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Fieldhouse
Librarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition for ISBN10: 097683538X - ISBN13: 9780976835387.
Based on actual events, Fieldhouse is an all ages graphic novel that follows Scotty Novosel on his inspirational journey to play basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.
What he lacks in size he makes up for in heart, but countless obstacles and a devastating setback push his dream further and further out of reach...
With incredible persistence, positive energy, and help from a cast of endearing characters, Scotty discovers what it really takes to transform vision into reality.
Based on actual events, Fieldhouse is an all ages graphic novel that follows Scotty Novosel on his inspirational journey to play basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.
What he lacks in size he makes up for in heart, but countless obstacles and a devastating setback push his dream further and further out of reach...
With incredible persistence, positive energy, and help from a cast of endearing characters, Scotty discovers what it really takes to transform vision into reality.
64 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 6, 2016
At first glance, Fieldhouse, by Scott Novosel appears to be a basketball story. And it is a story about basketball. After three tryouts as a walk-on player with the Kansas Jayhawks, Novosel finally succeeds in his senior year. He plays fifteen games for Coach Roy Williams and alongside future NBA players.
It’s also more than a basketball story. It’s an underdog story. In the three years prior to Novosel making the team, no walk-on had been selected. His perseverance and dogged pursuit of his dream actually pays off.
But even more than a basketball story, and an underdog story, it’s really about all the people who helped make Novosel’s dream come true. The book is filled with fun and interesting characters, and they are my favorite part of it; cheering Novosel on even when his dream seems crazy and unobtainable. His parents, for example, worry that young Novosel is setting his sights too high, but agree they prefer that to him setting them too low. Fellow players help him train so they can benefit from his positive attitude, Phog Allen’s son makes several appearances, and his brothers both do their best to help.
Great for all ages, and not just for sports fans.
Novosel enjoys visiting schools to talk about his book and you can catch him on occasion at KU Basketball games.
It’s also more than a basketball story. It’s an underdog story. In the three years prior to Novosel making the team, no walk-on had been selected. His perseverance and dogged pursuit of his dream actually pays off.
But even more than a basketball story, and an underdog story, it’s really about all the people who helped make Novosel’s dream come true. The book is filled with fun and interesting characters, and they are my favorite part of it; cheering Novosel on even when his dream seems crazy and unobtainable. His parents, for example, worry that young Novosel is setting his sights too high, but agree they prefer that to him setting them too low. Fellow players help him train so they can benefit from his positive attitude, Phog Allen’s son makes several appearances, and his brothers both do their best to help.
Great for all ages, and not just for sports fans.
Novosel enjoys visiting schools to talk about his book and you can catch him on occasion at KU Basketball games.
August 7, 2016
Hi Goodreads Community!
It took 20 years of life lessons to craft the story of Fieldhouse. I'm so excited and proud as it is a dream come true to finally finish the book.
I wrote Fieldhouse to entertain readers as well as teach them fundamentals of self improvement and problem solving by embracing adversity through challenges, teamwork, perseverance, grit, determination, and a positive attitude!
Based on themes from the book, I have been speaking to schools about students reaching their full potential through daily challenges, a positive attitude, and teamwork. The students' reception has been so awesome!
As you read the book, please keep an eye out for these themes!
I am admittedly very biased, but I think Sam Sharpe is one of the great cartoonists around! His artwork in Fieldhouse reminds me of classic Sunday comics. I am so grateful he is my "teammate" on this project! He just brought the script to life like no one else could have.
Thank you so much for listening and also reading Fieldhouse! I totally appreciate your time!
Sincerely,
Scott
It took 20 years of life lessons to craft the story of Fieldhouse. I'm so excited and proud as it is a dream come true to finally finish the book.
I wrote Fieldhouse to entertain readers as well as teach them fundamentals of self improvement and problem solving by embracing adversity through challenges, teamwork, perseverance, grit, determination, and a positive attitude!
Based on themes from the book, I have been speaking to schools about students reaching their full potential through daily challenges, a positive attitude, and teamwork. The students' reception has been so awesome!
As you read the book, please keep an eye out for these themes!
I am admittedly very biased, but I think Sam Sharpe is one of the great cartoonists around! His artwork in Fieldhouse reminds me of classic Sunday comics. I am so grateful he is my "teammate" on this project! He just brought the script to life like no one else could have.
Thank you so much for listening and also reading Fieldhouse! I totally appreciate your time!
Sincerely,
Scott
March 5, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Goodsreads Giveaways.
Just from seeing the hardcover book I could tell there was a lot of care put into it. Fieldhouse is about Scotty Novosel's dream of playing basketball for the KU Jayhawks. He doesn't fit the ideal basketball player physique, but he has heart.
What makes the book work for me is that it is clear that he put in a lot of time and effort to achieve his goal. It isn't an easy path either. There are times where he is discouraged and doesn't think he will be able to succeed. The people around him provide support in a variety of ways.
It is an inspiring story that anyone can enjoy. There is a sports theme, but that isn't the point of the book. Scotty's attitude and response to obstacles is what shines through in the end.
Just from seeing the hardcover book I could tell there was a lot of care put into it. Fieldhouse is about Scotty Novosel's dream of playing basketball for the KU Jayhawks. He doesn't fit the ideal basketball player physique, but he has heart.
What makes the book work for me is that it is clear that he put in a lot of time and effort to achieve his goal. It isn't an easy path either. There are times where he is discouraged and doesn't think he will be able to succeed. The people around him provide support in a variety of ways.
It is an inspiring story that anyone can enjoy. There is a sports theme, but that isn't the point of the book. Scotty's attitude and response to obstacles is what shines through in the end.
March 6, 2016
This book is a must have in any child's library! It is an inspirational story that teaches children that if you set goals and work hard, you can accomplish what you want in life. I call this the "anti-millennial book". Scott's story is full of life lessons for children and adults! The illustrations keep younger children entertained and the story is mature enough for older children and adults. The broader concepts of the story extend beyond sports, making it a must read for anyone looking for inspiration!
April 24, 2016
This is a book I received from Goodreads and I just got around to reading it...........a very easy quick read. It is a story (based on a true story) about a young boy wanting to play basketball but never making the team. He learns the meaning of perseverance and excels at this. His senior year of college his dreams come true.
I have a young neighbor boy who is out every day shooting baskets and I intend to pass this book to him. The book has a powerful message and is illustrated in comic book form which young people will readily relate to.
I have a young neighbor boy who is out every day shooting baskets and I intend to pass this book to him. The book has a powerful message and is illustrated in comic book form which young people will readily relate to.
April 18, 2016
I picked this up because I've enjoyed Sam Sharpe's (the illustrator) previous mini-comics. The illustration is wonderful and energetic. It wasn't written by Sharpe, and I think that is where it suffers (for me, anyway). The writing is not bad, but it's an underdog story that I've read countless times with a predictable arc and ending. That said, it IS based on a true story and it is intended for a younger audience that would undoubtedly enjoy and find inspiration it it.
April 7, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “THE PERFECT BOOK TO HELP YOU INSPIRE YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS… WHILE RE-INSPIRING YOURSELF!”
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As a lifetime self-induced motivator in sports and later in sales… and then as I became a sales manager… and then the owner of my own company…one of my favorite mantras… that I shared with the world was… “HAPPY… ARE… DREAMERS… THAT DREAM… BUT ARE WILLING… TO PAY THE PRICE… TO MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE!”
That self-proclaimed mantra… is the absolute definition of the author… Scott Novosel… and the true life story described in this book’s… definitive motivational pages. From the time Scott was a child… he dreamed of playing college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks… even handwriting a youthful letter of introduction to coach Roy Williams. As beautiful as the lifetime quest… that is passed on to the reader… through words formed in the very heartbeat of Scott’s soul… the emotional exuberance of graphic-comic-like- art… created by Sam Sharpe… creates a story-medium… that has words and art… beating like two hearts in one. Potential readers will become so ensconced… in the story… and the vibrant colors… that at times you forget whether you’re reading a book… or watching a Technicolor cartoon.
The beauty of the story … and I’m absorbing the story on numerous fronts. I’m viewing it as a Grandfather… who once had similar childhood dreams… except with St. Johns University… and then… the Dodgers and Lakers… I’m reminiscing as a Father how I always tried to fertilize my son’s boyhood dreams… and I’m also fervently grasping not only the content… but the… youthful “curbside” appeal… as a tool to help… not only to motivate… but to prepare… my young Granddaughters… for the failures… that everyone faces along the road to the mountain top of success. And Scott’s… numerous… increasingly sad… obstacles… to his dreams… are just as important… as his eventual success. But… he learned along the way… that the complete effort… he invested… in his quest… made him a success… even if the ultimate dream… fluttered away… just out of his grasp… for eternity.
The road of Scott’s life with loving Parents… siblings… and a proud Grandpa who likes to reminisce about his own long gone sports glory days (note: I’ve been told by a very reliable source that I am quite similar… and I agree)… all add to the “plausibility”… of using this book as a loving “smooth as silk” teaching tool… without coming off as a “pushy” adult.
From the very beginning… at night… while one person in Scott’s childhood home is trying to invent something in the garage… another is wailing away on a guitar… and another is searching for a Zen-like utopia… Scott sneaks out of his bedroom window and breaks into the Kansas Jayhawk gym… and eventually gets nabbed by the cops. When I was a child I snuck out of my bedroom window because I had the flu and my Mother wouldn’t let me play… and I ran almost two miles… played in the game and we won the championship. If Scott’s story was modernized… someone would have been playing video games… or fooling around with a smartphone. Those are called choices… and that in my humble son-Father-Grandfather-roles… is where the teaching with this book can begin.
Another old saying of mine… “Everybody wants what you have… but they don’t want to do what you did… to get it!” Scott… dreamed… he sacrificed… he overcame many obstacles… both mental and physical… and he attained his childhood dream… of playing for the Jayhawks! What a wonderful story.
Full Disclosure: After reading a number of my other reviews the author showed the same determination he used to achieve his dreams… in tracking me down… and sent me a copy of his book to review. As I only give honest heartfelt reviews… I want to thank you Scott… as this story touched me. P.S. If this is made into a movie and your Grandpa isn’t available I’m your guy. By the way did I ever tell you about the time when I was nineteen-years-old on a military team and I played against Pistol Pete?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a lifetime self-induced motivator in sports and later in sales… and then as I became a sales manager… and then the owner of my own company…one of my favorite mantras… that I shared with the world was… “HAPPY… ARE… DREAMERS… THAT DREAM… BUT ARE WILLING… TO PAY THE PRICE… TO MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE!”
That self-proclaimed mantra… is the absolute definition of the author… Scott Novosel… and the true life story described in this book’s… definitive motivational pages. From the time Scott was a child… he dreamed of playing college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks… even handwriting a youthful letter of introduction to coach Roy Williams. As beautiful as the lifetime quest… that is passed on to the reader… through words formed in the very heartbeat of Scott’s soul… the emotional exuberance of graphic-comic-like- art… created by Sam Sharpe… creates a story-medium… that has words and art… beating like two hearts in one. Potential readers will become so ensconced… in the story… and the vibrant colors… that at times you forget whether you’re reading a book… or watching a Technicolor cartoon.
The beauty of the story … and I’m absorbing the story on numerous fronts. I’m viewing it as a Grandfather… who once had similar childhood dreams… except with St. Johns University… and then… the Dodgers and Lakers… I’m reminiscing as a Father how I always tried to fertilize my son’s boyhood dreams… and I’m also fervently grasping not only the content… but the… youthful “curbside” appeal… as a tool to help… not only to motivate… but to prepare… my young Granddaughters… for the failures… that everyone faces along the road to the mountain top of success. And Scott’s… numerous… increasingly sad… obstacles… to his dreams… are just as important… as his eventual success. But… he learned along the way… that the complete effort… he invested… in his quest… made him a success… even if the ultimate dream… fluttered away… just out of his grasp… for eternity.
The road of Scott’s life with loving Parents… siblings… and a proud Grandpa who likes to reminisce about his own long gone sports glory days (note: I’ve been told by a very reliable source that I am quite similar… and I agree)… all add to the “plausibility”… of using this book as a loving “smooth as silk” teaching tool… without coming off as a “pushy” adult.
From the very beginning… at night… while one person in Scott’s childhood home is trying to invent something in the garage… another is wailing away on a guitar… and another is searching for a Zen-like utopia… Scott sneaks out of his bedroom window and breaks into the Kansas Jayhawk gym… and eventually gets nabbed by the cops. When I was a child I snuck out of my bedroom window because I had the flu and my Mother wouldn’t let me play… and I ran almost two miles… played in the game and we won the championship. If Scott’s story was modernized… someone would have been playing video games… or fooling around with a smartphone. Those are called choices… and that in my humble son-Father-Grandfather-roles… is where the teaching with this book can begin.
Another old saying of mine… “Everybody wants what you have… but they don’t want to do what you did… to get it!” Scott… dreamed… he sacrificed… he overcame many obstacles… both mental and physical… and he attained his childhood dream… of playing for the Jayhawks! What a wonderful story.
Full Disclosure: After reading a number of my other reviews the author showed the same determination he used to achieve his dreams… in tracking me down… and sent me a copy of his book to review. As I only give honest heartfelt reviews… I want to thank you Scott… as this story touched me. P.S. If this is made into a movie and your Grandpa isn’t available I’m your guy. By the way did I ever tell you about the time when I was nineteen-years-old on a military team and I played against Pistol Pete?
May 29, 2018
I was super excited to spot this book on my library's shelves in California - I did a double take and said "Is that a book about KU?!". I'm a sucker for a local story. Fieldhouse tells a blending of the history of KU basketball with Scott Novosel's personal story of successfully joining the Jayhawks as a walk-on player. While centralized around basketball and KU, the story also champions the bigger concepts of hard work, determination, and long-term goals. It's a quick read that might be a bit confusing to non-Kansas kids who haven't grown up to Rock Chalk Jayhawk chants, but the bigger message will speak to anyone and will particularly interest budding basketball stars.
July 9, 2018
must love basketball. and also know that KU is a basketball powerhouse.
March 5, 2016
Disclaimer #1: I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
Disclaimer #2: I didn't read this book, but my nine-year-old daughter did.
She loves graphic novels and she tore through this one as she does all the age-appropriate ones I can find for her. But when I grilled her on it afterwards, she said there were too many unfamiliar basketball terms. However, she liked the story and the illustrations. The true test, though, was whether she would read it again. She does revisit all her Raina Telgemeier books and other graphic novels with girl protagonists. But this one she said she wouldn't return to.
My personal opinion is that this is more of a long comic book than a full-length graphic novel. We received a hardback copy with a hefty retail price which I would be hard-pressed to justify except as a well-placed gift.
Disclaimer #2: I didn't read this book, but my nine-year-old daughter did.
She loves graphic novels and she tore through this one as she does all the age-appropriate ones I can find for her. But when I grilled her on it afterwards, she said there were too many unfamiliar basketball terms. However, she liked the story and the illustrations. The true test, though, was whether she would read it again. She does revisit all her Raina Telgemeier books and other graphic novels with girl protagonists. But this one she said she wouldn't return to.
My personal opinion is that this is more of a long comic book than a full-length graphic novel. We received a hardback copy with a hefty retail price which I would be hard-pressed to justify except as a well-placed gift.
Read
April 14, 2016The main character is Scott Novosel and this book took place in Kansas. The main conflict in the book is that Scott wants to join the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team but he could never make it. I liked the parts where Scott kept trying to get on the basketball team even though he knew it would be hard because he showed that he would not give up and that he showed determination. Another thing that i liked is when he got on the team because he has tried to really hard to get on the team and he figured out that hard work really does pay off. I did not like that one of the coaches did not like Scott and he did not want him on the team. I suggest this book to people who like sports and if they need a confidence boost.
February 23, 2016
"He tries so hard. Do you think he's setting his sights too high?"Kids worship their athletic heroes and dream of one day being like them. Little Scotty Novosel doesn't have the natural talent to be a top basketball player, but that doesn't stop him from sneaking into Allen Fieldhouse, sending letters to coach Roy Williams, and hoping he might somehow make the Kansas University team when he gets to college. This is the true story of how he persevered, overcame injury and discouragement, and on his fourth try became KU's first walk-on player in years. It's an engaging and uplifting tale.
"Absolutely. Would you rather he set them too low?"
March 7, 2016
Fieldhouse may be aimed at a younger audience, but its story is truly applicable to all ages. It illustrates the determination and commitment needed to reach your goal, and addresses how to overcome realistic set backs that always occur along the way. The graphics are fantastic, the characters come to life, and by the end of the book every reader will be just as excited and anxious to view the "Walk On" list as Scotty was!
A must-read for everyone in the family!
A must-read for everyone in the family!
Read
April 19, 2016I had to read a graphic novel for a book challenge I am working on this year. I decided this would be the best choice.
The most interesting thing about it? It's based on a true story.
The most interesting thing about it? It's based on a true story.
July 2, 2016
My son read this book first & said I should read it, since I'm a Jayhawk Basketball Fan. It's a good story for kids!
September 27, 2016
Very accessible in terms of the layout and vocabulary as well as being very relatable to teens. Good choice for reluctant readers who only want to read about sports.
January 20, 2017
Graphic novel that teaches kids to believe in themselves and work for what they want.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews