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Miracles on the Hardwood. John Gasaway.

 

 


Miracles on the Hardwood.   John Gasaway.

The Hope-and-a-Prayer story of a winning tradition in catholic college basketball.

Many books discuss the history of basketball particularly college basketball in this case.    The teams, the coaches, the players, the styles, the trends and the origin.   However, not many books claim to not only delve into college basketball lore but also focus on the concept and rise of how catholic and Jesuit colleges have been part of the growth for this sport nearly since its inception. 

In Miracles on the Hardwood, the author, John Gasaway, covers the history of basketball and introduces many players, coaches and schools.     What may set this book apart, though, is the intense discussion of how catholic based schools used the sport to springboard their universities, brand and name while being remarkably successful in doing so.

Early in the book, Gasaway, an ESPN college basketball writer, devotes a chapter to discuss the concepts and differences between Parish and Plains.   Many catholic and Jesuit schools, although not all, are urban based or established in parishes.   Non-denominational schools, with some exceptions, tend to be based in the plains or less urban environments.   Consequently, Gasaway argues the subtle philosophical differences between the two.  He goes on to write that Catholic schools resisted NCAA guidelines and joining conferences whereas schools located on the plains were more apt to be NCAA members and conference affiliated. 

This leads to another striking part of history in the book.   Although not full-proof, Catholic and Jesuit schools were more likely to participate in the National Invitational Tournaments (NIT) at the end of the season while larger state schools were more inclined to compete in the NCAA tournament.    The author goes on about how one tournament may have been the coveted invite during the middle of the 20th century.    However, the alternative grew into a bigger, more attractive entity leading into where it has been for the last few decades and how we know it today.  This forced a change in parish-based schools post-season philosophy. 

Many of the venerable all-time greats who played at stereotypical Parish Schools such as Mikan, Cousy, Gola, Russell and Baylor are featured in various chapters.   Legendary coaches such as Gavitt, Thompson, Massimino, McGuire, Julian get plenty of attention as well.  Even lesser-known one-time catholic basketball powers such as Holy Cross, Duquesne, Saint Louis, San Francisco, DePaul and Loyola of Chicago have their hardwood success chronicled throughout this manuscript.  

Some of the history is detailed, lengthy and dry.    Even the recap of college games from yesteryear may be hard to follow and process at times.   Admittedly, though, the book pics up steam mid-way through the publication. There is scant overlap of material and content in this book to others reviewed in this blog (Hoops, The Big East), while that is not the fault of the author, it may cause the unexpected crossing of wires along the way for the avid reader.  

Graced with a striking, if not godly, book cover, Gasaway’s writing and research introduces the reader to a different way of understanding the history of college basketball while celebrating the many significant accomplishments of catholic and Jesuit schools.     It was noted the founder of basketball, James Naismith, grew up playing a game called Parish and Plains.    That activity became the impetus to generate an interesting opus of basketball history along with a rich dichotomy of how catholic schools embraced the “perfect city game” much to the benefit of the schools, the fans and the game itself.   

  • You might like to read this book if you are fan or alum of catholic or Jesuit schools.
  • You might like to read this book if you are a college basketball fan.
  • You might like to read this book if you are a fan of following college basketball history.
  • You might like to read this book if you enjoy reading about the connection of Catholicism and American history.

 

Read more about the author on Twitter:   https://twitter.com/JohnGasaway

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