Vicarious Thrills

Paul E. Bates is a professor of educational psychology and special education at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

"When my son, Dylan, was born, I did not sense immediately that his destiny and mine would be so intricately wound around the bouncing of balls for so many years. However, as he began to dribble proficiently by age two, I could do nothing less than nurture his skills and foster his dream (and mine) for Saturday night and a championship season. In 1993–94, Dylan’s and his teammates’ final year of high school, I felt compelled to record their journey through the inevitable highs and lows of that elusive championship season"—Paul E. Bates, from the Preface