The fact that the AAU/grassroots basketball world is a corrupt cesspool is no shock to anyone. However, that doesn’t make Pulitzer Prize winning author George Dohrmann’s book, Play Their Hearts Out, any less compelling or eye-opening. Dohrmann “embeds” himself with a team of nine-year-old’s playing AAU basketball in California, including “can’t-miss” NBA prospect Demetrius Walker, and follows the team through their complete AAU lifespan – eight years in total. The results are fascinating, sickening, maddening and enlightening, all at the same time.
Other than Walker (who, since you probably haven’t heard of him, wasn’t as “can’t-miss” as originally advertised), the book centers around his coach, Joe Keller. As clueless as he is in basketball fundamentals and strategy, he’s just as slick as a salesman, recruiter and all-around sleazy guy. Plenty of familiar names make an appearance throughout the book’s 422 pages, including NBA players Tyson Chandler and Tyreke Evans, as well as big wigs at the major shoe companies, Nike, adidas and Reebok. Because, as Dohrmann reveals to all, that is what AAU/grassroots basketball is all about – shoe companies making money off of children. And Coach Joe, as time will show, isn’t above selling his kids to the devil.
But enough giving away all the book’s secrets. It’s an extraordinary book that should be on all basketball fan’s wish list. And you can grab a copy here:
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