Even though writer Doug Brunk now calls San Diego home, Kentucky has always held a special place in his heart. He spent five years in the Bluegrass State, and it was there where he fell in love with basketball and the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
His love for writing and basketball found their way onto the pages of his first book, “Wildcat Memories,” a collection of first-person essays written by former players published in 2014 by The University Press of Kentucky.
Brunk, who works as a medical journalist, has now taken it to the next level with a book on Jack Givens, the legendary basketball player who scored 41 points in the 1978 NCAA National Championship, which gave the Wildcats their fifth national championship title.
Brunk, who collaborated with Givens on his memoir, is proud of how “They Call Me Goose: My Life in Kentucky Basketball and Beyond” turned out, but he’s grateful, too.
“To have someone trust you enough to tell their life story is a privilege,” Brunk said. “Jack made it clear that he hoped others would find inspiration from how he overcame obstacles in his life. That fired me up, because people thirst for encouragement these days.”
Givens — nicknamed “Goose” by high school classmates because they thought he looked like Goose Tatum of the Harlem Globetrotters — s Brunk for a local appearance at Warwick’s on Aug. 7.
Q: Describe your role in this book, which you worked on with Jack Givens.
A: My primary responsibility was to closely listen to Jack, focusing not just on his words but also on his speaking style and the cadence of his voice. The goal was to capture his narrative voice with every keystroke.
Our collaboration began with weekly phone calls during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke nearly every Thursday morning for at least one hour. I transcribed our conversations into written form, which Jack reviewed before our next phone call and adjusted as he saw fit.
Once COVID restrictions eased, I traveled to Lexington for in-person interviews with Jack. He drove me around his old neighborhood, to the church where he was baptized, to city parks he played in, and to his high school alma mater, where we found old yearbook photos of Jack, some of which we used in the book.
Our project took more than three years to complete.
Q: Kentucky, especially Kentucky basketball, holds a special place in your heart. Tell us about that and how this project came to be.
A: When I was 7 years old, our family moved from my hometown of Rochester, N.Y., to the city of Wilmore, Ky., which had a population of about 3,500 at the time. The countryside of Central Kentucky appeared otherworldly to this wide-eyed kid: rolling hills, forests, horse and tobacco farms, and winding roads. That captivated me, but the people did, too. I found them generally hospitable, proud of their heritage, and unassuming.
As a bonus, basketball became my favorite sport, so living in a state where the University of Kentucky (UK) Wildcats men’s basketball team is a year-round conversation topic helped me forge friendships with people from all walks of life. It was an amazing feeling to be connected to a program so woven into the fabric of everyday life in the state and so steeped in tradition.
A few months before our family moved away from Kentucky, the Wildcats ended a 20-year national title drought by winning the 1978 NCAA National Championship game, led by 41 points from Jack Givens. I ired Jack and his teammates as heroes because they embodied how to approach both basketball and life: with grit, determination and discipline.
Regarding the origins of this project, I e-mailed Jack to propose collaborating on a book about his life. I’m glad he was up for it because Jack is an iconic figure. He was the first African American All-American player to sign with the Wildcats and scored the third most career points in UK basketball history during his tenure (2,038), behind Dan Issel and Kenny “Sky” Walker. He’s also beloved by the Big Blue Nation fan base for his positive, selfless character. In the book, we highlight individuals who influenced his humanitarian outlook.
Q: Since you have a ion for Kentucky basketball and know a lot about its history, was there anything that caught you by surprise about Kentucky basketball while you were writing the book with Jack?
A: Listening to Jack reflect on how he perceived his role as the first African American All-American player to sign with the Wildcats was a sober reminder that UK lagged behind other major colleges and universities like the University of Houston and UCLA in integrating its basketball program.
Tom Payne was the first African American to sign with the Wildcats, but he faced threatening phone calls and other harassment when he arrived in Lexington and departed after one season (1970-71). This created the perception that he wasn’t welcome at UK because of his skin color.
Joe B. Hall, who succeeded Adolph Rupp as Kentucky’s head coach in 1972, was more deliberate about recruiting African American players. The first was the late Reggie Warford (in 1972), followed by Merion Haskins and Larry Johnson — a trio of Kentuckians who served as mentors to Jack when he and fellow Lexington standout forward James Lee committed to the Wildcats in 1974.
Jack was not a guaranteed recruit, though. In fact, as a young boy he never envisioned himself playing for UK because there were no Black players on the roster. Learning firsthand about how that change of mind occurred was powerful and a privilege.
Q: This is not your first book about the Kentucky Wildcats. What was the major difference between writing the first one and this one?
A: My first book, “Wildcat Memories,” was a collection of first-person essays from 32 former players and coaches who reflected on who inspired them most during their tenure with the UK men’s basketball program.
“They Call Me Goose” is a deep dive into Jack’s life story and covers topics well outside of basketball. He speaks candidly about his experiences with poverty, ruinous financial debt, and how his Christian faith and his family helped sustain him through hardships and challenges. He also leaves readers with a lesson. That is, challenges in life are not so much about the circumstances themselves but how you respond to those circumstances.
Q: The book is 264 pages. Did any content end up on the cutting-room floor, and if so, how hard was that to take out of the final product?
A: Thankfully, no material ended up being cut. We hoped to include some great photos of Jack from the 1978 NCAA National Championship game that appeared in the April 3, 1978, issue of Sports Illustrated (which features Jack on the cover), but the licensing fees were out of reach. Such is the quirky world of book publishing. I’d rate the disappointment level on that as a 2 out of 5.
Q: As a writer, what was the most amazing part of this experience for you?
A: Jack’s trust in me to help him tell his own story was rewarding in its own right.
Q: Is there a fourth book about the Wildcats in the works?
A: I’m considering a few ideas, but nothing is final yet. Stay tuned!
“They Call Me Goose: My Life in Kentucky Basketball and Beyond” by Jack Givens and Doug Brunk (The University Press of Kentucky, 2024; 264 pages)
Warwick’s presents Jack Givens and Doug Brunk, “They Call Me Goose”
When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7
Where: Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla.
ission: Free, but reservations are encouraged to ensure a seat (included with a book purchase)
Online: warwicks.com/event/givens-and-brunk-2024
