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Evoking days gone by when coaches were expected as much for their off-court performance as for their success on the court, this unique and intimate work presents the timeless wisdom of legendary basketball coach John Wooden. In honest and telling passages about virtually every aspect of life, Wooden shares the important personal philosophies that helped make him the winningest coach of all time.

A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

A compelling look inside the mind and powerful leadership methods of America's coaching legend, John Wooden

"Team spirit, loyalty, enthusiasm, determination. . . . Acquire and keep these traits and success should follow."
--Coach John Wooden

John Wooden's goal in 41 years of coaching never changed; namely, to get maximum effort and peak performance from each of his players in the manner that best served the team. Wooden on Leadership explains step-by-step how he pursued and accomplished this goal. Focusing on Wooden's 12 Lessons in Leadership and his acclaimed Pyramid of Success, it outlines the mental, emotional, and physical qualities essential to building a winning organization, and shows you how to develop the skill, confidence, and competitive fire to "be at your best when your best is needed"--and teach your organization to do the same.

Praise for Wooden on Leadership:

"What an all-encompassing Pyramid of Success for leadership! Coach Wooden's moral authority and brilliant definition of success encompass all of life. How I admire his life's work and concept of what it really means to win!"
--Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

"Wooden On Leadership offers valuable lessons no matter what your endeavor. 'Competitive Greatness' is our goal and that of any successful organization. Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success is where it all starts."
--Jim Sinegal, president & CEO, Costco

Hoops dreams in the Philippines-a fresh and unforgettable basketball diary of one man's journey and one nation's passion.

Welcome to the Philippines, where the men are 5'4," the everyman's Air Jordans are a pair of flip-flops, and the rhythm of life is punctuated by the bouncing of a basketball...

Allured by the idea of an island nation full of people who love the game as irrationally as he does, American journalist Rafe Bartholomew arrived in Manila to unlock the riddle of basketball's grip on the Philippines. On his unforgettable journey, Bartholomew spends a season inside the locker room of a Philippine professional team, dines with politicians who exploit hoops for electoral success, travels with a troupe of midgets and transsexuals who play exhibition games at rural fiestas, and even acts in a local soap opera. Sweating his way through hard-fought games of 3-on-3, played with homemade hoops for 50-cent wagers, Bartholomew uses a mix of journalistic knowhow and the hard- court ethics he learned from his dad to get in the paint and behind the scenes of Filipinos' against-all-odds devotion to the sport.

Pages: 240, Paperback, Hyperion

Duke Universitys Head basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski has proved himself a leader both on and off the court. Hes led the Duke Blue Devils to five straight Final Four appearances, culminating in back-to-back championships in 1991 and 92. He has received five National Coach of the Year Awards- and many of the players he coached in college have gone on to NBA stardom! Now Coach K offers the insights he uses to coax peak performances from his team, relying on lessons he learned as a captain in the U.S. Army, sportsmanship, respect, and a genuine gift for leading with the heart.In some respects, a top-level college coach is a lot like a manager in any business. He has to turn a group of talented individuals into a smoothly running team, and he has to produce results that please the fans of his team--the shareholders of the athletic program. 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. For example, he writes, "Adjustments are not unusual, they are usual. So a leader's ability to think on his feet ... to do things without instruction ... is of paramount importance." Makes sense, as does this admonition: "When teaching, always remember this simple phrase: 'You hear, you forget. You see, you remember. You do, you understand.'" The book has four sections--"Preseason," "Regular Season," "Postseason," and "All-Season"--and each of those has four chapters. Each chapter begins with three quotes ("Too many rules get in the way of leadership" leads off chapter 1), and ends with bulleted tips summing up the chapter's message. 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. It would be great if other types of managers in other types of businesses could incorporate these lessons in compassionate, focused, highly flexible leadership, but it seems unlikely. Most managers in business rise through the ranks not because of their ability to lead or inspire but because of their knowledge and competence (if not their connections). On the other hand, it would be nice if each of us, just once, could work for someone like Coach K, someone who could push the right buttons and lead us to our own version of the Final Four. Not likely, but a pretty sweet fantasy. --Lou Schuler

He has been called the best high school basketball player ever.

He made the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior, was featured on national television, and signed more than $100 million in promotional contracts before the end of his senior year. He became the no-doubt-about-it No. 1 pick in the NBA draft right after high school graduation.

Why the big fuss over LeBron James?

The odds were against him from the start. Born in poverty to a 16-year-old single mom, without a stable home for the first decade of his life, LeBron could have become just one more scarred product of a rough childhood in the projects.

Instead, he became the darling of the sports world-and he plays the part well.

Sportswriter David Lee Morgan, Jr. covered the phenomenon for the Akron Beacon Journal and had frequent access to LeBron and his family, coaches, teammates and best friends. He witnessed firsthand the exceptional plays on the basketball court. But he also saw LeBron develop the surprising poise with which he handled the pressure, the scrutiny and criticism, that arrived with the early onset of fame-as a circus-like atmosphere descended on this talented kid and his small parochial school in Akron, Ohio.

In this book, Morgan gives an inside look at the rise of basketball's hottest prospect, poised at the brink of superstardom. It's a story for any fan who wants to get to know LeBron better, and for anyone curious about how a high-school basketball phenom is made.

The critically acclaimed, classic autobiography of UCLA basketball's legendary coach

"What Knute Rockne was to football, Connie Mack to baseball, and Wilbur and Orville Wright to flying, John Wooden is to basketball." --Los Angeles Times

"They Call Me Coach is grassroots Americana, a story bigger than basketball. One of those rare sports books that is must reading for everyone." --Chicago Tribune

Now featuring a great new look and a Foreword by hoop Hall of Famer Bill Walton, this classic bestselling sports bio by America's "winningest coach" is back. Still charming fans everywhere, college basketball legend John Wooden reflects on his record-breaking career, his inspired life behind the scenes, and how his top players went on to shape and change the NBA. With worldly wisdom, Wooden offers a very personal history of an unforgettable time in college basketball, answering the most-asked questions about his life, his career, and the players who made his team unbeatable.

Reading a book won't magically turn you into a champion, but it can save you a lot of time, help to pave your way, and inspire you. This book shows you how champions think and respond in a variety of situations. If you want to succeed in sports, you will want to read Think Like a Champion.

STUFF Good Players Should Know may very well be the best book ever written for basketball players and fans. It is conversational and easy to understand, yet filled with subtle insights into the game of basketball. STUFF is page after page of creative concepts, common sense, and special tips that can not be found anywhere else.