Product Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

A great book even if you didn't care about the ABA
One reviewer called this a great book if you loved the ABA. Well, I never followed the ABA or thought much of it (for me, the NBA was "real" basketball). Well, after reading this book, I wish I'd followed the ABA too.

This mix of interviews and narrative history is packed with page after page of seat-of-pants eccentricities that will make you wish you'd been along for the ride along with all of the players and coaches and owners who lived and died with the crazy fortunes of this volatile league.

Highly recommended.

Great Information but could have been written better
I just finished reading this book. While I feel like I have learned a lot about the ABA and even NBA I think the book could have been written much better.

The writing style got boring and jumbled. The book reads more like a transcript at times. Chapters open up with just blocks of text that look like run on sentences with no paragraphs or breaks. Basically when the writer actually had to write about a topic and not just copy what someone else said the writing was poor.

I read the book Rebel League about the World Hockey Association before Loose Balls and the former set the bar high (that book was great). I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn about the ABA. I am glad I read the book but I just couldn't give a higher rating given the writing style, I feel it could have been so much better.

At least it's better than the film - or the abomanation of the S...
emi-Pro movie, which doesn't even deserve a review
(zero stars, though I do like Will Ferrall!). Terry
Pluto did much better work on the NBA book Forty-
Eight Hours. Loose Balls contains all the usual
Pro NBA propaganda, and anti-ABA schtick that one
would expect from a 'lifer' from the Cleveland
Plain-Dealer paper, which is second rate! This book
does contain SOME funny AND OCCASIONALLY TRUE stuff
but the video is garbage just like Semi-Pro. (1) 1st,
the American Basketball Association WAS NOT Semi-Pro.
It was the best Pro Basketball league in the history
of the great-Canadian-American Dr. James Naismith's
game. (2) Most of the best players in the world at
that time (George Gervin, George Irvine, George Mc-
Ginnis, Coby Dietrick, Artis Gilmore, Dan Issel, et,
al were in the ABA. (3) The AB played a more manly 84
games schedule and ALL of it's playoff series were
'best-of-seven's. Think about it this way; if the ABA
had won and absorbed the NBA into it's orbit, we'd
have teams named: Amaheim Amigos, San Diego Sails,
Virginia Squires, Kentucky Colonels and only one
in L.A. - The ClipLakers, or...maybe LakeClippers.
Ah, the posiblities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phenomenal Sports Book
I got this book as a present and wasn't sure what to expect. The name is kind of funny sounding, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

It turned out to be a tremendous read. I had never really read or heard much about the ABA, but I found the stories and anecdotes extremely interesting. There were so many wild characters in the old ABA! I remembered this book just yesterday when I was watching the ESPN documentary about the USFL. I saw a lot of parallels between the two leagues. Players weren't paid on time and would regularly hold votes to determine if they were going to practice.

In any case, I won't spoil all the hilarious stories you'll find in here. But I would definitely recommend this book to sports fans, even if you don't enjoy professional basketball.

Yeh the title is goofy, but get over it and pick up a copy. You'll thank me later.

loose balls ties up the loose ends of the ABA
Very interesting story of the ABA. Well researched and quotes from all the major players. Any fan that loves history of sports would like this book. Good read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great basketball book
If you can learn about Basketball from a book this is a great place to start. I bought the earlier version when I was a kid in the mid sixties and it was a great help. I bought it for my kids and it is even better now. The fundamentals don`t change.

Available new from the publisher
I'm not sure why amazon does not stock this great book. It is still available from the publisher at www.thebigo.com for only $12.95. They also have info for bookstores, chains, and special orders for coaches and bball camps.

Learn the keys to better Basketball
Want to learn how to play basketball or just improve on your skills now?Then pick-up a copy of Oscar Robertson's, "The Art of Basketball."Everything you need to begin playing basketball or beingable to push your current skills to the next level of competition is inhere.Oscar takes you from physical and mental conditioning to all of theskills necessary to play the game.Shooting, passing, rebounding,offensive and defensive tactics even a section on what to do when you aremismatched in a game.The book is excellent for coaches to use as ateaching manual and to recommend to their team as a guide for practicing ontheir own.Oscar mentions in the book that the best way to improve is towork on the fundamentals and he shows you how even if you have nevertouched a basketball.You can't go wrong learning from a true master ofthe game, and if you have any doubts just check out Oscar's stats in theback of the book.

Every basketball camp for youth and adults, should provide.
The" Art of Basketball" by Oscar Robertson, and"They Call Me Coach" by John Wooden,are the two books all basketball students, players, and coaches should have. The" Art of Basketball"provides detailed explanations with photos, of fundamental techniques allplayers need to master. It is fantastic,the player who averaged tripledouble statistics over multiple NBA seasons, has documented hisfundamentals for others to learn. I found Mr. Robertson's commentsconcerning the mental aspects of the game, such as developing confidence,to be particularly insightful. At its current price, this book is the bestvalue for instructional basketball books,that is available today.

Oscar Robertson's new book is a great coaching tool.
I highly recommend this book as a coaching tool.I found it to be very helpful in teaching young athletes the game of basketball.I especially like the way Oscar keeps fundamentals of basketball as the emphasis of thisbook.The review at the end of each chapter is very helpful along with thesuggested workout programs.I had each girl on my team buy one and we havethem read a chapter a week.At our practices we review what they read thenwe incorporate Oscar's program into our coaching program.I highlyrecommend this book to anyone who coaches youth basketball...it's a greattool.Every kid who plays basketball or who wants to improve their gameshould have a copy of this. ... Read more

Product Description
It's an exciting time in Fairyland.Everyone is getting ready for the Fairy Olympics!But Jack Frost's goblins have stolen the Sports Fairies' magic objects.Now they're threatening to take over the whole competition!

It's girls vs. goblins!Can Rachel and Kirsty take down the Mean Green Basketball Team and win back Brittany's magic ball?Or will this game be a slam dunk for the goblins?

Find the enchanted object in each book, and help keep the Fairyland Olympics magical!

... Read more

Product Description
This book contains over 300 pages of detailed content that break down every aspect of the individual game of basketball and demonstrate with text, diagrams and photos how to teach or practice the basic fundamentals of the game. Also in 4-hr. teaching DVD (title ID #208070) with discounts for buying both through Create Space. ... Read more

Product Description
Make the most of every possession with the help of Basketball Offenses & Plays. Inside you’ll find

· 22 man-to-man offenses,

· 15 zone offenses,

· 51 quick-scoring and delay offenses,

· 26 special situational plays, and

· 62 inbounds plays.

Each section contains a variety of sets and plays, all clearly explained and diagrammed. The presentation will assist you in selecting the best options for your offense based on the game situation, your personnel on the court, your preferred playing style, and your opponent’s personnel and tactics. Basketball Offenses & Plays provides all the information you need to make the right call every time your team has the ball. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Basketball Offenses & Plays
What was really nice about this book is the variety of offenses it covered. This book covered every offensive situation that can happen. I also like the fact that the sets and plays have names. I was able to implement some of thes plays into our offense.
This book is a big help to coaches who are looking to get good shots for their scorers or getting everyone involved. It is also filled with info for different styles of teams. I found this book to be helpful throughout the high school season. This book will sharpen your ideas and visions of what coaching basketball includes. I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to learn about offensive basketball. Great reading, and a great learning tool. ... Read more

Product Description

Micheal Clark virtually wrote the book that personal trainers all over the country use to gain their certification in the field. As creator of the Optimum Performance Training system, he took personal training to a whole new level by introducing a program that could be fully customized for any sport. In this book, Clark will enable readers through his "self–assessment and design fitness system" to effectively pinpoint the weaknesses in their basketball skills and tailor a workout program that will improve on all the flaws in their game. By taking advantage of skill–specific tests, readers will be able to focus their workout time on the area they most need and will see quick results.

This user–friendly guide begins with a simple five–step assessment to help you realize what your game lacks. Whether you want explosiveness off the first step like Lebron James, the iron–man endurance of Steve Nash, the coordination and flexibility of Kevin Garnett, the vertical leap of Vince Carter, or the muscle strength of Amare Stoudemire, you'll pinpoint your deficiencies and benefit from the exact same workout that Clark uses for the NBA's biggest stars.

Clark's revolutionary approach to fitness and conditioning personalizes the workouts not only by sport, but also by performance skills, and will help you become the best basketball player you can be.

Customer Reviews (5)

Strong Contribution to Baskeball Conditioning
Well written book that explains a realistic workout for basketball players that produces measurable results and prevents injury. I have used the workout defined in "Optimum Performance Training: Basketball" for over two years and have raised my vertical jump and prevented injury. Additionally, the book helps you identify and eliminate muscle imbalances that will leave you prone to injury. Before performing the workout described in the book I experienced stiff legs that were progressing toward micro-fractures, now I'm playing basketball without any of these symptoms. The exercises described in this book are unusual and rigorous so they will require a lot of discipline and will take a while to get use to. However, I have been able to perform all the exercises at one gym (YMCA or 24 Hour Fitness) and an empty parking lot. In conclusion, after comparing with other workouts, researching and challenging the book, and performing the workout I have befitted. I encourage you to do the same.

Could have been better.
I am a Fitness Professional who is certified with NASM in the CES program.I bought this book to give me a better understanding of the performance enhancement apsects of Optimum Performance Training, however, the exercises and information in this book repeat themselves.Sometimes that is a technique used by authors to demonstrate their importance, but it just gets redundent.This would be a good book for beginners, or someone looking for different exercises to add to their current workout routines.The OPT Model is good and I use it with my clients, but the programs in this book aren't going to get anyone at professional athletic conditioning; they are way too easy.I like the author and NASM, but this book was a disappointment.

OPT Basketball: great book
OPT Basketball is useful book.
M. Clark and NASM have a method...
Its a good method.
I use the OPT with my team, it works good!!!

Mandatory for your basketball CLIENTS to read.
Optimum Performance Training: Basketball is a tough book to review.From the viewpoint of someone who's a NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist,I was expecting a more thorough approach on how to train NBA players.I didn't receive that with this book.However, Optimum Performance Training is a tremendous tool that the NASM trainer should give their basketball clients to minimize the 'buying in' process.Enhance yor credibility with this one.

Excellent resource
This book is excellent for the general population and fitness professionals. It is easy to follow and so functional. The workouts are fun and produce great results! I am a physical therapist assistant and have been a personal trainer for 12 years and love all of NASM's resources.Caroline San Juan and Mike Clarke are wonderful!!
... Read more

Product Description

Now with a new foreword and more exciting photos, this outstanding drill-book covers all the offensive fundamentals of the game: dribbling, passing, shooting, and footwork. In an easy-to follow format,Winning Basketball offers coaches and players:

• More than 65 drills
• 88 brand-new action photographs
• Key teaching points on basic skills, such as layups,free throws, and rebounds
• Tips for setting up training programs and using practicetime to its fullest potential

Product Description

In June 2009, Derek Fisher and the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship, the fifteenth in Lakers history and an amazing fourth championship in Derek's career.

In Character Driven, the NBA champion and starting point guard for the Lakers shares his life story and the inspirational values that have led to his success. Since his rookie season with the Lakers in 1996, Derek Fisher has had a dramatic impact on -- and great success with -- the NBA. Playing alongside legends like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Fisher has held his own at point, exhibiting his exceptional floor leadership and participating in some of the most dramatic post-season games and thrilling moments in recent memory.In his compelling new book, Fisher shares the values that have guided him on the court and off. From his roots in Little Rock to his record-breaking college career at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, his four NBA championships, and his position as president of the Players Association, Fisher shows readers what it's like to play -- and achieve -- at the highest levels.Drawing on the power of faith, he demonstrates how anyone can play for a successful team: whether that team is family, community, or just happens to be one in the NBA. The parents of four, Derek Fisher and his wife, Candace, received news in 2007 that their nine-month-old girl had been diagnosed with a dangerous form of cancer called retinoblastoma.Although his team, the Utah Jazz, was in the midst of a heated play-off series, Fisher immediately put his family first. He asked to be released by the Jazz to be near his daughter as she received the best care possible. Fisher was ultimately reunited with his old teammate Kobe and the Lakers, and the move led to a thrilling championship run that saw the Lakers win the Western Conference championship in 2008 and the NBA championship in 2009.

Customer Reviews (8)

Good but not great. Just like Fisher
This is a good book. You learn mutch about how Fisher thinkings and how he came to be the man and player he is today. But there is not mutch about games, series or other players in this book and that is my favroit part so....

p.s i am a Fisher fan and love his game.

Good Book about a Good Guy, But not Totally Revealing
I would give this somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.As a sports biography, it definitely pales against one I just read by Andre Agassi (Open).Fisher does a nice job takling about his values, upbringing, faith, and hard work, but I was a bit perplexed by one matter.He did talk about how it was a bit of a struggle at first to marry someone with a child from a previous relationship, but only in passing did he mention that he also had a child from a former relationship.It would have been nice if he elaborated on the past relationship or at least not made such a major issue of his future wife having a child, as that struck me as a bit hypocrtical. I'm sure he is not a hypocite, but the difference between a great biography and just a so-so one (in my opinion), is the ability to be completely open, as Agassi did, but Fisher did not quite accomplish.

Good Shot
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for my copy of this interesting book. My husband is the sports fan in our family, so he grabbed this copy up and began to read immediately.

It's chock full of statistics and tidbits about the sport of basketball in general and about the Los Angeles Lakers in particular.

For a young father, Derek Fisher experienced the burden of watching his young daughter suffer from eye cancer. This is revealed in detail.

Sports fans will enjoy this one.

More Athletes Should Be Like This
Character Driven demonstrates how simple people can become important in their field and role models for some.The book reads well. I hope many young men get to read it.

Character Driven
This book came in record time and in excellent condtion. It will be a Christmas present for my daughter-in-law. We are all great LA Champion Laker fans!!GO Lakers ... Read more

Product Description
From a 40-year veteran, the only book available devoted to coaching high school basketball

In Coaching High School Basketball, Hall of Famer Bill Kuchar presents an indispensable instruction manual for experienced and rookie coaches alike. A combination of classic tactics and new, cutting-edge strategies, this one-of-a-kind handbook provides easyto- read diagrams and instructions, plus dozens of practice drills to reinforce fundamentals and teach innovative moves. Readers will learn how to:

*Master Kuchar's "double motion offense"
*Locate, protect, and infiltrate zones
*Defend against the fast break
*Use last-second plays for when the game is on the line
*Make the most of out-of-bounds plays
*Scout and evaluate junior high school talent
*Get college coaches to scout their games ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Needs more careful editing.
This book has a lot that would be useful to a new HS coach, but unfortunately it seems that there was a lack of communication/checking between the author and the person who DTP'ed the diagrams. The diagrams contain many errors and inconsistencies which sometimes make it difficult to understand the plays and drills. Some arrows are missing or pointing in the opposite direction from what the descriptions indicate, offensive players are sometimes marked with an "X", diagrams occasionally show the ball going to one player while the description indicates a pass to a different player, etc.

Furthermore, the descriptions themselves could have been a little more detailed in places. It's clear that Coach Kuchar knows his basketball, but it's surprisingly difficult to explain basketball plays on paper, and I think this book would have benefited from a careful check by somebody who represents the target audience: a new coach with some understanding of the game but who doesn't already know what the author is trying to say.

My advice is to wait for the second edition.

Coaching High School Basketball : A Complete Guide to Building a Championship Team
This has everything a high school coach needs to run a sucessful program. It does not go into great depth as other books do, it is more concise and assumes you know the fundamentals. It has a great drill section and practice itinerary. You do not need your own practice plan-If you follow Bills plan your on the road to success.
... Read more

Product Description
A BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE NBA’S GLORY DAYS, AND THE RIVALRY THAT DOMINATED THE ERA

In the mid-1950s, the NBA was a mere barnstorming circuit, with outposts in such cities as Rochester, New York, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most of the best players were white; the set shot and layup were the sport’s chief offensive weapons. But by the 1970s, the league ruled America’s biggest media markets; contests attracted capacity crowds and national prime-time television audiences. The game was played “above the rim”–and the most marketable of its high-flying stars were black. The credit for this remarkable transformation largely goes to two giants: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

In The Rivalry, award-winning journalist John Taylor projects the stories of Russell, Chamberlain, and other stars from the NBA’s golden age onto a backdrop of racial tensions and cultural change. Taylor’s electrifying account of two complex men–as well as of a game and a country at a crossroads–is an epic narrative of sports in America during the 1960s.

It’s hard to imagine two characters better suited to leading roles in the NBA saga: Chamberlain was cast as the athletically gifted yet mercurial titan, while Russell played the role of the stalwart centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty. Taylor delves beneath these stereotypes, detailing how the two opposed and complemented each other and how they revolutionized the way the game was played and perceived by fans.

Competing with and against such heroes as Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Elgin Baylor, and playing for the two greatest coaches of the era, Alex Hannum and the fiery Red Auerbach, Chamberlain and Russell propelled the NBA into the spotlight. But their off-court visibility and success–to say nothing of their candor–also inflamed passions along America’s racial and generational fault lines. In many ways, Russell and Chamberlain helped make the NBA and, to some extent, America what they are today.

Filled with dramatic conflicts and some of the great moments in sports history, and building to a thrilling climax–the 1969 final series, the last showdown between Russell and Chamberlain–The Rivalry has at its core a philosophical question: Can determination and a team ethos, embodied by the ultimate team player, Bill Russell, trump sheer talent, embodied by Wilt Chamberlain?

Gripping, insightful, and utterly compelling, the story of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain is the stuff of sporting legend. Written with a reporter’s unerring command of events and a storyteller’s flair, The Rivalry will take its place as one of the classic works of sports history.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

A great read, but accuracy is suspect
This appears to be a thorough, thoughtful examination of the Russell-Chamberlain rivalry and what it did for pro basketball (much as Bird-Magic would do years later), but its sloppiness makes its accuracy on any given anecdote suspect. Given that some of the inaccuracy involves some of the better-known, most easily researched moments -- mistakes that literally jump out for their amatuerishness -- I went from initially being fascinated by Taylor's compilation of behind-the-scenes insights to wondering whether I could trust any of it.

Here are some examples that came to mind as I read The Rivalry:

* Taylor's depiction of one of the most celebrated shots in NBA history, Don Nelson's desperation foul-line set shot that bounced freakishly high off the rim before falling through the net just as the Lakers were making their Game 7 comeback in 1969, is available from many film sources, and yet Taylor gets it all wrong. He say Keith Erickson "blocked a shot" and Nelson "recovered" the ball, when in fact, Erickson clearly reached from behind Havlicek in an attempt to steal the ball and poked it loose. The ball went directly to Nelson's hands some 10 feet away as if it were a pass (yet another freakish twist to the play) -- Nelson didn't "recover" the ball, he had it plop into his open hands like a gift from the basketball gods.

* Taylor correctly depicts Sam Jones' rattling game-winner triple-pick jumper on the "Ohio" play that pulled out Game 4 for the Celtics in the first telling, but later in the book refers to it as having happened in Game 5. Did anyone edit the book or even proof it? This is basic stuff, folks, and if you can't trust the simple things to be accurate, can you trust Taylor's accuracy on the more sophisticated events described in the book?

* For instance, Taylor goes into great detail about the injuries and strategies of both the Celtics and Lakers leading into the 1969 finals, yet leaves out one of the most crucial factors and a pretty well-documented one: Although Havlicek had been the team's famed Sixth Man throughout his career to that point, Russell moved him into the starting lineup for that series because he felt the Celtics needed to get off to faster starts. That, more than anything, may have made the difference in the series because in most of those games the Celtics jumped out to early big leads and put the Lakers in the position of constantly having to play catchup. The psychological implications of this dynamic can't be overstated, as the Lakers (and Wilt, with the exception of 1967) had perpetually lost to the Celtics and to trail early in most of the championship games had to reinforce likely presumptions that once again the Celtics couldn't be beaten.

As I say, these are just simple, obvious things that jumped out as I read -- and things any reasonable student of the game should have gotten right. I'd like to think they're just minor dumb oversights, but I can't help but wonder if the rest of the so-called facts in this book are as dubious.

The book is a good read -- I just don't trust it.

The Irresistable Force Vs. the Immovable Object
There have been many head-to-head rivalries in professional sports, but perhaps none has been so compelling as the NBA rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.In "The Rivalry", author John Taylor examines the battles between the two superstars that helped put pro basketball on the map of American sports.

The book recalls the paths that Russell and Chamberlain took to the NBA, and details how different the league was in the 1950s and 1960s.Stars in the league had different lives than pro basketball players do today, and Taylor recounts developments that in time changed the league, such as the civil rights movement, television contracts, and conflicts between the players' union and the owners.

Taylor describes Chamberlain's 100-point game, the many playoff battles between Russell's Boston Celtics and Chamberlain's squads, and some of the playoff battles that the Celtics had with some of the other noteworthy teams of the era such as the St. Louis Hawks and the pre-Wilt Los Angeles Lakers.Chamberlain was notorious for feuding with his coaches, and the author recalls many of those incidents.Russell, on the other hand, had a positive force on the chemistry of his teams, and won many more championships.

This well-researched book is a first-rate history of the NBA of the Fifties and Sixties.

Russell-Chamberlain
Pretty straightforward but it did bring me back to my youth loving Russell and hating Wilt.A fair amount of good information.

A fascinating look at Russell, Chamberlain and the NBA
Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, two giants of the NBA, first competed against each other on Nov. 3, 1959.They would go head-to-head many more times over the next decade, which author John Taylor dubs "The Golden Age of Basketball."

The study of Russell and Chamberlain, two very different personalities and competitors, is fascinating.Their matchups were classic and helped shape play in the NBA.Russell and Chamberlain collided for the first time, just five years after the 24-second clock was introduced and the NBA was known for its "blood and thunder" style play.

While Chamberlain was recruited by 200 colleges, Russell, a late bloomer, received one college offer.Celtics coach Red Auerbach told Russell to focus on defense and not to worry about how many points he scored.Chamberlain, on the other hand, was obsessed by his scoring.Although he possessed a prickly personality, Russell was much more coachable and team-oriented than Chamberlain.Wilt was constantly clashing with his coaches.Russell earned the "winner" label, while Chamberlain was forever known as a "loser." Chamberlain's offense wasn't nearly as influential to the game or his team's performance as Russell's defense was.Russell focused on blocked shots and rebounds.He changed the game from layups to outside shooting, screens and picks.

The seventh game of the NBA championships in 1969 exemplifies the difference between Russell and Chamberlain.Taylor excitingly recreates the playoff battles between the Lakers and Celtics.

Besides Russell and Chamberlain, Taylor presents interesting profiles of Auerbach, Butch Van Breda Kolff, Alex Hannum, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and several other key figures of the era.

Taylor's coverage of the formation of the players' union and the possible All-Star boycott in 1964 also is interesting.

Very Impartial Accunt Of These Guys
What I most appreciated about this book was the objectivity of the author John Taylor.You don't find this often this day: a totally unbiased account of people.Here, we see the good and bad of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Red Auerbach along with other notables of the 1950s and 1960s NBA.

Taylor simply points out the things that happened to Wilt, Russ, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn and others, letting us - the reader - make up our own minds about these people.One thing for sure: you never get a boring account of anything that happened or was said by guys like Chamerberlain and Auerbach.Some of things those two did were unbelievable!

Almost all the stories in here are amazing and even if you think you know a lot about these famous basketball players, you'll be surprised at all the new inside information provided in this book - all of it very interesting and impartial. ... Read more

Product Description
Although you can't give your players a hot shooting hand, with Basketball FundaMENTALs you can help them develop the concentration, composure, and confidence they need to play consistently better. From shooting slumps to clutch free throws, this easy-to-use book will help you and your players learn the psychological basics of basketball.

Author and Chicago-area coach Jay Mikes helps players improve their on-court performance by teaching them to develop body and mind awareness, use mental practice and imagery, and manage stress and pressure. Loaded with mental training drills, practical discussion questions, and helpful coaching tips, this invaluable guide is touted by coaches all over the country as an essential training manual. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

awsome teaching tool
This book is easy to read and is chuck full of information on all facets of the game of basketball.The book is written at a level that a 12 year old will be able to read and understand the information. Topics range from body fitness/performance awareness, mental conditioning for shooting, defense, rebounding, intensity, quickness; strength training, mental rehearsals, analyzing pregame and post-game performance.It was very enlightening and helped me in different aspects in getting points through to my grandson.For the couple dollars spent it has more information in it than all of the other youth basketball books/videos I have combined.This also received praise from my daughter who has become a basketball student herself.

A very different kind of coaching book!
This book is about coaching the mental side of the game of basketball.I got my copy way back in the 1980s when I was in graduate school and working on my masters in sport psychology.It was great to see a book that actually took all of the theoretical stuff I was learning in grad school and applied it in a meaningful, practical way that basketball coaches could then take and apply in practice and help players learn the mental aspects of the game.

I do want to say the book is easy to use, but I suggest not reading it in order the first time through.Read the first several chapters for background information and then jump around to the sections that your team, or you as a player, need to work on right now.

This is fun stuff to use with your players and the mental skills they will develop will have carry over into their personal and professional lives later in life.

Kevin Sivils

GREAT TEXT FOR ALL COACHES
I originally had trouble reading this book until I went to the table of contents and read what pertained to me at that time. It even refers to other pages to reinforce the point there making.I actually have read this book completely but not in the order the chapters are in.Now I use this as an excellent reference tool and it helps me explain to the player in a more concise manner.Now the player realizes it's not all physical and he can have fun with basketball by thinking on his own.

Don't forget the Mental Aspect
Basketball Fundamentals is equally valuable to coaches and players of the game. This easy to read book help players and coaches understand WHY certain things happen.

Why can't players afford to complain aboutreffing? Why can some players shoot well in practice and not in games? Howcan consistency be developed in players? In easy to read language, JayMikes not only offers answers to these question, but also solutions.

This book will be required reading for my Varsity players.

An essential guide for players, coaches, AND officials
This takes the mental aspects of basketball and applies fundamental techniques that anyone can use. I read it avidly and it is a source of reference now. ... Read more

Product Description
Swoosh! The sound of a basketball going through the net has echoed through professional arenas since 1946. Since then, each team has had its share of amazing players, top coaches, and exciting history. Discover the highlights about all of the basketball teams in pro basketball. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting book for young and old!
Bought this book for our 4yr. old grandson who loves basketball and he studies the pictures even though he can't read yet.Loves to take it in the car with him on long drives. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes forms, handouts, fundamentals, schedules--everything you need to conduct a winning camp. The purpose of this manual is to provide you with a guide for conducting your own camp. If you are currently running a camp this guide can give you some ideas that may help you improve upon it. If you are considering starting a camp then this guide will take you step-by-step through the process. It is designed to show you how we started and how we conduct East Coast Basketball Camps. You will find everything you need to run a successful camp year after year." Coach Dan Spainhour ... Read more

Product Description
Counting Coup is the story of the girls basketball team of Hardin High School in Montana. Larry Colton shows readers the hardscrabble existence of a rural small town beset by racism, alcoholism, and domestic violence, and in so doing produces a touching, heartfelt, and beautifully written true story that will leave readers cheering for the girls they have come to know. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (85)

Appalling Misuse of Trust
This book was an appalling violation of the trust that was placed in him by the Crow community. Colton clearly missed the lecture on journalistic ethics - he time and time again quotes his subjects without their approval - explicitly so, and with no sensitivity whatsoever to the consequences for them in that tightly knit community. The publication of this book had terrible repercussions for the young woman featured. Colton also was oblivious to basic Crow cultural protocols regarding gift-giving and reciprocity; This was a best selling title, because the Crow community opened up to him - he took all they had to give, and gave nothing back at all, just walked away with his royalties and reviews, acting like a typical greedy ugly American tourist. It would have been very appropriate for him to gift a Crow girl's basketball scholarship at Little Big Horn College or Montana State University, as a thank you for what was given him, but he did nothing of the kind. I found his book to be despicable yellow journalism, misrepresenting what he found in the most lurid way, without bothering to look deeper and sort out the underlying reasons why that community might be having some of the difficulties it experiences. Colton is loathesome and should be really ashamed of himself.

This book broke my heart
Larry Coulton, a minor league athelete with a few personal failures in his past, encountered a talented basketball player when and where he least expected it--on the Crow Reservation, and on the girls' basketball team, and in a tiny town with huge problems.Sharon LaForge captured his imagination, and he decided to follow the Hardin Lady Bulldogs as they fought for the Montana State championship.

His ensuing portrait of Sharon, her teammates, friends and family, is nothing short of miraculous.You feel utterly immersed in their world.Sharon emerges as a flawed young woman of frightening talent, a deep sense of honor, and the weight of the entire Crow past crushing her slim shoulders.Never have I wanted so badly to reach back through the miles and years to hug a child, and tell her everything's going to get better, if only she can persevere.

It simply can't get any worse.Racism (including vicious Crow racism) is everywhere, holding her back--or rather, tripping her up.Alcohol and drugs permeate the culture (don't you DARE call me a stereotyper.I live on a Reservation for over 25 years, and have seen it.) Her grandparents shower her with affirmation and pressure, everything her emotionally crippled parents can't, but no bedtime or supervision or realism or skills for planning the future.The dark secret in tribal relationships, misogyny and a complete repression of women--is menacingly omnipresent, and Sharon soon starts seeing a monster disguised as a two-bit punk with no future--and no intention of letting Sharon have one, either.

So why read this book, which had me in tears for a good half of it? Because of Sharon, the hard diamond that is Sharon--her grace and tongue-tied silences, her potential and fate, her ravaged skinny body and her fury on the court--for everything vital and essential about Womankind.Coulton's portrait is so nuanced and fair, scathing and heartbroken, that I think he might just be the best sports writer in America.I hate sports.But I'll read anything he writes.

A tale of success and failure (and basketball)
The major storyline of Counting Coup is that a very talented high school basketball star makes bad decisions and doesn't reach her potential. Her conflict is internal, but we see the results of it in her actions. But that doesn't explain what the book is really about, because what could be a dull morality tale is transformed by Larry Colton's voice and presence.

Colton's original version of the book was completely different. It focused entirely on Sharon LaForge, the Crow Indian girl who this book follows. When Colton turned the book in to his publisher, however, it was rejected. Colton rewrote the entire book, adding himself.

Fortunately, Colton is an entertaining presence with a dry, self-deprecating wit. He continually positions himself as an outsider, which allows him to be the stand-in for readers in this unfamiliar world--small town Montana and Indian reservation. And, because Colton is an ex-professional athlete whose own life imploded after he was cut from the Philadelphia Phillies (as Colton writes, "I played for the Phillies on a Tuesday"), he also has the authority to observe a young athlete making all the wrong decisions. The saving grace of this book is Colton making himself vulnerable.

His presence and first-person commentary changed the nature of the book so much that not only did it get published, it was nominated for the Pultizer Prize.

There are some problems, of course, with Counting Coup. Colton is very charming, but he could step back out of the way a bit more. Also, as in Friday Night Lights,Friday Night Lights writing about minors poses some ethical questions about privacy that I'm not sure how to answer. Does Colton expose too much? Perhaps, on behalf of the story. But it's easy to forgive him because the story is so good.

Insightful
This book paints a vivid picture of life of a Native American teen.The author addresses many of the cultural issues present while weaving in a season with a girls' basketball team.He delves a little deeper than many sports books and explores how this cultural issues are mirrored in the world of sports.An excellent choice for anyone looking for a good story, or anyone interested in the mixture of society and sport.

Counting Coup
This book tells the true story of the attempt of one person to escape the Crow Reservation and its many malaises through basketball.The book is well-written and portrays life on the reservation as it really is.The story is heart-breaking but a very good read and lets those of us who never see the problems of reservations get a glimmpse of them.I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
An out-of-this-world story about a boy and his amazing basketball that will have little listeners begging to play, too.


We could bounce to the park,
Dribble to a funky beat.
Spin with me. Dance with me on concrete!

When a bored basketball pleads with a little boy to take it out to play,
is there any limit to the feats they can perform? ... Read more

Product Description
Cam Jansen and her friend Eric are having fun at a local basketball game. They watch the teamÕs retiring coach receive a basketball signed by his former players, including the governor. But after the game, the ball is gone. Was it stolen? In this latest addition to the bestselling chapter book series, Cam uses her photographic memory to solve the sporty mystery! ... Read more

Product Description
You've arranged for gym time, called your players, rolled out the balls. Now the moment of truth has arrived, and it's more daunting than you'd ever imagined. How do you keep the attention of a group of hyperkinetic youngsters and teach them meaningful ways to improve their basketball skills?

It's easy with THE CONFIDENT COACH'S GUIDE TO TEACHING BASKETBALL. Writer BEVERLY CARROLL has teamed with husband John, the assistant coach of the Boston Celtics, to provide youth basketball coaches the tools they need to run a successful practice and to teach their players skills that will continue to grow. Built around Coach Carroll's philosophy that children need a strong base of correctly taught fundamentals to evolve into competent players, THE CONFIDENT COACH'S GUIDE TO TEACHING BASKETBALL takes the coach through a step-by-step process of how to design a practice that is fun and produces results.

THE CONFIDENT COACH'S GUIDE TO TEACHING BASKETBALL offers advice on how to best work with different age groups, plan an efficient and enjoyable practice, basketball basics, drills and games for teaching ball handling and dribbling, passing, shooting, defensive and offensive movement, and agility and speed.

Coaches will also find handy a practice menu that allows for customizing a practice to fit individual needs. Scattered throughout are instructive anecdotes from coach Carroll's career.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

GOOD
Has some good drills..I was looking for more advance ideas. Good for middle school or youth leagues

QUAD A VARSITY PLAYER
As a quad A varsity player, this book offers a way to step up your game.At the varsity level, players must have solid fundamental skills.At this level, you can't fake it.And at this level, you must be able to perform your skills with confidence.THE CONFIDENT COACH'S GUIDE TO TEACHING BASKETBALL recommends drills to help you perfect the skills you need to play at the top level.Varsity Starting Point Guard

cool book
My dad bought this book for the drills.We work on the drills together.He didn't know what drills to do to help me with some of my weaker skills.This book helped.

Easy Drills & Plans that Work - Fun Read
When our regular youth league basketball coach quit because of illness the coaching job was passed to me. I'm a big basketball player/fan with limited coaching experience, so you can imagine my relief when I discovered Celtics Coach John Carroll's new book.Coach Carroll's book is fun to read and it's illustrated with lots of pictures and straightforward diagrams. We've been practicing with Coach Carroll's easy to practice drills and our team has dramatically improved on the fundamental basics like passing, shooting and rebounding. There are some really great drills that help the kids understand and play superior offense and defense. I like the book because it makes basketball practice fun for the players and easy for me.

Great for coaches and players
As the father of a varsity player, I was able to use many of the drills and techniques to help my son improve his game.As Coach Carroll says, "Perfect practice makes perfect."

At the high school level, players need continuous practice--not just when their coach has it.Not only will this book help those who are coaching the game, but it will help improve every basketball player who wants to move his game to the next level. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

A sports era preserved in print
The author does an excellent job detailing 40-plus years of amateur basketball history in a long-ago era that preceded today's "all-about-money" NBA. It is interesting to note that many of the great players of that time wound up with successful careers working for the companies for which they played basketball--Denver Central Bankers, Akron Goodyears, Peoria Caterpillars, Bartlesville Phillips 66,etc. As one who grew up watching those teams, I have to think that sports today would better off today with the old National Industrial Basketball League than the $100 million contracts we now have. ... Read more