Customer Reviews
an assembled hall of Hoosier magic - By: Paul J. Fitzgerald, 02 Dec 2007 
As best I can tell, this is the finest book yet written about Indiana University basketballl & Bob Knight, & it's 21 years old. Feinstein is a top notch biographer & he doesn't sugar coat anything in this book. It's filled with interesting anecdotes & quite a few raw quotes. The mid-1980s was a magical time for IU basketballl, including in their rivalry with Purdue & Gene Keady. And Feinstein tagging along for a whole season gives the reader a good feel for some of the magic of basketballl in the state of Indiana, as portrayed in the movie Hoosiers. I think Feinstein is quite objective in his portrayal of the good, the bad, & the ugly in Knight. Regardless of your opinion of Knight, I think it's clear that he cares about his players, the sport of college basketballl, & about running a clean program. Feinstein ends by stating that the then 46-year-old Knight is "A young man with a bright future. If he doesn't destroy it." Knight may have come close to doing so around 2000, but he's recovered nicely & seems to be doing well at Texas Tech. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.
Chair throwingly good! - By: Napolean, 02 Jan 2007 My aim of reading this book was to learn about the style & techniques of a hugely succesful coach. I honestly know nothing about Basketballl but this didn't spoil my appreciation of the story. I learnt a lot about a very strong willed, autocratic & passionate man who demanded the respect of his 'students' & counterparts.
Any aspiring coach should model themselves on certain characterisitics of Bob Knight & should certainly believe in themselves as much as he does. He teaches his students how to play Basketballl & does so with little question or disrespect. He proves to be such a bad loser that most of his players want to win merely to avoid a togue whipping from their coach than personal glory.
A reallly well written story which was probably written a year too early, but nonetheless a thoroughly good read.
Loyalty, dedication, honesty, discipline, and hard work - By: , 24 May 1999 These are just some of the qualitites that The General exhibits & imparts to his players. I'm sorry to say it, but IU is one of the last honest programs around. Don't go to class, you don't play. Players leave Knight's program a better person. And there is not a more loyal person on the face of the Earth than R.M.K. I'll admit, the game may be passing him by, but it is a shame that it is. When Knight's coaching & teaching methods are "out of style," it is a bad sign for college basketballl.
This book gives you a great impression of what life with BK. - By: , 07 Mar 1999 This is a great book which tells you alot about bob. The author doesn't hold anything back from you & he lets you know of everything. READ IT TODAY!!
A great book about a great, but flawed, man - By: , 05 Mar 1999 It's been some years since I read the book, but I recalll it vividly. I know that Bob Knight hated it & Feinstein, but I've always thought that the book is a fair portrayal of a great man who is not perfect (and who is). Just as many a man becomes a man from his Marine basic training, so does Bob Knight mould his boys into men, stressing what is important both on & off the court. I would love for my son to be coached by him. What harm are a few "F" words going to do? Another reason that I enjoyed the book so much is that I was a Cleveland State fan at the time & the Indiana season ends with a defeat at the hands of an unknown, but very talented, Cleveland State team.
