"A summer at one of basketball's celebrated blacktops, where the characters are as captivating as the game." -- Sports Illustrated
Inside the Cage
A Season at West 4th Street's Legendary Tournament
Description
The most popular outdoor basketball court in New York City is half the regulation size, offers no seating, and has sidelines bounded by a chain-link fence—but the summer league on West 4th Street in Greenwich Village has developed its share of stars and has become known throughout the world for another reason: Here, the only thing that matters is the game.
Inside the Cage follows the West 4th Street's summer league through a single season, chronicling its legendary history along the way. From 1970s playground legend Fly Williams to NBA veteran Anthony Mason and L.A. Lakers guard Smush Parker, three generations of players have mastered their game at West 4th Street. And the Cage itself—located in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in America and frequented by men from the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem—proves that talent can flourish even in the most unlikely places.
Reviews
"Employing colorful anecdotes and more than a few cautionary tales, Martindale introduces the characters -- from the NBA dreamers to the drug dealer turned coach to the scraggly scorekeeper called Moneybags -- who carry the story, and a good one it is." -- SI.com
"With muscled prose and a deft touch, Wight Martindale takes us into the heart of the Cage, the West 4th Street courts where basketball dreams and reputations are won and lost one trip down the floor at a time, where stirring human dramas play out beyond the roar of the big-time. Just a wonderful, heartfelt book." -- Adrian Wojnarowski, author of the New York Times bestselling The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty
"Inside the Cage is fascinating. It has the ring of authenticity and the stamp of authority. Anyone interested in any sports or in the sociology of the city [who reads it] will be moved and entertained. Officials of the National Basketball Association could learn a great deal [about personality management] from reading this book." -- Peter Gent, author of North Dallas Forty and former all-American basketball player at Michigan State University
