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Birds, Dogs and Kangaroos: Life on the Back Roads of College Basketball Perfect Paperback – October 14, 2008

by Rich Zvosec (Author), Greg Echlin (Editor), Fran Fraschilla (Foreword)

3.8 12 ratings

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When the 65-team field is announced for the NCAA tournament in March, all the schools are lumped into one bracket. But, with the fact that no number-16 seed has ever beaten a number-1 seed serving as evidence, there is a group of schools in the bracket that are worlds apart from the BCS schools. Some of the schools, labeled the mid-majors make it into the Sweet 16, practically their version of making it to The Final Four. Rarely these days does a team go so far as George Mason University from the Colonial Athletic Conference did in 2006 when the Patriots played their way into The Final Four. Or Davidson, a little liberal arts school from Charlotte, taking Kansas all the way to the final seconds in the 2008 Midwest Regional final. The mid-majors have a better shot at knocking off the big boys. The low majors the schools from The Summit Conference, the Ivy League et al most often have no shot. Yet coaches from the low majors stake their careers and reputations at getting into the NCAA tournament field. Rich Zvosec was one of those coaches. Zvosec takes you into the world of low majors that s never been revealed before in detail. It s a world that involves less coaching. More on the time demands centered around fund-raising, commuting and handling off-the-court affairs. It wasn t unusual for Zvosec or any other coach on the low major level to be doing the team laundry, searching for housing on behalf of his players or finding themselves as make-shift mechanics when the commuter vehicles broke down. Such as filling a hole in the roof a van with a female hygiene product. Zvosec takes you into the world of coaching that makes you ask, Why do you do it? And most often the answer is, Because they love it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

These days Rich Zvosec (pronounced zuh-VOH-sick) enjoys a successful career as a television basketball commentator, a speaker and an actor. But the foundation for this stage of his life was built from a successful college basketball coaching career. When Zvosec was hired at St. Francis College in New York, he was the youngest NCAA Division I head coach in the country at the time at age 27. After his third season as coach of the Terriers (the dogs), named the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year, Zvosec was hired to build the University of North Florida Division I program from scratch. In the fourth year of the Osprey (the birds) program, UNF reached the Sunshine State Conference championship game. His success at St. Francis and UNF didn t go unnoticed when he was hired at UMKC. So when the Kangaroos head coach departed for a job in the NBA, the Kangaroos administration didn t hesitate in turning the program over to Coach Z. The UMKC Kangaroos (commonly known as the Roos) never more enjoyed more success in Division I basketball than during its six seasons under Coach Z. In 2005, he was named Mid-Continent Conference, the College Insider and CBS Sportsline Coach of the Year. From his roots in the state of Ohio, Coach Z learned how to successfully navigate the back roads. He was never one to shy away from hard work, which has carried on to this day in his current endeavors.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ascend Books; First Edition (October 14, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Perfect Paperback ‏ : ‎ 207 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0981716644
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0981716640
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,983,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,367 in Basketball Coaching (Books)
- #2,826 in Basketball Biographies (Books)

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3.8 12 ratings

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Mark Ducharme

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2015

Verified Purchase

A fun and different book about college basketball.

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Ed Swartley

Happy Birthday ... You're Fired!

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2010

Verified Purchase

Who hasn't been called into the boss's office to hear the most-times devastating and often surprising news that the boss is about to become your ex-boss?

Rich Zvosec, now an ESPN commentator and motivational speaker, was shocked and devastated upon receiving exactly that news on the morning of his 46th birthday. Fired. No longer the head coach of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos -- one of the lesser-known Division I NCAA basketball programs. No longer mentor, disciplinarian and friend to an ever-rotating cast of characters arriving on campus each year at a particularly impressionable time of life.

UMKC's loss. Our gain. The compassionate portrait Zvosec paints of "life on the back roads of college basketball" is a story for the Everyman in all of us: Those cut from the junior varsity, those who don't get to kiss the girl, don't make it to the intersection before the light turns red.

For some, NCAA basketball is "One Shining Moment." This book puts a leash on that image and helps us remember that sport -- any sport -- unfettered by the need to be "worthy" of prime time TV, is sport in its truest form. An honorable occupation where kids makes mistakes, learn, and move on.

This book will make your Sweet 16 of favorites.

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2014

I try to read all sorts of sports books. "Birds, Dogs & Kangaroos" may cause the reader to ask, "Where did this one come from?"

One day I was looking in Ollie's, a discount store, and this book was in the sports section for less than half-price. I glanced at the subtitle, "Life on the Back Roads of College Basketball," an underreported subject if there ever was one. The Kangaroos jumped out at me, because my brother-in-law works at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He spends more time rooting for Kansas than UMKC in basketball -- can't imagine why -- but he does follow the 'Roos. Sold.

Zvovec did coach the Kangaroos for several years, the crowing point of his coaching career. But there were a lot of stops on the way, and Zvosec outlines them here. While there are some laughs along the way, this really becomes a course in the realities of what it's like to be a college basketball coach.

Moral: it ain't easy - particularly if you are an assistant coach, and particularly if you work at one of the smaller schools. I'm sure Roy Williams and Bill Self have problems, but driving hours to see and hours to return home because there was nothing in the budget about a hotel isn't one of them.

Zvosec got the chance to see what his dream was like, and it was a lot of work. He bounced from city to city in search of jobs, and wound up in all sorts of odd places. He encountered good kids, bad kids, good administrators, bad administrators, etc. Coaches like this really have to love the game, because there are few other rewards (except the occasional win).

I've always believed that there isn't much difference between coaches like this and the top ones in terms of X's and O's; the big shots might be better in some area like dealing with the public or recruiting, but basketball is still basketball.

Books like this usually have to have a sense of humor, and Zvosec does have a pretty good sense of perspective on events. But it's rarely laugh out loud; it's more of a headshaking experience.

The book has a couple of drawbacks. The dates, players and games do tend to blend together after a while. An index with his schools might have been a nice touch. Plus, Zvosec sort of just fades out from the UMKC job. After explaining what happened at every other stop, this comes off as rather mysterious. Perhaps it's due to some legal reason, but the lack of full disclosure makes for a confusing ending.

Zvosec made the move to broadcasting and public speaking, and seems to be doing well with the switch. Good for him. It's easy to root for Zvosec after reading "Birds, Dogs & Kangaroos." Those who seek an inside look at the non-glamour side of the sport will find plenty of insight here.

Helpful

Tricia D.

A must read about the real world of low D1 and mid-major basketball.

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2008

As a former D3 player and low D1 head coach, I strongly reccomend this accurate account of chasing every players and coaches dream of winning an NCAA Championship. Coach Z's 20+ year account of his journey to reach this dream will enlighten you, humor you and at times create a sense of anger while bringing you to the verge of tears. Rich gives specific insight into all the Highs and Lows that accompanied his rise up the D1 ladder, including winning games he wasn't suppose to win, watching his young warriors grow physically and emotionally under his careful eye, while in the end, having one single individual snatch the dream away from him during one short meeting. In his writing, Coach Z puts on display the true meaning of totally un-selfish dedication and committment to a profession he truly loved. Birds, Dogs and Kangaroos is a must read, well worth the price of admission.

One person found this helpful

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george bessolo

Amazon attacks free speech = evil

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2021

Boycott

How the heck did this guy ever write a book on losing and a nothing career??? Amazing

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2013

This Coach is a Loser a nothing. Rich Z is a bottom feeder subjecting his wife and 3 kids to a nomads life with little to show for it. Look at this terrible Coach's record as he has accomplished nothing in 30 years. Nothing. Feel for his poor wife and kids moving and renting and changing schools as this bottome rung coach went from one low paying sad job to the next. I cannot believe this loser wrote a book. At least i got it for .49 and that was too much. A tragedy how htis guy scraped by and tortured his family. A Loser.

One person found this helpful

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CoachingisInMyBlood

Coach Z is on the money!

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2011

I love this book for it is written from a coach's perspective and that perspective is from working at a lower NCAA Division 1 experience where these jobs are very difficult in terms of funding, getting recruits, and just the daily battle of surviving and keeping one's job in the midst of aspiring AD's that no zero about running athletic programs. Besides turning out a great book Coach Z is a fantastic motivational speaker and TV color analyst for ESPN to boot!

Helpful

C4Parrothead

HAPPY B-DAY YOUR FIRED!

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2008

I would reccomed this book to anyone to loves college basketball. Coach Z gives you the vire from the "other side of the tracks." The book is an easy read as Zvosec takes you inside the locker room of his journey. I loved this book becuase of the in-depth detail in which the story was told. Zvosec's path is much traveled thru college basketball & you will love to hear his story!

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