String Music: The Rise and Rivalries of SEC Basketball

by Chris Dortch

Overview

Although the basketball teams of the Southeastern Conference dominate the national college rankings, it wasn’t too long ago that the SEC was mostly recognized for football. Today the SEC has displaced the Big Ten and the Atlantic Coast Conference as the premier conference of college basketball. Beginning with Rick Pitino’s revival of the University of Kentucky from the perdition of probation to the University of Arkansas’s entry into the conference and subsequent national title, Chris Dortch chronicles SEC history up to its present pinnacle.The twelve conference teams play for high stakes, competing fiercely for coaches and players and for coveted spots at the NCAA tournament. Join Dortch as he talks to the coaches, players, and fans who have turned the SEC into the home of all that is best in college basketball. String Music also explores the traditions and history that bring SEC hoops to life, including the rivalries, the history, the players, and the coaches. It sets the standard for analyzing the state of college basketball today and provides the best coverage of the rich heritage of SEC basketball.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781574884395
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	12/31/2002
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

For fifteen years, Chris Dortch has covered college basketball as a sports journalist. Editor of the bestselling Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, he’s also written for Sporting News, including its College Basketball Yearbook, Lindy's College Basketball Yearbook, Dick Vitale's College Basketball Yearbook, ESPN Magazine, and Preview Sports College Basketball Yearbook as well as several internet sites, including AOL, CNN/SI, CBS Sportsline, ESPN.com, and Fox Sports Online. He lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Table of Contents

	List of Photographs	vi
	Acknowledgments	vii
	Introduction	1
Chapter 1	Alabama	11
Chapter 2	Arkansas	34
Chapter 3	Auburn	60
Chapter 4	Florida	83
Chapter 5	Georgia	107
Chapter 6	Kentucky	132
Chapter 7	LSU	163
Chapter 8	Mississippi State	187
Chapter 9	Ole Miss	213
Chapter 10	South Carolina	237
Chapter 11	Tennessee	258
Chapter 12	Vanderbilt	282
Chapter 13	SEC Tournament	306
	Epilogue	320
	Index	333
	About the Author	339

Editorial Reviews

With the exception of the storied program at the University of Kentucky, the most important sport at the colleges that make up the Southeastern Conference had historically been football, not basketball. But that began to change in the 1991-1992 season when Kentucky won yet another national basketball championship and the SEC added two more schools to its ranks, including the basketball powerhouse the University of Arkansas. In this smoothly written account, Dortch (editor of Blue Ribbon Basketball Forecast) devotes a chapter on how each of the basketball teams at the 12 colleges in the SEC fared in the 10-year period that began in 1991-1992. As basketball steadily grew in stature within the SEC, Dortch tells of the bruising recruiting battles for top talent and the fierce rivalries that developed among the schools. Dortch also charts the highs and lows of each program, including the myriad coaching changes that took place in the decade as each school jockeyed to improve its basketball fortunes. Because the schools competed for many of the same players-and obviously battled each other on the court-there is some repetition of events in what is otherwise a winning look at how basketball came to share with football a place in the hearts of SEC followers. (Jan.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"A terrific piece of hoops reporting, with engaging content and big-picture context."

"Finally someone has written a book that gives SEC basketball its due."

"An entertaining and informative look at SEC basketball that every sports enthusiast can enjoy."

From the Publisher

"A terrific piece of hoops reporting, with engaging content and big-picture context."—Alex Wolff, Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated - Alex Wolff

"Finally someone has written a book that gives SEC basketball its due."—Sonny Smith, former Auburn coach

Sonny Smith

"An entertaining and informative look at SEC basketball that every sports enthusiast can enjoy."—Dave Neal, host of Fox Sports Net South's SEC-TV

Dave Neal