Mike Krzyzewski

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Mike Krzyzewski is the men's basketball coach of the Duke University team. For many years, Duke's team has found itself at the top of the college basketball circuit, and it owes a lot of that success to the wisdom, discipline, and dedication of its coach.

Coach Krzyzewski knows that one sentence, beyond any other, can inspire in his players the determination to succeed: "I believe in you." In life--whether it be academics, athleticism, or anything else--knowing that someone believes in you can make the difference between losing and winning. Coach K. knows that, and so do his players.

BEYOND BASKETBALL is broken down into numerous short "chapters," which include the following:

Adaptability, Adversity, Balance, Belief, Care, Challenges, Collective Responsibility, Commitment, Communication, Courage, Crisis Management, Culture, Empathy, Enthusiasm, Excellence, Failure, Family, Friendship, Fundamentals, Giving Back, Guidance, Imagination, Integrity, Learning, Love, Motivation, Next Play, Ownership, Passion, Poise, Pressure, Pride, Respect, Selflessness, Standards, Talent, Trust, Will, and Work.

Whether you're a follower of college basketball or not, BEYOND BASKETBALL is a fitting book that deals with working hard, playing hard, and dedicating yourself to whatever goals you set for yourself.… (más)

The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team is at times self-indulgent, but is essentially a well-told story of Team USA’s quest for gold in basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Written by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the book gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at team building. Coach K writes about himself, members of the team, his philosophy and approach to putting the team together, and a few details of games played at the Olympics. Coach notes that there are "losers, winners, and champions". This book is none of those things; it is just okay.… (más)