After World War II, when basketball courts sprang up in Philadelphia neighborhoods, thousands of young men devoted their teenage years trying to become superstars. During the 1950s and 1960s, players like Tom Gola, Ernie Beck, and Dippy Carosi, and later Hal Lear and Wilt Chamberlain, recreated the game of basketball into an East Coast love affair. In May of 1949, at age thirteen, author Doug Leaman fell in love with basketball, and his quest for stardom revolved around a pair of sneakers, a ball, and the swishing of a net. From that day forward, the art of basketball dominated every aspect of his life. In Swish, he tells how he devoted his first two years on the court working on his two-handed set shot, and how, after researching his goal, Leaman was able to shoot the eyes out of the basket during his high school, college, and service time in the Marine Corps.
Leaman shares his story to show how a young athlete who participates in sports can achieve tremendous results by hanging in there and never giving up. He believes that although most athletes won't become superstars or all-Americans, the competitive experiences, the drive, and the determination to excel enriches one’s life fully.
