By Ryan McNeill
I'm not going to lie - when I received my copy of "Open Your Heart With Basketball" in the mail to review I shuddered when I saw a basketball with a heart around it on the cover. Who wants to read a book that links the game of basketball with love? My immediate reaction was dismay that I'd have to read through 100 pages of fluff - I figured that if I wanted a sappy recount of someone's experience with basketball I could just sit in front of my tv for a couple hours and watch "Love & Basketball" instead. However, once I opened up the book and actually began to read through it I was quickly won over because of the passion Christopher Bibey has for the game despite all of the adversity he has faced in his playing career.
The biggest road block that he faced was being diagnosed with cancer during his freshman year of college. Most young men will throw up their hands in frustration and quit when life throws them an obstacle like this but instead Bibey used the life skills that basketball had been teaching him to beat cancer and to use this tough situation to build persistence, determination and devotion in his life. He did a great job of informing readers about the countless road blocks that coaches and life threw at him and instead of getting bitter or quitting he used these events to toughen his resolve and make him a stronger player and a better person. Bibey does a great job of showing how attributes like persistence, determination and devotion that are learned on the hardwood can transfer to other areas of your life like dealing with getting dumped by the hot girl you've been dating, not getting the promotion you want at work or any of the other hurdles that life can throw your way.
During my time at university one of my favourite courses was Psychology of Sport so I was stoked to see that Bibey addressed this topic in a chapter called "Mind and Body." Far too often fans think that the best athletes make the NBA but they don't realize that the mental aspect of the game is just as important. In this chapter he did a great job of breaking down some ways that he overcame a lack of physical ability to have a success playing career because of his mental preparation, he explains the important role visualization had in his training and preparation for games and the struggles he faced getting his body to reawaken following his cancer treatments. Between battling cancer and being a player that overcame physical limitations he became symbolic to me of a "basketball underdog" and as I read through his book I couldn't help but root for him and admire his courage and determination.
Something else that stuck out while I read this book were the excerpts from college coaches explaining how the game of basketball has changed their lives. Arizona Wildcats head coach Lute Olson provided the forward for the book and throughout the book while quotes from other college coaches like Bill Lilly from West Virginia Wesleyan, Ron Slaymaker from Emporia State University, Scott Lang from La Roche college and Paul Hogan from New Hampshire Tech explained how their passion for the game has positively shaped their lives. Bibey was able to collect some great insight into how basketball has changed these coaches lives, what they enjoy most about basketball and how they motivate their players.
Besides being a heart warming story because he was able to beat cancer and play NCAA basketball again, this story is a must read for any teen that loves the game of basketball because it shows that despite things in your playing career not going your way these road blocks can be a hidden blessing because it helps you grow as a player and a person if you approach these road blocks with the right perspective.
