I thought it would be interesting if some other posters shared some of thoughts on some of their personal favorites about basketball, whether they were books, documentaries, articles, films, etc. I was hoping this thread could generate some response, because I know that there are countless other resources like these that fans can share and appreciate.

To start it off:

 

My favorite film on KY HS basketball is Morgan Atkinson's 'Way of Life: Basketball in Kentucky', which airs fairly regularly on KET. This documentary follows the 1999 seasons of Ballard and Clay County High School, and also focuses on the Sweet 16 as a whole. Some other teams that are prominently featured are Henderson County, Paducah Tilghman, and Scott County, who all made the semi-finals of state that season.

 

http://www.ket.org/tvschedules/episode.php?nola=KWLBB+000000&layout=popup&framed=1

 

 

As for books about high school basketball in general, I found a new favorite last week when I finished reading George Dohrmann's 'Play Their Hearts Out'. Dohrmann is a Pulitzer Prize winner who works as an investigative reporter for Sports Illustrated, and follows a high level California AAU team (and the unscrupulous actions of their coach) from the time the players are 10 years old until they enter college. It's a great look at the monster that is AAU youth basketball, the influence of shoe companies, and corruption throughout various levels of the game. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, regardless of whether they're a diehard basketball fan per se.

 

http://www.playtheirheartsout.com/play-their-hearts-out

 

 

There are a few others that I've heard of, but didn't know how/where to access them, namely: the ESPN series on KY HS basketball, the Simon Kenton film, and the Covington Catholic documentary (~2004 I think).

 

Please share your thoughts on these or other suggestions you may have.

Books:

 

When Cuba Conquered Kentucky by Marianne Walker - Story of the 1952 Cuba Cubs State Champs.

 

Pioneer Spirit: One High School's Rise From Tragedy to Glory by Eric C. Deters - Story of the 1981 Simon Kenton Pioneers State Champs.

 

King Kelly Coleman: Kentucky's Greatest Basketball Legend by Gary P. West.

 

Bobby Plump: Last of the Small Town Heroes by Marty Pieratt & Ken Honeywell - Story of Bobby Plump and the Milan Indians - 1954 Indiana State Champs - Team from the movie 'Hoosiers'.

 

Shooting Star: The Bevo Francis Story - The Incredible Tale of College Basketball's Greatest Scorer by Kyle Keiderling

 

Movies:

 

Rebound: A Basketball Story - Story of the 1981 Simon Kenton Pioneers State Champs. Can be seen often on KET and can be purchased at the following website:

 

http://barkingfishentertainment.com/

 

Barking Fish is a movie production company located in Covington, Kentucky

 

Hoop Dreams

 

Basketball Diaries starring Leonardo Dicaprio

 

Finding Forrester starring Sean Connery

 

It Started With a Peach Basket - History of Basketball

 

100 Years of Kentucky Basketball - History of The Kentucky Wildcats

 

And of course: Hoosiers

Thanks for sharing.

 

Rebound: A Basketball Story was the Simon Kenton film that I'd heard great reviews on, but I haven't had the opportunity to see it yet. I do plan to watch it over the Christmas break though. I think that I'd read that no film of their 1981 championship exists because no one 'outside' filming was allowed in Rupp, and there was an error with the in-house taping which resulted in no recordings existing.

 

Would love to know the title of the Cov Cath documentary, as I've heard lots of positive things about it, but couldn't find it in any searches.

 

Would love to know the title of the Cov Cath documentary, as I've heard lots of positive things about it, but couldn't find it in any searches.

 

Colonels To Rupp was the name. Email [email protected] to order a copy if you'd like. I think it's $20 for the entire 3 hour documentary...