Supply chain expert writes the book on American Basketball League

Dr. Robert C. Lieb, professor of supply chain management at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Boston's Northeastern University, is a prolific author, with seven books on transportation, logistics, and supply chain management to his credit. His literary ambitions, though, extend far beyond the world of plan-source-make-deliver.

Lieb is also the author of the new book Shooting Threes and Shaking the Basketball Establishment: The Short, Chaotic Run of the American Basketball League. The book follows the rapid rise and fall of the American Basketball League (ABL) built by Abe Saperstein, the founder and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters. Despite the league's brief lifespan, Lieb points out, its owners, coaches, and players left a legacy (including introducing the three-point shot to professional basketball) that still affects the game today.

The author, a self-described "gym rat" in his youth and a former college baseball player, has a personal connection to the American Basketball League: He played against a number of ABL players while a student in Pittsburgh. Now, decades later, he is able to tell their story.

The book, published by St. Johann Press, is available in paperback at Amazon.com and Tower Books online.