Where the Game Matters Most: A Last Championship Season in Indiana High School Basketball [Hardcover]

William Gildea (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 1997

In the tradition of "Hoop Dreams, The Last Shot", and "Friday Night Lights", a noted sportswriter captures high school basketball at its most intense--and brings to life the final year of Indiana's famous all-state tournament of photos Targeted ads & author tour.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whenever David beats Goliath it's news; everything is suddenly possible. In Indiana, where basketball is an obsession, and high school basketball a religious pilgrimage to the state championship, the potential for Davids--remember Hoosiers?--is both magnificent and ever possible. But in 1996, Indiana changed that. Despite outrage and protest, the state opted to revamp the format that allowed all its high schools to compete against one another for the state title, and instead to institute a divisional system that would segregate schools by size, allowing for four champion teams. As unpopular as the decision was, it made the 1996-97 season--the last to be played under the old rules--emotionally charged and sociologically above the rim in richness. William Gildea's examination of that final season is ripe with the voices of coaches and players, and vivid in its replay of big games. But the book's real strength is off the court in Gildea's observations and reportage on the ethos of small towns, small-town virtues, and the place of sports in the community. Where the Game Matters Most is a championship volume in any league.

From Library Journal

Gildea's work in the Washington Post is always quick, intelligent, and entertaining. Like all sporting events, there is much more to Indiana high school basketball than the final score and a few quotations. With this work, Gildea has the luxury of telling the full story of Indiana's recent change from an open to a four-class tournament system and of the last true state champions. As Indiana University Coach Bob Knight (who is from Ohio) explains, "Basketball was invented in Massachusetts and developed in Indiana." Gildea takes us all around the Hoosier state, where it seems that every house has a hoop in the driveway, on the barn, or both. He introduces us to the coaches, who see no need to change a system that is not broken, and we meet the gutsy young players. At the end, we may not entirely understand the unique Hoosier love for basketball, but we certainly want to practice our free-throws. For all public libraries.?Andrew Riccobono, Marymount Univ., Arlington, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (December 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316519677
• ISBN-13: 978-0316519670
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.8 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,240,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > College & University

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Solid Read, January 28, 2002

By 

Mark A. Bragg (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where the Game Matters Most (Paperback)

This is an enjoyable read that focuses on the positive attributes of high school basketball. It is not an expose like Friday Night Lights or even Fall River Dreams, but that is fine. It is a book that makes me long for the good old days of the single class tourney of Hoosiers fame.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ for any high school basketball fan., February 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Where the Game Matters Most: A Last Championship Season in Indiana High School Basketball (Hardcover)

While I agree with the earlier review, that the teams profiled, didn't advance as far as you may have originally expected; I also feel that is part of the beauty of the book (and Hoosier basketball itself). Anything can happen on a given night and the giants can fall to the Davids. This is the exact purpose of the book and why so many Hoosier basketball fans are unhappy with the delineation of their sacred tournament.

I found myself seated in many of the gyms depicted in the book, as the games were described. I was on the edge of my seat, surrounded by the atmosphere of the noisy arenas, the smell of hotdogs and popcorn. I don't think anyone could ask for more from any written work.

While this will be a great read for most Indiana basketball fans, it should also be a delight for anyone who enjoys sports at its purist form; one where the athletes play simply for pride and enjoyment, rather than a larger chunk of the corporate puzzle.

I've read it twice now, and when it returns from the autograph circuit I've sent it on, courtesy of the post office, I'm sure I'll read it again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GONE WITH THE WIND: HOOSIER HYSTERIA, March 1, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where the Game Matters Most: A Last Championship Season in Indiana High School Basketball (Hardcover)

As a young boy growing up in the heartland of Indiana the homage for Milan High School and the infamous jumpshop by Bobby Plump over Muncie Central in 1954 created a mystique that may never be duplicated in the annals of Hoosier high school basketball. Mr. Gildea portrays the inner sanctum of what "The Game" truly represents with complete respect and esteem. Every youngster who learned the game of basketball in the state of Indiana continually remembers the never-ending and repetitive drlls of lay-ups and dribbling with either hand plus the proper procedure of the "give and go" with the eventual expectations of playing in Hinkle Fieldhouse for the state championship.

Mr. Gildea examines the heart and soul of Hoosier Hysteria and the demise of the single-champion tournament as if he lived in Indiana his entire life and not as an outsider from the Washington Post. He captures the spirit of Hoosier basketball through a spectrum of nostalgia and emotion and gives life and meaning to what is moral, virtuous and innocent.

Coach Witty of Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis states that "life is not a level playing field." Basketball is a means to teach the game of life and to exceed your expectations because everyone will not be a champion on the hardwood. As a native now of Ohio where they crown multi-state champions in basketball, it is absolutely impossible to support and develop any folklore, legends or myths concerning your favorite team within the state. The game is meaningless, and the spirit and essence is forever shortchanged.

The spirit of Indiana basketball will continue, and Mr. Gildea's conclusion that more and bigger is progress articulates the thesis of his excellent book. I recommend Mr. Gildea's book to anyone who believes that motivation, effort and the opportunity to beat anyone no matter the odds in the pursuit of your personal dreams. If you live in Batesville, DeKalb, Merriville or Anderson, this is the mystique of Hoosier Hysteria. Hopefully, the two year trial of multi-class champions will be the ultimate "Gone with the Wind.