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Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball » (Reprint)

Book cover image of Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball by John Feinstein

Authors: John Feinstein
ISBN-13: 9780316278423, ISBN-10: 0316278424
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Date Published: November 2001
Edition: Reprint

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Author Biography: John Feinstein

Book Synopsis

Like millions who love college basketball, John Feinstein was first drawn to the game because of its intensity, speed and intelligence. Like many others, he felt that the vast sums of money involved in NCAA basketball had turned the sport into a division of the NBA, rather than the beloved amateur sport it once was. He went in search of college basketball played with the passion and integrity it once inspired, and found the Patriot League. As one of the NCAA's smallest leagues, none of these teams leaves college early to join the NBA and none of these coaches gets national recognition or endorsement contracts. The young men on these teams are playing for the love of the sport, of competition and of their schools. John Feinstein spent a season with these players, uncovering the drama of their daily lives and the passions that drive them to commit hundreds of hours to basketball even when there is no chance of a professional future. He offers a look at American sport at its purest.

Entertainment Weekly

...makes you care about the little-known players of the Patriot League...you'll be glued to the page...

Table of Contents

Introductionxvii
1One Shining Moment3
2"Others Will Follow ..."13
3Looking to the Future27
4Beginnings44
5Square One ... Again61
6Let's Talk Money71
7The Champs85
8Starting from the Bottom97
9No Moral Victories111
10Not So Sweet Redemption122
11Building Blocks136
12One More Chance146
13That Light Is a Train170
14No Rest for the Weary186
15Days of Ivy197
16Starting All Over Again208
17Opening Salvos221
18Singing Up a Storm235
19Searching for Respect245
20The Rivalry259
21Getting Tense269
22This Isn't Over281
23Middle of the Pack291
24Farewells305
25Family Feud313
26And the Winner Is ...323
27Three Wins to the Promised Land336
28Uh-Oh, It's Lehigh354
29All or Nothing364
30Worthy Champions382
Epilogue395
Afterword: March 15, 2001 ... Uniondale, N.Y.405
Acknowledgments421
Index427

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