From Six-On-Six to Full Court Press: A Century of Iowa Girls' Basketball [Hardcover]

Janice Beran (Author), Jan Beran (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Eighteen months after basketball was introduced in Massachusetts, girls were playing the sport in Iowa, the only state to play continuously since 1893. Though hampered in the early years by outdoor courts, cramped gyms, three-zone play, and bulky uniforms, high school girls in Iowa developed a love affair with the game, typified by the celebration for the 1949 state champions from Wellsburg (pop. 700), in which a six-mile car convoy led to the town center. In many places, girls' competitive sports were considered "unladylike," but in rural and small-town Iowa, girls were the stars. This book will appeal most to Midwesterners, but, despite the excessive player detail, it is also an important document of women's sport history. More than 100 photographs superbly portray the action and early uniforms.
- Kathy Ruffle, Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, B.C.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“From Six-on-Six to Full Court Press is a complete history of Iowa women’s high school, college, and recreational basketball. Beran’s exhaustive research . . . covers legendary players and coaches, changes in rules, stats on Iowa girls’ high school records, alterations in playing styles and uniforms, along with the heart-stopping excitement of the state tournament.”—Hoop Source

“Beran captures the passion and commitment of the players and explains how the game became an integral part of the life of families and communities. Easily read and rich with facts and illustrations, this work will be well received  by players, fans, and devotees of popular Iowa history.”—Annals of Iowa

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Iowa State Press; 1st edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813823692
• ISBN-13: 978-0813823690
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,143,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jed Davis, AD/Girls' Basketball Coach [e-mail], November 19, 2000

By 

Jed Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Six-On-Six to Full Court Press: A Century of Iowa Girls' Basketball (Hardcover)

Upon finishing this magnificent book, do I laugh or do I cry? Girls' high school basketball and teaching young girls to play basketball is my life. But what relevance does this book have? This is the history of girls' basketball in a state far away from mine. There are no diagrammed plays or secrets to success. Is it worth the hardcover price? To that question I answer an emphatic " yes! " There are a number of men and women in North America, who like myself, have dedicated themselves to girls' high school basketball. We can give you a dozen reasons why we love girls' basketball and why we have dedicated our lives to it. We can give you another dozen reasons why basketball is so important to the lives of our young female athletes. But still, when all has been said, words cannot adequately capture what the experience means to all those involved. Within the 200 pages of text, this book explains an American phenomenon that has its roots in Iowa and has proceeded to touch the lives of millions of girls, coaches and communities. That is why in reading six-on-six, I sometimes laughed and sometimes was swept up in emotion. This book is a comprehensive history of girls' basketball in the state of Iowa. The research is careful, thorough and disciplined. But in addition to covering the history of girls' basketball in Iowa, the book represents one of the best documentations of the history of basketball ever printed. The photos and interviews take you into the lives of the players -- how they played the game, how they overcame the obstacles of the early years in terms of facilities, equipment and transportation and most importantly, what basketball did for them personally....how they felt about the emerging game of basketball. It also covers how the game changed and why the changes were made. Iowa is unique in girls' basketball. It is the only state that since the 1920s, has continuously sanctioned interscholastic play and it does so with an independent sanctioning body that is separate from the boys. Those of us who live in the big metropolitan areas tend to think of Iowans as down-home conservative people who live a stable uncomplicated life. While their may or may not be some truth to the latter, what is perfectly clear is that Iowa is the most progressive state in the union when it comes to girls' athletics. They implemented Title IX fifty years before it became the law of the land. They appreciate, support, praise and celebrate their high school female athletes. In Iowa, the Iowa girl is queen. How did this develop? Why in Iowa? All of this is explained. But the best part of the book are the interviews that give you a glimpse into the lives of the girls, coaches, superintendents and sport writers that made all this possible.... men and women that had great vision and understood why basketball and sports is so important to the lives of teenage girls. As mentioned, the book is not about strategy or tips but through interviews, I learned some things that have helped me in my coaching. These have to do with the psychology of girls and why certain aspects of the game and experience are so important to girls. And why as a coach, I must respect the girls' wishes. If girls' basketball means a lot to you, read this book. You will be inspired by one of the great success stories of the 20th century.

5.0 out of 5 stars Iowa girls basketball, February 13, 2009

By 

Cindy R. Brown - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: From Six-on-Six to Full Court Press: A Century of Iowa Girls' Basketball (Paperback)

great service! more history than I realized. Midwest girls/women - maybe how & why we're different. From Six-on-Six to Full Court Press: A Century of Iowa Girls' Basketball

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting well written history, March 25, 2008

By 

Woody Carver "glk" (Iowa Falls, IA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: From Six-On-Six to Full Court Press: A Century of Iowa Girls' Basketball (Hardcover)

I normally browse and skip sections in books like this but found myself reading word for word. Wonderful photographs, history of the girl's game of basketball and how it evolved. I learned how unique girl's playing the sport really was. I learned Iowa 6 on 6 was covered heavily by media all over the USA. I am wondering if something special was allowed to die with the advent of 5 on 5 girl's basketball. I found that many 6 on 6 players were quite successful playing 5 on 5 college ball. Lot's more to think about the directions we are sometimes led in the name of progress.