What People Are Saying About

Prof Blood and the Wonder Teams:
The True Story of Basketball’s First Great Coach

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"Everyone who is a hoops fan certainly is aware of the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, and his many achievements at UCLA. But not many are familiar with a New Jersey Wizard and his Wonder Teams in Passaic, NJ, namely Professor Ernest Blood.

This text by Chic Hess is fascinating as it details Blood's brilliant accomplishments plus his passion for the game. The research by Hess is mind boggling as he takes you on a journey with the Wonder Team and its taskmaster, Professor Ernest Blood. A brilliant story documented by many specific incidents which provides you a complete understanding about how dominate this Passaic, NJ high school team was."
--Dick Vitale, basketball analyst for ESPN and ABC

"True basketball fans everywhere owe Dr. Chic Hess a great debt for bringing to light the story on one of the sport's forgotten heroes. Just be warned: Once you start reading this, you won't be able to put it down until you're finished."
--Harvey Zucker, The Jersey Journal

"The Professor Blood bio is a great read. Dr. Chic Hess, a basketball historian, has done an excellent job of bringing to us the remarkable life of this great coach."
--Coach Bob Hurley,St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, NJ

"No history of basketball is complete without a major piece on Prof Ernest Blood and this book provides it."
--Sid Dorfman, The Star-Ledger, Newark.

Out of context, the bare facts surrounding the coaching career of Professor Ernest Blood are enough to fire up the imagination of any basketball fan. But when put in perspective, Prof and his Wonder Teams from Passaic High School offer a fascinating peek into a time when the game was just learning to crawl.

Prof Blood’s teams never crawled. For example, there was the night Thousand Point Bobby Thompson scored his 1,000th point. "A hush fell over the armory as the ball made its slow journey to the hoop," writes Hess. "As the ball filled the cylinder, the crowd erupted. Hats and coats were thrown in the air. As women danced in the aisles, boys did handsprings along courtside." The Wonder Teams frequently scored 100 points while average teams scored in the 20s and 30s.

In Prof Blood and the Wonder Teams: The True Story of Basketball’s First Great Coach, we get a thorough account that brings to life the legendary 159-game winning streak and the obstacles Prof encountered maintaining it.
--Bill Handleman, Asbury Park Press

"Before Phog Allen, Adolf Rupp and John Wooden there was Professor Ernest Blood of Passaic, N.J., whose "Wonder Teams" still hold records. Prof Blood was the first great coach, but is largely overlooked by history. He changed the game from a dribble-oriented game to a team passing game.

Dr. Hess has researched and extensively studied this first great coach and has written this wonderful, detailed book. This is not an X's and O's, or "how-to" book, but a great read and a must for anyone interested in the history of the game."
--Dr. James Gels, The Coach's Clipboard


Read this review from the Honolulu Advertiser.

Read Dr. Chic Hess's comments... Basketball’s First Wizard .

Buy it here from Amazon.com