Other Books by Rus Bradburd

Make It, Take It
Make It, Take It

An inventive novel, Make It, Take It sneaks the reader past the press conferences, locker rooms, and huddles of college basketball. Without judgment or sentimentality, Rus Bradburd lays bare the web of conflicts between players and coaches, blacks and whites, revealing the complex humanity of a team’s inner circle. Here, every choice has a very real cost.

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Forty Minutes of Hell: The Extraordinary Life of Nolan Richardson
Forty Minutes of Hell: The Extraordinary Life of Nolan Richardson

Forty Minutes of Hell by Rus Bradburd is an intricate exploration of the politics of race and sports, from the Jim Crow era until today, witnessed through the life of legendary African-American basketball coach and NCAA Title winner Nolan Richardson. A remarkable story of pride, courage, and accomplishment in the face of discrimination, Forty Minutes of Hell is also a fascinating window into the world of elite collegiate sports. NBA legend Charles Barkley calls this inspiring and important biography, “A great story about America and its hidden histories….Every American should thank [Richardson] for showing us it was possible.”

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Paddy on the Hardwood
Paddy on the Hardwood

Why would a successful college basketball coach walk away from a lucrative job in America’s most glamorous sport? The burned out Rus Bradburd, enamored with Ireland and its music, took a job coaching in the lowly Irish Super League, but was unprepared for what he found. Perplexed by the small town Tralee’s Frosties Tigers–a cast of misfits and underachievers more concerned with their day jobs, Gaelic Football, and Guinness–he turned to traditional Irish music for wisdom and solace.

Paddy on the Hardwood is partly Rus Bradburd’s story of his struggle to transform Tralee’s Tigers. But it is also the tale of a man making peace with his own life and career.

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