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
and#8220;There were many memorable moments in the UConnand#8211;Tennessee rivalry. The author captures them all in exquisite detail, plus many more. This is a must-read for any womenand#8217;s basketball fan, let alone those who follow the Huskies and Lady Vols.and#8221;and#8212;Mel Greenberg, Womenand#8217;s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (2007), former womenand#8217;s basketball writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and creator of the weekly Associated Press womenand#8217;s basketball poll
Review
andquot;Highly recommended for basketball and collegiate sports fans as well as readers interested in learning about this important era in womenand#39;s history.andquot;andmdash;Katie McGaha, Library Journal
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
For twelve years the womenand#8217;s basketball rivalry between UConn and Tennessee was the most iconic matchup in womenand#8217;s sports. Even now, twenty years since the annual series started, the competition between these two storied programs still provokes heated argument and bitter resentment.
Led by Hall of Fame coaches Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt, UConn and Tennessee combined for nine national championships, with the UConn Huskies winning fiveand#8212;including four against the Tennessee Lady Vols. In all, UConn won thirteen of twenty-two matchups during the rivalry, and along the way the two coachesand#8212;with distinctive and brash personalities and a shared determination to rule their sportand#8212;clashed privately and publicly, generating enough heat to make womenand#8217;s basketball relevant in the national sports landscape as never before.
On the court, the two teams produced a series of memorable games, from overtime thrillers to timeless classics that defined the sport. Off the court, the coachesand#8217; encounters were often marked by their seemingly genuine dislike for each other, until the conflict reached a breaking point in 2007 and Summitt stunned the basketball world by canceling the series for reasons neither side has ever revealed.
Now, eight years after the last game, Unrivaled uncovers the on-court and behind-the-scenes story of this intensely personal rivalry between coaches, players, and the two most passionate fan bases womenand#8217;s sports has ever known.
and#160;
About the Author
Jeff Goldberg was the UConn womenand#8217;s basketball writer for the
Hartford Courant from 2001 to 2006 and is the author of
Bird at the Buzzer: UConn, Notre Dame, and a Womenand#8217;s Basketball Classic (Nebraska, 2011). Rebecca Lobo played for coach Auriemma at UConn and on three teams in the WNBA. She is now a television basketball analyst for ESPN.and#160;
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