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The Capital of Basketball: A History of DC Area High School Hoops
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About The Capital Of Basketball: A History Of DC Area
Product Description The celebration of Washington D.C. basketball is long overdue. The D.C. metro area stands second to none in its contributions to the game. Countless figures who have had a significant impact on the sport over the years have roots in the region, including E.B. Henderson, the first African-American certified to teach public school physical education, and Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to take the court in an actual NBA game. The city's Spingarn High School produced two players ― Elgin Baylor and Dave Bing ― recognized among the NBA's 50 greatest at the League's 50th anniversary celebration. No other high school in the country can make that claim. These figures and many others are chronicled in this book, the first-ever comprehensive look at the great high school players, teams and coaches in the D.C. metropolitan area. Based on more than 150 interviews, The Capital of Basketball is first and foremost a book about basketball. But in discussing the trends and evolution of the game, McNamara also uncovers the turmoil in the lives of the players and area residents as they dealt with prejudice, educational inequities, politics, and the ways the area has changed through the years. Review "The finished product is a great basketball book, filled with details of big games, powerful high school basketball programs and insightful stories about the top players and coaches who, at least at one time, called Washington home. The chronicle begins in 1900, when a local newspaper first mentioned a high school basketball game, and continues through the 1990s, when DeMatha High School was dominant." ― New York Times " The Capital of Basketball provides important details on players and coaches that made Washington D.C. famous...those of us at Duke and around the country know a trip to D.C. during basketball season is a chance to see some of the country's best talent on the court." ― Mike Krzyzewski, Men's Basketball Head Coach, Duke University "[This book] comes alive when it captures the culture of basketball, the social significance of the sport beyond the box scores." ― Washington Post "In The Capital of Basketball, John McNamara has crafted fascinating and revealing insights into a pivotal time in the history of basketball and the city of Washington. John's reporting was always first-rate. No one saw the game like he did...this is a must read for anyone who wants to know about the game of basketball." ― Morgan Wootten, Basketball Coach, DeMatha Catholic High School "It's a story of civil rights heroes and NBA legends. It's [more than 300] pages of history few others could have accomplished, but John, who was born in Washington and never left the area, dedicated his life to it." ― Washington Post "One of the things I genuinely looked forward to whenever I attended a Maryland basketball game was having a pre-game sit-down with John. We'd catch up on things and then start talking hoops. I always walked away from the conversation feeling smarter―or at least more knowledgeable than before. John knew everything and everyone on the subject of local hoops―high school, college and, probably schoolyard. What always came through was how much he loved it. Going to games at Maryland will never be the same for me without John. This book will let me carry some of those happy memories with me forever." ― John Feinstein, Author of 41 books, columnist for The Washington Post, Golf Digest and Golf World, CBSsportsradio.com and a commentator for CBS Sports Radio "It's sadly rare to come across sportswriters who are both expert in their field and generous with their knowledge. It's equally rare, amid the sporting world's current fixation on point spreads and fantasy leagues, to find sportswriters who invest the time and care to understand and portray athletes as people rather than assets. John was that rare gem―an expert in DC-area sports, a generous colleague, and a caring human being. It was my privilege to have
