Best College & University Basketball
In his more than twenty years coaching the Blue Devils, Coach Mike Krzyzewski has made his program the most admired in the nation, with back-to-back national championships in '91, '92, and again in 2001, and ten Final Four appearances since 1986. Thus, in Leading with the Heart , Krzyzewski reviews the lessons he's learned as basketball coach at Duke University, and tries to universalize them so they translate to any leadership position. Between the quotes and the bullet points are anecdotes about Duke basketball games and (occasionally) Krzyzewski's life outside basketball. What you come away with is an understanding of why Krzyzewski is a great basketball coach, why former Duke assistants such as Tommy Amaker and Quin Snyder are probably going to become great basketball coaches, and how anyone who's currently a coach can become a better coach. Duke basketball coach Krzyzewski, today's most successful NCAA coach, reviews significant games and key events in his career in addition to offering advice to coaches, players and everyone trying to do better in life. Although he occasionally refers to a coach as a "leader," for the most part he leaves it up to readers to connect the dots between his coaching strategies and useful business strategies.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"There is some cliche text in the book and some misspelling with bad grammar but if you pay attention to what is being said you can grow and learn from this book."
"The truly value of that book is showing a path of implementation natural leadership phiolosophy of COACH K. MIke KRZYZEWSKI extraordinairy basketball coach is also an extraordinairy LEADER, whose POWER based of VALUES LEADERSHIP."
"Team work, in sports, business, family and life makes all the difference in the world. When you think of the super credible people in this world, 'Coach K,' is, 'one' of those unique great ones at the top of the list."
"Coach K covers many of his formulas for success with managing basketball teams, and does it in a way that is immediately approachable and applicable daily when leading others. Communication (Ask for advice, conduct “huddles” with no BS). 2. Collective Responsibility (Foster the idea that we win and we lose together). 3. Trust (The team leader is the truth, he/she will tell you what you are doing right, and what you are screwing up). 4."
"In this book, Krzyzewski focus on the things in life that really matter to him: family, friendship, commitment, etc."
"That to be honest seems to me what makes him such a successful coach - his ability to tailor his approach to maximize motivational impact."
Recounts the remarkable story of University of Michigan basketball players Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson, and chronicles their success in the NCAA tournaments of 1992 and 1993. An award-winning journalist and radio host, Albom wrote the screenplay for The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and is an established playwright, having authored numerous pieces for the theater, including the off-Broadway version of Tuesdays With Morrie (co-written with Jeffrey Hatcher) which has seen more than 40 productions nationwide, and several recent comedies which have been produced and performed in venues across the country. "A Time To Help," founded in 1998, brings volunteers together once a month to tackle various projects in Detroit, including staffing shelters, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and operating meals on wheels programs for the elderly.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It did not come with the cover as you see in this picture."
"Excellent book."
"When read right before and after watching the documentary, it makes it even better."
"A fantastic insight into the group that changed basketball to what it is today (for good or bad according to some)."
"One of the best books I've ever read, check out the ESPN 30 for 30 about the Fab Five, this goes more in depth but the documentary is very good as well and features Mitch Albom."
"Great book-----and I'm not a basketball fan!!!"
"As a man who went to college during the fab five era, it was a cool read, and walk down memory lane of a time when I couldn't trade in my basketball short shorts, for a pair of the fab five long baggy shorts fast enough, these 5 kids really did touch and change the worlds of so many people!!!"
"Any fan of college hoops will love this book."
John Feinstein spent a season with these players, uncovering the drama of their daily lives and the passions that drive them to commit hundreds of hours to basketball even when there is no chance of a professional future. Feinstein's interviewing, skillful as ever, brings the players, coaches, and administrators of the colleges in this league to full form, making The Last Amateurs a rarity among sports books--a smart volume about smart people with their heads and priorities pointed in the right direction. Army, Navy, Lafayette, Lehigh, Bucknell, Holy Cross and Colgate: these seven colleges make up the Patriot League, basketball's smallest Division I conference. But Feinstein's intent is to do more than just provide details about the year's important games; he uses the Patriot League as an example of "what college sports are supposed to be about." Feinstein's portraits of these players and their coaches, his exploration of why they stay in the game and their encounters playing against soon-to-be-pro athletes of other teams bring an unusual emotional depth to this accountDwhich, like Feinstein's earlier books, should make a run toward, or on, the lists.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These men, now in their mid- and late-30’s, were featured in John Feinstein’s 2001 book, The Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball, Feinstein is a prolific chronicler of the American sporting life, having authored well written and easy to read books on everything from the Army-Navy football game and the Baltimore Ravens to the PGA Tour and Bob Knight. The organization of The Last Amateurs is familiar and easy to follow – Feinstein summarizes a Patriot League men’s college basketball season, highlighting the high and low points and crafting uncritical profiles of head coaches and players."
"Looking at college basketball in an age when winning at all costs is the norm in Division I."
"This time the story is a lowly Division 1 basketball conference that was formed under the premise of not issuing scholarships, therefore the title of the book. How they got here, family issues effecting college educations, and the personal motivation that keeps kids playing basketball without significant minutes or monetary reward are covered in detail with brillance. The author is at his best telling these individual stories or commenting on how these true amatuers play for the challenge of competitive sports."
"This book will take you into a world where the kids play because they love the game, knowing there is pretty much no chance they will make a living from basketball."
"I had higher hopes but there is way too much game recaps between interesting stories."
"to remember all of the schools, coaches and player names."
"Arrived on time and exactly as described."
"The mugging of the TV cameras, the grabbing of themselves or the pure showboating attitude is not on these young mens agenda."
Best College & University Basketball
Recounts the remarkable story of University of Michigan basketball players Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson, and chronicles their success in the NCAA tournaments of 1992 and 1993. An award-winning journalist and radio host, Albom wrote the screenplay for The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and is an established playwright, having authored numerous pieces for the theater, including the off-Broadway version of Tuesdays With Morrie (co-written with Jeffrey Hatcher) which has seen more than 40 productions nationwide, and several recent comedies which have been produced and performed in venues across the country. "A Time To Help," founded in 1998, brings volunteers together once a month to tackle various projects in Detroit, including staffing shelters, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and operating meals on wheels programs for the elderly.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It did not come with the cover as you see in this picture."
"Excellent book."
"When read right before and after watching the documentary, it makes it even better."
"A fantastic insight into the group that changed basketball to what it is today (for good or bad according to some)."
"One of the best books I've ever read, check out the ESPN 30 for 30 about the Fab Five, this goes more in depth but the documentary is very good as well and features Mitch Albom."
"Great book-----and I'm not a basketball fan!!!"
"As a man who went to college during the fab five era, it was a cool read, and walk down memory lane of a time when I couldn't trade in my basketball short shorts, for a pair of the fab five long baggy shorts fast enough, these 5 kids really did touch and change the worlds of so many people!!!"
"Any fan of college hoops will love this book."
Best Teen & Young Adult Basketball Nonfiction eBooks
A fast, gritty, durable player who could read a basketball floor as well as anyone who ever played the game, John Stockton left the NBA after nineteen seasons with the Utah Jazz, holding a massive assist record, including the career mark (15,806). John Stockton became a member of the NBA Hall of Fame in 2009.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My husband just thoroughly enjoyed this book... though I've never been a sports-inclined person myself, he's the complete opposite, and over the course of our marriage, there are certain athletes of whom he's spoken extra enthusiastically about - Mr. Stockton is one of those people."
"I loved this book because it reinforced the incredibly strong ethical, character I always believed Stockton possessed."
"A shining example of how we all may aim high, own up to our limitations and occasional defeats, and keep pushing forward while humbly welcoming the gift of wisdom, of love, and assistance from the various people with whom our lives intersect."
"Thanks for writing this great book, Mr Stockton."
"LOVE this guy!"
"I really wanted more, but knowing John, it's not surprising that he didn't share the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes details of his relationships with his teammates."
"I watched and rooted against John Stockton the player for many years as he battled against my Phoenix Suns while admiring what a remarkable player he was."
"If you're a fan of John Stockton and would like to know some things and people that shaped him as a person and player you'll enjoy this book."
Best Professional Basketball
More than a Game is the odyssey of Jackson's journey—from New York Knick and world champion, to CBA coach, to six-time Chicago Bulls world champion, to this year's L.A. Lakers world champion—and the lessons in leadership he learned each step of the way. Even though Jackson is the star here, he gives little attention to his years with the Bulls (covered in his earlier book Sacred Hoops). It seems a somewhat perfunctory treatment of a surprising season, until the book's true (and higher) purpose slowly becomes clear: it is a magnificent tribute to Tex Winter's triangle offense, the perfect scheme. Maverick (1975), also written with Rosen (Scandals of '51), covered his offbeat life as a player with the two-time champion New York Knicks, while Sacred Hoops (1999) focused on how he used his Triangle offense and personal "Zen Christian" beliefs in coaching the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s. The primary voice is Jackson's, however, and the major interest to most readers will be his behind-the-scenes account of the Lakers' successful season and the tenuous teaming of stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"FANTASTIC BOOK - the story of LIFE and COACHING WAY of PHIL JACKSON and His best FRIEND Charley ROSEN."
"***MET PHIL JACKSON IN CHICAGO & MET MICHAEL JORDON ON THE SAME NIGHT***MY HEART WAS BEATING SO FAST, I COULD BARELY BREATHE***IT WAS MORE THAN A GAME THAT NIGHT***IT WAS A FANTASY NIGHT***IT WAS ON MY DAUGHTER'S LIST OF THINGS SHE WANTED TO DO BEFORE SHE DIED WAS TO SEE THE CHICAGO BULLS PLAY***WE HAD NO IDEA WERE GOING TO HAVE 4th ROW SEATS & BE ABLE TO READ DENNIS RODMAN'S TATOOS***AFTER THE GAME, WE GOT TO THEIR SWEATY HANDS& GET THEIR AUTOGRAPHS****(YES, THEY BEAT WASHINGTON)***PHIL JACKSON IS ONE MAN WHO WAS BORN TO BE A COACH****."
"The book meanders around several themes - Phil's youth in the game, the Triangle Offense, Phil's coaching career prior to the Bulls, his Lakers first coaching season, and Charley's experiences throughout."
"The kids coming from college don't know how to play basketball and are tremendously self centered (not their fault)."
"I found Roland Lazenby's Mindgames much more readable and entertaining, even though I got tired of reading about the conflicts Bulls' VP Jerry Krause had with Jackson, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen (scattered throughout 100 pages of the 400 page book)."
"Gives a great insight into the mind of Phil Jackson and also how to become a great leader."
"THIS BOOK SHARES MANY INSIGHTS INTO THE LAKERS CHAMPIONSHIP RUN,AND ALSO THE CHAMPION CHICAGO BULLS, AND PHIL'S VIEW OF MANY OF THE PLAYERS, TEAMS AND COACHES IN THE NBA."
"The book alternates chapters (written by) Rosen and Jackson- which is jarring. You read a chapter, you get into the flow of the writing style, then, once you finish the chapter: BOOM."