Read To Achieve

I’m assuming anyone checking out this site knows how to read (although a lot of the photos I put up here do tell a story on their own). So with basketball season almost over, it’s time to take a look at some of The Hoops Manifesto’s recommended readings for the hoops junkie this summer. Welcome to The Hoops Manifesto Book Club.

When March Went Mad
Seth Davis

You all will probably know Seth Davis as that handsome, young studio analyst for CBS’ college hoops coverage. You know, the guy who likes to slip “Baba Boey’s” into the middle of sentences. Well Davis is also an accomplished scribe and his latest offering is When March Went Mad, which tells the tale of the 1979 NCAA Championship game. The game otherwise known as THE GAME THAT CHANGED THE WORLD. Perhaps you’ve heard of Michigan State and Indiana State’s star players from that season – Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird. Their head-to-head cage match for the NCAA title is still the highest rated NCAA game ever, and sparked a massive outpouring of interest in college hoops, and later on, the NBA. What many tend to forget is that their title game tilt wasn’t a very good game – the Spartans were in control of the contest throughout and Bird played poorly. Luckily Davis’ book doesn’t just deal with the actual contest, but also doubles as a bio of the key antagonists’ lives. A thoroughly entertaining read.

Buy it here (Canada): When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball

or here (Rest of world): When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball

The Madness Of March
Alan Jay Zaremba

The Madness of March deals with two of my favourite things – basketball and gambling (although I prefer to lose my money on cards rather than on teams). Professor Alan Zaremba chronicles the scene in Las Vegas during the opening weekend of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. And what a scene it was, full of colourful characters employing even more colourful language. Zaremba becomes fully embedded in the action, as both a bettor and an amused observer. The result is a fascinating, often humorous, look into the lives of the (mostly) men who converge on the desert every March with their “locks” and “sure thing” picks. The book also contains a sentence that fully sums up my thoughts on gambling: “How much difference is there between betting on tech stocks and betting on North Carolina?”. One of the best books I’ve read this year.

Buy it here (Canada): Madness of March: Bonding and Betting with the Boys in Las Vegas

or here (Rest of world): The Madness of March: Bonding and Betting with the Boys in Las Vegas

And on a totally unrelated note – LYOTO MACHIDA IS A BAD MAN!!!!!!!