Transition Game: How Hoops Went Hip-Hop (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "THE SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTING THE BLOOMINGTON NORTH basketball team rolled down State Road 37, rumbling like an empty stomach as a marmalade sun ducked beneath..." (more)
Key Phrases: Bloomington North, Indiana University, Bloomington South (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To examine the interconnected evolution of basketball and the hoops-crazy state of Indiana, Wertheim (Venus Envy) returns to Bloomington, Ind., to follow a basketball season at his high school alma mater. Interspersed among the chapters about the team are stories about Indiana's connection to basketball and the state of the game on the NBA and college levels. Dealing with subjects like the demise of former Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight and NBA basketball's low "watchability" factor, Wertheim's assessments shine with top-notch writing and, thanks to the author's Sports Illustrated background, are augmented by quotes from power players like Larry Bird. Wertheim excels at finding a connection between the bigger basketball world and the Bloomington team, and his examination of the globalization of basketball through the eyes of one family that moved to Bloomington to escape civil war in Sudan and went on to send their five children to college on basketball scholarships deftly shows the bittersweet nature of the American dream. Similarly, Wertheim's decision to confront these issues by observing two Indiana towns--one white, one black--results in original dialogue on the much-discussed theme of the racial politics of American sport. These forays into thought-provoking cultural topics add weight to a fun and fast-paced examination of an enduring game. B&w photos.
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Wertheim, a Sports Illustrated writer, graduated from basketball-crazy Bloomington North High School in south-central Indiana in 1989. When he was in school, his classmates played typical Indiana ball, founded on crisp cuts, screens, and accurate midrange shooting, all performed at ground level. The new Bloomington Cougars, now a state powerhouse under coach Tom McKinney, play a hip-hop, high-flying style more akin to the NBA than to the classic Indiana style on view in the movie Hoosiers. Wertheim uses the changes at his old high school as a base to understand the changes in basketball throughout the country. He explores the history of the Indiana Pacers NBA team, now operated by Larry Bird, who, as a Boston Celtic, embodied the fundamental soundness that purists now claim is missing from the game. He also goes to Indiana University, where he explores that program's tumultuous--but generally very successful--history under controversial coach Bob Knight and his successor, Mike Davis. But Wertheim always comes back to Bloomington North, where McKinney maintains the fine line between demanding sound fundamentals while accommodating his players' desire for a more personally expressive style. And the book touches on more than just hoops. The lives of today's high-schoolers are both different from and similar to previous generations, but rather than just noting the disparities, Wertheim ponders their implications. A wonderfully written peek into the modern game and the people who coach it and play it. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons (March 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399152504
• ISBN-13: 978-0399152504
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,181,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A 360-degree view of Indiana basketball, June 25, 2005

By	Andy Orrock (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Sports Illustrated tennis/basketball writer Jon Wertheim spent a winter back in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana tending to his ailing father. During that time, he re-connected with his high school's basketball program. He was agog at how things had changed in the 10+ years since he graduated. In comparison to the "Hoosiers" he left behind, Wertheim finds that Streetball-fueled athleticism is permeating every aspect of basketball, in every Indiana town.

Wertheim's book juxtaposes this new reality vs. the iconic image of the lone Indiana youth practicing his free throws in a driveway in small town. It's a theme he develops well in this book, but perhaps not as extensively as the eye-rolling sub-title of the book ("How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hop") implies. I imagine Wertheim blanched a bit when he saw that. Rather then deep-diving into hip-hop culture, "Transition Game" takes the reader on a 360-degree view of Indiana basketball - small high schools, big high schools, IU, Purdue's women's team, the legend of Damon Bailey, and the so-called "Crime Against Culture" (Indiana's universally despised move away to four-class basketball in 1998). It's a well-reported travelogue that gives the reader a flavor of how basketball culture is changing in even the most traditional of settings.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, August 27, 2005

By	SF Reader (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

I bought this as a gift for my dad. I'm always looking for a good sports book for him for his birthday and I've read Wertheim's articles and his tennis mailbag in Sports Illustrated. But when this book came in the mail I picked it up and I couldn't put it down. I'm not even a basketball fan! I loved the writing- Wertheim is witty and perceptive, and I never realized how fascinating Indiana basketball is from a sociological point of view. When my dad finally got to read his gift (after I finished) he loved it and sent a copy to my uncle in Boston, a big basketball fan. Highly recommend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a Superstar, but Solid, July 28, 2005

By	N. Bilmes "bookaholic" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wetheim's book is told in a series of vignettes, alternating chapters that detail the final season of an Indiana high school coach with chapters that address individual issues that effect the way basketball is played today around the country. Some of the areas covered include: agents, women's basketball, the globalization of the sport, college basketball, professional basketball, violence, and racism. We meet some of the players on the high school team, and see where they come from and why they play. Not all of the chapters are entertaining, but most of them are.

I recommend this for any fan of basketball, whether it be high school, college, or pro hoops you prefer.