Synopses & Reviews
When fall rolls into winter, most sports fans in Nebraska long for spring football. But Coach Tim Miles has given hibernating fans a reason to cheer through winter for the first time in twenty years. Since taking over the menandrsquo;s basketball program in 2012, Miles has gone from being relatively unknown outside college coaching circles to a big name on the national stage as an up-and-coming, funny, and fan-friendly college coach.
Miles scores big with Nebraskaandrsquo;s fans with his social media acumenandmdash;he tweets during halftimeandmdash;and his fan interactionandmdash;he applied (and failed) to become the leader of the student section at Pinnacle Bank Arena. But on the court and in practice, Miles is all about winning. His combination of toughness, togetherness, and humor has rejuvenated Nebraska basketball.
Nebrasketball provides a full-access account of Tim Milesandrsquo;s path to Nebraska and his teamandrsquo;s inaugural season in the $186 million Pinnacle Bank Arena. With full access to Miles and the team, Scott Winter provides basketball fans with an intimate look at a rising star in college basketball, detailing what itandrsquo;s like to coach an NCAA menandrsquo;s program today with all of its triumphs and struggles, along with Milesandrsquo;s larger story as a transformational coach who has made Nebraska basketball, and other college programs, relevant. The book also shows the small-town legacy and tenacity that created Miles, including his motherandrsquo;s prodding, his benching as a college player, and his significant history of losing, which he claims was his most important mentor.
Review
andldquo;Nebraska coach Tim Miles is a rising superstar running a once-beleaguered program that is rising right along with him. . . . [Scott Winter] has crafted a riveting, behind-the-scenes look at how Miles is doing it and all that has made [him] who he is. It is an insiderandrsquo;s view full of color and detail and the raw workings of a program that has captured the hearts of not just Nebraska fans but all of college basketball.andrdquo;andmdash;Shelley Smith, ESPN and SportsCenter correspondent
Review
andldquo;Scott Winter gives us an inside look at one of the Huskersandrsquo; most exciting seasons [2013andndash;14] in recent historyandmdash;a season worth reliving again.andrdquo;andmdash;Kevin Kugler, play-by-play television broadcaster for Big Ten Network college basketball and radio voice of Sunday Night Football for Westwood One Sports
Review
andldquo;[Itandrsquo;s] a Season on the Brink type of book. . . . Absolutely fascinating and a must-read.andrdquo;andmdash;Dan Dakich, ESPN color analyst and radio host and former NCAA coach
Review
andldquo;I thought I knew Tim Miles pretty well and basketball even better, but Scott Winter has taught me a great deal about both. I want a book exactly like Nebrasketball on every successful coach.andrdquo;andmdash;John Gasaway, ESPNand#39;sand#160;Insider college basketball contributor
Review
andldquo;I really appreciate Tim Milesandrsquo;s candor. I interview coaches all of the time and I look forward to speaking with Tim because heandrsquo;s not going to sugarcoat his words. He is genuine, refreshing, and thoughtful in this book! Pick it up!andrdquo;andmdash;Stephen Bardo, Big Ten Network analyst and former Big Ten defensive player of the year for the Flyinandrsquo; Illini
Review
andldquo;What separates this book from many of the others that have been written about college basketball is that there are countless behind-the-scenes stories that illustrate how Miles molded himself into a big-time coach.andrdquo;andmdash;Grand Forks (ND)and#160;Herald
Synopsis
Before March 2011 only four coaches had ever won the NCAA men's basketball championship three times or more. That month, with the culmination of the famous March Madness, the University of Connecticut's Jim Calhoun became the fifth. In twenty-five years at UConn, coach Jim Calhoun changed a team, a university, a state, and college basketball. Shock the World is a riveting season-by-season, game-by-game, and player-by-player biography of Jim Calhoun's winning program. It paints a vivid portrait of college basketball in the last twenty-five years and highlights the challenges Calhoun overcame to become the best program builder of all time, and the greatest coach of his generation. Calhoun's Huskies show that spirit, fortitude, and perseverance are keys to winning in modern collegiate sports, just as they are the keys to overcoming challenges off the court.
At the end of the 2010 season an NCAA investigation, penalties, and few returning players threatened an end to the Calhoun era. Despite these obstacles, Calhoun, point guard Kemba Walker, and a group of freshmen led UConn to a win at the Maui Invitational in November, and UConn became the first team to capture its conference tournament by winning five games in five days. They went on to a thrilling win in the championship, making this period in the Calhoun era one of great resilience and an enduring monument to Husky pride.
Synopsis
After the 2012 season, the UConn basketball program appeared to be on the decline. Several high-profile players departed early and the NCAA confirmed that it would ban the Huskies from the 2013 NCAA tournament. But Jim Calhoun the man who built the program in the first place still reigned in Storrs and vowed not to leave his team in disarray.
Could Calhoun save UConn basketball? He has done it before. In twenty-five years at UConn, coach Jim Calhoun changed a team, a university, a state, and college basketball. Shock the World is a riveting season-by-season, game-by-game, and player-by-player biography of Jim Calhoun s winning program. It paints a vivid portrait of college basketball in the last twenty-five years, and highlights the challenges Calhoun overcame to become the best program builder of all time and the greatest coach of his generation. Until March 2011 only four coaches had ever won the NCAA men s basketball championship three times or more. That month, with the culmination of the famous March Madness, the University of Connecticut s Jim Calhoun became the fifth. Calhoun s Huskies show that spirit, fortitude, and perseverance are keys to winning in modern collegiate sports, just as they are the keys to overcoming challenges off the court.
At the end of the 2010 season an NCAA investigation, penalties, and the small number of returning players threatened to end the Calhoun era. Despite these obstacles, Calhoun, point guard Kemba Walker, and a group of freshmen led UConn to a win at the Maui Invitational in November, and UConn became the first team to capture its conference tournament by winning five games in five days. They went on to a thrilling win in the championship, making this period in the Calhoun era one of great resilience, and an enduring monument to Husky pride.
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About the Author
Scott Winter is an assistant professor of journalism at Bethel University. His work has been published in American Journalism Review, Indian Country Today, and In the Fray. Tom Izzo is the legendary head coach for the Michigan State Spartans menandrsquo;s basketball team.