuss the controversial issue of race in America by interviewing 13 prominent men and women from an assortment of fields. Sports columnist and TV host Michael Wilbon (Washington Post, ESPN) has acted as editor.

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This Month eBA Bestseller:


NBA Coaches Playbook

A book that showcases techniques and tactics from basketball’s elite.

Mike Krzyzewski and Rick Pitino attest to the benefits college basketball coaches glean from the pro level. Now college and high school coaches can get advice from top NBA coaches in the NBA Coaches Association’s upcoming NBA Coaches Playbook (Human Kinetics, September 2008). The first of its kind, the playbook offers a collection of proven methods and strategies from the NBA’s elite coaches on maximizing player and team performance.

“Winning basketball was and still is a matter of fundamentals and details, but you also need a tough attitude in order to reach the top,” says Basketball Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson.

In NBA Coaches Playbook, 28 successful coaches offer more than 450 Xs-and-Os diagrams and expertise, including tips from Phil Jackson on the fast break, Tex Winter on the triangle offense, and Pete Carril and Eddie Jordan on the Princeton offense.

Each chapter offers technical teaching points, practice drills, tactical nuances, or game-management tools that provide a coaching edge. The book’s “special plays” section should be especially popular among coaches seeking the out-of-bounds and last-second plays that work when the game is on the line.

To read the complete revision and excerpts from NBA Coaches Playbook at the eBA Portal click here.

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tags:  basketball  ~  coach's digest   ~  basketball coaching  ~  NBA
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Basketball Books Review

Same Knight, Different Channel
By Jack Isenhour

Basketball legend Bob Knight is fond of saying that he has never gotten over West Point. In Same Knight, Different Channel, Jack Isenhour takes him at his word. A player on Knight’s first West Point team, Isenhour shows how the controversial coach has changed little from his early days at the academy, temper tantrums and all. Knight made up his mind there to "win-gotta win" and follows that philosophy to this day.

Knight’s sentiment was in step with the core value of "there is no substitute for victory" at West Point, where soldiers were being trained to fight and win the next war.
So it came as little surprise following Knight’s 18-8 record in his inaugural 1965-66 season-a season in which the twenty-five-year-old hot-headed coach berated officials, totaled chairs, and got into his first shouting match with an athletic director-that West Point chose to keep the young Coach Knight on.
What’s a tantrum or two in the name of winning? With that, "Bobby T" was born. Knight’s bad-boy persona-the hair-trigger temper, the acting out, and the defiance-was codified as at least tolerable, if not acceptable, behavior.

Relying on firsthand experiences and interviews with teammates, administrators, and Knight himself, Isenhour traces the pattern of misbehavior established during Knight’s inaugural year at West Point, during his last days at Indiana, and to his reemergence at Texas Tech.

The result is the most even-handed portrait of Knight to date. In a narrative both lively and irreverent, Same Knight, Different Channel demonstrates who Knight is today and shows how he was shaped by his experiences at West Point, ending with a thought-provoking discussion of just what it takes to play, coach, and win in the high-pressure world of college basketball...."

Jack Isenhour an award-winning television journalist, was a seldom-used guard on Bob Knight's first Army basketball (1965-66). His premise is that the Knight we know today--controversial, temperamental, successful--was forged by his tenure at West Point when he became the Cadets' head coach at the ridiculously young age of 25.
The raw material was there: a fierce competitor in high school and college, Knight was the kid skidding around the court diving after loose balls.

When Army coach Tates Locke resigned to take another position, he recommended that his young assistant succeed him. Knight's inherent competitiveness flourished at West Point during the Vietnam era. He developed a style--stifling defense, patient offense--that maximized the skills of players who were not big and not heavily recruited.

Filled with great anecdotes from former players and Isenhour's self-deprecating replays of his time--yesterday and today--with Knight, this is a compelling look at the early career of a man who will soon become the winningest college coach in history.

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... to read this week eBA Books Review in Spanish
Formación del Entrenador en la Iniciación al Baloncesto por Francisco Javier Giménez Fuentes-Guerra ~ click here...


tags:  basketball  ~  books review   ~  Bob Knight  ~  coaching
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