Hoop Tales: Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball (Hoop Tales Series) [Paperback]

John E. "Buck" Turnbull (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hoop Tales Series | Publication Date: October 1, 2006

Join veteran sportswriter Buck Turnbull as he takes you through the highs and lows of Hawkeye basketball in this book of stories, photos, and anecdotes that Iowa fans will treasure forever.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the acrobatic shooting of little Murray Wier to the dominant play of big Chuck Darling, and from the incredible shooting of Downtown Freddie Brown to the magical play of Ronnie Lester, many of the brightest stars in Iowa’s past gained lasting fame in the Fieldhouse.

From the Back Cover

Thrilling victories, crushing defeats, comical mishaps, and colorful coaches, players, and fans—these are the legendary moments and larger-than-life personalities that have made the Iowa Hawkeyes a college hoops favorite.
In Hoop Tales: Iowa Hawkeyes Men’s Basketball, veteran journalist Buck Turnbull shares his favorite memories of this beloved team. Together you’ll relive the highs and lows and become reacquainted with some of the team’s all-time greatest heroes and legends including:

Murray Wier, the 5’7’’ “Little Redhead” who sunk off-balance shots with deadly accuracy in the 1940s
The “Fabulous Five,” the 1950s standouts who won back-to-back Big Ten championships
Legendary coach Lute Olson and the rise of Iowa’s basketball program to national prominence
Steve Alford, the former Hoosier great who has coached the Hawkeyes back to the top of the Big Ten

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 1st edition (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762743174
• ISBN-13: 978-0762743179
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars It just didn't grab me like it should, January 29, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hoop Tales: Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball (Hoop Tales Series) (Paperback)

I grew up listening to the University of Iowa men's basketball games on the radio (Ron Gonder was the best announcer) and when I was in junior high and high school, the names Sam Williams, John Johnson and Fred Brown were magical. When we played basketball in gym class, those were the names we uttered when we tried to do something spectacular.
While Turnbull does a good job in this book, it did not grab me like it should. I can remember nearly every game he describes, having gone to some of them. The only point where I felt touched was when he described the game where Iowa played Michigan shortly after Chris Street was killed. I was there and it was one of the most emotionally intense moments of my life. People of all ages and genders were openly crying in the stands when his parents were brought out onto the court.
The problem is that Turnbull tends to bounce around in the chronological sense, often jumping forward and backwards in time. He also tends to miss some of the dynamic moments of NCAA tournament play and he forgets to emphasize the incredible bad luck that coach Tom Davis had. The book just lacks that intangible emotional fire that I expected of a book describing so many exciting events that I have a personal memory of.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Trip Down Memory Lane, April 22, 2008

By 

Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hoop Tales: Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball (Hoop Tales Series) (Paperback)

I've been a fan of Hawkeye Basketball since before the days of Sam Williams (whose autograph I still have). I was reaching back to some old sports memories recently and acquired a few books and DVD's about some of the greatest teams, seasons, players and games that I experienced. In the case of the Iowa Hawkeyes, their basketball team has probably been the team I cheered for the loudest and the longest so it was fitting to get this book.

I am familiar with the author, Buck Turnbull, because I read his sports columns and articles in the Des Moines "Register" growing up in that fine city. I even graduated from high school with one of his sons. His style of writing is more than adequate for this book. He's a bit of a "homer" (with a small h - let's not get carried away). However, he's a good historian of the program and filled in the background on all the names I heard dropped while I was growing up. Names like Murray Wier, Sharm Scheuerman, Don Nelson, and others. I heard of them and knew of them but I didn't know their history with the Hawkeyes; now I do.

Mostly what I enjoyed about the book was what I already knew about; the big wins and the heartbreaking losses. Relieving those special moments brought back memories of where I was at the time. One game in particular got a good write up in the book. It was the first game after the tragic death of Chris Street. My wife and I were driving at night from Williston, ND to Bismarck and I caught the game on WHO radio. The Hawkeyes were down by over 15 points with less than 4 minutes to play at Michigan State and pulled out a victory in overtime. Even my wife was excited (although she wouldn't let me listen to the post-game show). That and many other memorable games are chronicled in this 168-page book. I didn't come across the Connie Hawkins matter or the serious illness that left James Speed blind but the book focusses (as it should) more on the teams than the individuals.

Good or bad, there are many memories associated with all major collegiant sports programs. This was a good overview of a program that wasn't the best but was good enough for a lot of great memories.