Jerry Segal

I saw the film version of ONE ON ONE probably thirty years ago or more and loved it. It starred Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole. The screenplay was co-written by Benson (then just 17) and his father, Jerry Segal, who also wrote this book, a 'novelization' of the film version. Although the story may be a bit formulaic, pat and predictable, it's still an extremely entertaining read, all about the crookedness and big money backing that tainted college basketball and recruiting practices back in the 70s (and probably still does). Hero Henry Steele is a basketball whiz from small town Texas who gets recruited in the usual way (money, girls, new car, etc.) by a major university in California. There's even a scene early in the book where one of the recruiters stands with him "on the topmost row of a Mississippi football stadium" looking down at the campus and telling him, "If you come to our school, Henry, we won't recruit any other guards. We'll build our ball club around you. It's be your show for four years, son." Sounds a lot like Satan tempting Christ ont the mountain top, don't it? The California coach who finally recruits Henry turns out to be sadistic and unscrupulous. It's all a real eye-opener to poor Henry, who finds the competition for a starting guard slot to be pretty stiff. Luckily he finds love and maybe even the 'meaing of life' with a much more sophisticated and lovely tutor.

Okay, so it's an old story, but I loved it nonetheless. Kinda makes me want to see the movie again. If you want a light and interesting summer (or winter) read, I'd still recommend it, even if it is long out of print and nearly thirty-five years old. GOOD story-telling.… (mer)