Table of Contents
Foreword Mike Krzyzewski xiii
Preface xv
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Be Ready for Change and Adventure 9
Opportunity Knocks 10
My First Meeting with Coach K 13
Chapter 2 Creating "Choice Not Chance" 17
We Are All Products of the Choices We Make 18
Chapter 3 The Underdog, Fighter Mentality 23
A Navy Brat Grows Up 24
Wherever They Live, Kids Need to Be Motivated 26
Role Models Help Me Develop My Skills 27
Nurturing Interest and a Desire to Improve 31
Graduation Approaches 34
Chapter 4 Nobody Likes Whiners 39
Arriving at Northwestern and Fighting for Playing Time 40
A Coaching Change 42
My First (Bittersweet) Taste of the NCAA Tournament 46
Chapter 5 Money Alone Won't Make You Happy 51
What Am I Going to Do with My Life? 52
Following a Passion: My Return to Basketball 54
Chapter 6 Never Be Afraid to Try Something and Make a Mistake 59
Making a Commitment and Sticking with It 60
Things Begin to Make Sense 63
A Nearly Fatal Mistake 67
Chapter 7 Seek Out Mentors: Th ere Is No Substitute for Experience 73
Why the Scoreboard Is Irrelevant: Play the Game to Attack and Compete 74
Learning from Failure 77
Seek Out the Wisdom of Others 83
Chapter 8 Not All of Your Players (or Employees) Will Get Along with Each Other 93
Th e Other Side of Success 94
Learning Balance, Restoring Energy 97
Expectations for the Future 99
Chapter 9 Life Is More than the Game 107
Away from the Court, My Priorities Change 108
Team in Transition 109
New Developments on the Court and in My Life 113
Chapter 10 Set High Team Goals While Motivating on an Individual Level: No Two Players ( Just Like No Two Employees)
Are Exactly Alike 123
Arriving at Michigan State 124
Lessons from Tom Izzo and Lonny Rosen 126
Motivating a New Team 129
Managing Conflict 133
Chapter 11 Everybody Has to Be Challenged to See How Good They Can Become 139
Challenges and Progress at Michigan State 140
Always Measure Your Accomplishments 143
Chapter 12 Step Back and Reassess Your Priorities 147
How Can We Improve? What Can We Do Better? 148
Refusing to Give Up, No Matter the Opponent 150
Chapter 13 A Message from Coach Smith and Coach Wooden 159
Winning Isn’t Always about Who Has the Best or Most Talented Players 160
Coming Close Creates Added Motivation 163
Chapter 14 Coach K Teaches, "Do What You Came Here to Do" 167
Moving On 168
Meeting Another Challenge 174
Getting to Work at Duke 175
Coach K Gives Me the Message I Need When I Need It 179
My First Big Win at Duke 180
Transition at Work and at Home 182
Chapter 15 You Have to Seek Out the Changes—and See How You Need to React to Them—to Make the Team (and Your World) Better 187
Chapter 16 Recruiting Is a True Test of Will, Discipline, Character, and Evaluation Ability 197
Getting the Right Group of Players 198
Chapter 17 Competitive Cauldron 207
Acknowledgments 219
University of Maine and Michigan State University 220
Duke University 221
Index 223
