Miracles on the Hardwood: The Hope-and-a-Prayer Story of a Winning Tradition in Catholic College Basketball

Miracles on the Hardwood: The Hope-and-a-Prayer Story of a Winning Tradition in Catholic College Basketball

by John Gasaway
Miracles on the Hardwood: The Hope-and-a-Prayer Story of a Winning Tradition in Catholic College Basketball

Miracles on the Hardwood: The Hope-and-a-Prayer Story of a Winning Tradition in Catholic College Basketball

by John Gasaway

Hardcover

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Overview

Discover the David vs. Goliath rise of Catholic college basketball, from Villanova to Georgetown to Gonzaga, where small schools perennially shoot past the big power conference programs.

In MIRACLES ON THE HARDWOOD, author John Gasaway traces the rise of Catholic college basketball—from its early days (Villanova made an appearance in the Final Four in the first NCAA tournament in 1939) to the dominance of the San Francisco Dons in the 1950s and the ascendance of powerhouses Georgetown, Villanova, and Gonzaga—through their decades-long rivalries and championship games. Featuring interviews with notable coaches, players, alums, and fans—including Loyola Chicago's most famous and dedicated fan, 100-year-old Sister Jean—to get at the heart of how these universities have excelled at this sport.

Small in number but devout in the game's spirit, these teams have made the miraculous a matter of ritual, and their greatest works may be yet to come.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781538717103
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication date: 03/16/2021
Pages: 336
Sales rank: 509,799
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

John Gasaway writes for ESPN's Bubble Watch column. He is a college basketball analyst at ESPN.com and a lecturer on basketball analytics in Columbia University's Sports Management Master's degree program. Prior to joining ESPN, he teamed with Ken Pomeroy on the launch of Nate Silver's Basketball Prospectus website. He was also a regular contributor to "The Count" feature at the Wall Street Journal.

Table of Contents

Author's Note vii

Introduction: Parish and Plains 1

1 North American Originals 11

2 The Mikan Reformation 25

3 Cousy and the Era of the Veteran 40

4 Pride Goeth Before Destruction 51

5 The Catholic Moment at the NIT 67

6 Gola and Russell 84

7 Perfection 104

8 Polarization 117

9 Loyola Chicago and Milestones 139

10 McGuire and Marquette 154

11 Gavitt and Thompson 177

12 The Rise of the Big East 195

13 The "Perfect Game" 219

14 Parity in the Big East 235

15 Loyola Marymount and Time 242

16 Gonzaga and Mystery 259

17 Wright and Villanova 278

Epilogue: Identities 298

Acknowledgments 304

A Note on Sources 307

Index 309

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