Author: Clayton Geoffreys
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781547113149
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
Learn the Inspiring Story of the San Antonio Spurs' Legendary Coach Gregg Popovich! Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or Kindle device. This holiday season, if you buy the print edition as a gift, you can keep the Kindle edition for yourself! In Gregg Popovich: The Inspiring Life and Leadership Lessons of One of Basketball's Greatest Coaches, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier coaches, Gregg Popovich. Popovich has steered the ship for the San Antonio Spurs franchise to multiple championships and perennial playoff contention. Despite having to navigate several key personnel changes over the years, Pop has demonstrated a truly unique ability to adapt to the direction of the game. When he retires from coaching, Pop will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time. There are a number of key leadership lessons that can be learned from Pop, such as getting the right players on your team, maximizing the potential of each individual player, and remaining a stern disciplinarian to earn the trust and respect of your team. Here is a preview of what is inside this book: Background Story NBA Coaching Career Building the Spurs Dynasty The Gregg Popovich System How Gregg Popovich Maximizes Player Talent Gregg Popovich, the Leader Key Takeaways Conclusion and Gregg Popovich's Legacy An excerpt from the book: Much like how soldiers are the reasons why countries win battles, players are the reasons why NBA teams win games on the hardwood floor. The countless hours they put into honing and crafting their game in the gym and weight room contributes to how they affect the outcome of games. They sacrifice and pour out their sweat, tears, and even blood for the purpose of giving wins to their teams and fans. But while NBA games are won by the players on the floor, preparation and strategy have always been the keys to winning championships. Soldiers may be the reasons why battles are won, but wars are won outside of the battlefield. And in the NBA, players may be the reasons why teams win games, but championships are won by the leadership of their coaches. And when it comes down to coaching, one would be hard-pressed to find someone better than Gregg Popovich in that department. There have been many great coaches that have become legendary names in the history of the NBA. There was Red Auerbach, who was a revolutionary at making his team focus on making each other better on his way to nine NBA championships during the 60's era of the league. While relying on Bill Russell's leadership on the floor, the Boston Celtics were winning titles and dominating in a less competitive era because of how Auerbach instilled in them the basics and fundamentals of team play. Decades later, Pat Riley would make the Los Angeles Lakers the best show on the planet by running a fast-paced system that relied on the fastbreak and passing skills of Magic Johnson. Riley would win four titles with the Lakers back in the 80's and would later win one again with the Miami Heat in 2006 at the tail end of his coaching career. Tags: Gregg Popovich Bio, Gregg Popovich basketball, San Antonio Spurs basketball, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Manu Ginobili, Craig Sager, Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Larry Brown, Brad Stevens
Gregg Popovich
Author: Clayton Geoffreys
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781547113149
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
Learn the Inspiring Story of the San Antonio Spurs' Legendary Coach Gregg Popovich! Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or Kindle device. This holiday season, if you buy the print edition as a gift, you can keep the Kindle edition for yourself! In Gregg Popovich: The Inspiring Life and Leadership Lessons of One of Basketball's Greatest Coaches, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier coaches, Gregg Popovich. Popovich has steered the ship for the San Antonio Spurs franchise to multiple championships and perennial playoff contention. Despite having to navigate several key personnel changes over the years, Pop has demonstrated a truly unique ability to adapt to the direction of the game. When he retires from coaching, Pop will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time. There are a number of key leadership lessons that can be learned from Pop, such as getting the right players on your team, maximizing the potential of each individual player, and remaining a stern disciplinarian to earn the trust and respect of your team. Here is a preview of what is inside this book: Background Story NBA Coaching Career Building the Spurs Dynasty The Gregg Popovich System How Gregg Popovich Maximizes Player Talent Gregg Popovich, the Leader Key Takeaways Conclusion and Gregg Popovich's Legacy An excerpt from the book: Much like how soldiers are the reasons why countries win battles, players are the reasons why NBA teams win games on the hardwood floor. The countless hours they put into honing and crafting their game in the gym and weight room contributes to how they affect the outcome of games. They sacrifice and pour out their sweat, tears, and even blood for the purpose of giving wins to their teams and fans. But while NBA games are won by the players on the floor, preparation and strategy have always been the keys to winning championships. Soldiers may be the reasons why battles are won, but wars are won outside of the battlefield. And in the NBA, players may be the reasons why teams win games, but championships are won by the leadership of their coaches. And when it comes down to coaching, one would be hard-pressed to find someone better than Gregg Popovich in that department. There have been many great coaches that have become legendary names in the history of the NBA. There was Red Auerbach, who was a revolutionary at making his team focus on making each other better on his way to nine NBA championships during the 60's era of the league. While relying on Bill Russell's leadership on the floor, the Boston Celtics were winning titles and dominating in a less competitive era because of how Auerbach instilled in them the basics and fundamentals of team play. Decades later, Pat Riley would make the Los Angeles Lakers the best show on the planet by running a fast-paced system that relied on the fastbreak and passing skills of Magic Johnson. Riley would win four titles with the Lakers back in the 80's and would later win one again with the Miami Heat in 2006 at the tail end of his coaching career. Tags: Gregg Popovich Bio, Gregg Popovich basketball, San Antonio Spurs basketball, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Manu Ginobili, Craig Sager, Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Larry Brown, Brad Stevens
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781547113149
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
Learn the Inspiring Story of the San Antonio Spurs' Legendary Coach Gregg Popovich! Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or Kindle device. This holiday season, if you buy the print edition as a gift, you can keep the Kindle edition for yourself! In Gregg Popovich: The Inspiring Life and Leadership Lessons of One of Basketball's Greatest Coaches, you will learn the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier coaches, Gregg Popovich. Popovich has steered the ship for the San Antonio Spurs franchise to multiple championships and perennial playoff contention. Despite having to navigate several key personnel changes over the years, Pop has demonstrated a truly unique ability to adapt to the direction of the game. When he retires from coaching, Pop will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time. There are a number of key leadership lessons that can be learned from Pop, such as getting the right players on your team, maximizing the potential of each individual player, and remaining a stern disciplinarian to earn the trust and respect of your team. Here is a preview of what is inside this book: Background Story NBA Coaching Career Building the Spurs Dynasty The Gregg Popovich System How Gregg Popovich Maximizes Player Talent Gregg Popovich, the Leader Key Takeaways Conclusion and Gregg Popovich's Legacy An excerpt from the book: Much like how soldiers are the reasons why countries win battles, players are the reasons why NBA teams win games on the hardwood floor. The countless hours they put into honing and crafting their game in the gym and weight room contributes to how they affect the outcome of games. They sacrifice and pour out their sweat, tears, and even blood for the purpose of giving wins to their teams and fans. But while NBA games are won by the players on the floor, preparation and strategy have always been the keys to winning championships. Soldiers may be the reasons why battles are won, but wars are won outside of the battlefield. And in the NBA, players may be the reasons why teams win games, but championships are won by the leadership of their coaches. And when it comes down to coaching, one would be hard-pressed to find someone better than Gregg Popovich in that department. There have been many great coaches that have become legendary names in the history of the NBA. There was Red Auerbach, who was a revolutionary at making his team focus on making each other better on his way to nine NBA championships during the 60's era of the league. While relying on Bill Russell's leadership on the floor, the Boston Celtics were winning titles and dominating in a less competitive era because of how Auerbach instilled in them the basics and fundamentals of team play. Decades later, Pat Riley would make the Los Angeles Lakers the best show on the planet by running a fast-paced system that relied on the fastbreak and passing skills of Magic Johnson. Riley would win four titles with the Lakers back in the 80's and would later win one again with the Miami Heat in 2006 at the tail end of his coaching career. Tags: Gregg Popovich Bio, Gregg Popovich basketball, San Antonio Spurs basketball, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Manu Ginobili, Craig Sager, Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Larry Brown, Brad Stevens
How to Be Like Coach Wooden
Author: Pat Williams
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
ISBN: 0757303919
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 294
Book Description
John Wooden is an American icon. Since he announced his retirement thirty years ago, “Coach” remains one of our country's most popular and heroic figures. What John Wooden accomplished as basketball coach at UCLA will never be repeated—eighty-eight victories in a row, ten national championships—but what makes his legacy even more amazing is how he did it: with honor, integrity and grace. In his research for How to Be Like Coach Wooden, Pat Williams recounts well over 800 interviews. The result is an inspiring motivational biography about a great hero of basketball and one of the most amazing leaders in history. How to Be Like Coach Wooden is the next dynamic book in the How to Be Like "character biography" series, which focuses on drawing out important lessons from the lives of great men and women. In this book, readers will learn from Coach Wooden, a beacon of honesty, goodness and faith. Wooden cared about winning in basketball, but he cared more about winning in life.
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
ISBN: 0757303919
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 294
Book Description
John Wooden is an American icon. Since he announced his retirement thirty years ago, “Coach” remains one of our country's most popular and heroic figures. What John Wooden accomplished as basketball coach at UCLA will never be repeated—eighty-eight victories in a row, ten national championships—but what makes his legacy even more amazing is how he did it: with honor, integrity and grace. In his research for How to Be Like Coach Wooden, Pat Williams recounts well over 800 interviews. The result is an inspiring motivational biography about a great hero of basketball and one of the most amazing leaders in history. How to Be Like Coach Wooden is the next dynamic book in the How to Be Like "character biography" series, which focuses on drawing out important lessons from the lives of great men and women. In this book, readers will learn from Coach Wooden, a beacon of honesty, goodness and faith. Wooden cared about winning in basketball, but he cared more about winning in life.
The Greatest Coach Ever
Author: Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Publisher: Gospel Light Publications
ISBN: 9780830755400
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212
Book Description
Coach John Wooden's teams won 10 NCAA mens basketball championships at UCLA and Sporting News magazine named him the greatest coach of all time. Yet decades after he retired and now after his passing, his wisdom capsulized so clearly in his famous Pyramid of Success continues to guide new generations of athletes, coaches, and people of all walks of life. In The Greatest Coach Ever, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes features 40 tributes from athletes, coaches, and other influential leaders like Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Sue Semrau, Tony Dungy, Mike Singletary, Tamika Catchings, Joe Girardi, Jim Tressel and David Robinson playing honor to Coach Wooden and reflecting on how his example has challenged and changed them. Their stories can challenge and change your life, too. Coach Wooden appreciated the tributes and the honor of being called the greatest coach ever, but felt uncomfortable with the title. He was eager to see that this book points to the one whom he calls the greatest coach ever. I am happy being remembered as a man of integrity. I like that, --John Wooden, May 21 2010.
Publisher: Gospel Light Publications
ISBN: 9780830755400
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212
Book Description
Coach John Wooden's teams won 10 NCAA mens basketball championships at UCLA and Sporting News magazine named him the greatest coach of all time. Yet decades after he retired and now after his passing, his wisdom capsulized so clearly in his famous Pyramid of Success continues to guide new generations of athletes, coaches, and people of all walks of life. In The Greatest Coach Ever, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes features 40 tributes from athletes, coaches, and other influential leaders like Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Sue Semrau, Tony Dungy, Mike Singletary, Tamika Catchings, Joe Girardi, Jim Tressel and David Robinson playing honor to Coach Wooden and reflecting on how his example has challenged and changed them. Their stories can challenge and change your life, too. Coach Wooden appreciated the tributes and the honor of being called the greatest coach ever, but felt uncomfortable with the title. He was eager to see that this book points to the one whom he calls the greatest coach ever. I am happy being remembered as a man of integrity. I like that, --John Wooden, May 21 2010.
Underdawgs
Author: David Woods
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451610580
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Relates the story of the Butler Bulldogs college basketball team and their improbable run to the 2010 NCAA National Championship game under the leadership of their young coach and his unique philosophy of basketball and life.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451610580
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Relates the story of the Butler Bulldogs college basketball team and their improbable run to the 2010 NCAA National Championship game under the leadership of their young coach and his unique philosophy of basketball and life.
Eleven Rings
Author: Phil Jackson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101617969
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 390
Book Description
"Through candor and comprehensiveness, Jackson writes a convincing revisionist take, in which he emerges as an excellent coach . . . highly readable . . . reflects Jackson’s polymathy." —The New York Times Book Review "Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract . . . But the primary thing with Jackson—as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves—is the voice." —Sam Anderson, The New York Times Magazine A New York Times Bestseller The inside story of one of basketball's most legendary and game-changing figures During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the “Zen master” half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players’ nature, not their egos, fear, or greed. This is the story of a preacher’s kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head. In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he: • Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s • Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title • Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync • Inspired Dennis Rodman and other “uncoachable” personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves • Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team. Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship—six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don’t know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101617969
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 390
Book Description
"Through candor and comprehensiveness, Jackson writes a convincing revisionist take, in which he emerges as an excellent coach . . . highly readable . . . reflects Jackson’s polymathy." —The New York Times Book Review "Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract . . . But the primary thing with Jackson—as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves—is the voice." —Sam Anderson, The New York Times Magazine A New York Times Bestseller The inside story of one of basketball's most legendary and game-changing figures During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the “Zen master” half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players’ nature, not their egos, fear, or greed. This is the story of a preacher’s kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head. In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he: • Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s • Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title • Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync • Inspired Dennis Rodman and other “uncoachable” personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves • Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team. Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship—six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don’t know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others.
Coaching Basketball Successfully
Author: Morgan Wootten
Publisher: Human Kinetics
ISBN: 1492581658
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 658
Book Description
Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden once said, “People say Morgan Wootten is the best high school basketball coach in the country. I disagree. I know of no finer coach at any level—high school, college, or pro.” Morgan Wootten has retired from coaching, but his knowledge of the game remains unsurpassed and keen as ever. Coaching Basketball Successfully contains a wealth of Wootten’s timeless wisdom. And, in this third edition, Wootten adds even more value—the coaching experiences, methods, and tactics of his son Joe, a successful high school coach himself. Loaded with insights, instruction, drills, and Xs and Os, Coaching Basketball Successfully is the best single resource on making the most of your program, team, and players each season.
Publisher: Human Kinetics
ISBN: 1492581658
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 658
Book Description
Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden once said, “People say Morgan Wootten is the best high school basketball coach in the country. I disagree. I know of no finer coach at any level—high school, college, or pro.” Morgan Wootten has retired from coaching, but his knowledge of the game remains unsurpassed and keen as ever. Coaching Basketball Successfully contains a wealth of Wootten’s timeless wisdom. And, in this third edition, Wootten adds even more value—the coaching experiences, methods, and tactics of his son Joe, a successful high school coach himself. Loaded with insights, instruction, drills, and Xs and Os, Coaching Basketball Successfully is the best single resource on making the most of your program, team, and players each season.
Basketball on Paper
Author: Dean Oliver
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 164012389X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 417
Book Description
Journey "inside the numbers" for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning, or losing, ways of a basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn't diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they're winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teams' success. He does the same for some of the NBA's "oddball" players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBA's top players. Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether you're looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver'sBasketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success.
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 164012389X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 417
Book Description
Journey "inside the numbers" for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning, or losing, ways of a basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn't diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they're winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teams' success. He does the same for some of the NBA's "oddball" players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBA's top players. Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether you're looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver'sBasketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success.
The Double-Goal Coach
Author: Jim Thompson
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060505311
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
The Double-Goal Coach is filled with powerful coaching tools based on Jim Thompson's Positive Coaching Alliance. These strategies reflect the "best-practices" of elite coaches and the latest research in sports psychology.Hundreds of workshops have shaped these tools for maximum effectiveness and ease of use. The lessons and activities can be used in the very next practice to make sports fun and to get the best from players. The Double-Goal Coach provides the framework for coaches and parents to transform youth sports so sports can transform youth -- allowing young athletes to enjoy sports while learning valuable life lessons.
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060505311
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
The Double-Goal Coach is filled with powerful coaching tools based on Jim Thompson's Positive Coaching Alliance. These strategies reflect the "best-practices" of elite coaches and the latest research in sports psychology.Hundreds of workshops have shaped these tools for maximum effectiveness and ease of use. The lessons and activities can be used in the very next practice to make sports fun and to get the best from players. The Double-Goal Coach provides the framework for coaches and parents to transform youth sports so sports can transform youth -- allowing young athletes to enjoy sports while learning valuable life lessons.
Players First
Author: John Calipari
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101635525
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
Now with a new chapter on the Wildcats' legendary comeback in the 2014 Final Four John Calipari, one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history, presents the world of college basketball from the coach's chair, unvarnished and straight from the heart. Players First is Calipari's account of his first six years coaching the University of Kentucky men's team, leading it to a national championship in 2012 and the championship game in 2014, all while dealing with the realities of the "one-and-done" mentality and an NCAA that sometimes seems to put players last. Filled with revelatory stories about what it takes to succeed at the highest level of the college game, Players First is a candid look at the great players and rivalries that have filled Calipari's life with joy and a sense of purpose.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101635525
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
Now with a new chapter on the Wildcats' legendary comeback in the 2014 Final Four John Calipari, one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history, presents the world of college basketball from the coach's chair, unvarnished and straight from the heart. Players First is Calipari's account of his first six years coaching the University of Kentucky men's team, leading it to a national championship in 2012 and the championship game in 2014, all while dealing with the realities of the "one-and-done" mentality and an NCAA that sometimes seems to put players last. Filled with revelatory stories about what it takes to succeed at the highest level of the college game, Players First is a candid look at the great players and rivalries that have filled Calipari's life with joy and a sense of purpose.
I Came As a Shadow
Author: John Thompson
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1250619343
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK The long-awaited autobiography from Georgetown University’s legendary coach, whose life on and off the basketball court threw America’s unresolved struggle with racial justice into sharp relief. John Thompson was never just a basketball coach and I Came As A Shadow is categorically not just a basketball autobiography. After five decades at the center of race and sports in America, Thompson—the iconic NCAA champion, Black activist, and educator—was ready to make the private public at last, and he completed this autobiography shortly before his death in the historically tumultuous summer of 2020. Chockful of stories and moving beyond mere stats (three Final Fours, four-time national coach of the year, seven Big East championships, 97 percent graduation rate), Thompson’s book drives us through his childhood under Jim Crow segregation to our current moment of racial reckoning. We experience riding shotgun with Celtics icon Red Auerbach and coaching NBA Hall of Famers like Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson. What were the origins of the the phrase “Hoya Paranoia”? You’ll see. And parting his veil of secrecy, Thompson brings us into his negotiation with a D.C. drug kingpin in his players’ orbit in the 1980s, as well as behind the scenes of his years on the Nike board. Thompson’s mother was a teacher who had to clean houses because of racism in the nation's capital. His father could not read or write. Their son grew up to be a man with his own larger-than-life statue in a building that bears his family’s name on a campus once kept afloat by the selling of 272 enslaved Black people. This is a great American story, and John Thompson’s experience sheds light on many of the issues roiling our nation. In these pages, he proves himself to be the elder statesman whose final words college basketball and the country need to hear. I Came As A Shadow is not a swan song, but a bullhorn blast from one of America’s most prominent sons.
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1250619343
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK The long-awaited autobiography from Georgetown University’s legendary coach, whose life on and off the basketball court threw America’s unresolved struggle with racial justice into sharp relief. John Thompson was never just a basketball coach and I Came As A Shadow is categorically not just a basketball autobiography. After five decades at the center of race and sports in America, Thompson—the iconic NCAA champion, Black activist, and educator—was ready to make the private public at last, and he completed this autobiography shortly before his death in the historically tumultuous summer of 2020. Chockful of stories and moving beyond mere stats (three Final Fours, four-time national coach of the year, seven Big East championships, 97 percent graduation rate), Thompson’s book drives us through his childhood under Jim Crow segregation to our current moment of racial reckoning. We experience riding shotgun with Celtics icon Red Auerbach and coaching NBA Hall of Famers like Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson. What were the origins of the the phrase “Hoya Paranoia”? You’ll see. And parting his veil of secrecy, Thompson brings us into his negotiation with a D.C. drug kingpin in his players’ orbit in the 1980s, as well as behind the scenes of his years on the Nike board. Thompson’s mother was a teacher who had to clean houses because of racism in the nation's capital. His father could not read or write. Their son grew up to be a man with his own larger-than-life statue in a building that bears his family’s name on a campus once kept afloat by the selling of 272 enslaved Black people. This is a great American story, and John Thompson’s experience sheds light on many of the issues roiling our nation. In these pages, he proves himself to be the elder statesman whose final words college basketball and the country need to hear. I Came As A Shadow is not a swan song, but a bullhorn blast from one of America’s most prominent sons.