Reviews
KIRKUS REVIEW:
LAPCHICK
The Life of a Legendary Player and Coach in the Glory Days of BasketballAuthor: Alfieri, Gus
Review Date: JULY 01, 2006
Publisher:Lyons
Pages: 288
Price (hardback): $22.95
Publication Date: 10/1/2006 0:00:00
ISBN: 1-59228-869-3
ISBN (hardback): 1-59228-869-3
Category: NONFICTION
The history of basketball as seen through the life of Joe Lapchick, an original
Celtic, the first coach of the New York Knicks and the longtime roundball
patriarch of St. John's University.
Alfieri, who was a point guard at St. John's, helped win a national championship
for Lapchick in 1959. His book—mostly biography, a little memoir—relates the
life of a man who helped shepherd the game of basketball from the 1920s into the
'60s. He covers Lapchick's glamorous but wearying days as center for the
barnstorming Celtics in the '20s and '30s; his tough-but-humble approach in his
first decade at St. John's, when the Redman and Madison Square Garden became
synonymous with college hoops; his struggles in the early days of the NBA, where
he supported integration; and his last decade as the wise overseer of a
perennial powerhouse back at St. John's. Alfieri does a yeoman's job in
concisely presenting the 50 years of Lapchick's storied career without
succumbing to tedium and trivia. Nor does the author paint a completely rosy
picture of the sport's history as he addresses directly the exploitation of
athletes, racism in sports and gambling scandals. The narrative stalls a bit
when Alfieri focuses on his own experiences playing in college. But at his best,
the author provides, through one pivotal figure, a clearer understanding of the
issues behind the development of modern basketball, of its style of play, of its
social significance and of its maneuverings to become profitable entertainment.
Lapchick respected basketball, and fans of the game will respect this warm and
intelligent biography.
Reviewed by Publishers Weekly
Lapchick: The Life of a Legendary Player and Coach in the Glory Days of Basketball
Alfieri, Gus (Author)
ISBN: 1592288693
Lyons Press
Published 2006-10
Hardcover , $22.95 (336p)
Sports & Recreation | Basketball - General
Ages
Reviewed 2006-05-29
Alfieri offers a good-hearted, reverential homage to basketball great Joe Lapchick that's colored by the author's own experiences playing for Lapchick at St. John's in the 1950s. A lanky kid from Yonkers who grew up with the game as it was growing up in the early 1900s, Lapchick was a pioneer as both a player for the traveling Original Celtics and later as a coach at St. John's and with the New York Knicks. Alfieri's book rings with respect for Lapchick's career and demeanor both on the court and along the sidelines. While its strength does not lie in thrilling or lyrical prose, it's carried forward by the energy Alfieri clearly brings to the subject. The extent of his research coupled with his own firsthand recollections allow him to dip into occasional re-created scenes and conjure images of the game's past, including bygone protective padding and oversized balls that got beat out of shape during a single contest. Still, testimonies from people as disparate as Bobby Knight and Bill Bradley make clear that the author is not alone in his admiration of Lapchick.(Oct.)
ENDORSEMENTS
LAPCHICK,
The Life of a legendary player and coach
In the glory days of basketball
BY GUS ALFIERI
Iloved reading LAPCHICK, the life of Joe Lapchick by Gus Alfieri, one of his championship players, because it reminded me of my college days at the Citadel. As I read, I grew to admire this sports icon from an era when a man’s word counted. I see the book as a re-emergence of old time values. But the book accomplishes more than the retelling of Joe Lapchick’s life. Through this legendary figure, the reader experiences the fifty most critical years in the development of the game from its barnstorming days to the beginning of basketball’s international growth.
-Pat Conroy, author of recent bestseller, My Losing Season, and The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides
Captures in every detail the magnitude of Joe Lapchick, this great basketball coach and human being.”
Lou Carnesecca, legendary St. John’s University coach
Of all my memories of people who have helped me,” Bob Knight the three-time NCAA basketball champion insisted, “none are greater than those of Mr. Lapchick.
Coach Bob Knight, Texas Tech
Joe Lapchick’s importance in basketball history --- as a star professional player in the 1920s, a college coach in the 1930s, 1940s and 1960s, and a key figure in establishing the early popularity of the National Basketball Association --- can’t be overstated. This insightful memoir and evaluation by one of his college players reveals his full impact on the two generations he influenced so much. Anyone interested in basketball, or in human beings, should enjoy, and learn from this portrait.
Lennie Koppett, sportswriter, author of 24 Seconds to Shoot
At long last, someone has written a book about Joe Lapchick. Not just someone, but one of his star players, Gus Alfieri, the point guard on Lapchick's St. John's 1959 National Invitation Tournament Championship team.
This is more than a book about a basketball coach; it's 'To Sir, With Love' in short pants; it's a tribute to a man who was more than just a coach; it's a primer on New York City basketball. Alfieri writes skillfully and affectionately about the man, and the game, and it's difficult to determine where one begins and then other ends.
- Phil Pepe, sportswriter, broadcaster, author of View from the Rim
Occasionally a man’s life defines a place and time, and every now and then a biographer takes on one of those rare personalities. If you’re a friend of basketball or New York City, you’re lucky that Gus Alfieri found Joe Lapchick.
- Alex Wolff, senior sports writer of Sports Illustrated and author of Big Game, Small World.
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