3 comments about The Bob Love Story: If It's Gonna Be, It's Up to Me.

1. The book was a slow read in the beginning. I feel to much writing was spent on his early childhood and tended to be a bit boring. The sequence of events during that time didn't flow well, seemed as though you were going back and forth.

   The middle section, the period of college & pro ball was good reading. I don't like sports but found this section a fast read. My mother is a great sports fan, so many of the names he mentioned I knew. There was very interesting detail in this section. The sequence of events flowed very well.

   The last section,was also a slow read. It was a bit boring. Didn't measure up to the mid-section. The statement he made in next to last sentence of the book is questionable. He has quite a few victim statements, example, beatings from his stepfather, teasing about his stuttering, negative relations from his second ex-wife and "Government worker" girlfriend(?). How can he not understand why, his girlfriend blew-up? What is behind the scene that he is not mentioning.

   Also, his seventh son Nathaniel was born in 1987 not 1988 as mentioned in the book. What's really interesting is that he mentions all of his kids except his oldest daughter Basha. Why?




2. It's amazing that a one-time NBA super-star ends up mopping floors, waiting on tables and enduring major abuse and embarrasment while trying to make ends meet...every NBA executive should read this to ensure that League policy does not allow this to happen again. I bought this to hear some inside details on one of my favorite NBA players of all time (I remember in 1974 going out to buy "Pro-Keds" sneakers for my season because that's what Bob Love wore)and came away stunned at what Love went through before re-claiming his life. I was vaguely aware that he'd had hard times post-retirement, but not at this level and this account, quite frankly, makes me admire him more. In brutally "straight-forward" writing he details all the problems that beset him and how his inner-strength and formidable character allowed him to keep his sanity and, ultimately, allowed him to get a semblance of dignity back. You won't get too much basketball detail here (his career takes on surprisingly few pages), but I think that this is Love's intent. This is the success story of a man resurrecting his life from the depths, some of which he helped make (failure to face his stuttering problem) and speaks to a higher level than basketball. My heart truly goes out to him and I'm very glad to hear that he's now doing well. An inspiring read!



3. I purchased a copy of this book after hearing Mr. Love speak to a crowd of over 300 people. I was engrossed in the book from the start and completed the read on my flight home. It is a definite must read for any athlete or person who enjoys sports and believes that life is more than just a game. It provides a human look at the sports world that is so often overlooked, candy-coated and glorified. The poignancy of this book is driven home when you are priviledged to hear Mr. Love speak, see his conquest over his disability and feel the passion he has for youths.

5 comments about Bob Huggins: Pressed for Success.

1. 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



2. 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



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. 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?



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

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 She'S Got Handle Nicole Louden'S Triumph In Basket.

1. The author does a terrific job chronicling the journey of a young girl whose dream it is to play Division I college basketball and then the WNBA. The book takes you through the struggles, the victories, and everything in-between about a high school female basketball player attempting to beat some very long odds. Growing up in a violent, poverty stricken, drug-infested New Jersey neighborhood, SHE GOT HANDLE describes how an extremely ambitious girl uses her enormous basketball talents, overwhelming support from her family, and terrific smarts to get an athletic scholarship from a top educational university.



2. Being in high school was never like this for me! I played sports but was never recruited from any colleges, much less a top ten Division I school. Itýs amazing to learn about what these kids go through while being recruited to play at that level. The story of Nicole Louden is the story of very bright and motivated young women making her way through her inner-city high school basketball career and the recruiting process.

   This book is also a comment about the challenges that kids in America face today. Nicole grew up around kids selling drugs, gangs and violence. Without her families strong support itýs unlikely that she would have excelled as she did, both academically and athletically. Zagoria does a great job following Nicole and documenting all the details of the recruiting process. If have ever been interested in what it takes to play college sports, and the process of getting there this book is a fun page-turner.




3. She's Got Handle is an inspiring story. It conveys very important themes, including the idea of a strong family background, hard work, and love. However, I do not believe that the book was very well-written. It used a large amount of slang, and had several grammatical errors. The book also often went off on tangents about irrelevant information. This made the book difficult and tedious to finish.

5 comments about Coach K: Building the Duke Dynasty: The Story of Mike Krzyzewski and the Winning Tradition at Duke University.

1. THe worst written book I have ever read. I would not waste my time with it.



2. If you are reading this review, you probably have never heard of Gregg Doyel. If you had heard of him, you'd probably know without reading this book thats its journalistic garbage. Sort of like his work with cbssportline.com. I wouldn't use the pages of this book to wipe myself with.



3. I read the first 10 pages before I fell into a deep, deep sleep. This one is a yawner. Better used as toilet paper than reading material.



4. Is there someone you work with who can never succeed at one job before they promote him to another, circumventing all rationale concerning "the best person for the job"? Gregg Doyel somehow worms his way upward on his career path even though many bloggers - let alone other columnists - are superior writers and investigative journalists. This book confounds the mind. You constantly wonder "how did someone this poor at writing ever get a book published?". My brother gave me this as a Christmas gift. We are both Duke fans and have been since 1972. He had the best of intentions considering the title. However, my brother, who is an accomplished public speaker and teacher, would have vomited upon reading such incomprehensible drivel.



5. Have you ever had to write a report in school with a minimum length requirement, and instead of gathering more to write about, you stretch what you have to make it large enough? Yeah, apparently that author has done that before, also. It's really not as badly written as some of the reviews would have you believe, but it's no gem, either. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you're really dying to, but in that case you probably know as much about Coach K as Doyel does.

5 comments about The Home Team: Of Mothers, Daughters, and American Champions.

1. Very well written and inspiring. Surviving with strength and heart to carry her family, Mrs. Lobo is amazing! Rebecca's tales of life and the heart ache of her moms struggle with breast cancer. They stuck together and beat it out! WAY TO GO MRS. & MS. LOBO!!!



2. I had the opportunity to meet the Lobos at a seminar, and they are as congenial in person as they appear in this fantastic book. Each personal chapter of this narrative made me feel like I was almost a part of the Lobo family. I liked reading about how Rebecca and her brother and sister grew up, what it was like to be part of a team as tight as the Huskies, and how the family dealt with RuthAnn's cancer. I have read this book over and over, and my mother and grandmother both love it as well. It is definitely worth sharing!



3. This book is a must read for all WNBA fans. Rebecca Lobo's life is revealed in many aspects, that of her point of view and her mother. It talks about many issues such as Ruthanne's struggle with breast cancer and how the family dealt with it. As a 15 year old girl, reading is not one of my favorite pastimes. When I heard of a book about my idol Rebecca Lobo, I decided maybe I should give reading a try. I finished the story in a total of two days and found myself waking up in the middle of the night wanting to know what was going to happen next. It is an extremely moving book in which I fould that it was very easy to relate to. As a basketball player, some of Rebecca Lobo's theories such as playing basketball to relive stress and cope with problems I use also. It gave a new perspective to why I am two different people a hustler and leader on the court and a shy and proscinator off of it. Athlete or not, this book will get you moving. It will leave the message in your heard that anything is possible and it will help you to get out and reach that goal that you have been striving for.



4. I really love this book! I did not want to put it down. A couple of reasons I love the book is because now I know she was a normal child once and she did'nt always play basketball. I also liked it because her mom talked about her life. Now I know they had problems just like any other family does.



5. I was already a huge fan of Rebecca Lobo before reading this book. 'The Home Team' gives you a look into the lives of Rebecca and Ruthann Lobo. It's such a real look at how their lives truly are and how much they love each other. After reading this book I was blown away by the courage both of these amazing women have shown in thier lives.

5 comments about A View from Above.

1. Never have I read a work by such a self-aggrandizing braggart. Like many ex-jocks, Wilt tries to hide his bitterness that he can no longer play pro sports in self-glorification. He portrays himself as larger than life in all aspects, which really gets boring fast in reading this book. It's a good thing Wilt wasn't around in Biblical times, imagine what tall tales we'd find in the Bible if he was!



2. WILT CHAMBERLAIN was THE GREATEST NBA PLAYER PERIOD.He Has TOO Mention Himself Because He has Never Gotten His Fair Shake.WHen He talks About Issues He Really Hits HOme.as For All THe Women He Slept With was He Any Worse than JFK OR BILL CLINTON? way overblown.Acknowledge His Impact as a Great Athlete&Great Minded Person.Very Intelligent Human Being.



3. WILT HAS MANY OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS. IN THIS BOOK HE EXPRESSES THEM FROM START TO FINISH. I AGREE WITH MANY OF HIS INSIGHTS. HE WAS A VERY INTELLIGENT GUY WHO ENJOYED THE FINE THINGS IN LIFE, CARS, WOMEN, FINE WINES, LARGE HOUSE ETC. WILT LIVED LARGE. THIS IS A NICE READ FOR FANS OF THE GREAT WILT. NICELY PUT TOGETHER.



4. Some of the reviewers have given Wilt's book a hard time, but I felt he accomplished what he set out to do. He has given us a glance into his thoughts and ideas about so many different things. We truly have a look at the way he thought, whether we agree with his opinions or not. I certainly did not agree with everything he had to say, but gained insight into his life and saw that some of his opinions were filled with good insight. I found it interesting to see how he and other NBA stars interacted according to him. I'd love to hear their opinions as well. I enjoyed hearing about some of the stars from the old days. Wilt stood up for them and how they should be better recognized today. I'd love to see DVD's available with clips from all of the old stars. Wilt thought highly of himself and that is obvious. But, let's face it, who else ever scored 100 points in a game? He does deserve some recognition. Wilt certainly did not live a perfect life, but he enjoyed himself and experienced much and you can learn about many details if you read this book. You'll find it interesting.



5. EASY READING AND GOOD INSIGHT AS TO WHAT HAPPENS TO AGING JOCKS. HE COMES ACROSS MOSTLY AS A BRAGGART AND MISSING THE GLORY DAYS; AND THE THING ABOUT 20,000 WOMEN...GIVE ME A BREAK! DID HE EVER HAVE A BAD DAY, LIKE BEING TIRED FROM THE ROAD, STD'S, HAVING A COLD/FLU/INJURIES, OR TAKING IN TOO MANY CALORIES, ETC.? THEN IF YOU MISS A DAY OR TWO, THERE'S A LOT OF CATCH-UP TO KEEP THE NUMBERS STRONG. OVERALL I LIKED THE BOOK AND HAVE TO STATE, "HE WAS A TERRIFIC, TALENTED BASKETBALL PLAYER." IT'S NOW TOUGH TO FIND THE BOOK BUT WORTH A LITTLE EFFORT AND TIME.

4 comments about Winning Sounds Like This: A Season with the Women's Basketball Team at Gallaudet, the World's Only University for the Deaf.

1. This book is so good I couldnt stop reading it! It's an inspirational story about human nature, what it takes to be the best and something I knew nothing about previously...deaf culture. It's a well written, must read for anyone who has ever worked hard for something...hearing or deaf.



2. Beautifully written that, at turns, is funny, touching, fascinating and absorbing. I read it at a single sitting.
   Such wonderful character studies of the players, their families and the world of Gallaudet. If you like basketball, if you like visiting other cultures or if you just like stories that bring people to life, you'll love this book. Highly recommended.



3. Wayne Coffey not only knows sports but he knows how to write tight, action packed chapters. This story moves. Interpersed with backgrounds on the team members, the history of deaf culture, the story tracks the team through an incredible season. I am not an avid basketball fan nor did I have any particular interest in deaf culture, but this book captured my interest from the first page and held it throughout.

   A rare find.




4. Women's basketball books occupy a special niche in sportswriting.
   Writing about a male players, an author might ask, "How did they make it into the big time?"
   Writing about women, authors are forced to ask, "How did they get here at all?" This question adds a new dimension to the stories of women athletes. Players as young as today's collegians have had to overcome stereotypes. Many played on boys' teams -- or tried to.

   Gallaudet women have to overcome a double stereotype -- being not only female, but also deaf. There was a time when opposing teams would openly ridicule deaf basketball players. One player was devastated as a high school student when a coach from a Christian academy openly laughed at her speech. She made the team but never forgot the experience.

   However, the players want to be taken seriously as athletes. They do not want or need pity or condescension. To Coffey's credit, the book focuses on basketball, not deafness. We learn how players and teams compensate for a silent world. They can hear someone dribbling behind them. Referees are briefed: players can't hear the whistle so they may not stop playing immediately. And players on "hearing" teams need ASL translators who understand basketball terms.

   Yet ultimately the story is about the game: coming together as a team and working to win. Like any sports book, there are stories of triumphs as well as tears. We come to care about the players as they, like all college athletes, balance basketball and books.

   Perhaps the most difficult story takes place after the book was written. Ronda Jo Miller, an All-American center, cannot reach her goal of playing on a WNBA team. In stories posted on the internet, we can learn that she earned admiration of players and coaches during the tryout camp. She eventually played professionally in Denmark, with a "hearing" team, and has played in Kansas City with an expansion league, the WNBL.

   What happens to the other athletes? Playing on a winning team can change lives and I found myself hoping they will continue to feel like winners, long after the season has ended.

5 comments about Larry Legend.

1. Larry Legend covers the whole Bird story. Author Shaw has a knack for revealing the little things about Bird that intrigued me. I think this is a must book for any Larry fan.



2. as if it weren't popular enough, the author of this book is the step-father of Kent Harvey. The boy Knight (Coach Knight) grabbed and was the spark that lit the flame of his being fired as IU Coach.



3. It was pretty indepth, and is a nice overview of his life from the time he was a legend in Indiana to coming full circle by coaching there. It also mentions his daughter, who has a distant relationship with his father. If you're a Bird fan, even if you're not, but you enjoy reading about basketball, this is worth the price. It paints a very balanced portrait of Bird. I like the fact that it isn't slanted one way or the other. It portrays the good and the bad. I'm a Bird fan, but I like objective journalism, which this seems to be. No schlock hero worship journalism here, nor is there any railing against him. Even though I like Bird, I will not condone his actions if they are perceived as wrong or controversial.



4. Kevin VanSickle W131 "Book Review" Larry Legend is an interesting book about a boy who fell in love with the game of basketball and developed his own self-discipline as he became an adult. Larry Bird's success and consistent team management are his legendary qualities, according to author Shaw. Mark Shaw writes about Larry's roughneck childhood, what led to his triumphs in his high school basketball days, and through his professional career as a player, then a coach. Larry seemed to have gained confidence and self-esteem at a young age and by keeping those positive aspects he became an intimidator and motivator for many. This book will intoxicate your interest if you want to hear about the Legend's journey to the top. In Larry Legend, Mr. Shaw explains how the Legend himself was a role model, not only for young players, but also, his teammates and coaches around the league.



5. I always enjoy reading Books on Larry Bird.He is truly one of the Greatest Basketball Players that I have ever seen play.His Mind for Play&detail is showcased rather well here.

No comments about Lakers Glory: For the Love of Kobe, Magic, and Mikan.