Potpourri of Coaching Thoughts (Part 1)
I have been asked frequently what books I have read that have made a great impact on the direction of my coaching career, so I will offer up some that may be helpful to any coaches who read these blogs. There are many out there, so if someone wants to add to list in the comments, feel free.
Practical Modern Basketball by John Wooden. The top or near the top of any coach’s list should include this book. It is the how to guide for building a program and includes every phase, including drills for any part of the year. It goes right down to how a player should put on their socks! It is considered by many to be the Bible of coaching books, and even though it was written a long time ago, well…so was the Bible. It includes, of course, the world famous Pyramid of Success, which coaches from many sports across the spectrum hold dear. It defines the true measures of success for coaches and what sports should represent to our youth. I had a framed copy of the Pyramid above my desk everywhere I went. If you are serious about your career, this book is a must read.
A Coach’s Life by Dean Smith. The first basketball clinic I ever went to as a young coach was in San Diego in 1979. I flew in and got to the clinic late. When I walked in the presentation room was packed and the only place I could find to sit was on a long table all the way in the back. Bill Foster, the coach at Duke just before Coach K, was presenting on press offense, so I dutifully opened my notebook and got ready to write. Then, someone came in quietly and sat right next to me at the table and I turned to be polite and say hello. It was Dean Smith. He was next up after Foster. I really wanted to say something, but was basically speechless at that moment. I noticed that Coach Smith had a cigarette cupped in his hand, so out popped “I didn’t know you smoked” from me- very creative. He said “yeah, it is a really nasty habit that I would like to get rid of”, and then for the next twenty minutes we had a great conversation about coaching and careers and life. He was a wonderful guy and had a great appreciation for high school coaches. So, of course, I would recommend his book, but not only for that reason. He was a giant in the profession for many, many reasons and, like Wooden, understood the reason why sports was so beneficial to our youth. His philosophy of “play hard, play smart, and play together” is something that I have heard echoed by coaches my whole career.
Playing for Knight by Steve Alford. There are many books on the subject of Coach Knight. I recommend this particular one at the top, although if you do read this, you should also read A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein, to get context. I actually read the Feinstein book before the Alford one and became so curious that I actually went to Indiana and spent five days at their practices to see for myself. The movie “Hoosiers” had just recently come out, so my drive from the Indianapolis to Bloomington was like a pilgrimage to Mecca. The trip took me through Martinsville- the home of John Wooden- and by a Larry Bird Ford dealership. It was true that there were two versions of Coach Knight. His public persona was largely shaped by the media, which he detested and continually baited. And then there was the coaching genius whose players would take hard lessons from because they knew he cared for them deeply and showed it to them far beyond their years in Bloomington.
The Back Roads to March by John Feinstein. He has written several good books on college basketball, which include the aforementioned A Season on the Brink and The Legends Club, both of which I highly recommend. The Back Roads to March is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. It includes a recap of a North Carolina-Duke game that is perhaps the greatest single college basketball story ever written. The game occurred right after the passing of Coach K’s mother, and I have gone back and re-read it numerous times- especially when I was feeling low about coaching. I won’t say anymore about it- just read it and you’ll know why we do what we do.
Black Market by Merl Code. Where basketball has been and, unfortunately, where it is going. This book is a must read for coaches, but as a preface, you should also read Sole Influence by Dan Wetzel and Don Yaeger. Club ball and shoe companies have basically ruined the idea that sports is about building character first and foremost, and the NCAA is latest domino to fall in the chain, due to the transfer portal and NILs. But, don’t take my word for it- read these two books.
Valvano (They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract and Then Declared Me Dead) by Jim Valvano and Curry Kirkpatrick. Nothing is more deadly than an AD or College President declaring that “he is our coach for as long as he wants it”. This book is just a great read, because Coach V was such a character. He made coaching seem like fun. His 1983 upset of Phi Slamma Jamma in the national championship game was listed by Sports Illustrated as the greatest college basketball game of the 20th Century. And there was no shot clock? Valvano had so many one-liners that you should also read V and Me by Bob Cairns.
Lute! The Seasons of My Life by Lute Olson and David Fisher. I encountered Lute Olson twice in my life. The first time was in 1982 at East High School where I was an assistant for Royce Youree. Lute and his top assistant, Scott Thompson, showed up at our practice one day. Lute was then at Iowa and had taken his Iowa team to the Final Four in 1980. He wanted to pick Coach Youree’s brain on defense. That really impressed me, because a lot of college coaches would come in and say what a great coach you were when they were interested in one of your players. If they had no interest in any of your kids, it was crickets. Lute was not recruiting any East High kids, but sincerely wanted to talk to Coach Youree about his defense. So, we went into the coaches office and Lute got a pen and pad and started asking questions. That went on for three hours! I was sitting on one of the desks and every now and then would glance over at Scott, who looked back at me in amazement. How could one guy have so much knowledge? The second time I encountered Lute, he had come to our gym at Mountain Pointe to look at Bryson Krueger. While Bryson shot around, Lute and I talked. He did not tell me what a great coach I was, but he did talk to me about the different levels of coaching that he had done- from junior high to jayvee to high school varsity, and on to junior college and NCAA D1. He said he enjoyed high school the most, but felt guilty for his wife that he wasn’t making any money doing it. So, he kept trying to move up. The one thing he said that stuck out the most was that there was no difference in the game of basketball as you moved up. It was still the same game- you had to get buckets and stop the other team from doing the same. The only adjustment was to the level of talent. This is something that a lot of administrators at colleges never understand. There is a lot of great coaching going on at the high school level. Lute said that ASU had made a terrible mistake not hiring Coach Youree to be their head coach in 1982. His record against ASU at the time we spoke in 2002, was something like 34-5, and he said with Coach Youree at the helm, that would have never happened. But, the book is a good read for coaches.
Like I said, if you have some other good candidates, let me know in the comments. The second principle of our coaching philosophy was to never stop learning. I am ready to learn.
Next time: Potpourri of Coaching Thoughts (Part 2)
I have been asked frequently what books I have read that have made a great impact on the direction of my coaching career, so I will offer up some that may be helpful to any coaches who read these blogs. There are many out there, so if someone wants to add to list in the comments, feel free.
Practical Modern Basketball by John Wooden. The top or near the top of any coach’s list should include this book. It is the how to guide for building a program and includes every phase, including drills for any part of the year. It goes right down to how a player should put on their socks! It is considered by many to be the Bible of coaching books, and even though it was written a long time ago, well…so was the Bible. It includes, of course, the world famous Pyramid of Success, which coaches from many sports across the spectrum hold dear. It defines the true measures of success for coaches and what sports should represent to our youth. I had a framed copy of the Pyramid above my desk everywhere I went. If you are serious about your career, this book is a must read.
A Coach’s Life by Dean Smith. The first basketball clinic I ever went to as a young coach was in San Diego in 1979. I flew in and got to the clinic late. When I walked in the presentation room was packed and the only place I could find to sit was on a long table all the way in the back. Bill Foster, the coach at Duke just before Coach K, was presenting on press offense, so I dutifully opened my notebook and got ready to write. Then, someone came in quietly and sat right next to me at the table and I turned to be polite and say hello. It was Dean Smith. He was next up after Foster. I really wanted to say something, but was basically speechless at that moment. I noticed that Coach Smith had a cigarette cupped in his hand, so out popped “I didn’t know you smoked” from me- very creative. He said “yeah, it is a really nasty habit that I would like to get rid of”, and then for the next twenty minutes we had a great conversation about coaching and careers and life. He was a wonderful guy and had a great appreciation for high school coaches. So, of course, I would recommend his book, but not only for that reason. He was a giant in the profession for many, many reasons and, like Wooden, understood the reason why sports was so beneficial to our youth. His philosophy of “play hard, play smart, and play together” is something that I have heard echoed by coaches my whole career.
Playing for Knight by Steve Alford. There are many books on the subject of Coach Knight. I recommend this particular one at the top, although if you do read this, you should also read A Season on the Brink by John Feinstein, to get context. I actually read the Feinstein book before the Alford one and became so curious that I actually went to Indiana and spent five days at their practices to see for myself. The movie “Hoosiers” had just recently come out, so my drive from the Indianapolis to Bloomington was like a pilgrimage to Mecca. The trip took me through Martinsville- the home of John Wooden- and by a Larry Bird Ford dealership. It was true that there were two versions of Coach Knight. His public persona was largely shaped by the media, which he detested and continually baited. And then there was the coaching genius whose players would take hard lessons from because they knew he cared for them deeply and showed it to them far beyond their years in Bloomington.
The Back Roads to March by John Feinstein. He has written several good books on college basketball, which include the aforementioned A Season on the Brink and The Legends Club, both of which I highly recommend. The Back Roads to March is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch. It includes a recap of a North Carolina-Duke game that is perhaps the greatest single college basketball story ever written. The game occurred right after the passing of Coach K’s mother, and I have gone back and re-read it numerous times- especially when I was feeling low about coaching. I won’t say anymore about it- just read it and you’ll know why we do what we do.
Black Market by Merl Code. Where basketball has been and, unfortunately, where it is going. This book is a must read for coaches, but as a preface, you should also read Sole Influence by Dan Wetzel and Don Yaeger. Club ball and shoe companies have basically ruined the idea that sports is about building character first and foremost, and the NCAA is latest domino to fall in the chain, due to the transfer portal and NILs. But, don’t take my word for it- read these two books.
Valvano (They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract and Then Declared Me Dead) by Jim Valvano and Curry Kirkpatrick. Nothing is more deadly than an AD or College President declaring that “he is our coach for as long as he wants it”. This book is just a great read, because Coach V was such a character. He made coaching seem like fun. His 1983 upset of Phi Slamma Jamma in the national championship game was listed by Sports Illustrated as the greatest college basketball game of the 20th Century. And there was no shot clock? Valvano had so many one-liners that you should also read V and Me by Bob Cairns.
Lute! The Seasons of My Life by Lute Olson and David Fisher. I encountered Lute Olson twice in my life. The first time was in 1982 at East High School where I was an assistant for Royce Youree. Lute and his top assistant, Scott Thompson, showed up at our practice one day. Lute was then at Iowa and had taken his Iowa team to the Final Four in 1980. He wanted to pick Coach Youree’s brain on defense. That really impressed me, because a lot of college coaches would come in and say what a great coach you were when they were interested in one of your players. If they had no interest in any of your kids, it was crickets. Lute was not recruiting any East High kids, but sincerely wanted to talk to Coach Youree about his defense. So, we went into the coaches office and Lute got a pen and pad and started asking questions. That went on for three hours! I was sitting on one of the desks and every now and then would glance over at Scott, who looked back at me in amazement. How could one guy have so much knowledge? The second time I encountered Lute, he had come to our gym at Mountain Pointe to look at Bryson Krueger. While Bryson shot around, Lute and I talked. He did not tell me what a great coach I was, but he did talk to me about the different levels of coaching that he had done- from junior high to jayvee to high school varsity, and on to junior college and NCAA D1. He said he enjoyed high school the most, but felt guilty for his wife that he wasn’t making any money doing it. So, he kept trying to move up. The one thing he said that stuck out the most was that there was no difference in the game of basketball as you moved up. It was still the same game- you had to get buckets and stop the other team from doing the same. The only adjustment was to the level of talent. This is something that a lot of administrators at colleges never understand. There is a lot of great coaching going on at the high school level. Lute said that ASU had made a terrible mistake not hiring Coach Youree to be their head coach in 1982. His record against ASU at the time we spoke in 2002, was something like 34-5, and he said with Coach Youree at the helm, that would have never happened. But, the book is a good read for coaches.
Like I said, if you have some other good candidates, let me know in the comments. The second principle of our coaching philosophy was to never stop learning. I am ready to learn.
Next time: Potpourri of Coaching Thoughts (Part 2)
