Zeus, Hera, Athene, Poseidon, and Hades pull some dirty tricks as they face off against Hercules, Jason, Odysseus, Achilles, and Theseus in this gods versus mortals basketball game in ancient Greece.

What happens when the mightiest of mortals take on the greatest of gods in an apocalyptic basketball showdown? Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and the rest of the Gods' squad have all the powers of the universe at their disposal-which makes for a deadly defense and an unstoppable offense. But those "pesky Mortals" are always causing trouble, and with hunky Hercules at the top of his game and Achilles' heel healing nicely after his surgery, the Mortals manage to stay alive until halftime. Who knows what mythological magic the Gods will have to conjure up to win this Hellenic heart stopper? Complete with toga-clad announcers and a halftime report on the wonders of ancient Greece, Kevin O'Malley's Mount Olympus Basketball makes learning about ancient Greek myths more exciting than March Madness. As punishment for acting out in class, Kevin was often sent to the library for a "timeout." Resigned to his fate, he grudgingly started to leaf through a pile of picture books. There were pictures of cute little ponies, cute little puppies, and cute little children with smiling parents beaming behind them. Yuck, yuck, and double yuck! Then, just when he thought he would fall off his chair and die of cuteness, Kevin came upon a picture of a boy in a wolf suit who was threatening to eat his mother. In another picture he was chasing his dog with a fork. This was somebody Kevin could relate to. He kept reading as the boy cavorted through the forest with big hairy monsters. Kevin loved it! The book was, of course, Where the Wild Things Are. From then on, Kevin wanted to illustrate children's books. Not cute children's books, but books for kids like him.

Portrays a gritty game of street basketball, "Around the world," being played literally around the world, from New York to Australia to China, and elsewhere, and then back to New York.

What can the film Hoosiers teach us about the meaning of life? How can ancient Eastern wisdom traditions, such as Taoism and Zen Buddhism, improve our jump-shots? What can the “Zen Master” (Phil Jackson) and the “Big Aristotle” (Shaquille O’Neal) teach us about sustained excellence and success? Is women’s basketball “better” basketball? How, ethically, should one deal with a strategic cheater in pickup basketball? With NBA and NCAA team rosters constantly changing, what does it mean to play for the “same team”? What can coaching legends Dean Smith, Rick Pitino, Pat Summitt, and Mike Krzyzewski teach us about character, achievement, and competition? What makes basketball such a beautiful game to watch and play? Basketball is now the most popular team sport in the United States; each year, more than 50 million Americans attend college and pro basketball games. When Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, first nailed two peach baskets at the opposite ends of a Springfield, Massachusetts, gym in 1891, he had little idea of how thoroughly the game would shape American—and international—culture. Hoops superstars such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Yao Ming are now instantly recognized celebrities all across the planet. So what can a group of philosophers add to the understanding of basketball? It is a relatively simple game, but as Kant and Dennis Rodman liked to say, appearances can be deceiving. Coach Phil Jackson actively uses philosophy to improve player performance and to motivate and inspire his team and his fellow coaches, both on and off the court. Jackson has integrated philosophy into his coaching and his personal life so thoroughly that it is often difficult to distinguish his role as a basketball coach from his role as a philosophical guide and mentor to his players. In Basketball and Philosophy, a Dream Team of twenty-six basketball fans, most of whom also happen to be philosophers, proves that basketball is the thinking person’s sport. They look at what happens when the Tao meets the hardwood as they explore the teamwork, patience, selflessness, and balanced and harmonious action that make up the art of playing basketball.

"In Empowerment: The Competitive Edge in Sports, Business & Life high-profile personality Dr. Gene Landrum presents, in a self-help format, the 13 winning behaviors modeled by the 13 greatest athletes of the modern era. Landrum's research into the lives of the great entrepreneurs and athletes, supported by a growing body of evidence, suggests that eminence, whether in business or sports derives not from genetic superiority, but from winning behaviors and learned emotional dispositions.With a delightful blend of gifted story-telling and intellectual scholarship, Dr. Landrum has created a book that melds the recent discoveries in psychology and brain research with the dramatic performances of the world's greatest athletes. Charismatic athletes such as Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Martina Navratilova and Tiger Woods are analyzed in psycho-biographical profiles that focus on the underlying motivations and behaviors of these preeminent personalities rather than on what they achieved. In this respect and in its connection to the recent research in brain function and psychology, Dr. Landrum's work is unprecedented in the extant literature on athletes and athletic technique."--Amazon.com.

From the award-winning poet and playwright behind Barber Shop Chronicles, The Half-God of Rainfall is an epic story and a lyrical exploration of pride, power and female revenge.

Coachingoachingoaching technique is a modern sport's didactic that has its fair share of methods and theories exposed throughout its own special history. That takes into consideration the men who took part in its development. No one can study physics without coming across the contributions of the famous men involved. We remember Newton, Kelvin, Ferraday, and Einstein as they participated in each stride of physic's scientific development. Edmundson and Hunter brought to basketball history their own unique contributions.

Issue your students a passport to travel the globe with this incredible packet on Greece! Units feature in-depth studies of its history, culture, language, foods, and so much more. Reproducible pages provide cross-curricular reinforcement and bonus content, including activities, recipes, and games. Numerous ideas for extension activities are also provided. Beautiful illustrations and photographs make students feel as if they’re halfway around the world. Perfect for any teacher looking to show off the world, this must-have packet will turn every student into an accomplished globetrotter!

Isabelle wishes she could study physics instead of joining her mom as a popcorn manager at Mt. Olympus Theme Park, but when she finds herself in the middle of the myth of Icarus, she is determined to help Icarus and his father escape from the island with a new invention. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Spellbound is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.