Perfect for readers of Jeff Pearlman’s The Bad Guys Won!, Peter Richmond’s Badasses, and Pat Williams’s Coach Wooden, Araton’s revealing story of the Knicks’ heyday is far more than a review of one of basketball’s greatest teams’ inspiring story—it is, at heart, a stirring recreation of a time and place when the NBA championships defined the national dream.

    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 city's dreams on his skinny frame. His grandfather, father, and older brother had created their own sports legends in a declining city; he was the last, best hope for a career beyond the shuttered mills and factories. Herren 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 married to his high-school sweetheart, the father of three young children, and a heroin junkie. His basketball career was over, consumed by addictions; he had no job, no skills, and was a sadly familiar figure to those in Fall River who remembered him as a boy, now prowling the streets he once ruled, looking for a fix. One day, for a time he cannot remember, he would die.In his own words, Chris Herren tells how he nearly lost everything and everyone he loved, and how he found a way back to life. Powerful, honest, and dramatic, Basketball Junkie is a remarkable memoir, harrowing in its descent, and heartening in its return.

    Through extensive interviews and covering the Mavericks as a passionate journalist, Sturm illuminates what exactly brought the Mavericks together as a team—a team that won 57 regular season games and compiled playoff series victories over Portland, Los Angeles, and Oklahoma City before taking the home the Larry O’Brien Trophy from the Finals by convincingly defeating the Miami Heat.THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT covers all the important details of the Dallas Mavericks' 2011 championship season, including:The transformation of the Dallas Mavericks franchise from perennial loser to NBA powerhouse.Dirk Nowitzki's career-long battle to cement his dynasty with an NBA championship, including a bitter loss in the 2006 Finals to Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat.Tracing the ups and downs of the 2011 campaign, as the Mavs soared to the top of the standings, only to suffer critical injuries mid-season and a string of losses which threatened their playoff hopes.A game-by-game recap of the Mavericks' 2011 playoff run, as they battled through the quarter-, semi-, and Western Conference Finals for a chance to compete for the NBA championship.

    When UConn’s Sue Bird hit a twelve-foot pull-up jumper at the buzzer over national player of the year Ruth Riley in the Big East Tournament championship game, it marked the end of an epic contest that featured five future Olympians and eight first-round WNBA selections.  Bird at the Buzzer re-creates this unique season with a detailed account of the games that led up to—and beyond—the tournament finale; profiles of the two coaches, UConn’s Geno Auriemma and Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw; close-ups of the players who made the year so memorable; and, finally, an in-depth recap of the game worthy of being designated ESPN’s first-ever women’s basketball “Instant Classic.” Author Jeff Goldberg shows us the drama on the court and behind the scenes as the big game pitted Riley and the upstarts from Notre Dame against what many believed was the most talented team in UConn history, under Hall of Fame coach Auriemma. A see-saw affair in which neither team led by more than eight points, the 2001 Big East championship game encapsulates the quintessential inside story of the individual talents and skills, team spirit and smarts, and the moment-by-moment realities of college athletics that made this season a snapshot of sports at its finest.

    Off camera, he has been involved in organized basketball as a player, coach, and advocate since 1960. Inducted into Indiana's Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, Shelby has been compiling stories of pivotal basketball games--those he has played, and those that have inspired him--for over twenty years.Written with the same humor and compassion that have made Shelby a broadcasting legend, "The Season Never Ends" proves once and for all that the fundamental principles of basketball are the fundamental principles of life.

    Plus, he's got a bully on his hands, and he's got to find a way to inspire his campers. Good thing NCAA pro Dick Dunbar is there to help Tim with a super-cool shot that gives him the confidence to make his mark at camp.Packed with on the court action and useful lessons about the game, this is story that gets to the heart of what team sports are all about--and because it comes from Matt Christopher, young readers know they're getting the best sports writing on the shelf.

    State's upset in 1983, Laettner's shot in 1992 and, just last year, Butler's near-miss at a championship miracle). With over a half-century of experience covering the game, Sports Illustrated is uniquely positioned to tell that story, and in 256 super-sized pages, continuing in the tradition of its annual sport-specific coffee-table series, it has found just the right format to capture the enormously entertaining wonder of it all. Hall of Fame writers, including Frank Deford, Curry Kirkpatrick, Alexander Wolff and Gary Smith, have covered all the great back-door plays, morality plays and passion plays of perhaps our most emotional sport. They were there for North Carolina's triple overtime takedown of Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas in 1957, for Texas Western's historic upset of Kentucky in 1966 and for Villanova's brilliant upending of Georgetown in 1985. Having chronicled all the madness from the fall (Midnight) through the spring (March) year after year, SI's award-winning photographers have captured the indelible images of buzzer-beating shots, of court-storming celebrations and of some of the world's largest men bawling over heartbreaking defeats. Those memorable stories and pictures are presented here as never before in this magnificent, must-have book for any college hoops fan.

    Life styles clash on the Boardwalk, in the casinos, and in gang controlled neighborhoods while a bloody territorial war between rival families has left a trail of bodies scattered throughout the town. LOST EXIT revolves around Timmy Davenport, a self-destructive college basketball player home for the summer, searching for the answers in life that have so far escaped him. The heart of the story is about Timmy and his relationships with his family and friends, as well as the city he grew up in, and the love of a game that was once his salvation. As he prepares for a basketball tournament that can define his future, Timmy, like Atlantic City itself, has to confront the ghosts of his past before he can move forward. More than a coming of age novel, LOST EXIT looks at a character haunted by his own poor choices and addictions in a harsh, brutal world where he has struggled to find himself. The story is about a last chance opportunity for Timmy to prove himself while battling his inner demons on and off the courts as he pieces his life back together. Timely and intense, LOST EXIT blends the pain and angst of youth with the emotional struggle of characters coming to grips with their own identities.

    Ignoring the critics, they went on to coach the two highest scoring teams in men's and women's college basketball history: the University of Redlands, California (132.4 ppg), and Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois (104.1 ppg). From its origins as the Sonny Allen Numbered Fast Break, to Paul Westhead's Loyola Marymount up-tempo game, the System has been around for decades. But when Grinnell College's David Arseneault added platoon substitution patterns and hockey-style short shifts, placing a priority on creating three-point looks for his "preferred shooters," the System truly came into its own. Smith and Porter learned the Grinnell version of the System from Arseneault himself, adapting it to fit their situations coaching men's and women's programs. In the past decade their teams set 32 NCAA and NAIA records between them, including most 100-point games in a season (Redlands-23; Olivet-24). Olivet also holds national records for defensive turnovers (36.3 per game) assists (23.8 per game), and three pointers made in a season (509, 15.6 per game). Redlands owns college basketball records (all levels) for field goal attempts (110.3 per game), and three-pointers made (23.8 per game). Now you can learn every detail of this devastating full court run-and-press attack that allows you to dictate tempo and force your opponents out of their normal game plan, capturing the imagination of your players and community, and making coaching fun again! You'll learn exactly how and why the System works, how to adapt it to fit your personnel, suggestions for conditioning players, organizing System practices, and even ways to respond to the inevitable criticisms that come with playing the game this far "outside the box." Other chapters offer complete descriptions of the Redlands Attack (Coach Smith's variation of the Grinnell offense), the LMU Attack (which Westhead popularized and used to advance to the NCAA regional finals in 1990), and the Olivet Attack (Coach Porter's hybrid version of the LMU and Dribble-Drive offenses). Finally, you'll learn System defensive principles, terminology, and how to cover every conceivable press attack and press-breaker alignment. Also included are 57 drills and over 300 diagrams to illustrate System offense and defense, providing you with a complete blueprint for "Coaching the System!

    

    However, in recent years several new dynamics have developed that have increased the pressure on coaches in every sport. As a result, all across America good people are leaving the coaching profession at an enormously high rate. Carl Pierson uses his two decades of coaching and his political science background to offer real world examples and practical advice on eternally troubling topics like picking teams, playing time, powerful parents, booster clubs, and so many other issues that today's youth and high school coaches have to contend with. The Politics of Coaching is nothing short of a playbook to help coaches navigate their way through the perilous, stressful world that has become coaching. To learn more visit www.politicsofcoaching.com "Required reading for every aspiring and current head high school coach in the country." Steve Svendsen-Football Coach Magnolia High School, Texas "Carl says what most people are afraid to say or even admit in the world of coaching. He does a remarkable job in addressing tough situations and answering the difficult questions. When you need help in frustrating situations, you will turn to his book time and again. There will be no unread chapters. I dare you to try and find a book like this out there, it doesn't exist...until now!" Debra LaPrath - Girls Head Soccer Coach Maria Carrillo High School, Santa Rosa, California Author - Coaching Girls' Soccer Successfully (Human Kinetics 2009) "Coaches no longer need to be on the defensive. The Politics of Coaching puts coaches in control of relationships with parents, boosters, and administration." Jeff Jennewein-Boys Basketball Coach West Plains High School, Missouri "This book is a great read, especially for a coach who aspires to run their own program. Regardless of the sport, politics are now a part of the game more than ever. Having this book on the shelf is a must if you want to know the ins and outs of dealing with off the field issues that arise on a daily basis. The Politics of Coaching will make you more prepared and a better coach." Steve Warren-Head Football Coach/Athletic Coordinator Abilene High School, Texas

    And then as quickly as the Colonels appeared, they were gone. They had been around just long enough to win a world championship and showcase not only some of the best basketball players in the history of the game, but also some of its most colorful characters. Perhaps this book should have been written years ago, but there always seemed to be plenty of time. And then one day, a generation or two removed, someone asked what happened to that pro-basketball team back in the 60s and 70s? BAM, it hits you. This book had to be written. Here are never-before-told stories that only Lloyd "Pink" Gardner would know. He lived it and Gary P. West wrote it. A story of colorful owners with family connections to the Lindbergh kidnapping and Hope Diamond; sports agents who would do anything to sign players; a double murder and suicide; a businessman who thought he could do in basketball what he had done with Kentucky Fried Chicken; an insignificant T.V. deal that turned into hundreds of millions of dollars; a team that drafted a 5 6 , 55-year-old college professor; and through it all still won a world championship. Lloyd Gardner was a major part of the success of the Kentucky Colonels. Anyone who knows anything about the Kentucky Colonels and their history will tell you that. Lloyd had the perfect temperament to be a trainer, and the knowledge to get the players back after certain injuries, and the key thing of loyalty... to the players and the coaches. Hubie Brown--Interview with Drew Deener on WKRD Radio

    Coached by J. Percy Page, they played over 400 official games, losing only 20; they travelled more than 125,000 miles in Canada, the United States, and Europe; and they crossed the Atlantic three times to defend their “world” title at exhibition games held in conjunction with the Summer Olympics in Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Meticulously researched and documented—including capsule biographies of all 38 women who played for the Grads over the years—the story of the Edmonton Grads will enthrall fans of sport history and women in sport.

    Her fiancé does not. Back On The Court is one woman's incredible story of recovery. As she fights her way through grief, debilitating injuries and heartbreak, Sonya reignites her passion for basketball, and ultimately for life itself. This heart-felt memoir brings insight to the grief process, is a captivating love story, and has an inspiring impact that will last a lifetime.