5Each year, close to one million boys and girls in the United States participate in high school basketball. Of that group, barely three percent will go on to play in college. The question is then what is the importance of this experience for those who never play at the next level. What exactly should these students have learned to make it worthwhile? What specifically should have been taught? Without any doubt, Unconscious Basketball teaches the essentials that students need to become exceptional basketball players. From recognizing the importance of dreaming big, practicing, and setting deadlines to never fearing failure, earning confidence, and even learning to lose. Young players who fully embrace these principles will achieve greater success on the court, but more importantly, these skills will translate to situations encountered in all aspects of adult life. Written for high school and middle school basketball players, both boys and girls, Unconscious Basketball can also serve as an adjunct for coaches to emphasize the objectives they're already teaching - not just in basketball but in all sports. The author, Bruce Rosenfeld, MD, describes the lessons in straightforward detail with real examples taken from both playing and coaching basketball as well as from practicing medicine. In high school, he was often stereotyped as an unacademic basketball player, and told on multiple occasions not to set his scholastic goals too high. Instead of accepting that negative advice, he used it to ignite the fire and prove the skeptics wrong. Today, Dr. Rosenfeld is a surgeon, an assistant professor of urology, and a high school varsity basketball coach. He understands deeply the power of the game.