A Good Book

I just finished reading Play Their Hearts Out by George Dohrmann. The book chronicles the experiences of AAU basketball players. The author was given unrestricted access to a team that began as a group of middle school players and documents the ups and downs of the young men as they go through the years, until their high school careers are finished.

Dohrmann writes about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the system of grassroots basketball. He tells of the influence of the shoe companies, the coaches who care about developing players, the coaches who use the players for their own ends, and the college programs who use the grassroots coaches to steer players their way. He pulls no punches when it comes to telling the story, while also being fair to those involved.

If you're a basketball fan, a casual observer, or if you're concerned with how young people are sometimes treated by adults, you might be interested in this book