OT: Recommendations for Books About College Basketball History | The Boneyard

OT: Recommendations for Books About College Basketball History

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So, after thinking about UConn's place in the college basketball world, and looking into historical stats and whatnot, I feel like I'd actually like to read a few books on the history. I'm most interested in the earliest days up through the rise of UCLA in the 1960s.

But if there are particularly great books out there, let me know. I like well-written books, when possible (so while the movie Hoop Dreams was fantastic, the writing left me more often annoyed), and I haven't read enough sports books to know if these guys are any good.

Below are some books I've seen in my brief research. If anyone has read them, let me know if they are worth it.

The Scandals of '51: How the Gamblers Almost Killed College Basketball by Charley Rosen
The Wizard of Odds: How Jack Molinas Almost Destroyed the Game of Basketball by Charley Rosen
The Game they Played by Stanley Cohen
A Sense of Where You Are by Jack McPhee
Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963: The Team that Changed the Color of Basketball by Michael Lenehan

As you can see, I don't have an extensive list...so any commentary on these, or any suggestions, would be welcome.
 
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The first two on your list and the last one; Excellent choices, easy informative reads. Thank you for turning me on to the other two books. Once I read them, I will respond on this thread.
 

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Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four by John Feinstein
 
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Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963: The Team that Changed the Color of Basketball by Michael Lenehan
is the best basketball book ever written. There is much more to it than just Loyola and it pulls absolutely no punches. Well written, well researched. A must read.
 
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Just finished the Wizard of Odds. Quite an amazing story. Thanks for the recommendation
 
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