The Men of March: A Season Inside the Lives of College Basketball Coaches

by Brian Curtis

The Men of March: A Season Inside the Lives of College Basketball Coaches is a one-of-a kind look at what it means, and what it takes to be a head coach in the college arena of the new millennium. Granted extensive access to the locker rooms, practices, offices, sidelines and homes of four of the nations leading coaches and their programs (Mike Brey, Notre Dame; Steve Lavin, UCLA; Bill Self, Illinois and Steve Alford, Iowa), the author lays bare the forces that make coaches tick. From upset losses and recruiting wars, to the mounting frenzy of March Madness and the fierce rivalries played out through long winters under the brightest, hottest spotlight in college sports, readers gain a true respect for men who choose, and excel at, this roller coaster ride profession. With candid comments from over fifty college coaches, including Lute Olson, Roy Williams and John Chaney, in addition to perspectives from Dick Vitale, John Wooden, John Feinstein and many others, The Men of March provides an in-depth look at some of the major issues facing coaches in the game today. Among the many considerations of the college basketball pressure cooker are recruiting, graduation rates, hirings and firings, media relations and the influence of volatile social issues such as race and religion on the game's participants and leaders.

Genres: Sports, Basketball, Nonfiction

327 pages, Hardcover

First published January 24, 2003

Reviews

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Men of March: A Season Inside the Lives of College Basketball Coaches by Brian Curtis (Taylor Trade Publishing 2003)(796.323) is an interesting take on college basketball coaches. The coaches followed here were of little interest to an SEC / ACC fan like me. The author followed Steve Lavin of UCLA, Bill Self of Illinois, Mike Brey of Notre Dame, and Steve Alford of Iowa. The emphasis was on the Big Ten and midwest. The format and the writing were well done, but the choice of subjects were of little interest. My rating: 4.5/10, finished 11/27/12.