Boys
Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a
Basketball Revolution by Jonathan Abrams
The debate rages on today concerning whether or not
high school players should be able to jump to the NBA without going to
college. Yet, as Jonathan Abrams shows
in his new book, Boys Among Men, that trend has sparked a revolution in the
NBA, not just important for players, but also GM’s, coaches, and recruits. The likes of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler and Lebron James are only a few
of the remarkable players who made the leap to the NBA straight out of high
school.
As a fan of basketball, my dad and I were able to
see Kevin Garnett play in a high school matchup in St. Louis for Farragut
Academy. We were amazed by his athletic
ability and smooth shot. Abrams recounts
the rough road that Garnett took to make it to the league in his book. From a skinny kid without the SAT or ACT
score to make it to college, Kevin’s road was tumultuous. On seeing Garnett
tryout, Isaiah Thomas phoned Kevin McHale and said, “He would be the perfect
guy for you and he’s the perfect guy for me (31).” The long road didn’t end with the draft for
Garnett, he gasped for oxygen in training camp but “Garnett simply wanted to
play basketball, maintaining the mentality of the kid shooting every hour of
the day at Springfield Park (37).”
Another interesting aspect of the book was the part
on Tyson Chandler. Abrams looks at his
coming to the Wizards and being coached by the newly minted part owner of the
Wizards, Michael Jordan. Abrams writes, “Players
faced unrelenting pressure to perform and impress. Few high schoolers were as uniquely prepped
for the scrutiny as Tyson Chandler, an elastic and scrawny post player from
California (165).” What Chandler did not
quite consider was that he would not be the first pick in the draft nor would
Eddie Curry, but that Kwame Brown would rise to the top. Yet, through all of Kwame Brown’s injury
history and journeyman history in the league, Chandler had kind words for
Brown, for his ability to become a defensive wall in later half of his years in
the league.
Abrams does a great job at chronicling the road from
high school to the top for these NBA players.
If you’re at all interested in the NBA and what it takes to get there,
from a player and team perspective, you will enjoy this book.
Thanks to Blogging for Books for the copy of this
book in exchange for an honest review.
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