{"product_id":"auburn-basketball-from-barkley-to-bruce-9781962993029","title":"Auburn Basketball From Barkley to Bruce","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVan Allen Plexico\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eJohn Ringer\u003c\/strong\u003e, hosts of the \u003cstrong\u003eAU Wishbone Podcast\u003c\/strong\u003e and authors of WE BELIEVED: A LIFETIME OF AUBURN FOOTBALL and SEASON OF OUR DREAMS, bring you the story of Auburn Basketball over the past five decades, beginning with the arrivals of \u003cstrong\u003eSonny Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eCharles Barkley\u003c\/strong\u003e, and through \u003cstrong\u003eBruce Pearl\u003c\/strong\u003e's revival of the program, the \u003cstrong\u003eFinal Four\u003c\/strong\u003e season of 2019 and the powerhouse team of 2022. The book includes: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- The hiring of \u003cstrong\u003eSonny Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e, along with a bunch of his great stories and hilarious one-liners. AND a \u003cstrong\u003enew interview\u003c\/strong\u003e conducted with him in 2022, offering his thoughts on his time as coach, his favorite players, his work as color analyst for AU today, and his thoughts on \u003cstrong\u003eBruce Pearl \u003c\/strong\u003eand the current Auburn Basketball program.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- \u003cstrong\u003eCharles Barkley\u003c\/strong\u003e: Every story we could find. His three seasons on the team; his experiences with Bobby Knight at the 1984 Olympic trials (and reactions of other players there!); his glory years in the NBA, and beyond. (Not to mention the time he tried to gain a hundred pounds in one day, to avoid being drafted by one particular team!)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- \u003cstrong\u003eCliff Ellis\u003c\/strong\u003e: His best teams and players, and what he really thought about his dismissal in 2004.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- The tragedy of \u003cstrong\u003eTommy Joe Eagles\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the disaster of the \u003cstrong\u003eLebo\/Barbee\u003c\/strong\u003e years. (From how the new Arena was designed and why, to what Barbee felt was the most important thing when he took over the job--!)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- \u003cstrong\u003eBruce Pearl\u003c\/strong\u003e: How Jay Jacobs managed the hire. The controversies. The revival of the program. The glorious 2019 run. The great players. The exhilaration of the 2022 team and everything around it. All of that and more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- The \u003cstrong\u003egreatest players\u003c\/strong\u003e of the last five decades, and the \u003cstrong\u003ebest games, tournament runs, and more.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- \u003cstrong\u003eIn-depth discussion and analysis of every Auburn Basketball season since 1978\u003c\/strong\u003e (some of them game-by-game, a few of them play-by-play... and some much more than others, obviously!)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- And, along the way, you get \u003cstrong\u003eVan and John's patented mixture of commentary, humor, memories, and analysis\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt's 300 pages of Auburn Basketball glory, as only the AU Wishbone duo can tell it!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"White Rocket Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50674474352914,"sku":"9781962993029","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3aa9ac6b-1e50-44db-8ca0-91522dfec0ac.jpg?v=1733860084","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/auburn-basketball-from-barkley-to-bruce-9781962993029","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}