Complementing his recent “Hickory” project, Chris Milliman turns his attention away from rural hoops and to the urban game in his latest series, entitled “Gym Rat.” The photos land just as March Madness is heating up, and we’re highlighting it today as the second week of the NCAAs tips off. Milliman’s sense of personality – expressed through both people and space – is apparent throughout.

Head to Curated to see all of “Gym Rat.”

There’s much more to the Ivy League than Ivy Style.

This much is hard to argue, after all the hallowed halls of the Ivy’s breed great thinkers, leaders, Facebook, and the rest.

On the hardwood, few people outside Bill Bradley and the great Pete Carril are remembered. The Ivy League, despite its often lowly stature among the games elite, is a division of passion and pride. A recent visit to Princeton found a packed house of devoted fans cheering against “safety school” Cornell. Sure, an NCAA bid was ostensibly on the line, Cornell was then nationally ranked (though only the day before upset by Penn at the Palestra)… but there was no inkling that the feel would have been different had Columbia been in the building. Friday and Saturday nights are hoops nights in the Ivy’s, each a chance to shatter the reputation of a rival Ivory Tower.

Kathy Orton follows the Ivy League in Outside the Limelight. She highlights a love for the game and players enduring a grueling schedule with little hope for national glory or a shot at the pros. In a season where Jeremy Lin has drawn media attention to Harvard and Cornell has proved successful against the power conferences, Orton’s book neatly gets to the core of Ivy Basketball. The player (Lin) and the team (Cornell) certainly not the norm, but indicative of the fight burning in this altogether unusual athletic league.

Prepare for Mach Madness and feel a bit intellectual at the same time. (Oh, and the forward is by John Feinstein).

From Rutgers University Press. Available now at Amazon.

James Naismith: The Man Who Invented Basketball is the first book to fully explore the life of the man known primarily for convincing folks that tossing a ball through a small hoop is great exercise. Written by Rob Rains and Helen Carpenter, James Naismith blends the usual account of the games invention with a full picture of the man’s ambition and his contributions to education. The forward is provided by Roy Williams. Early reviews suggest that both Billy Packer and Bob Knight think the work is excellent.

Releasing through Temple University Press just in time for NBA tip-off .

Available for pre-order from Amazon.

One of the most surprising moments in my life as a sporting spectator was watching Randy Duck play pro ball for the Brighton Bears. Finding him in England (a guy that had been a hero to me while at Cal) brought a cascade of college basketball memories. Such is my love for this version of the sport. Players remain firmly on my mind years after their amateur careers end.

Duck is one of many players I’ve enjoyed watching in lower professional ranks, and whose disappointing careers do nothing to temper the legacy of their college days. College basketball is perhaps the second best sport out (slightly behind proper football), so with Midnight Madness a few weeks away ESPN releases the perfect companion to early season fandom. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men’s Game recounts the teams and players that make storied programs. And, offers a ranking system of all-time best schools. Almost required reading.

Available now from Amazon.

I’ll end with this – “Iverson was cool, but I supported Victor Page.”

Lebron James teams with Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label Division on this limited edition signed basketball. It’s a good thing. “100% of net proceeds will benefit the LeBron James Family Foundation which seeks to inspire children to be physically fit, academically focused and environmentally aware, and to empower single-parent families to succeed.”

The Purple Label basketball is set in a velvet bag and proper box with each basketball individually signed by Lebron James. 1000$US and for a good cause.

More views of the Ralph Lauren Purple Label Lebron James Basketball after the jump.

For the second time Undefeated gets together with Spalding to collaborate on a basketball. The first one came in black, this time they present a white one with the Spalding and Undefeated logo in gold.

Friday, November 9th, Paper Magazine will open a 24hour store in Los Angeles and invited their favorite brands to participate in the store. Undefeated is one of those brands and will release this Spalding collaboration basketball at the 24hour Paper Store, and only there, on Friday at 6pm.

More pics after the jump.