Out of print for more than 30 years, now available for the first time as an eBook, this is the controversial story of John Wooden's first 25 years and first 8 NCAA Championships as UCLA Head Basketball Coach. Notre Dame Coach Digger Phelps said, "I used this book as an inspiration for the biggest win of my career when we ended UCLA's all-time 88-game winning streak in 1974."

Compiled with more than 40 hours of interviews with Coach Wooden, learn about the man behind the coach. Click the Book to read the players telling their stories in their own words. This is the book that UCLA Athletic Director J.D. Morgan tried to ban.

Click the book to read the first chapter and for ordering information.

Jumper (7/10)

by Tony Medley

David Rice (Hayden Christensen) can transport his body anywhere he’s been in an instant. He’s a Jumper, and he’s not the only one. Roland (Samuel Jackson) is a Paladin. Paladins have been trying to kill jumpers since time began. So Roland wants to kill David. Alas, David is a novice at this game and involves his  innocent girlfriend, Millie Harris (Rachel Bilson), thereby putting her in all sorts of jeopardy. Along the way David meets Griffin (Jamie Bell), another Jumper, who sort of takes David under his wing and explains the facts of life to David. So, in essence, this is a chase film. Roland is chasing David and Griffin, and they, in turn, would like to put an end to Roland.

Don’t be put off by the fact that it is directed by Doug Liman. Liman was responsible for the only “Bourne” movie I didn’t like, the first one. Then he followed that up with the deplorable “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” To call that disappointing would be an understatement, but it was the vehicle that got Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together. I'm not sure if that's a plus or a minus, since it led to the breakup of Pitt's marriage; not that that's any big deal in Hollywood whose values are, basically, what's good for me is all that matters.

If this film is any indication, however, Liman has improved. Sure, there are plot holes. You can’t make a sci-fi film without plot holes. But there are fewer than there could have been and the special effects (Joel Hynek) are pretty good. Here’s how Hynek explains what he did, “There’s always a blur factor involved, which is basically a time exposed motion blur generated by the Jumper’s evaporation into space. There’s what we’re calling a vacuum condensation flow, which is the vacuum and the rapid suction of air the Jumper leaves behind when he suddenly departs. And then there are the “jump Scars,” or which is the swindow, or more accurately the discontinuity in space, the Jumper creates to travel from one place to another.” Well, OK. Anyway, combined with Liman’s beloved hand-held camera technique, it works extremely well.

Liman takes advantage of David’s ability to put himself anywhere in the world by having David jump from one exotic location to another, like Toronto, Rome, Tokyo, New York, Mexico, London, Paris, Rome and Egypt. Not unlike a travelogue and the photography is good enough that this is a real plus for the film.

This film isn’t one of the all-time greats, but it’s not bad. Be warned, however, if you’re a fan of Diane Lane, don’t blink or you’ll miss her. Her total time onscreen is probably less than a minute.