Getting to Us

February 1, 2018
A spirited survey of some of the techniques of winning coaches in building winning teams.A successful coach, writes CBS analyst Davis (Wooden: A Coach's Life, 2013, etc.), takes a collection of individuals and turns them into a single entity: an "us." By the author's account, the formula it takes to do so is "the PEAK profile," that being an acronym for persistence, empathy, authenticity, and knowledge. It would rob Davis of some thunder to get too deep into the formula, but suffice it to say that it has plenty of merit. Even if some of his case studies seem not always to embody every aspect of it, it's clear that "the real secret is that there are no secrets" but instead endless work and application. One of those subjects, renowned Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer, chooses to travel a tumultuous path, "fueled by his ADD inability to leave well enough alone," authentic to the core but perhaps a little shy at times of empathetic matters. By the same token, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski might "have been diagnosed with attention deficit order" as a kid, but he settled down when pressed into service as a player for the tyrannical Bobby Knight, he of chair-throwing fame, and has led his players by example. Jim Harbaugh combines depth of knowledge with a commitment to do good in the world, a "willingness--an eagerness, even--to apply his talents beyond the football field" into the realm of service to the poor. And so forth. Davis sometimes falls into jock-talk ("though he is no longer able to run alongside his players until he pukes, he still embraces every opportunity to feed his competitive jones"), and his narrative is more diffuse than its textbook-ish opening might suggest. However, he provides plenty of useful information for aspiring coaches and committed fans.Want to score big? Read a book, as many of Davis' coaches do. This one makes a good start.

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February 15, 2018

Throughout his long career as a sportswriter with strong ties to Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports, Davis primarily has covered college basketball. Of the nine coaches profiled here, six head basketball, three lead football. Moreover, six are college coaches (Urban Meyer, Tom Izzo, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Gino Auriemma, and Dabo Swinney), one a pro coach (Doc Rivers), and two (Jim Harbaugh and Brad Stevens) have done both. Harbaugh and Stevens are also the only ones without a championship ring. The theme of this book is that great coaches are able to create a team out of individuals. Davis views the coaches' work through a PEAK profile of essential characteristics: persistence, empathy, authenticity, and knowledge. Each chapter includes interviews with the selected coach, along with relatives, mentors, assistants, and former players as Davis relates the subject's life, career, and method. Although the coaches' styles vary from Harbaugh's in-your-face intensity to Boeheim's aloof practicality to Swinney's loquacious empathy, the nine essays fit together with what Davis views as the common keys to successful coaching. VERDICT Thoroughly researched and skillfully written, this book will draw an audience from fans of college sports mostly.--John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 26, 2018
Davis (Wooden: A Coach’s Life) gives readers an intimate insider’s perspective on what it takes to succeed in high-stakes coaching positions. The answer, he believes, lies in the ability to convert disparate individuals on a team into a cohesive “Us” through what Davis calls a PEAK profile: persistence in tasks, empathy for players, authenticity in style, and knowledge of craft. Davis interviewed nine coaches (all men) who fit that profile, and devotes a concise chapter to each one. He takes readers into the coaches’ personal lives; for example, Urban Meyer’s anxiety and health issues forced him to temporarily retire as head coach of the University of Florida football team, but his “sabbatical taught him the importance of living a balanced life and conserving energy,” and he later shared these lessons with his players. Many coaches brought knowledge from previous jobs or experiences: Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney credits his brief tenure as a commercial real estate developer with helping him understand how to oversee a large operation, while Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo learned the value of hard work and attention to detail as a kid tending the counter in his family’s shoe repair shop. This refreshing look into the complex lives of coaches will appeal to an audience far wider than hardcore sports fans.