Synopses & Reviews
The Ivy League is a place where basketball is neither a pastime nor a profession. Instead, it is a true passion among players, coaches, and committed sports enthusiasts who share in its every success and setback.
Outside the Limelight is the first book to look inside Ivy League basketball and at the boundless enthusiasm that defines it.
With painstaking reportage, Kathy Orton vividly captures the internal fervor of the personalities who champion their gameand#249;all the triumphs and disappointments of an Ivy hoop season. Scholarships for student athletes? None, and this is the only Division I conference that does not offer them. The TV spotlight? It barely shines, despite the passion, talent, and commitment of the players. Megadollar contracts from the NBA? Rarely does a player receive an offer. These age-old institutions are better known for turning out presidents, not point guards, and CEOs and captains of industry, not centers on the court.
Orton weaves together the stories of coaches and players as they move from fall practice through an entire season and ahead to the NCAA tournament. From Harvard to Penn, Princeton to Cornell and beyond, playersand#249;perhaps more accustomed to pomp and circumstanceand#249;face leaky gyms, endure long bus rides, rigorous courseloads, and unbearable exam schedules. Why? Just to prove they can hang with the big boys despite juggling multiple non-athletic responsibilities? Maybe. But more importantly, for the sincere love of the game.
Outside the Limelight provides frontcourt vision for college basketball fans everywhere to achieve an appreciation of this captivating conference and for diehard enthusiasts to gain greater insight into what brings Ivy League basketball to center circle.
Review
"Not many people are aware of the drama of Ivy League basketball. Outside the Limelight is a wonderful tribute to one of the most undervalued conferences in college basketball. I know. I've got the tuition bills."Tony Kornheiser, Washington Post and ESPN
Review
"Kathy Orton, provides a welcome look at a frequently underappreciated side of college hoops. Orton's talents shine most brightly in her ability to make us care deeply about these players both on and off the court. She reminds us that, contrary to public perception, 'student athlete' isn't a contradiction in terms."The Washington Post
Review
"Journalist Orton followed Ivy League men's basketball during the 2005-06 season, as Penn and Princeton battled for the top spot and Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, and Columbia struggled to achieve winning records. This charming book recalls a time when colleges played basketball solely for the love of the sport. Highly recommended."Choice
Review
"Orton, a Washington Post
sports writer, makes a game effort of illuminating the inside game of a sport that has been remarkably monotonous in its outcome."Bloomberg News
Synopsis
Outside the Limelight is the first book to look inside Ivy League basketball and at the boundless enthusiasm that defines it. With painstaking reportage, Kathy Orton weaves together the stories of coaches and players as they move from fall practice through an entire season and ahead to the NCAA tournament. vividly capturing the internal fervor of the personalities who champion their gameandugrave;all the triumphs and disappointments of an Ivy hoop season.
Synopsis
Ivy league fan contest, direct mail, author tour and signings
About the Author
KATHY ORTON has covered college basketball for the Washington Post for more than a decade. She was also the newspaper's beat writer on the NFL's Baltimore Ravens for two seasons, including their Super Bowl season in 2000.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface
1 Origins of a League
Part I Great Expectations
2 A Mom-and-Pop Store
3 Great Scott
4 Multicultural Quakers
5 Getting Under Way
6 Roll Crimson Pride
7 Backdoor Cuts
8 A Tradition Tarnished
9 Bright Lights, Big Stages
Part II The Heart of the Season
10 Harvardization
11 Conference Calls
12 We Interrupt This Season . . .
13 The Road Is the Thing
14 Everyone Onto the Court
15 Brothers in Arms
16 A Rivalry Like No Other
17 Topsy-Turvy Weekend
18 Dreams Deferred
19 And the Winner Is . . .
Part III Tournament Hoopiness
20 The Wait of Expectations
Epilogue