Transition Game: How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hoop

by L. Jon Wertheim

Book Overview

Through the lens of Indiana basketball--once known as the cradle of Larry Bird and Gene Hackman's Hoosiers, now as the land of Ron Artest and a flashy, urban game--the story of how basketball became... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594481873
• ISBN13: 9781594481871
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 269 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Great Read!

I bought this as a gift for my dad. I'm always looking for a good sports book for him for his birthday and I've read Wertheim's articles and his tennis mailbag in Sports Illustrated. But when this book came in the mail I picked it up and I couldn't put it down. I'm not even a basketball fan! I loved the writing- Wertheim is witty and perceptive, and I never realized how fascinating Indiana basketball is from a sociological point of view. When my dad finally got to read his gift (after I finished) he loved it and sent a copy to my uncle in Boston, a big basketball fan. Highly recommend this book!

Not a Superstar, but Solid

Wetheim's book is told in a series of vignettes, alternating chapters that detail the final season of an Indiana high school coach with chapters that address individual issues that effect the way basketball is played today around the country. Some of the areas covered include: agents, women's basketball, the globalization of the sport, college basketball, professional basketball, violence, and racism. We meet some of the players on the high school team, and see where they come from and why they play. Not all of the chapters are entertaining, but most of them are. I recommend this for any fan of basketball, whether it be high school, college, or pro hoops you prefer.

A 360-degree view of Indiana basketball

Sports Illustrated tennis/basketball writer Jon Wertheim spent a winter back in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana tending to his ailing father. During that time, he re-connected with his high school's basketball program. He was agog at how things had changed in the 10+ years since he graduated. In comparison to the "Hoosiers" he left behind, Wertheim finds that Streetball-fueled athleticism is permeating every aspect of basketball, in every Indiana town. Wertheim's book juxtaposes this new reality vs. the iconic image of the lone Indiana youth practicing his free throws in a driveway in small town. It's a theme he develops well in this book, but perhaps not as extensively as the eye-rolling sub-title of the book ("How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hop") implies. I imagine Wertheim blanched a bit when he saw that. Rather then deep-diving into hip-hop culture, "Transition Game" takes the reader on a 360-degree view of Indiana basketball - small high schools, big high schools, IU, Purdue's women's team, the legend of Damon Bailey, and the so-called "Crime Against Culture" (Indiana's universally despised move away to four-class basketball in 1998). It's a well-reported travelogue that gives the reader a flavor of how basketball culture is changing in even the most traditional of settings.

Don't hate, appreciate...

No, no, no, this is a great book. Contrary to the opinion of one in San Antonio, Jon Wertheim's book isn't a commentary book so much as it discusses the issues of Indiana's basketball history with more of a backdrop of all the issues that effect life: race, class, gender and political issues. I can't say that Wertheim picks a side in terms of why things are the way they are -- which is great! This book is more of an analogy of the state of affairs of Indiana basketball. He does a great job of putting certain items of discussion on the table, but pretty much lets the reader choose which manner of explanation(s) support the reality that is an ever-changing basketball landscape in the nation's No. 1 basketball state (despite this year's NCAA woes--LOL). Cop this book!

Superb

A must-read for anyone interested in basketball. Wertheim makes multiple keen observations on how both the game and the culture of basketball, from high school to the pros, has dramatically changed in recent years. His writing style is elegant, witty and entertaining. A great way to spend a few hours.