Dick Vitale's Fabulous 50 Players & Moments in College Basketball

In Dick Vitale's Fabulous 50 Players and Moments in College Basketball: From the Best Seat in the House During My 30 Years at ESPN, America's self-confessed number one college basketball junkie will go on the record, ranking his players and moments from 1 to 50. His personal pantheon might surprise you. The legends are here, of course. And they deserve to be. Consensus is that these are the greatest of the great. But some of his rankings may be unexpected. Kansas guard Mario Chalmers' three-point shot to force overtime against Memphis in the 2008 national championship game. Ralph Sampson of Virginia vs. Patrick Ewing of Georgetown in a 1983 reprise of the great showdown between Lew Alcindor and Elvin Hayes in the '60s. UCLA guard Tyus Edney's length-of-the-floor dash to glory against Missouri in the 1995 tournament. Michael Jordan's game winning shot against Georgetown in 1982 during his freshman year at North Carolina. Kentucky's 31point comeback against LSU in 1994. Cinderella George Mason upsetting Connecticut to make the Final Four in 2006. Every basketball fan has his or her favorites: the perfect player, the magical moments. But only Dick Vitale will go on the record, ranking them 1 through 50, and he'll do it as much as a fan as a commentator. This is from his heart, naming the top 50 players and moments in the wonderful world of college hoops. It's awesome, baby.

Weiss, Dick

Vitale, Dick

Biographies & Memoirs

Ascend Books, LLC

Of all the wonderful players who have worn the crimson and blue for the University of Kansas basketball program through the years, only one can claim to be the "winningest" Jayhawk of all -- Tyrel Reed.
Reed, who concluded his playing career in March 2011, has written a new book that chronicles his time with the Jayhawks -- Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk. The book published by Ascend Books of Overland Park, Kansas, is co-written by long-time Topeka Capital Journal Sports Columnist Tully Corcoran.
Reed was a champion on the court -- as part of the Jayhawks' National Championship in 2008 -- and in the classroom, as a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member. He was part of more wins than any other player in the storied history of the Kansas program.
The son of a coach from Burlington, Kansas, Reed developed into an important leader and "glue guy" for the Jayhawks. He was an excellent outside shooter, sinking 170 three-point field goals in his career, and a clutch free throw shooter, with an .810 success rate.
In his book, Reed describes what it was like to play for Coach Bill Self, how the game has changed with "one-and-done" freshmen players, and how he was able to excel academically despite the demands of basketball practice and road trips.
Told with heart and good humor, Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk, is a must-read for any fan of college basketball.

Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk

Reed, Tyrel

Corcoran, Tully

For more than 30 years, Dick Vitale has been synonymous with the best in college basketball. His enthusiasn, knowledge, unique turn of a phrase and passion have set the bar for the best in hoops coverage. Dick Vitale has seen it all. For the college basketball fan, these are some of the touchstones of the sport. For years, fans have discussed the memorable players and magical moments. And, fan that he is, Dick Vitale also likes to talk about the game he loves. But, he is not your average fan. And there are experiences that are personally meaningful to him that he wants to share. From his wealth of experience sitting courtside at many pivotal moments in college basketball over the past three decades, Vitale gives us his reasons why he has chosen his top 50 players and moments-out of the many he has witnessed during his years of broadcasting at ESPN. Although he includes biographical and statistical data for each player and moment, as well as dynamic photographs. Vitale makes it clear that these are his personal choices. This is from his heart, naming the top 50 players and moments in the wonderful world of college hoops. It's awesome, baby!

Dick Vitale with Dick Weiss

For years, football at the University of Kansas was nothing more than a time-filler while students and alumni awaited the start of basketball season. That changed dramatically in one magical season in the fall of 2007 when an undersized quarterback led the Jayhawks through 11 straight wins and made Memorial Stadium the "in" place on a Saturday afternoon in Lawrence. 
 Todd Reesing's football career at Kansas is a fairy-tale story that began improbably and ended the same way. But he and his teammates took Jayhawks fans on a ride they had never experienced before - the heady heights of playing for the No. 1 ranking in college football and their first-ever win in a major bowl game when they defeated Virginia Tech 27-24 in the Orange Bowl following the 2007 season. 
 A year later, Reesing was even more prolific, and the Jayhawks played in consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history. That season was punctuated by Reesing's scrambling touchdown strike to Kerry Meier that beat the the Missouri Tigers and lifted the Jayhawks into the Insight.com Bowl where they thumped Minnesota. 
 His senior season was a disappointment, marred by confrontation between members of the football and basketball teams, a university investigation into the conduct of the head football coach, and a seven-game losing streak to end the season. 
 In Rising to New Heights: Inside the Jayhawks Huddle Reesing talks about it all, the highs and lows of making Kansas football relevant again and his journey through college football with all the skills of a big-time quarterback but none of the size.

Rising to New Heights: Inside the Jayhawks Huddle

Reesing, Todd

Pulliam, Kent

On November 12, 1993, an entirely new sport was unleashed on an unsuspecting viewing public--one that was unlike any other, and one that would come to redefine combat and action sports for a new generation. The sport was mixed martial arts (MMA)--although it hadn't been named that yet--and the event was the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The creation of ad man and serial entrepreneur Art Davie, the UFC entered nearly 90,000 households through pay per view television with an explosion...an explosion of blood--as Dutch karate champion Gerard Gordeau kicked fallen Sumo wrestler Teila Tuli right in the face during the first minute of the opening fight. This shocking scene was only a prelude of what was to come that autumn night in Denver, and worldwide over the next 20 years. Now, for the first time, the true story of how the UFC and the sport of MMA came into existence will be told by the man who started it all. Art Davie is the Dr. James Naismith and Abner Doubleday (with a touch of PT Barnum) of MMA, yet his name is largely unknown. That is, until now. In this vivid and fast-moving, first-person account, Davie tells the story of his creation, which has flourished into the billion-dollar behemoth Ultimate Fighting Championship. Davie's is a tale of perseverance and against-all-odds determination, as he worked tirelessly for four years to see his idea come to brutal fruition, meeting resistance at every single turn. It's also a mash-up of martial arts, celebrity and business culture, involving a highly improbable cast of characters, ranging from Academy Award nominee John Milius, NFL Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, action star Chuck Norris, Brazilian Jiu-Jitusu godfather Rorion Gracie and pay per view pioneer Bob Meyrowitz. Davie's story of how he created the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and thus invented the new sport mixed martial arts, is one for not just fight fans, but for fans of mavericks in business and life, who stop at nothing to fulfill their dreams. Whether you're a hardcore supporter of MMA, or have never watched a bout in your life, you'll be enthralled by Davie's story of ultimate triumph tempered by constant near-disaster. Davie created the sport of the 21st Century, which arrived two decades early and with virtually no fanfare or warning. He started a revolution, and his revolution was televised.

Is This Legal?: The Inside Story of the First UFC from the Man Who Created It

Davie, Art

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Books by Ascend Books, LLC

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Ascend Books, LLC publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Dick Vitale's Fabulous 50 Players & Moments in College Basketball

Reed All About It: Driven to Be a Jayhawk

Dick Vitale's Fabulous 50 Players & Moments in College Basketball

Rising to New Heights: Inside the Jayhawks Huddle

Is This Legal?: The Inside Story of the First UFC from the Man Who Created It