As I work on the never-ending task of catching up on my TBR pile, I pulled out this one that the author sent to me nearly a year ago. Under the category of "better late than never", I read it as it was a quick and good read on one of the "Cinderella" college basketball teams fans get to see every now and then.
Title/Author:
“A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 St. Joseph’s Hawks” by Aaron Bracy
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review:
College basketball has had its share of teams, mainly from smaller schools, go on unbelievable runs during a season to get far into the championship tournament otherwise known as March Madness. This book by Aaron Bracy tells the story of one of these teams, the 2003-04 St. Joseph’s Hawks. For those not familiar with the fate of the team, skip this sentence – the Hawks made it to the Elite Eight, losing a heartbreaking game to Oklahoma State 64-62, denying them a trip to the Final Four.
Located in Philadelphia, the Hawks made their run on two future first-round draft choices of NBA teams. Jameer Nelson and Delonte West were the stars of this team and were the clear leaders. Nelson was also named as the national Player of the Year in college basketball that season. However, as basketball is a team game, it also took contributions from many players and coaches. This is the strength of this book as Bracy did a very good job of not only providing information on every player and coach (and even the mascot) but also ensuring that contributions by them were included in every game summary.
The book follows a very familiar format for books describing one season for a team, no matter the sport or the level (college, pro, amateur, etc.). The book starts with a cliffhanger scene from the Oklahoma State game, then goes on to give the back story of how they built the team, mainly concentrating on West, Nelson and the head coach Phil Martelli. Then the book goes into the season with a game-by-game account that is typical for this genre, but as mentioned, will go beyond just the stars and provide highlights and quotes from other players as well. Once the games are completed, there is a wrap up of the season and a “where are they now” section for each of the key contributors.
While this book wasn’t much different than other books that capture a special
season, I did enjoy reliving the story of this team that caught the attention
of many basketball fans, including myself.
I remember the Oklahoma State game quite well and Nelson lying on the
floor after just missing the shot that would have tied the game, then sitting
up with his knees up and staring out in disbelief that it was all over. That was captured in one of the many very
good passages on the players by the author.
I wish to thank Mr. Bracy for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment