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The Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball

by John Feinstein

A season inside Patriot League basketball

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Regular price $34.10 USD Sale price $21.82 USD
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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A season inside Patriot League basketball

John Feinstein’s account shifts attention from the commercial stakes of major NCAA programs to the Patriot League, where players balance demanding college lives with a sport unlikely to lead to professional careers. Built from a season spent alongside these teams, the book examines the daily commitment behind Division I basketball: practice, competition, school loyalty, and the personal drive to keep playing. It also frames that experience against Feinstein’s concern that money and NBA ambitions had changed much of college basketball, using a smaller conference to explore a different version of the game.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • College basketball followers interested in smaller Division I conferences
  • Sports readers interested in athlete commitment beyond professional prospects
  • Fans of season-long, behind-the-scenes sports reporting

Themes

College basketballAmateur athleticsCompetition and commitmentSchool loyaltyCommercialization of sports

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

America's favorite sportswriter takes readers on a thrilling and unforgettable journey into the world of college basketball in this national bestseller.
Like millions who love college basketball, John Feinstein was first drawn to the game because of its intensity, speed and intelligence. Like many others, he felt that the vast sums of money involved in NCAA basketball had turned the sport into a division of the NBA, rather than the beloved amateur sport it once was. He went in search of college basketball played with the passion and integrity it once inspired, and found the Patriot League. As one of the NCAA's smallest leagues, none of these teams leaves college early to join the NBA and none of these coaches gets national recognition or endorsement contracts. The young men on these teams are playing for the love of the sport, of competition and of their schools.

John Feinstein spent a season with these players, uncovering the drama of their daily lives and the passions that drive them to commit hundreds of hours to basketball even when there is no chance of a professional future. He offers a look at American sport at its purest.
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