Team First, Team Last: An Epic Journey to the Heart of High School Basketball

I couldnt put this book down, even when my girlfriend was on fire. I recommmend this book to anyone who enjoys beautiful poetry and a great story about courage and devotion.

I was a close friend of Ronnell's and Mark Craver wrote an excellent book, which chronicles every high, and low that students are faced with. However, Ronnell had some lows that we never could have expected. I praise Mr. Craver for keeping Ronnell's memory alive and allowing us to experience his memories of such a wonderful young man.

My English teacher read this book to our class while we read Homer's Odyssey to contrast the modern epic to the classic epic. I must say that Craver's epic is much more gripping than that of Homer and provides a fantastic story for any sports or literature lover. It managed to capture my attention just after hearing the first few sentences. The cover doesn't do this book justice either, so don't judge the content of the story by it. Also, for me, the story takes place right in the Northern Virginia/Fairfax area so I know exactly the schools that Craver is talking about. Highly recommended.

As I high school basketball coach and fan in general, I really loved this book. The writer, a high school english teacher, clearly describes how his attachment to his school's team has been one of the greatest joys and loves of his life. I love the line where he says that because of his attachment to the kids and the basketball program, being a high school english teacher has always and will always be enough for him. Highly recommended for anyone, sports fan and non sports fans alike.

I brought Mark Craver's newest book home intending to spend a leisurely afternoon on the couch reading. Instead, my wife picked it up and started. She had things to do and places to go, but kept turning the pages. She smiled and sighed and got tears in her eyes during the whole book, which she described as being so engaging she couldn't put it down. She read it in one sitting, as did I the next morning.Anyone who played sports in high school, or was even remotely involved in their high school experience will enjoy this one.