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COACH YOUR TEAM TO PLAY BETTER, FASTER, AND WIN, WITH INNOVATIVE DRILLS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

“Simply fantastic! The Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Drills is a treasure trove of information from around the world. I can honestly say that I have not seen nor read a more complete drill book on one topic that is better than this. Giorgio Gandolfi has outdone himself.”
- Kevin Sutton, Head Coach, Montverde Academy, and Assistant Coach for the Gold Medal USA Jr. National Team

All coaches look for an edge that will help put their team over the top against their rivals. The Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Drills helps you take your team to the next level with the most effective offensive drills from the world's best coaches. Run practice sessions that can produce dominant players using these elite instructional workouts taken from around the globe. You'll bring a fresh perspective on the game to your players, all while teaching solid fundamentals, improving offensive performance, and driving up the score with teams at any level.

Covering everything from basic footwork to fast breaks, with advanced variations for more experienced players and teams, author Giorgio Gandolfi has collected more than 150 drills from the best-of-the-best to equip you with the necessary skills to:

• Decide which drills are appropriate-and adapt them to meet each team's needs
• Teach fast breaks, screens, post play, and rebounding
• Prepare teams to shoot, pass, play the boards, and run
• Train players to shoot and score under pressure

"Gandolfi offers a truly global sampling of the finest thinking on how to attack the basket or get a shot off against a tough defender. . . . If it’s effective in helping a player improve his pull-up jump shot or make a power move to the basket, it’s here. Gandolfi has done the game a huge service—and made Planet Basketball a more intimate place—with this timely and invaluable book."
—Alexander Wolff, Sports Illustrated senior writer and author of Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure, from the Introduction

"Simply fantastic! This is a treasure trove of information from around the world. I can honestly say that I have not seen nor read a more complete drill book on one topic that is better than this book. Giorgio Gandolfi has out done himself with this book. . . . Great job!"
—Kevin Sutton, Head Coach at Montverde Academy and Assistant Coach for the Gold Medal USA Jr. National Team

"This book is one ofthe best. . . filled with valuable basketball information that has been tested and proven to help coaches and players alike.Giorgio Gandolfi has dedicated his life to helping improve the game and this is just another part of his continuing journey to provide the best basketball information out there!"
—Kevin Eastman, Assistant Coach, Boston Celtics, 2008 NBA World Champions
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Customer Reviews (1)

tremendous book!
My personal library contains four rows of technical basketball books collected over the years, but this recent one by Giorgio Gandolfi has a special place. I have already utilized several of the drills described in his book with my team and I was surprised at how effective they were, especially for my big men. I am excited by the prospect of a new drill a day for my team. The book has a good balance of position-drills, which makes it "one-stop" shopping in setting up my daily practice schedule. It's a good buy for any coach serious about taking their team to the next level. ... Read more

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The coach of the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team profiles the big-name members of the team, the games, and events leading up to the Olympics. Book available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The First Dream Team...
In 1992, USA Basketball and the US Olympic Committee finally acknowledged a painful truth, that US collegians could no longer compete on an equal basis in Olympic basketball against the world's professional players.The solution: pick a "dream team" of eleven mature professionals and one outstanding collegiate player to represent the US, and select Detroit Pistons Coach Chuck Daley to lead it."America's Dream Team: The Quest For Olympic Gold", authored by Daly with Alex Sachare, is the story of their Olympic experience.

The Dream Team was perhaps unique in its collective talent and experience.Eight of the twelve players have since been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame; at least two more should join them in due course.Three of the four coaches are also members.Much of the book is devoted to individual biographies of the players, including such icons as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley, among others.

The book itself briefly chronicles the American experience in Olympic Basketball before getting into the selection of the team and its preparation for the Games.The actual competition is something of an anti-climax.The book frames Daly's commentary with lots of excellent color photography of the team, on and off court, and documents the intriguing experience of seeing professional rivals like Larry Bird and Patrick Ewing make common cause.

"America's Dream Team" is essentially a high quality, professionally-done sourvenir book, but one that is likely to appeal to die-hard basketball fans who remember the original "Dream Team."

Dream Team
America's Dream Team:The 1992 USA Basketball Team is in great condition and was delivered to me in relatively good time. ... Read more

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Chapters: Basketball in Cape Verde, Cape Verde at the Olympics, Cape Verde at the Paralympics, Football in Cape Verde, National Sports Teams of Cape Verde, Cape Verde at the 2006 Lusophony Games, Cape Verde National Football Team, Cape Verde National Basketball Team, Federação Caboverdiana de Futebol, Cape Verde at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Cape Verde at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Cape Verde at the 1996 Summer Olympics, Cape Verde at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Santo Antão Island League, Cape Verde at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Santiago Island League, List of Football Clubs in Cape Verde. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 46. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=7285679 ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Basketball in Somalia, Football in Somalia, National Sports Teams of Somalia, Somalia at the Olympics, Sports Venues in Somalia, Somalia National Football Team, Somalia at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Somalia National Basketball Team, Somalia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Somalia at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Somali Football Federation, Fartun Abukar Omar, Somalia at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Somalia National Beach Soccer Team, Somalia at the 1996 Summer Olympics, Somalia at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Mogadiscio Stadium, Somalia at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Excerpt: The Somalia national football team, nicknamed The Ocean Stars, is the national football team of Somalia. It is controlled by the Somali Football Federation, and is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA). It has never qualified for the final stages of a World Cup. FIFA sanctioned games cannot currently be played in Somalia due to the ongoing Somali Civil War. All qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations, the Arab Nations Cup and the World Cup must be played away from home. The following players were called up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. ... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1235063 ... Read more

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Discusses that team of professional basketball players that the United States sent to Barcelona in 1992 to compete in the Summer Olympics. ... Read more

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Chapters: Brazil National Football Team, Brazil National Basketball Team, Brazil Olympic Football Team, Brazil Women's National Football Team, Brazil National Futsal Team, A1 Team Brazil, Brazil Men's National Volleyball Team, Brazil Women's National Volleyball Team, Brazil National Baseball Team, Brazil Men's National Water Polo Team, Brazil National Under-20 Football Team, Brazil Women's National Basketball Team, Brazil Women's National Water Polo Team, Brazil National Rugby Union Team, Brazil National Handball Team, Brazil National Beach Soccer Team, Brazil Women's National Rugby Union Team, Brazil National Cricket Team, Brazil Davis Cup Team, Brazil Women's National Handball Team, Brazil National Under-17 Football Team, Brazil Fed Cup Team, Brazil National Ice Hockey Team. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 121. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). A common quip about football is: "The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it." Currently ranked first by FIFA, Brazil is consistently among the strongest football nations by Elo Ratings and is the only team to have played in every World Cup. The first match of the Brazil national football team is generally considered to be a 1914 match between a Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo select team and the English club Exeter City, held in Fluminense's stadium. Brazil won 20 with goals by Oswaldo Gomes and Osman, whilst others claim a 33 draw. In contrast to future successes, the nation's early appearances were far from brilliant, partly due to internal strife within Br...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=149286 ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Sports in Georgia include professional teams in all major sports, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences and associations, and active amateur teams and individual sports. The State of Georgia has a team in all four major professional leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL). The Atlanta Braves are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team that moved to Atlanta in 1966 from Milwaukee where they were known as the Milwaukee Braves. The Braves have played their home games at Turner Field in Atlanta since 1997; prior to that they played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. They won the World Series in 1914 (as the Boston Braves), 1957 (as the Milwaukee Braves), and 1995 (as the Atlanta Braves). Braves players in the Baseball Hall of Fame include Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Orlando Cepeda, Eddie Matthews, Phil Niekro, Gaylord Perry, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm. ... Read more

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They played for the gold.They played for the glory.And they played for the future of women athletes everywhere.

Few of the millions of viewers who witnessed the joyous celebration of the victorious American women's basketball team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics could know the intense human drama, the sweat and anxieties, the hopes and the rivalries, that led up to that rapturous outpouring of emotion.Put down as male wannabes, criticized for being either too feminine or not feminine enough, female athletes had struggled for years both to define themselves and to prove their inherent worth beyond the pampered world of the macho male athlete.But at the Atlanta Olympics, all that would change.The female athlete--strong, and beautiful because she was strong--would dominate the world stage.

In the spring of 1995, twelve extraordinary basketball players were chosen to represent the United States in the yearlong march to the 1996 Olympics.For Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and their teammates, winning the gold medal was only one of many goals.Around them swirled the dreams of the millions of young girls who played organized basketball, the hopes of the fans who sent the team an average of 125 pounds of fan mail each month, the multimillion-dollar bets of Nike, Champion, and other corporate sponsors, the promise of a new women's professional league, and not least, the hopes of female athletes across the country finally to gain the respect accorded male athletes.

These women on whom so much pressure rested included a runway model (who also happened to be one of the few women players able to dunk), a forward who barely survived a car accident that left her in a coma, a collegiate sensation struggling to live up to her rep and her huge marketing contract from Reebok, a superstar known as "the female Michael Jordan," and a controversial, unrelenting coach.Nine of the women were black; three were white.Some were married, some single; some outspoken, some painfully shy.Some were rivals, some fast friends.How they came together, both on and off the court, is the subject of this wonderful celebration of the female athlete.Amazon.com Review
One of the truly inspiring sagas of the 1996 Olympics was thedominating performance of America's other Dream Team, thewomen's hoopsters. Led by charismatic coach Tara VanDerveer--shedrove her players hard, but no harder than she drove herself--a groupof 12 divergent personalities turned into an immensely appealing andcohesive unit. Between its formation and the Olympics, the team wonall 51 games it played, then drove through the competition in Atlantato win the gold medal. They also garnered some powerfulintangibles--recognition, respect, and the affection of the fans--thatcontinue to remain more elusive to women's squads thanmen's. Journalist Sara Corbett was given exclusive access to the teamfor the duration. Her vivid narrative resonates with the tension anddrama of competition in the spotlight, and nicely captures thepressures the team had to shoulder in its media-hyped role. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Venus to the Hoop
Venus to the Hoop is a motivation to every kind of athlete. If you have ever played basketball you may be able to understand the situations these women athletes were put in. The detailed descriptions of the players and their coaches and staff allows you to understand the atmosphere they had to play basketball in. If you want to read a good book and also get some posative thinking out of it, read Venus to the Hoop. This book has really helped me keep a positive attitude about sports, teammates and life. I loved the way the competitors from the past pulled together and played as one on the same team. The way they helped eachother out in games and off the court helped me realize that they loved playing basketball. Keeping a positive attitude is important to me, and this book made me look at my life more positively.

the authorized biography
Author Sara Corbett was granted exclusive access to the 1996 US women's basketball team, and this amounts to their authorized biography.Corbett is a good writer and manages to convey a series of themes:the tenuous existence of women's basketball in the US in 1995 when the team was formed, the heterogenous backgrounds of the players and coaches, the incipient rivalry between two nascent professional leagues for the allegiances of the players, to name a few.And Corbett is to be commended for managing to integrate this disparate material into a single narrative.But in basketball terms she is a "homer" -- and one wonders whether the exclusive access that she was given, implicitly or explicitly, informs this relentlessly positive depiction of the team. That said, it is probably a very good book for teenagers of either gender interested in basketball.

The Story of Women's Basketball!Outstanding!
Sara Corbett, who wrote this book, had the opportunity of traveling with the winning U.S. Women's Basketball Olympic team from their early tryouts in April 1995 to their glorious gold medal in Atlanta in 1996.She was there when they for the very beginnings and the selection process; she was there for their rigorous training under their coach, Tara Vanderveer; she was there during meals and long boring flights.

Through a series of in-depth interviews, as well as 14 months of personal

observation, she has written the book that defines the major milestone in women's basketball gaining the public's awareness and acceptance.Each of the 12 women on the team as well as their coach are skillfully profiled, and their stories credit, Ms. Corbett, kept the focus on the game.She lets the player's hopes and dreams and divergent personalities emerge through the sport.Of course we get their backgrounds too.We see Sheryl Swoops and her adoring husband, we see the explosive personality of Dawn Staley who likes to make side wagers on everything; we see Rebecca Lobo having trouble keeping up with the training; and Lisa Leslie's love for dressing up.But most of all, we see them play basketball.

In 1995, there wasn't even a basketball league for women.But during the time of their training for the Olympics, the possibility of two different leagues emerged -- the WNBA and the ABL.This was the major source of conflict between the members on the team during the course of the year. They had to put their disagreements aside though, and play basketball.

And that they did.They played and played and played, wining every single one of the games they played during that year. The women's college teams were easy, but they struggled with the team from China and the team from Australia.They constantly traveled, and the fatigue and frustrations of a life on the road was clearly examined.

Now, just a few years after the Olympics we take the WNBA for granted. American women now have an arena to play basketball professionally after college without going to Europe to play.The experiences playing for the European teams were usually unhappy.They were alone in foreign countries with a cultural barrier between themselves and their teammates.They were treated poorly, and sometimes punched and sexually intimated by their male coaches.It was never a pleasant experience.

The women were proud to be on the Olympic team, but the pressure never let up.Each game was a different kind of challenge.I loved the descriptions of the games, and even though I knew the final outcome of each game, found my heart beating during the play by play action.The game became more than just an unidentified player running around the court.It was Sheryl and Teresa and Katrina and Dawn.It was Rebecca and Jennifer and Lisa and Carla.I followed the action.And I was right there on the court with them.

One of the greatest things about this book, too, was how much it stirred me to learn more.My experience with basketball is limited and so I found myself screen. I therefore found myself going outside the confines of the book, asking questions of the basketball experts in my life, and looking up each player on the internet to find out where she is playing now and how she is doing.

I loved this book, carried it everywhere and couldn't put it down.I was right there with the team all the way and shared the very real swells of emotion they were experiencing . I shared the pain of their injuries, the strain of their training, the adrenaline rush during the games.I shared he plays that didn't make it and the plays that did.I heard the roar of the crowd, felt the strain and the pain, and experienced the glory of the victory.

The story of women's basketball is more than the story of this individual Olympic team.it is about the real opportunities that have opened for women in the world of sport. And, as a whole new generation of little girls are growing up with these possibilities now a reality, it is about the future.

Highly highly recommended.

An excellent read
My two daughters are junior high basketball players, and I picked up this book on a whim at a bookstore recently.I was gripped from page one and couldn't put it down after that.I can't tell you how many times I wantedto CALL Sara while I was reading this and tell her, "This is a greatbook!"But I trust other people have done that.You really get asense of what being on that team was like, and I enjoyed this bookimmensely.It's on my list of all-time favorite sports books.

An awsome book for the avaid basketball fan!
This book has become one of my favorites.Telling the story of the 12 women who made up the 1996 gold medal team, Corbett went in-depth which each player.The book created a personal veiw of what the team wentthrough.From a 30 year old vetren, to a 20 year old not yet graduated,you are able to get a real sense of each player! ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1398 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

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Chapters: Tonga at the Olympics, Australian Rules Football in Tonga, Tonga National Basketball Team, Tonga at the Commonwealth Games. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 20. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The national sport of Tonga is rugby union. Rugby league is another popular sport enjoyed by Tongans. Soccer has a following, while judo, surfing, volleyball, and cricket have gained in popularity in recent years. See also: Rugby union in TongaRugby union is the most popular sport in Tonga. Rugby union is governed by the Tonga Rugby Football Union, which is also a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance. Rugby union is popular in the nation's schools and students from schools such as Tupou College are regularly offered scholarships from New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Though Tongans are passionate rugby followers, the small population base means that internationally, Tongan rugby continually struggles. Often, young talent emigrate to countries which offer greater prospects of individual success such as New Zealand and Australia. The national team (Ikale Tahi) has performed quite well on the international stage. Although the national team has not performed as well as neighboring Samoa and Fiji, Tonga has competed at five Rugby World Cups, the first being in 1987. The team achieved its best-ever performance in 2007, winning two matches against the USA and Samoa before losing narrowly to South Africa, the eventual winners of the competition, and England, the runners-up. By finishing third in their group, Tonga gained automatic qualification to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, to be held in New Zealand. Tonga performs the 'Sipi Tau' (war dance) before its matches. Tonga used to compete in the Pacific Tri-Nations against Samoa and Fiji which has now been replaced by the IRB Pacific 6 ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=13008891 ... Read more

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Chapters: 2010 Afc Challenge Cup Qualification Group B, Maldives National Basketball Team, Maldives at the Olympics, Maldives at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Maldives Basketball Association, Maldives Olympic Committee. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 24. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Maldives is represented at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne by a xx-member strong contingent comprising xx sportspersons and xx officials. ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=22408252 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1905 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

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Includes the 1960 Champions of All Sports w/ 26 of the year's best sports pictures. Includes Baseball including World Series, Football, Boxing, Olympic Games, Racing, Basketball, Golf, Tennis, Hockey, Yachting, Iceboating, Bowling, Hunting. Also includes lots of illustrations. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1777 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1223 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more