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Sweet Redemption
Gary Williams Book Review

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Plot Summary of Sweet Redemption
"David A. Vise has helped to put Gary William's words and feelings to print in retelling the riches-to-rags-to-riches story of Maryland basketball over the past 20+ years. Maryland's basketball program, full of proud history and lofty accomplishments, was touched by death, scandal, and frustration before rising phoenix-like out of the ashes to college basketball's highest glory, the NCAA championship.

In the mid 80's, the program reaches rock bottom in the wake of Len Bias' cocaine induced death, NCAA sanctions against the program, and eroding confidence by the school and its supporters. Gary Williams, an alumnus and former player is embrolled in the scandal not of his own making. With hard work and confidence in his own ability to coach at college basketballs highest level, coach Williams restores the program to national prominence only to be thwarted on the sports highest stage.

Maryland reaches the Final Four for the first time ever in 2000 and is on the brink of winning until questionable officiating seems to aid bitter rival Duke in overcoming a 23 point first half deficit to nip Maryland the advance to meet Arizona for the national title. Rather than allow dispair or resentment to ruin the spirit of a championship caliber team, coach Williams challenges his players to respond to the task at hand. They come through in style losing only 4 games all season either on the road or at neutral sites before they make one of the most incredible runs through the NCAA tournament in 2001. The Terrapins play 5 past NCAA champions and the highest seeds possible to reach the championship against Indiana. They win a gritty and defensive minded Hoosiers team 64-52 in a game not as close as the final score would indicate.
"

David Fletcher, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Sweet Redemption
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession: - athlete/coach
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Sports story? - basketball
Sports story Yes
Period of greatest activity? - 1950+

Subject of Biography
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - sports figure
Age: - 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental Yes
Eccentric: - obsessed
Biography of famous person? Yes
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - American (!)
How sensitive is this person? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other people
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
City? Yes
City: - Washington D.C.
Century: - 1980's-Present

Style
Person - rotating 1st
Book makes you feel? - in awe
Is book humorous? Yes
If humorous, kind of humor - gentle
Unusual Style: - a lot of flashback and forwards
Writer's slant towards subject: - very favorable
Story of entire life, or part? - story of set of events during life
Pictures/Illustrations? - A ton 16-20 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog
Most similar books to Sweet Redemption
Bad As I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman
Loose Balls by Jayson Williams
The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam
Manning: A Father, His Sons, and a Football Legacy by Archie and Peyton Manning
White Angels by John Carlin


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Gary Williams Resident Scholar Profiles

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David Fletcher  

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