Echoes on the Hardwood: 100 Seasons of Notre Dame Men's Basketball

There a scores of books on the storied tradition of Notre Dame football, but very few on ND basketball, which has had many great moments of its own. And very few of those books provides the insights of Coffey's book. Instead of the traditional approach to a team's history, the author focuses on anecdotes provided by the players and other behind the scenes participants. This gives us a sense of their perceptions of what was happening, rather than the interpretations of the journalist. Coffey lets the book write itself (not trying to diminish his hard work), and the final result is something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Certainly a must for Irish fans, and I think any fan of college basketball would enjoy it as well.

Coffey interviewed seemingly countless old ND players and people associated with Notre Dame Basketball over its first 100 years. What you get is a wonderful portrayal of the program, through the words of those that were there; the very guys who woke up some of those famous Notre Dame "echoes", albeit on the basketball court. And herein lies the beauty of this book; Coffey helps shine a light on the fantastic tradition of ND Basketball, one naturally overshadowed by the legendary exploits of the Football team. For example, Coffey notes that ND is the only Div I school ranked in the Top 20 in total wins and winning percentage in BOTH football and basketball, a surprising fact to even the most ardent college sports fan. Of particular interest to me were the portrayals of the players from what's popularly referred to as "the greatest generation". They just don't make men like this anymore, and Coffey lets them tell their stories. Also gripping is the account of ND's 71-70 victory over the mighty Bruins of UCLA in 1974. In addition, Coffey concludes with the current roster recapping last season, and looking forward to 2004-5. This book is a must-have for the Notre Dame fan, and a great read for the fan of college hoops as well.

This work is incredibly thorough. Coffey allows his interviewees to tell their stories without tramping all over them with his own opinions. He lets the reader absorb the anecdotes and in the few cases where his subjects disagree, leaves it up to us to decide which side of the fence we fall on. It's unusual to find an author who's willing to just get out of the way like that. As someone else told me, I feel like I was invited to a big party with everyone who ever contributed to ND basketball and got to listen in on all the best conversations. Not having Digger in there is a disappointment, but since Digger has his own book right now, it's understandable why he didn't want to participate. If you like Notre Dame or college basketball (or both), this one is a must have.