Required reading for the 2008-09 season
Posted: Sunday, September 21, 2008 10:34 PM
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Midnight Madness is less than four weeks away (well, unless you’re a Kentucky fan). Are you up on your reading?
If you need to prep for the season, there are two places to begin: College Basketball Prospectus and Blue Ribbon Yearbook. Both are available in October.
Blue Ribbon is nearly 400 pages of essentials. Team previews, stats, player profiles, schedules, and analysis on every team. Because of printing schedules, the book’s info can be outdated if injuries pop up in October, but there’s not a better source of basic information in one place. Skim it for the top teams, but pay attention to all the mid-major conferences.
The prospectus, by tempro-free gurus Ken Pomeroy and John Gasaway, isn’t for traditional hoop heads. Points per game and field-goal percentage aren’t their concern – efficiency is. Read up on their methods and pay attention. Pomeroy’s stats usually predict the national champion.
Don’t have that much time? I’m thinking Dickie V’s “50 Fabulous Players and Moments in College Basketball” might work. It’s not so much about this season as it encapsulates his 30 years of time spent at ESPN, but would get most hoops fans hyped for the season.
Maybe you’d prefer some coaching stories?
Dick “Hoops” Weiss’ upcoming book is a tribute to Coach K, while Bill Self, fresh off a national title, has his own book coming out called “At Home in the Phog.”
Even a lesser-known coach like Rich Zvosec is on the act. He’s spent time at places like North Florida and UMKC, which allows his book to focus on life at mid-major schools. Then again, if you’ve never heard of Zvosec, you could always turn to Michael Litos’ book on the subject of mid-majors. It’s been on my to-read list for a few months now.
Hardcore fan of Kansas, Kentucky or North Carolina? Whitman publishing is producing books on all three schools’ histories. The Jayhawks’ version is penned by our own Ken Davis.
But two of the books I’m most excited about are already out.
Tom Graham’s “The Unknown story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball” focuses on Indiana basketball and how Garrett became the Big Ten’s first black player. Always a fan of history and hoops’ significant players.
Same goes for Mark Kriegel’s 2007 bio on Pistol Pete Maravich. Never got to see the Pistol play, but I’ve read rave reviews about this book. Short of buying a highlights tape, this is the closest I’m gonna get.
