No comments about Shaquille O'Neal: Center of Attention (Achievers).

3 comments about They Call Me Big House.

1. Big House was a great coach - the fifth best in history of college basketball but more importantly he was a guy with a sense of values and a good sense of humor. He knows basketball as well as anyone in the country and has some candid comments about how to improve the game. But his real commitment was to the students he coached. He experienced the bitter bite of segregation - working for an HBCU called Winston Salem State - but his memoir is better than a rant - it is a reflection of his insight and integrity.



2. very compelling Book about Big house and His legacy which has him as One of the winningest Coaches Ever in College Basketball. but this Book reflects on the struggle and Bridiging the gap socially and spiritually. Humor keeps things into perspective in the Book,but what Big House had to deal with in Jim Crow America,etc... is no laughing matter and this book pulls no punches,but it speaks directly about the game on the court and the game of life and so much else in between. very Powerful.



3. Big House was one of the first persons I met when I was a freshmen at WSSU. Reading this book brought back some great memories. This is an Outstanding read that anyone would enjoy.
   K.B.

3 comments about The State of the Game.

1. This book details a true winner in sports today. A coach who has won over 600 games and 2 titles but is somewhat unknown-because he never promotes himself. The profit from this book goes to charity and Crum would have it no other way. Read this book and you will see how a true winner approaches life - with humlity and concern for others. Denny is a winner and his legacy will endure. If you think he cannot coach remember this - if Crum went winless over the next four seasons he would still average 20 wins a season for his carear.



2. This book lets you inside the mind of one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time. If you are a basketball fan, the thoughts on coach Wooden and the story about the game of horse with Larry Bird will thrill you. If you are a university of Louisville fan, you will relish in the four chapters about Crum's specific teams at Louisville, including his two NCAA title teams. Names that you had not thought about in years will come flooding back to your mind. A great book about a humble man whose story needs to be told



3. coach Denny crum is the best there is in this buisness.I spent three years playing for coach crum. He took a chance on me when no one else would. That is what coach is all about helping and teaching kids not just basketball but life.Ilearned so much from this man and this book is your chance to get to know coach up close and personal.I advise all fans to read this book it is a inside look at the state of the game. Troy Jackson#53 class of 1998. Feel free to email me at tjax53@aol.com

No comments about Clem Haskins: Breaking Barriers.

No comments about Running Toward the Light: A Blind Athlete's Incredible Triumph over Defeat and Despair.

No comments about Park Street Bullies.

No comments about HoopDaddy.

5 comments about You Can Call Me Al: The Colorful Journey of College Basketball's Original Flower Child, Al McGuire.

1. This well written book about Al McGuire traces his life's ups and downs from New York to Milwaukee. It provides fascinating insights into the unique character of Coach Al, and recounts many of his most legendary moments as a coach, and as a man. I especially enjoyed the behind-the-scenes tales as told by many of Al's closest friends, former players and aquaintances. This book also provides insight into the evolution of modern prime-time college basketball and recalls in wonderful detail the days when Marquette wore "bumblebee" striped uniforms (which were later banned) and the NIT was king. I rate this book Five Stars for any fan of zen or college hoops. Or to use a McGuireism; this book is seashells and balloons! Greg W. Honolulu, Hawaii



2. i was there. i'm the guy in the broom closet,and just to add to the penurious legend i went to his medalist office to offer to pay for the ticket and he grabbed the money so fast i got blisters. i know everyone mentioned in the milwaukee half of the book and the author hits it pretty much on the head. very few glitches. a wonderful stroll down memory lane. must reading for all "warrior" fans and al watchers. thanks moran and thanks al. lefty



3. The book is must reading for those of us who only remotely knew of the specifics of the Coach. It provides wonderful insight into a great leader, who never gave up his individuality, and certainly has made a permanent place for himself in college basketball. The author did an excellent job of research and provides a throughly researched journey into Al's life. Congratulations, Declan. I look forward to your next venture. It is good to see success coming from St. Pascal's



4. Mr. Moran does an excellent job of recapping the Al McGuire era at Marquette University. He also tracks the career of Coach Al especially well. The book was a labor of love, but the author should have more closely looked at the "whole" Al McGuire. That's why the book is, at best, average.

   What's missing is a sense of color brought on by perspective; the deep-down interpretations that the passage of time permits. As a long-time follower of Marquette basketball -- and a Marquette J-school grad to boot -- I believe too much of the book was newsy. Mr. Moran recanted stories that were well-known and well-publicized. Case in point: the oft-repeated Delsman fight.

   What would have been interesting was to probe deeply the fundamental emotions that brought together some of the best college basketball talent and Al McGuire. What emotions were running through Jim Chones' psyche as he rejected UCLA and others for McGuire and MU? Or, why in succession, did Larry McNeill, Maurice Lucas and Bo Ellis all choose Marquette. What did their heart say? What was so special about this man that his players would attend college at Concrete University (despite McGuire's pleadings that Marquette had "green grass")with virtually no other African-American students.

   The ballplayers had a profound impact on Marquette's outlook toward relationships among African-American and caucasian students. Mr. Moran documents this seldom discussed element of life at MU well. He effectively illustrates the Jesuit-Catholic response to one of the most basic precepts of the Christian church.

   On the basketball side, Al lost as much talent to the NBA as he recruited in the early 1970s. Certainly the arguable loss of at least one and possibly two or more national championships weighed heavily on his psyche. We know from the author that Al wanted his players to make money -- but could have they made more by staying in school? The author glosses over these emotional and practical issues. It would have been nice to know what happened when the NBA called for Jim Chones. The look on McGuire's face, the visceral emotion that was overcome by logic and compassion.

   As baketball's flower child, McGuire's views about casual drug use would have been interesting. Especially given that marijuana use on campus was common at the time and one star player was arrested for marijuana possession in the championship year.

   Finally, there was very little discussion of what has since happened to Al's players. The author glosses over this point. The success of any college professor -- including a coach -- is the measurement of his impact on the post college career of his players. That's not just the NBA. It's what they did with their education and their lives.

   What would have made this book special was to make it an oral history. Let then author narrate and then, rather than quote witnesses and Al, let people tell their Al stories in their own words.




5. I love basketball and always thought Al was a great guy. While I looked forward to this book and am glad I read it, I cannot recommend it. Al is an interesting funny guy but that doesn't come out in the book. The book reads clinically without the emotion of Al McGuire felt through the writer. I did enjoy hearing of his early life but it was too long. Same for Belmont Abbey. Along the way you do learn interesting facts like he had a losing record when hired at Marquette. But, generally, as much as I liked the subject, the book did not live up.

   PERSONAL MCGUIRE STORY.

   I was at the Memphis State game described on Page 229 where with 45 seconds left and up by 5, an MSU player stepped in the foul lane losing the Tigers a one and one and probably the game. Yes, Al left the court with both hands raised. Raised in what he later called the "Irish salute", middle finger extended. Al had incited the crowd, touched us with his enthusiasm. When he came later to call some Keith Lee games, he fondly remembered the game and how he left the field. This is the "Al" the country knew and loved.

No comments about Kelvin Sampson: The OU Basketball 2nd Edition.

No comments about We're Loyal to You, Gilman High: Story of a High School Basketball Player.