Bruin 100: The Greatest Games in the History of UCLA Basketball [Hardcover]

Scott Howard-Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

UCLA basketball is history as much as tradition. From the early days when the lack of reasonable travel options forced the Bruins to play local high school teams, to the World War II years against the studio teams from Hollywood, to the almost surreal success during the 1960s and 70s, to beyond. Jackie Robinson played basketball at UCLA. So did Rafer Johnson. They were part of the era when the Bruins often struggled for wins, strange as that would come to sound for a program that would one day have 88 of them in a row. Lew Alcindor came from the East to dominate, Bill Walton from the West to maintain the greatness, John Wooden from the heartland of Indiana to lead them both, and to lead them all. The Bruin 100 recounts—in order of importance to the sport and the programs—how Wooden nearly didn't come to UCLA and the moment when Alcindor was glad he did. It chronicles the guard who later won the Nobel Peace Prize, the forward who helped save a life in the afternoon and a team later that night, the center who wasn't a superstar but played like it to keep the dynasty alive. It brings back the people and the moments, the most storied games in the most successful of programs. The national championships, the loss to Houston in what has been called the Game of the Century. The record winning streak, the loss to North Carolina State in the Final Four that still pains. The coast-to-coast run by Tyus Edney against Missouri, the even-more-improbable run by Larry Brown's underdog team to reach the title game. Relive the tradition, some parts of which are not even detailed in the record books, through photos and anecdotes and the foreward by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or live it for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Our club is hard to figure out ... I'll say this for the boys. They meet every challenge with courage. (UCLA Coach John Wooden )

About the Author

Scott Howard-Cooper grew up in Southern California and has been a sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times since 1981. Since 1988 he has covered the NBA and UCLA.

Scott Howard-Cooper grew up in Southern California and has been a sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times since 1981. Since 1988 he has covered the NBA and UCLA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886110565
• ISBN-13: 978-1886110564
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 10.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,188,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant classic for any Bruin hoops fan, May 31, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Redondo Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruin 100: The Greatest Games in the History of UCLA Basketball (Hardcover)

I got lost in this book, just flipping page by page and remembering stuff I'd forgotten and reading stuff I never knew about Wooden and Bibby, Baron and Goodrich, Harrick and Hazzard... I loved the way the author interspersed the GIANT games that everybody remembers--the 1968 loss to Houston, all of the national title games, Tyus Edney over Missouri--with the little moments that really make you think and wonder. About Wooden's first game as coach, about Rafer Johnson's first start in 1958, about Cal's Pauley Pavilion upset in 1995, about Reggie Miller and Kris Johnson and Pete Blackman, about Gene Bartow and Harrick's firing and Ed O's goodbye... about some incredible things and some sad things and always memorable things. You can read this book from start to finish, or just drop in and out, from game to game, and relish the details. From Kareem's foreword to the great stat package in the back, and all the great, evocative story-telling in between, this is a tremendous book.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-have book for college basketball fans, August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bruin 100: The Greatest Games in the History of UCLA Basketball (Hardcover)

I find myself flipping through this book at least three times a month. The author, Scott Howard-Cooper, did a wonderful job. I've seen several of the memorable games he selected. After reading his book, I feel as though I've seen all 100. Bravo, Scott.