A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein

If you know anything about college basketball, you know who Bobby Knight is. But few people can pinpoint the reason why Knight is the way he is and why he is known as one of the best coaches in college basketball history. “A Season on the Brink” chronicles the 1985-1986 basketball season, a year after the infamous chair-throwing incident. In this book, author John Feinstein was somehow allowed to shadow Knight and the team throughout the year, witnessing both the good and bad with the Indiana Hoosiers.

The pinnacle of the book is obviously Knight, trying to help the reader understand this seemingly complicated personality. Really, Knight is a coach who has his own methods for getting what he wants from his players, and will say/do almost anything to get a desired effect. But at the heart of the book is a generous coach who will say/do almost anything to help out the “kids” on his team.

I found this book pretty interesting, mostly because I went to Indiana University. There were some parts that I found pretty dry, and I’ll admit to skimming some of the details of the various games. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an informational look into college basketball, or even fans of OSU’s Woody Hayes.

4/5 stars