The Men of March : A Season Inside the Lives of College Basketball Coaches

From Publishers Weekly
Nearly everything about this look at four college basketball coaches during the 2002 season betrays the TV background of its author, a former commentator for Fox's cable sports affiliate in L.A. This should not necessarily be a bad thing; the increasing vigor with which television has covered the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament has shone a much-needed light on that complicated world, and Curtis admirably picks up on the interest. But mostly this is a sophomoric effort. The author followed UCLA's Steve Lavin, Iowa's Steve Alford, Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Illinois's Bill Self during the 2001-2002 campaign. He interweaves the stories of their seasons, from the "midnight madness" that marks the first day of practice to their respective tournament runs in March, with background about their recruiting efforts and how they got their jobs. Some aspects of the book-such as the conceit of following around Division I coaches for a season and the subtitle-suggest another Season on the Brink, John Feinstein's remarkable account of Bobby Knight's Indiana University 1985-1986 team. However, this effort falls short. Like most TV commentators, Curtis is given access most fans only dream of. And like many TV commentators, he squanders it. Commentator platitudes like "take it to the next level" pop up repeatedly in what are essentially puff pieces. Instead of using his hours at practice to garner real insight, the author spends too much time apologizing for coaches like the embattled Lavin and steeping his prose in unrevealing anecdotes that confirm his unsurprising thesis: "The responsibilities of a college coach are time-intensive and the job is a never-ending one."Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
This book takes a one of a kind look at what it means, and what it takes to be a head coach in the college arena of the new millennium.

From the Inside Flap
The Men of March: A Season Inside the Lives of College Basketball Coaches is a one-of-a-kind look at what it means and what it takes to be a college head coach in the new millennium. It is the story of four of the nation’s top coaches, and their programs, who opened up their practices, locker rooms, sidelines, offices, and homes during one season—Steve Alford of Iowa, Bill Self of Illinois, Mike Brey of Notre Dame, and Steve Lavin of UCLA. Along the way, Brian Curtis lays bare the forces that make coaches tick: from upset losses and recruiting wars to the mounting frenzy of March Madness and the fierce rivalries played out through long winters under the brightest, hottest spotlight in college sports. The Men of March also provides an in-depth understanding of some of the major issues in the game that coaches face year round, including recruiting, graduation rates, hirings and firings, media relations, and the roles that race and religion play in the game. With candid comments from over fifty college coaches, including Lute Olson, Mike Davis, and John Chaney, in addition to perspectives from Dick Vitale, John Wooden, John Feinstein, and many others, Curtis provides a full, and at times shocking, perspective on today’s biggest issues. The Men of March takes you on a journey inside the lives of coaches and their teams—from last-second timeout huddles to the frenzied recruiting wars over the nation’s top prospects; from intense practice sessions to the even more intense halftime talks; from long nights in hotel rooms to seemingly endless pregame scouting sessions; from dramatic shots and inexcusable mistakes to public displays of frustrations and private, personal crises. The constant criticism of coaches from the fans, media, and alumni is tempered only by the realization that so few get to do what they really love. >From tipoff at Midnight Madness to the last seconds of the Final Four, the coach’s journey has many memorable moments. The Men of March takes these moments and reveals what the game of college basketball and life on the "hot seat" are all about.

About the Author
As a journalist, coach, educator and fan, Brian Curtis brings considerable experience in television and sports to his latest project. Most recently, Curtis was a sports reporter and broadcaster for Fox Sports Net based in Los Angeles, primarily covering college basketball and college football. He was nominated for two Los Angeles Emmy Awards in 2001 and has received high praise from his peers for his work. Prior to working for Fox Sports Net, Curtis worked as a sports reporter and anchor for a local television station in Ohio, covering basketball and football in the Mid American Conference. He hosted a call-in sports radio talk show, Sports Conversation, in Virginia and covered ACC basketball on radio. In addition to his work in broadcasting, Curtis has been a soccer coach at the collegiate and high school levels, and has worked in the athletic departments at the University of Virginia, University of Delaware and Ohio University. He is a member of the United States Basketball Writers Association as well as other broadcasting and coaching organizations. Curtis gives his time to the Special Olympics. Curtis holds a Master’s degree from Ohio University in Sports Management and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in Government. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California, with his wife, Tamara.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

This book is part investigative journalism and part think piece on the state of big-time college basketball. Curtis, a reporter and broadcaster for Fox Sports Net, spent a year closely following four Division I college coaches (Steve Alford of Iowa, Steve Lavin of UCLA, Bill Self of Illinois, and Mike Brey of Notre Dame) and uses his observations to create a larger picture of the sport. The book is largely narrative in structure, with each chapter covering a different area, whether a specific coach or issue (e.g., the morally muddy world of recruiting, racism, and money). While each chapter is well researched and written, a number digress into what feels like a minute-by-minute account of a game for which he happened to be in the locker room. Still, Curtis's examination of controversial issues is both interesting and original, as is his nuanced view of the life and duties of a college coach. A detailed and complex picture emerges of what can seem like a simple world of winning and losing. Recommended for all sports collections.-James Miller, Springfield Coll. Lib., MA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices