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RBR Reading Room: Books About Alabama Men's Basketball

Bolton, Clyde. The Basketball Tide: A Story of Alabama Basketball. Strode Publishers Inc., 1977.

Although it was published four decades ago, this remains pretty much the only book covering the history of UA men's basketball. Bolton, a former Birmingham News sportswriter, did a number of books on UA sports in this time period all of which give nice perspectives on earlier eras more current books overlook. Bolton also has profiles and interviews with players and coaches which add a lot of detail.

Dortch, Chris. String Music: The Rise and Rivalries of SEC Basketball. Potomac Books. 2003.

The focus of this book is SEC basketball in the 1990s (particularly as Arkansas and South Carolina entered the league) and follows program-by-chapter format with a detailed breakdown of the 2001-2002 season. For Alabama you get a summary of Wimp Sanderson's tenure, a glance at David Hobbs time at the Capstone and a whole lot of Mark Gottfried & Co.

Jacobs, Barry. "Door Jamb: Wendell Hudson, University of Alabama, 1969-73." Across the Line: Profiles In Basketball Courage: Tales Of The First Black Players In The ACC and SEC, Lyons Press, 2007, pp. 122-146.

There is an excellent chapter on the integration of Alabama mens basketball in this book. Wendell Hudson was the school's first black scholarship athlete and, as such, a great deal of focus for all the sports programs was on him. This is probably the best single description of how his groundbreaking role came about, who was involved and it's short and longer term impacts.

Martin, Charles H. "From Exclusion to Prominence: The Southeastern Conference and Basketball." Benching Jim Crow: The Rise and Fall of the Color Line in Southern College Sports, 1890-1980. University of Illinois Press, 2010. pp. 215-254.

Martin's book is the authority when it comes to the integration of college athletics. Typically, basketball programs did so before football and Alabama's athletics were no exception. The chapter on SEC basketball integration puts the change at UA in proper context of the sport and highlights the specific obstacles faced by the players and coaches.

Newton, C.M. and Billy Reed. Newton's Laws: The C.M. Newton Story. Host Communications Inc., 2000.

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Sanderson,Wimp. Plaid and Parquet: An Autobiography by Wimp Sanderson. Five Points South Productions, 2000.

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Thompson, Stephen. A Gift Before Dying: The Legacy of Robert Scott's Final Season for the Crimson Tide. New South Inc., 2000.

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Warner, Chris. SEC Basketball History & Tradition. CEW Enterprises, 2001.

This book is actually a nice synopsis of each SEC basketball team with key facts, premier players and a short program history. For Alabama basketball it's mainly a starting point but as a general guide for the rest of the conference, it's a superb resource. The biggest problem is its somewhat out of date now.


NOTE: Lorem Ipsum is for the ones I am finishing up now.

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