The Milan Miracle: The Town that Hoosiers Left Behind [Paperback]

Will lightning ever strike twice? Can David beat Goliath a second time? These questions haunt everyone in the small town of Milan, Indiana, whose basketball team inspiredHoosiers, the greatest underdog sports movie ever made. From a town of just 1,816 residents, the team remains forever an underdog, but one with a storied past that has them eternally frozen in their 1954 moment of glory. Every ten years or so, Milan has a winning season, but for the most part, they only manage a win or two each year. And still, perhaps because it's the only option for Milan, the town believes that the Indians can rise again. Bill Riley follows the modern day Indians for a season and explores how the Milan myth still permeates the town, the residents, and their high level of expectations of the team. Riley deftly captures the camaraderie between the players and their coach and their school pride in being Indians. In the end, there are few wins or causes for celebrationthere is only the little town where basketball is king and nearly the whole town shows up to watch each game. The legend of Milan andHoosiersis both a blessing and a curse.

Bronze Medal, Sports, 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards

Bill Riley is a writer and teacher originally from Greenfield, Indiana. His work has been featured inPunchnel's, Prime Number,Spry Literary Journal,andTerre Haute Living Magazine. Connect with the author on his website, www.authorbillriley.com.

Milan may not now be the location of 'happy ending' sports stories, but the town had a magical moment many communities do not, one that can serve as burden or inspiration. The beauty of sports is that the underdog can rise up unexpectedly, even if the address keeps changing.

For a game that is so centered around arcs and geometry, numbers and statistics, there is a permeating mythos that transcends through the game of basketballof shots that go in from impossible angles, dead spots on lƒO