ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601300121
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: F-4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BOOK REVIEW
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY JOHN MONTGOMERY
SACRED HOOPS. By Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. Hyperion. $22.95.
Phil Jackson, basketball coach of the Chicago Bulls, was a collegiate All-American before becoming a journeyman NBA player, best known for long arms and great teammates (Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Dave DeBusschere). Upon retirement as an active player in the late 1970s, he climbed various rungs on the coaching ladder. For the past seven seasons, he has headed the Bulls, and, among other achievements, he lays claim to three consecutive NBA championships (1991-1993), a feat not seen since Boston's Red Auerbach turned the trick nearly 30 years before.
Jackson brings with him a long association with sage advisers and selfless leaders. The son of Pentecostal ministers, Jackson roomed with retiring New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley (who wrote the foreword) when they played together for the New York Knicks. Both Jackson's college and professional coaches (Bill Fitch and Red Holzman, respectively) have guided NBA teams to world titles. But Jackson clearly attaches his most significant influence to Zen, which taught him much more than to pass the ball, and he sprinkles appropriate but pensive quotations throughout the book.
This book is not a compendium of Xs and Os, and it's not a gossip sheet of Jordan's athletic endorsements, gambling debts and assorted other extracurricular activities. Instead, it's a thoughtful, sincere piece that concludes simply: "Basketball is a game, a journey, a dance - not a fight to the death."
Jackson's approach must be worth considering. This year's Bulls sport a winning record and are on track to post the all-time record winning percentage for one season.
Some critics think any team with Jordan in the lineup would be an automatic winner with a robot as coach. But upon reading Jackson's memoirs, the insightful fan will agree that Jackson rightfully deserves much of the credit for melding Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the others into team players who know how to win graciously.
Jackson, of course, emphasizes that "who deserves the credit" is insignificant.
John Montgomery is the current president of the Blue Ridge Writers Conference.
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: BILL SMITH. Bulls coach Phil Jackson.by CNB