Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine - Inspiring Sports Book for Basketball Coaches & Players - Perfect for Team Motivation & Youth Sports Training

I loved this book. The book is masterfully reported (over about 8 years), and Dohrmann is so embedded with these characters that you can hardly believe they would reveal the extent of their avarice in front of him. This access is what makes the story so shocking - and such a good read. You don't need to be a sports fan to love the book, because at the end of the day, the story is about the kids' journey through childhood (and the grassroots hoops system). It's about how they're shaped, and mishandled at key moments in their young lives by those with intentions and motives that are altruistic, ignorant, immature, and craven (sometimes all at once). One kid in particular, Demetrius, makes himself vulnerable to a coach whom he sees as a father-figure, while the coach sees Demetrius as a means to get rich. Demetrius realizes too late that he has been used, and by then he's abandoned by the coach, longing to be coddled, defensive about his plight, and lost. The grassroots basketball system, which heralded his ascent, can't be bothered with his troubles, and the coaches, scouts, and hype-sters simply move on to the next big thing and label him "washed up" - at age 15. Makes you want to scream at times, which is the sign of a great book.