She's got handle : the story of Nicole Louden's triumph through inner-city basketball / Adam Zagoria.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zagoria, Adam.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Louden, Nicole, 1983-.

Louden, Nicole.

Women basketball players--United States--Biography.

Women basketball players.

Basketball players--United States--Biography.

Basketball players.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xx, 236 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Kansas City, Mo. : Andrews McMeel Pub., [2001]

Summary:

From the time she received her first letter from Florida State in the seventh grade, Nicole Louden was recruited by every major Division I women's basketball program in the country, from Connecticut to Tennessee to Rutgers. Dreaming of one day competing in the WNBA, Nicole devoted her days to basketball, while her friends were busy working or taking it easy. She's Got Handle follows Nicole along the recruiting trail, from the Nike summer camp to AAU tournaments to interviews with college coaches, documenting her career as her star rises, falls, and then rises again.

Growing up in Paterson, New Jersey, a city riddled with the empty buildings, dilapidated housing projects, and violence characteristic of many of our nation's inner cities, Nicole manages to stay on the straight and narrow. She avoids the common pitfalls of drugs, violence, and teenage pregnancy largely because of the strength and spirit of the women in her Jamaican immigrant family. Her grandmother, Euphemia Richman, is a steadfast believer in the American Dream and inspires Nicole to become a high achiever in both academics and athletics. Her mother, Andrea Richman, is a hard worker and devoted mother. Joan Richman is Nicole's aunt and her biggest fan.

As women's sports have exploded in popularity in the wake of Title IX, a generation of girls like Nicole can now imagine playing professional basketball, something that was unheard of only a few years ago. She's Got Handle examines the crossroads at which women's hoops appears to stand. Will the women's game mirror the mistakes of the men's game -- recruiting players so early that childhood takes a backseat to basketball, and crossing the line from aggressive to illegal recruitment practices -- or will it remain, as now, a purer and more ideal version of the sport?

Contents:

Prologue: 1999: Nike All-America Basketball Camp 1

Part 1 1996-99: Working Toward Nike Camp 11

Part 2 September 1999-June 2000: Junior Year 49

Part 3 Summer 2000: Recruitment 117

Part 4 Fall 2000: Decisions, Decisions 169

Epilogue: 2000-1: Senior Season 223.

ISBN:

0740718940

OCLC:

46976637