Larry McKenzie, the only coach to win four back-to-back state titles in the 100 year history of the Minnesota State Boys Basketball tournament is sharing his success strategies for winning on the court and in life. Much More than just a Game is a must read for young athletes and their parents navigating the game. Incorporating 10 life lessons, Coach McKenzie shows why BASKETBALL is merely a metaphor and a tool that can be used to transform lives.
“Beautifully written . . . A celebration of girls and athletics.” The national bestselling sports classic from a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist (USA Today). Expanded and updated with a new epilogue, Madeleine Blais’ book tells the story of a season in the life of the Amherst Lady Hurricanes, a girls’ high school basketball team from the Western Massachusetts college town. The Hurricanes were a talented team with a near-perfect record, but for five straight years, when it came to the crunch of the playoffs, they somehow lacked the desire to go all the way. Now, led by senior guards Jen Pariseau, a three-point specialist, and Jamila Wideman, an All-American phenom, this was the year to prove themselves. It was a season to test their passion for the sport and their loyalty to each other, and a chance to discover who they really were. As an off-season of summer jobs and basketball camps turns to fall, as students arrive and the games begin, Blais charts the ups and downs of the team and paints a portrait of the wider Amherst community, which comes to revel in the athletic exploits of their girls. Finally, a women’s team was getting the attention they deserve. And the Hurricanes were richly deserving; these teenage girls are fierce and funny, smart and ambitious, and they are the heart of this gripping book. “Extraordinary.” —The Baltimore Sun “A picture of a changing period in American sports history, when a town rallied around its female athletes in a way that had previously been reserved for males.” —Publishers Weekly
J. F. Godoy was born in 1950, in Chile. He has been living in Canada for a long period of time. He has had to face a rather complicated life, which has made him wonder why, as he did not ask to be born. The son of a modest family, he has struggled to survive in this world, in which the only thing is certain for the human being is death.
Ryan Frankovic and his best friend, eight-foot-nine giant Luther Brightwell, live in a small midwestern town in the late fifties, surrounded by basketball enthusiasts. In the otherwise ordinary summer of 1956, Ryan and Luther witness the discordant relationship of Ryans neighbors, Sidney and Claire McMillan, but think nothing of it. But several weeks later, Mrs. McMillan goes missing, and her disappearance leads to months of speculation and even suspicion of murder. About to begin their senior year, the boys soon forget about her in order to prepare for the upcoming sports seasonwhile, Luther struggles with his gargantuan height and strength. As the sports season commences, however, the boys start to realize women in other nearby cities have gone missing as well. Despite the distractions of school and college prep, they put together the pieces that soon point to murderand possibly to the killer. Whats more, they are shocked to realize that these missing women have something to do with their basketball team.
A fun, common sense approach to sports from the perspective of someone who LOVES it and wants it to be BETTER than it already is for everyone young and old. Written in hopes of bringing people together to discuss sports topics past, present, fun and serious. If you decide to read it, I can assure you that it will make you think whether you agree or disagree with what is written. I hope that you find a chapter or two in which you DON'T agree with me or the book wasn't worth writing. Most important, I hope you have fun reading this book, learn something from it and come away with thoughts of your own which I would like to hear. Enjoy.
“A fascinating, thorough look at pro basketball’s continuing evolution to becoming the ‘sport of the American Dream.’”—Publishers Weekly The Soul of Basketball tells the story of an NBA prodigy, his league, and their sport in the throes of crisis during the pivotal 2010-11 season. It began with The Decision, that infamous televised moment when uber-star LeBron James revealed that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers—thereby distancing himself from his role model Michael Jordan—to pursue his first championship with his former opponents on the Miami Heat. To the great fortune of LeBron, the NBA, and basketball itself, the mission didn’t work out as planned. In this book, veteran NBA writer Ian Thomsen portrays the NBA as a self-correcting society in which young LeBron is forced to absorb hard truths inflicted by his rivals Kobe Bryant, Doc Rivers, and Dirk Nowitzki, in addition to lessons set forth by Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, Larry Bird, David Stern, Joey Crawford, and many more. Brimming with inside access, The Soul of Basketball tells the inspiring story of LeBron’s loneliest year, insecure and uncertain, when his ultimate foe was an unlikely immigrant who renewed the American game’s ideals. From Miami to Boston, Los Angeles to Dallas, Germany to the NBA’s Manhattan headquarters, the biggest names in basketball are driven by something more valuable than money and fame—a quest that would pave the way for Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and future generations to thrive. “Ian Thomsen provides an antidote to the fast-food, twitter feed of instant information consumption…deft prose and snappy anecdotes…Great, great stuff.”—Leigh Montville, New York Times-bestselling author of Sting Like a Bee “A fine work of sports journalism.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
As seen in ESPN Films’ Unguarded, a “powerful . . . bracing . . . exceptional” true account of the former NBA and overseas pro’s rise and harrowing fall (NPR Books). I was dead for thirty seconds. That’s what the cop in Fall River told me. When the EMTs found me, there was a needle in my arm and a packet of heroin in the front seat. At basketball-crazy Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, junior guard Chris Herren carried his family’s and the declining city’s dreams on his skinny frame. He was heavily recruited by major universities, chosen as a McDonald’s All-American, featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story, and at just seventeen years old became the central figure in Fall River Dreams, an acclaimed book about the 1994 Durfee team’s quest for the state championship. Leaving Fall River for college, Herren starred on Jerry Tarkanian’s Fresno State Bulldogs team of talented misfits, which included future NBA players as well as future convicted felons. His gritty, tattooed, hip-hop persona drew the ire of rival fans and more national attention: Rolling Stone profiled him, 60 Minutes interviewed him, and the Denver Nuggets drafted him. When the Boston Celtics acquired his contract, he lived the dream of every Massachusetts kid—but off the court Herren was secretly crumbling, as his alcohol and drug use escalated and his life spiraled out of control. Twenty years later, Chris Herren was a husband, a father, and a heroin junkie, who would flirt with death—and ultimately live to tell about it.
A stalled career leads one Navy Pharmacy Technician to volunteer to deploy to the Role III Hospital at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Leaving behind a pregnant wife, two young children, and a sick mother-in-law, C.W. Rastall documents his daily life during the 231 days he was away from home. The Whiskey Journal is a behind-the-scenes look at the reality of being deployed to the Navy's longest serving combat hospital during its last rotation. Follow along as the author deals with the constantly changing policies of the military because of the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating the new friendships and personalities of others in his rotation, his weight loss struggle, his attempts to stay connected to the people left behinds, and his search for purpose in his career. Interspersed with the journal entries, the author shares stories and postscripts that provide context and depth to his journey. From the goodbyes at the airport in Japan, to training in the middle of nowhere Texas, to finally landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan, follow C.W. Rastall's journey of personal growth. Snarky and irreverent at times, deeply introspective at others, The Whiskey Journal takes your through a long separation from the normal world and out the other side.
'Sis, the worst thing CF [cystic fibrosis] can do is kill me. It can't stop me from living.' Todd Gibbs spoke those words once to his sister and he proved that statement true time and time again. Though cystic fibrosis did kill him five days after his thirty-first birthday, the living he did showed that he had won the battle, even if CF eventually won the war. Not a Wasted Breath is not just a story about living with a fatal disease or waiting for a transplant. That was only a part of Todd's life. He never allowed his illness to rule his life, even in the face of over eighty hospitalizations. This is truly a story about how others perceived Todd, how they were affected by his presence in their lives, and how Todd viewed himself and his existence. In a poignant compilation of thoughts, memories, articles, and journal entries, LaRecea Gibbs, Todd's mother, creates a touching tableau of a life well spent that will inspire anyone to overcome personal obstacles through faith, determination, courage, and most of all, humor. Join mother and author LaRecea Gibbs in an inspiring biography which shows that though Todd's life was short, he never wasted a single breath. This Book is an inspiration to all readers in appreciating the gift of life. The account is thorough, has depth of development, is authentic, and puts us inside the people involved. Not a Wasted Breath enables readers to travel along emotionally. As a result, we count our own blessings. John Hagaman, Professor of English, Western Kentucky University, Director of WKU Writing Project.
Have you ever felt disillusioned by a church that seems to be filled with hypocrites? If so, you will want to read first time author Jad Jabbour's book, The Life Surrendered. Jabbour examines what it means to be a true disciple of Christ, how many of us are unaware of our own hypocrisy and how to live the meaningful lives that Jesus intended for us. As a young American Christian, Jabbour pleads for himself and his peers to live authentic lives, lives without hypocrisy. The Life Surrendered will challenge you to truly live the Christianity you claim.
