Books for the Hoops Fan in Your Life

The Epicenter of Steel City Sports

From Forbes Field to Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood has been home to some of the most iconic moments in sports history. Including the Fitzgerald Field House and the Duquesne Gardens, Oakland has drawn in both professional and college sports fans alike.

Local authors and sports historians David Finoli, Tom Rooney, Robert Healy III, Douglas Cavanaugh and Chris Fletcher celebrate the glorious victories and heartbreaking losses throughout the history of Pittsburgh's Oakland section, the epicenter of Steel City Sports.

Building the Tradition

Most University of Michigan basketball fans know about the school's success during the Cazzie Russell era, and how the Wolverines built on that foundation, rising ever higher until they reached the pinnacle with their 1989 NCAA championship. But few know the stories behind the headlines. For example, how did Michigan coach Dave Strack, who admitted that U-M basketball was 'bad' when he became the coach, land a player of Russell's caliber? And how did Michigan find Russell's perfect complement, a future All-American who was virtually unknown ?

Using fresh interviews with dozens of coaches and players – including Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich, Johnny Orr, Bill Frieder, Glen Rice and many others – author Mike Rosenbaum digs behind the scenes to reveal the fascinating stories behind Michigan’s basketball successes from 1960 to 1989.

Most people thought it would take a miracle to bring the Gamecocks' women's basketball team to the nation's top teams, but Dawn Staley has always beaten the odds.

She stood at the podium on May 10, 2008, and promised to bring national prominence to South Carolina, and with a lot of hard work, Staley's vision for the Gamecocks' women's basketball team came true over the next nine years, culminating in the 2017 national championship. Her willingness to keep striving and to deliver on her promise was met with early resistance, but it paid off with several winning seasons, terrific recruits, and finally, the only prize Staley had not obtained in a lifetime of championship basketball. David Cloninger takes you on the team's journey to the national title.

Join author Lewis Bowling as he recounts the history of the Duke University Men's Basketball program through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

The Duke University men's basketball program is certainly one such tradition, and Lewis Bowling has assembled more than two hundred brilliant photographs spanning the entire history of the program to show it. Enjoy a front-row view as this distinctive collection recounts Blue Devil glory, from the first teams of Trinity College through Eddie Cameron's masterful guidance and, of course, the unrivaled success under the watch of Coach K. Featuring forewords from the legendary Voice of the Blue Devils Bob Harris and former head coach Bucky Waters, Cameron Crazies far and wide will hail this celebration of Duke's greatest moments and some of basketball's most legendary coaches and players.

Providence College Basketball: Take a journey with the small school from the country's smallest state that became New England's college hoops powerhouse.

Providence basketball's journey from a realtive unknown to national brand has captured the attention of sports fans in Rhode Island and throughout New England for over 45 years. Friar hoops historian Richard Coren sets the scene of how the small Dominican school on Smith Hill started from humble beginnings and has produced a story reminiscent of David and Goliath. The legend persists: tiny Providence College taking on and beating the big boys of college basketball. Run on a shoestring budget in the 1950s and 1960s, the program rose up out of nowhere to pull upset after upset. The school went on to dominate college basketball in New England, recording more postseason tournament games and victories, more 20-win seasons, more All-Americans, and more players in the pros than any school in the region. Providence College Basketball: The Friar Legacy examines the 75-year history of Friar hoops and celebrates the great players, coaches, games, and moments that have made Providence College basketball so unforgettable. Relive the annual trips to the National Invitation Tournament and the two Final Fours and discover how Rhode Island became hooked on the Friars.

After the college became the University of Rhode Island in 1951, the traditions of basketball excitement and excellence continued. Conference championships, postseason bids, and All-Americans have enriched the history of Rhode Island Rams basketball, as has the introduction of full varsity status for women's basketball. Along with highlighting the teams, players, and coaches, Runnin' Rams: University of Rhode Island Basketball also portrays the exciting environment in which the games have been played.

Hoosier Hysteriais a passion for the game of basketball in Indiana. Explore the history of the state's long-term obsession with high school round ball.

In 1925 the man credited with inventing basketball, Dr. James Naismith, visited Indiana and famously said, while the game was invented in Massachusetts, basketball really had its origin in Indiana, which remains the center of the sport.

Indeed, Indiana is the first state that comes to mind when one thinks of high school basketball. The game itself is an important part of the history of the state. From reports of the first game in 1894 to the heyday when Hoosier high school gyms were filled beyond capacity, Hoosierismand basketball have had a long and eventful relationship. Towns and cities, large and small alike, all across the state, have for generations united around their high school basketball teams.

Hoosier High School Basketballchronicles the long and colorful history of the players, coaches, schools, and fans that have tied the game's history to Indiana. In a collection of over 200 vintage images, author Bob Adams details the achievements and contributions made by many of the sport's great players and coaches.

Seton Hall Basketball: The story of how a sport grew in popularity and led to major success for this New Jersey institution.

Seton Hall Pirates: A Basketball History explores the emerging popularity of hoop action within the context of school history and development of the game at large. The hard-court history found at Seton Hall University as the program nears its 100th year of competition is a story highlighted by a host of top-notch players, brilliant coaches and memorable victories. Seton Hall Pirates: A Basketball History reflects on a sport that celebrates athletic prowess, school spirit, and spectator appreciation as it relates to the dramatic and colorful drama that is Pirate basketball.

Basketball began at Seton Hall in 1903, and success with the round ball soon followed for the white and blue. From Alumni Hall to the Meadowlands Arena, the tradition is alive in the memory of winning seasons under Frank Hill along with immortal squads including the "Wonder Five" of John "Honey" Russell in 1941, the National Invitation Tournament champions of 1953 and the 1989 Final Four contingent led by P.J. Carlesimo, which came within one game of winning a national title. The talents of such legendary figures as Bob Davies, Walter Dukes, Richie Regan, Nick Werkman, Terry Dehere, and several other performers and personalities who represented "Old Setonia" through the ages are also captured within this volume.

Relive the Ups and Downs of the Storied Saga of the Nomadic Nets

The Nets have led a wandering existence spanning over five decades. The team has been known as the New Jersey Americans, New York Nets, New Jersey Nets and now Brooklyn Nets, while constantly relocating throughout the New York metropolitan area. Though often plagued by instability and futility, the franchise has celebrated iconic moments in the course of ABA and NBA history. Julius Erving's legendary play led the team to a pair of ABA titles in 1974 and 1976. The meteoric rise of European superstar Dražen Petrović followed by his tragic death in 1993 is etched into basketball fans' hearts worldwide. Jason Kidd's uncommon will steered New Jersey to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. An enlightening phone call from NBA commissioner David Stern in 1997 paved the way for the team's move to Brooklyn in 2012.

Author Rick Laughland charts the brutal lows and exuberant highs throughout the history of the Nets.

Montana State's Golden Bobcats celebrates a storied history from the hardwood

Ashworth "Cat" Thompson and brothers Frank and Orland Ward didn't know what to expect when they left southern Utah in the Fall of 1926. They arrived in Bozeman to play on the Montana State College basketball team under charismatic coach and fellow Utah native Ott Romney and Assistant Coach Schubert Dyche. Teamed with Montana products Brick Breeden and Max Worthington the following season, the core formed one of the best teams in the country. Despite Romney returning to Provo at the end of 1928, the Bobcats persevered in '29 under Schubert to win the consensus college national basketball championship, with Cat and Frank Ward earning All-American honors.

Author Paul R. Wylie recounts the on and off court challenges and triumphs of the Bobcats' Golden team

Panther Pride: University of Pittsburgh Men's Basketball is the pictorial history of Pittsburgh's basketball program, before and since the Big East Conference. Well before Dr. Roy Chipman, there was eccentric Doc Carlson. Long before All-American Charles Smith, there was Charley Hyatt. Twenty-eight years before Brandin Knight led his team to the Sweet Sixteen, Billy Knight led another remarkable Panther squad to the Elite Eight. From Motor Square Garden in East Liberty to the Pitt Stadium Pavilion and Fitzgerald Field House in Oakland, Pittsburgh basketball teams have provided their fans with exciting victories and heartbreaking defeats for close to a century.