Nice Girls Finish First: The Remarkable Story of Notre Dame's Rise to the Top of Women's College Basketball

by Mark Bradford

Book Overview

With impressive skill, irrepressible spirit, and more than a touch of class, the 2000-01 Notre Dame women's basketball team reached the pinnacle of college basketball and forever secured a place in the storied sports history of the university and in the hearts of thousands of fans. The senior leadership of Naismith Award winner Ruth Riley, Niele Ivey, and Kelley Siemon combined with the exciting and capable play of underclassmen such as Alicia Ratay...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1888698470
• ISBN13: 9781888698473
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.4" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Inspirational story comparable to "Hoosiers"

A friend gave me this book because I am originally from South Bend and like to cheer for ND, but I am not what you would call a sports fan. I know next to nothing about basketball. I found this book to be very inspiring and heartwarming. Anyone participating on or coaching a team of young people would love it. It profiles each player, but emphasizes that each player coming together as a team is what is important.

God, Country and Notre Dame, what a great story!

Cheer Cheer for old Notre Dame!The tag line is, "You can't handle the Ruth"!This is a very uplifting book that will keep you turning the pages and leaving you with a wonderful feeling as you do.It's a great story that everyone should read. It's a story of true student athletes that live in non- athletic dormitories and must attend class. Notre Dames 2nd trip to the Final Four under Coach McGraw, the first trip was in 1997 with 7 healthy players. With a healthy team for this trip, she vows that the results would be different!Mark and Muffet did a great job of giving us a real feeling of being there for that wonderful ride to the top. This is a story about a team that comes together for one unbelievable run to the title. A point guard who is granted a 5th year, an academic All-American at center whose talent is only surpassed by her brains on and off the court , and maybe the best 3 point shooter of all time whose talent is accentuated by this team, and the daughter of a NFL linebacker who has tremendous strength and quickness. It is a story of a true team where everyone understands that team goals come first. Finally a Coach who has the vision to see this teams strengths and puts together an offense and defense to make them almost unstoppable.Coach McGraw maximized her teams strength with the precision of a surgeon making the right adjustments at every turn and keeping this juggernaut going. What comes across in that she has a wonderful and caring relationship with her players and truly cares for them as if she was their mother.The story on Ratay, the best 3 point shooter in America, getting ready for the UCONN game at Notre Dame is priceless.The story finishes with Ruth Riley hitting 2 free throws to win the game as Purdues final shot falls short. It was just like Hoosiers when Ollie needed to hit 2 free throws to win the game for Hickory. Only three weeks earlier Riley missed one free throw against UCONN in the Big East Championship and vowed that it would never happen again.Niele Ivey in her career at Notre Dame suffered through two knee surgeries and could not understand why her basketball career had seemingly gone so far of course. In Gods plan Niele was granted a fifth year of eligibility which allowed her to play for the National Championship in her town of ST. Louis, there is always a plan.Imani Dumbar was all set to attend a small college when a very late call came from Notre Dame. If only she know what the future would hold for her. She was the ultimate team player.I liked the story of Murphy, Muffets son going home with his dad after they arrived back with the team from St. Louis and having his dad stop the car on the way home to be sure that Grace Hall had the #1 lit up to celebrate the National Champs. As Purdue final shot falls short, and the buzzer sounds chaos takes over and Nice girls finish first. Relive the final buzzer and Father Malloy hugging the winning Coach, this book tells a great story. When you finish reading this bo

A MUST for women's b-ball fans!

We're just beginning to see books about women's basketball, and this is one that should not be missed. Nice Girls Finish First is the story Notre Dame's championship year. As the title hints, Notre Dame attracts athletes who are all-around people. Everybody goes to class and many athletes take a full, demanding schedule. One athlete chooses Notre Dame because "it's even better on the inside" than its shiny image on the outside. The team consists of hardworking over-achiever. Like most basketball players, many girls came from difficult homes and overcame obstacles to get to college, let alone play on a championship team. So here is the story of how a college team that has always been in the background can step up to the championships. It's a story of each player and a coach with a thoroughly modern marriage who wants to gain a bigger place for her team -- and respect for women's basketball everywhere.The book delivers basketball suspense -- but heart-warming scenes too. The team returns to South Bend after the championship game -- and the whole school is waiting to greet them in the middle of the night. And after winning a game, there's Ruth Riley, talking quietly with her mother in an empty gym. After watching a semi final on television, a male crowd from the sports bar decides to drive all night to see the finals. I wish this book were more widely distributed. Women's basketball fans are ready! When will the movers and shakers of the book world catch on?