From Library Journal
Jim Valvano was a larger-than-life college basketball coach and broadcaster who died of cancer in 1993 at age 47 but who lives on through the V Foundation for cancer research. In this book, his brother Bob, also a basketball coach and broadcaster, tells the story of Jim's life through a collection of reminiscences from colleagues and friends who knew him. This scrapbook approach is woven into Bob's own personal narrative and covers both career highlights (NCAA tournament triumphs) and troubles (being fired from North Carolina State under a swirl of allegations). It also includes the speech he made at the ESPYs just two months before he died. What emerges is an affectionate portrait of a boisterous but flawed man who loved life, his family, and basketball and who fought a gallant battle against terminal cancer. Recommended for college basketball collections. John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Jimmy Valvano was a high-profile college basketball coach whose underdog North Carolina State team won the NCAA tournament in 1983. He was fired in 1990 under a cloud of scandal but reentered the national spotlight as a basketball commentator. His heroic battle with cancer and subsequent death led to his virtual sanctification within much of the sports community. Bob Valvano, Jimmy's younger brother, does his best to set the record straight. Jim Valvano was neither a saint nor a coaching outlaw. He was a charismatic coach who let his program at NC State slip out of his control. He was also a decent man who helped many more than he harmed. This memoir vividly captures Jimmy V's humor, compassion, and street-smart coaching techniques. It also reprises his genuinely inspirational struggle with cancer, which motivated friends and colleagues to form the Jimmy V Foundation, which in turn has raised millions for research. A moving tribute recommended for most sports collections. Wes Lukowsky
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FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those who rekindle the inner spirit." —Albert Schweitzer

For Bob Valvano, as for countless others, that person was his brother Jim. Jim Valvano was a man whose life had an unforgettable impact on those who knew him. When he died of cancer on April 28, 1993, after a long, heroic, and very public struggle, his spirit, vibrancy, dreams, and passions did not die with him; they live on in the people he touched. Looking at the lives and through the eyes of the people who loved him most, The Gifts of Jimmy V reveals the heart of Jim Valvano present in them all. Through dozens of interviews with family, friends, coaches, players, and colleagues, authors Valvano and Hill not only reconstruct the life of this unusual man, but also capture the essence of his unique ability to lead, galvanize, inspire, and motivate others.

Jim Valvano was a basketball coach for 19 years, including nine at North Carolina State, where he won the national championship in 1983. From 1990 to 1992 he was a commentator for ESPN, and in 1992 he won the ACE award for best Commentator Analyst.

Bob Valvano was a successful basketball coach at the collegiate level for 19 years before joining ESPN Radio to host his own show in 1998. He is a 1978 cum laude graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College, where he majored in communications.

Bob Hill has been an award winning columnist for the Louisville Courier—Journal for more than 25 years. He has written books on gardening, basketball, and the history of Louisville. He is the author of Double Jeopardy, a true crime book about a Louisville murder that was featured twice on NBC's Dateline, and of Crack of the Bat, a history of the Louisville Slugger and the Hillerich and Bradsby Co. He is a graduate of Rice University, where he played basketball.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal