For 50 years at St. Joseph's High School, Vito Montelli was a coach, a mentor, a father figure, a friend and so much more. He was a shoulder to lean on, a shoulder to cry on, someone who would always be there with an encouraging word. Vito Montelli didn't just teach basketball, he taught life. He is New England and Connecticut's all-time winningest basketball coach, going 878-329. He coached in 1,207 games. He is the only Connecticut and New England coach to surpass 850 wins. His teams won 11 Connecticut state championships, were runner-up six times and lost in the semifinals six times.There have been just five losing seasons in Montelli's 50-year coaching career at St. Joseph. A total of 33 players were named to the All-State team and 27 were named McDonald's All-Americans.

As you develop your relationship with God, you will learn that while basketball is a lifestyle, it's not life. God is. This book of basketball-themed devotionals accepts readers where they are and encourages them to continually strengthen their personal relationship with God. God x Basketball will help you: - develop Christ-led character on and off the court. - discover a deeper purpose through your role in sports. - allow God to lead you through the peaks and valleys of life and sports. - use basketball as a vehicle to support you in your faith walk. - place God first in your life. Readers will learn that their talents should never compromise the continued development of their Christ-like character, which is the spirit in which basketball was invented. Knowing what to do in the game is one thing. Know what to do in life is another.

If you’ve ever asked yourself why you do what you do, or wondered what your purpose is in life, this book is for you. The lives of an intensely-driven basketball coach, an ultra-successful CEO, and an unassuming janitor all intersect in this captivating parable about leadership, relationships, and the pursuit of success. An unforgettable story packed with profound truths, LEAD . . . for God’s Sake! will challenge you to think deeply about who you are as a leader, what success means to you, and why you do what you do. Whether you’re leading a business, a team, or your own family, this book is the first and most important step to becoming the leader you were meant to be.

When we left Joseph “Jay Gee” Graham, he had overcome his bullies with the help of his family, his crew, and his mentor; Mr. Thompson. He went on to become the only underclassman on his basketball team and won the heart of his beloved Lanesha. He had begun to accept himself and his difference. However, at the end of the school year, it was announced: Due to the law to desegregate all public schools, West Side High would be closed. All the kids on the West Side of the railroad tracks must attend school on the East Side. Integrated Schools had come to Reservoir City. Knowing at the white school the odds will be stacked against him to make the basketball team, his ticket out of that cesspool of a town and fulfill his promise to his Mama is looking more uncertain than ever. With his brother and confidant Lavelle off at war, his best friend Benny Lee in Juvie, and no word from Lanesha; he’s alone, isolated, wondering if all the marching and protest was worth it. Amidst all the confusion, Jay Gee is finally told the family secret concerning him which complicates matters even more. Faced with a crisis in their home, neighborhood, adolescence, and now integrated school, Jay Gee and the crew must choose between the culture-stripping new school environment or join Reservoir City’s New Underworld growing around them and tracing the steps of their daily walk Over the Tracks.

Reclaiming fun as a meaningful concept for understanding games and play. “Fun” is somewhat ambiguous. If something is fun, is it pleasant? Entertaining? Silly? A way to trick students into learning? Fun also has baggage—it seems inconsequential, embarrassing, child's play. In Fun, Taste, & Games, John Sharp and David Thomas reclaim fun as a productive and meaningful tool for understanding and appreciating play and games. They position fun at the heart of the aesthetics of games. As beauty was to art, they argue, fun is to play and games—the aesthetic goal that we measure our experiences and interpretations against. Sharp and Thomas use this fun-centered aesthetic framework to explore a range of games and game issues—from workplace bingo to Meow Wolf, from basketball to Myst, from the consumer marketplace to Marcel Duchamp. They begin by outlining three elements for understanding the drive, creation, and experience of fun: set-outsideness, ludic forms, and ambiguity. Moving from theory to practice and back again, they explore the complicated relationships among the titular fun, taste, and games. They consider, among other things, the dismissal of fun by game journalists and designers; the seminal but underinfluential game Myst, and how tastes change over time; the shattering of the gamer community in Gamergate; and an aesthetics of play that goes beyond games.

Playing basketball teaches everything you need to succeed in life, including teamwork, discipline, commitment, dedication, and the value of hard work. The most successful players don't just put the ball in the basket-they apply what they've learned to their own lives so they can be successful on and off the court. John Berry, who has coached for more than twenty years, shares basketball tips infused with life lessons in this guidebook to the game and life. Lessons include: When the coach screams at a player, the player tunes out the words. When the coach whispers, the player strains to hear. If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough. Your teeth should be chattering. Go for it. The sky is the limit. Emulate the janitor-first in, last out, works hard, does the dirty work, no expectation of limelight or praise. This is the ultimate team player. Critics, doubters, pessimists-they're all insignificant. All that matters is what you believe. Believe in yourself

A Century of Orange and Blue is just that--an in-depth look at the history of one of the Big Ten's premiere basketball programs. The University of Illinois' basketball roots date back to 1901, when the idea of men's basketball was introduced to UI director of athletics George Huff during a scrimmage at the Men's Old Gym. By 1906 a varsity basketball team was in place under the direction of Leo Hana and coach Elwood Brown. That team defeated Champaign High School, 71-4, on Jan. 6, 1906, before losing to more formidable college teams in Purdue and Indiana. Some 100 years later, the Fighting Illini have hoisted 15 Big Ten championship banners and sent four teams to the Final Four in search of a NCAA championship. From the Whiz Kids of '42 to the Flyin' Illini of '89 to the Big Ten champs of '04, A Century of Orange and Blue is full of fond memories of fantastic teams, recounted by authors Loren Tate and Jared Gelfond and the amazing players and coaches that put Illini basketball on the national map.