Professional Basketball, Basketball Players & Coaches - Biography, Basketball - Coaching & Instruction, United States Colleges & Universities - New England States
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Overview
As one of the hottest coaches in basketball, John Calipari transformed the UMass Minutemen into a #1-ranked force to be reckoned with - taking them to the Final Four for the first time in history. Calipari did more than develop a phenomenal team. He built an outstanding program for success. But it did not happen overnight. Refuse to Lose chronicles this American success story. When John Calipari arrived at UMass in 1988, the odds were stacked against him. He was twenty-nine years old with no head coaching experience. The university looked down on campus sports. Morale was at an all-time low. But Calipari never said never and rose to the challenge. His winning philosophy? Develop a "Refuse to Lose" attitude. Though you play to win whatever the score, how you play the game counts. Stay within the rules. Don't blame others, take responsibility yourself. Review the tape and learn from it. These are the life skills he taught his players - and they yielded amazing results: a twenty-six game winning streak, twenty-five appearances on national television last season, and America's hard-won respect for the team. Refreshingly candid, Calipari takes us behind the hoop dreams and into the very heart and soul of the game. He discusses his amazing athletic program that took eight years to build; highlights the glory and scandal surrounding star center Marcus Camby; reveals the truth about the infamous feud with Temple coach John Chaney and all-out "global" warfare with The Boston Globe; and explains his move to the New Jersey Nets and what he hopes to - and probably will - accomplish.Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Having worked as an assistant at Kansas and Pitt, Calipari took over the basketball program at the University of Massachusetts in 1988, after the school had recorded 10 straight losing seasons. Adopting the motto that he and coauthor Weiss (Full Court Pressure) also use for this conventional autobiography, Calipari proved himself a fine motivator of young players and an astute manipulator of television to publicize UMass's increasingly successful organization. Each year, his teams improved on the record of the previous season, climaxing in 1996, when his players had a 35-2 record, were ranked first in the nation for much of the season and went to the NCAA's Final Four. The star, Marcus Camby, was judged the best in the nation, and Calipari himself was chosen coach of the year by at least four court groups. He is now poised to take over the NBA's hapless New Jersey Nets. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour. (Oct.)Library Journal
If you've been following the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team religiously for the past few years, or if you're a devotee of the hapless New Jersey Nets and wish to learn about the coach who's been chosen to lead your team into the 21st century, then this is the book for you. If not, it might as well be titled Choose To Snooze. Calipari's anecdotal account details his highly successful career with UMass, concentrating on the last two seasons, in which the team cracked the "elite eight" and the "final four," respectively. Calipari gives his version of his highly publicized feud with Temple coach John Chaney and his controversial, late-season cut of star guard Mike Williams. Budding coaches will enjoy hearing about the ins and outs of recruiting and motivating players and building a competitive program from the ground up. Recommended for sports collections.Adam Mazmanian, "Library Journal"Book Details
Published
September 1, 1996
Publisher
Ballantine Books (T)
Pages
288
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780345408013