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OPINION

Basketball books coaches love

Sunday, March 7, 2010
(Updated Monday, March 8 - 11:46 am)

Atlantic Coast Conference basketball has taken over Greensboro, with the women concluding their tournament today and the men ready to move in.

Because the Books page is a big fan, too, we asked ACC basketball coaches to tell us their favorite books with a basketball theme.

The most popular choices, not surprisingly, were books by legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, the "Wizard of Westwood" who won 10 national championships.

But some of the titles are unexpected: "Blind Your Ponies" by Stanley Gordon West, for example. The selection of Debbie Ryan, women's coach at Virginia since 1977, weaves a tale of a resilient high school basketball team from a struggling little town in Montana.

One book choice where coach and writer make an obvious connection is "Pistol Pete: Heir to a Dream" by Pete Maravich and Darrel Campbell with Frank Shroeder, the pick of first-year Virginia men's coach Tony Bennett. Maravich was a record-setting shooting guard who played for his coach-father at Louisiana State. Bennett was a record-setting point guard who played for his coach-father at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

One coach, N.C. State's Kellie Harper, responded that she's an "AVID" reader -- yes, in capital letters -- but not of basketball books. That makes sense: Everyone needs a break from work.

For readers who do get into basketball books, here are some more suggestions from the experts.

Frank Haith, Miami men: "'A March to Madness' by John Feinstein and 'Across the Line: Profiles in Basketball Courage' by Barry Jacobs because they both included some great history and insight into the ACC."

 

Leonard Hamilton, Florida State men: "The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players" by Pat Riley. "'The Winner Within' is a very thought-stimulating book that is very realistic to all of the issues we face every year with our teams."

Joanne P. McCallie, Duke women: "Inch and Miles" by John Wooden. "Coach Wooden sent me a signed copy of the children's book following the 2005 NCAA Final Four. It meant a lot to me and is a fabulous book."

Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech men: "Across the Line: Profiles in Basketball Courage" by Barry Jacobs.

Dino Gaudio, Wake Forest men: "Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich" by Mark Kriegel. Gaudio "grew up as a fan of Maravich."

MaChelle Joseph, Georgia Tech women: "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court" by John Wooden with Steve Jamison.

Katie Meier, Miami women: "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court" by John Wooden with Steve Jamison.

Beth Dunkenberger, Virginia Tech women: "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court" by John Wooden with Steve Jamison.

"Coach Wooden led his team to more championship titles than any other coach. In his book, we learn that his commitment to his family and his faith were cornerstones in how he built his program. Coach Wooden made a lasting impression on all those who knew him because of the man he was and what he taught his team about life as well as basketball."

Sylvia Crawley, Boston College women: "When the Game was Ours" by Jackie MacMullan.

"It's a book about how Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were fierce competitors and rivals, and after years of competing became lifelong pals. In this book you see the 'killer instinct' and 'will to win' in two great players who were very different. And their similarities were what they respected about each other. It was that respect that eventually helped erase their differences (in styles of play, in areas of the country, and even in race)."

Al Skinner, Boston College men: "Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court" by John Wooden with Steve Jamison.

Mike Peterson, Wake Forest women: "Values of the Game," by Bill Bradley. "It's a book about basketball, but also about leadership. It's very thoughtful -- the kind of thing you expect from Bill Bradley."

Oliver Purnell, Clemson men: "Sacred Hoops" by Phil Jackson.

Sylvia Hatchell, UNC women: "Talent is Never Enough" by John Maxwell.

Sue Semrau, Florida State women: "Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization" by John Wooden and Steve Jamison.

"Coach has the corner on what it takes to be a strong leader and to lead well. I love reading about leadership and I love all that Coach Wooden stands for. For him, leadership is about serving, not all about him."

Sidney Lowe, N.C. State men:  “From Orphans to Champions: The Story of DeMatha’s Morgan Wootten” by Morgan Wootten and Bill Gilbert.

It talks about the right way to build a program. Talks about how you take young men, and see them grow.

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke men (from Jon Jackson, Associate AD/University & Public Affairs):

"He does not have a favorite basketball-themed book but said he was fortunate, through his association with Coach (Bob) Knight, to get to know some of the top figures (authors) in the sport -- Coach Wooden, Coach (Pete) Newell, Coach (Henry) Iba, Clair Bee (not personally). ... He has read books by all of these coaches."

Accompanying Photos

Margaret Baxter (News & Record)

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