Cinderella: Inside the Rise of Mid-Major College BasketballThe NCAA tournament has always been an enormous spotlight for the underdog. Bracket-clenching fans root for long shots to upset the elite squads and score an unexpected win on their tournament sheetOif they picked them, that is. And normally thatis all the fans expectoone or two incredible upsets. But these days, the underdogs are breaking throughO Cinderella is an inside look at the NCAAis mid-major basketball programs, which fight for their shot to battle the elite teams for the national championship. The rise of mid-majors has been one of the most thrilling sports stories in recent years, and itis only getting bigger. Michael Litos spent the 2005n06 season on the frontlines of the Colonial Athletic Association, home of such mid-major standouts as Old Dominion, Hofstra, VCU and George Mason. With complete access to coaches and players, he found incredible tales of pressure and passion. He saw coaches and players struggling to put together a championship drive in spite of uncompromising schedules and half-filled arenas. And he was there when the ultimate underdog turned the world of college basketball upside-downoGeorge Masonis historic run to the Final Four. In what was dubbed iThe Year of the Mid-Major, i Cinderella delivers the ultimate look at what it means to be an underdog and how the sport of college basketball is being transformed. In the last great league of amateur athletes, this is the story of those who play for the love of the gameOand the thrill of achieving the unbelievable. Michael Litos spent the first eight years of his career as a magazine writer and editor for several sports and sports memorabilia titles with Landmark Communications. He has interviewed sports celebrities from Mickey Mantle to Alex Rodriguez to Brett Favre. |
Contents
CHAPTER ONE | 1 |
CHAPTER TWO | 31 |
CHAPTER THREE | 43 |
CHAPTER FOUR | 77 |
CHAPTER FIVE | 97 |
CHAPTER SIX | 119 |
CHAPTER SEVEN | 141 |
CHAPTER EIGHT | 155 |
CHAPTER ELEVEN | 219 |
CHAPTER TWELVE | 225 |
CHAPTER THIRTEEN | 245 |
EPILOGUE | 251 |
AFTERWORD | 261 |
| 267 | |
Acknowledgements | 277 |
About the Author | 280 |
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