So it's that time of year again and you're looking for the perfect gift for that basketball nut friend of yours (or you want to treat yourself). Permit me to offer some suggestions:

New in stores:
"Seven" has arrived in my mailbox, but I haven't had the time to peruse it (work is so bloody inconvenient). Obviously, it's about Pat Summitt and her seven National Championships.

Richard Kent, who put together the fine "Anatomy of a Season" about the 2001-2 campaign, has a new book, subtly titled, " Lady Vols vs. UConn: The Greatest Rivalry in Women's Basketball."

Don't forget Kim Mulkey's book, "Won't Back Down."

Classics that are bound to please:

"Same River Twice," is a funny and revealing behind the scenes look at the 2000-01 UConn season. Hopefully they've corrected the typos, but even if they haven't, the book is worth the Sveta and her parents story....

You can't go wrong with "In These Girls Hope is a Muscle." So much more than the story of a Massachusetts high school basketball team (with a point guard named Jamila Wideman), it is a beautifully written tale of young girls learning to be tough and a town that learns to support them with an enormous passion.

I'll admit that I resisted reading Sara Corbett's delightful "Venus to the Hoop" for the longest time because I thought, "Why on earth would she write about the 1996 Olympic team and focus on Venus Lacey?" Foolish me. Sara followed the US team from start to finish, and it makes a great story. For anyone who wants to know about one of the most important teams of "modern" women's basketball, this is a must read.

More books on college ball, high school, pros/Olympics, history, young adult, parallel issues and related topics, fiction, skill-building and coaching, or (for the non-readers) DVDs and music can be found on Kim's "Books" page over at womensbasketballonline.

As noted by Steve, if you shop at Amazon and click through Kim's site, she gets a few pennies to slightly underwrite the money and time she puts in to maintaining the fabulous beast that is her site.

By the way, a heartfelt thank you to all who responded to Steve's post and supported wbballonline. It is very cool to be part of a community that will put its money where its mouth is. (Now go buy season tickets for a nearby college team! ). Says Kim at her site:

I first want to say thank you to those of you who kindly made a donation or made an extra effort to click on the Google ad links or simply sent some kind words my way. However, I want to make it clear that this website is not in danger of being shut down. I don't want anyone donating over a false impression. This website doesn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain, however money is tight for me personally, not to mention the amount of time spent on this website. 2008 will be the website's 9th year of existence. God Bless.