A Gift Before Dying: Robert Scott's Lasting Legacy in His Final Season for the Crimson Tide

by THOMPSON STEPHEN WARREN

• ISBN13: 9781588380128
• ISBN10: 1588380122
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-11-01
• Publisher: John F Blair Pub

Summary

Stephen Thompson followed the University of Alabama basketball team for the 1999-2000 season, recording their practices and travels over a six-month period. Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried participated fully with Thompson, allowing complete access into the pressure cooker that is NCAA Division I basketball. Delving into the ups and downs of an emotionally draining season, Thompson builds his story around Assistant Coach Robert "Rah Rah" Scott, who was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer just weeks before the season began. Given only months to live, Scott chose to spend much of his diminishing time trying to help the young athletes find their way, both on and off the court. Part sports book and part eulogy to a good and courageous man, A Gift Before Dying examines the inner workings of college sports, and shows how a team pulled together when all fell apart.

Author Biography

Stephen Thompson was born in Huntsville, Alabama. After living in Savannah, Georgia, for several years, his family returned to Alabama. As the son of a devoted writer and high school English teacher, he always knew the value of a story. After receiving a B.S. in education from the University of Alabama in 1994, he traveled to New Haven, Connecticut, where his wife, Tracy, was attending Yale Law School. He was a teacher and an assistant basketball coach at an athletically geared prep school, Milford Academy. Having returned to his native state, he graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2000

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 9
Preface	p. 13
The Coaching Staff and a Brief History of UA Basketball	p. 19
The Team	p. 25
October Hope	p. 31
A Sniper Struck on Wild Wednesday	p. 49
Distractions	p. 59
Exhibition Season	p. 76
The Earth Grains Mistake	p. 93
Before Hitting an Iceberg	p. 109
Robert's Last Birthday	p. 137
Photos	p. 165
"We'll make sure you don't die."	p. 173
Ecstasy and Agony	p. 207
How To Get a Rebound?	p. 228
Surviving a Night in Fayetteville	p. 243
Redemption	p. 265
Shooting Stops the Pain	p. 279
The Final Buzzer	p. 284
Afterword	p. 296
Acknowledgments	p. 299
Index	p. 300
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