Lapchick: The Life of a Legendary Player and Coach in the Glory Days of Basketball - Hardcover

Alfieri, Gus

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1592288693 ISBN 13: 9781592288694

Publisher: The Lyons Press, 2006

Synopsis

The first and only biography of this Hall of Fame player and legendary coach.

About this title

Review:

"I loved reading "Lapchick." Through this legendary figure, the reader experiences the fifty most critical years in the development of the game."--Pat Conroy, author of "My Losing Season" and "The Prince of Tides" ""To Sir, with Love" in short pants."--Phil Pepe "Captures in every detail the magnitude of Joe Lapchick, this great basketball coach and human being."--Lou Carnesecca, legendary former coach of St. John's "Of all my memories of people who have helped me, none are greater than those of Mr. Lapchick."--Bobby Knight "Joe Lapchick's importance in basketball history can't be overstated. Anyone interested in basketball, or in human beings, should enjoy and learn from this portrait."--Leonard Koppett, author of "Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia""Growing up in the metropolitan New York area, I was enamored with the success of the St. John's program. Obviously, in those days, the architect and the leader was Coach Joe Lapchick. His teams always played with intensity and emotion and were "so" well organized. Joe Lapchick had a big-time basketball IQ and was years and years ahead of those he was competing against. To put it in Vitalese - he was "Awesome, Baby" with a capital "A"!" --Dick Vitale "It was amazing to watch Joe Lapchick stage his own fabulous retirement party by winning both premier Madison Square Garden college tournamnets in 1964-65--the Holiday Festival and National Invitation--to close his St. John's coaching career.What an exit! It was an emotional thrill to be a telecaster at both tournaments and witness the thunderous ovation for Joe." --Bob Wolff ..".a good-hearted, reverential homage to basketball great Joe Lapchick...Alfieri's book rings with respect for Lapchick's career and demeanor both on the court and along the sidelines."-- "Publisher's Weekly""" "Lapchick respected basketball, and fans of the game will respect this warm and intelligent biography."-- "Kirkus""" "A moving sports b

From the Back Cover:

Joe Lapchick. The name is legendary in the history of basketball. As a Hall of Fame player and member of the original Celtics barnstorming team, a coach of four national championship teams at St. John’s, and the first coach of the New York Knicks, Lapchick made a lifetime of contributions to the game he loved. In this, the first and only biography of Lapchick, Gus Alfieri not only tells Lapchick’s life story but also provides a priceless look at the history of the game?from its early rule changes and barnstorming and club teams, to dramatic National Invitational Tournament games (when the NIT was the tournament in the country) and college basketball point-shaving scandals, to the formation of the National Basketball Association. Perhaps most significantly, Lapchick’s signing of the Knicks’ Sweetwater Clifton, the first African-American player to sign with an NBA team, led the way in the movement to integrate the league. Both an inspiring story of a pioneer sports figure and a nostalgic look at the era in which he played, Lapchick is a must-read for any basketball fan with a passion for the game.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Lyons Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1592288693
• ISBN 13: 9781592288694
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 344