We are excited to welcome New England author, Mike Whaley to Bear Pond Books! Join us on March 29th from 11am - 1pm for a signing event celebrating his new book, "Floor Burns".
About the Book:
Floor Burns is a sprawling small-college basketball odyssey that begins in the 1940s in New Britain, Connecticut, and finishes up in present-day Boston at tiny Fisher College. In between, Mike Whaley winds his way along New England’s backroads, telling the stories of schools that no longer exist like Nathaniel Hawthorne in New Hampshire, Westbrook in Maine, and Windham in Vermont. Future NBA coaches Stan Van Gundy (Castleton in Vermont) and Steve Clifford cut their teeth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), while others like Bill Detrick, Bruce MacGregor, Skip Pound, Dick Costello, Kissy Walker, Red Downes, Glenn Theulen, and Rick Simonds made their mark and their living there. Buckle up for a bumpy but exhilarating ride that chronicles the highs and lows of the NAIA in New England as intimately and colorfully told by the players and coaches who were there and some who still are.
Vermont has a strong presence in this book, including stories on the state schools at Lyndon, Castleton and Johnson, as well as now-defunct Windham, Green Mountain College and the College of St. Joseph.
About the Author:
Whaley has been an award-winning sportswriter in Maine and New Hampshire since 1987. A two-time New Hampshire Sportswriter of the Year, he played basketball at Lyndon State College (now VTSU-Lyndon) from 1979 to 1983 in the era of short shorts with no 3-pointer or shot clock. This is his second book. Whaley lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife, Jill Rosenblum.