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The Carolina Way-Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching DEAN SMITH AND GERALD D. BELL WITH JOHN KILCO; PREFACE BY ROY WILLIAMS NEWYORK1 NEWYORK:THE PENGUIN PRESS 328 PP. 2004 (HARDBACK); $24.95
It has often been said that sports is a microcosm of life, with its many highs and lows, and that successful sports programs teach those participating about always doing your best and having fun while competing, about taking the good with the bad, and about acceptance of what life has in store. Similarly, in The Carolina Way, Dean Smith outlines his philosophy for coaching and preparing young men tor basketball, which not only impacts them on the basketball court, but ultimately remains with them for the rest of their lives. By all accounts in this book, Smith has done that extremely well.
Having just experienced a wildly successful ride through a fantastic men's basketball season here at Saint Joseph's University, it was personally interesting to subsequently read Smith's perspective on his illustrious coaching career at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his blue-print for the tremendous success he experienced. As a registrar and the manager of an academic office within a university, gaining some insight into the mind of an effective manager like Smith and the guiding principles at the heart of his success is equally interesting, and can truly be considered professional development.
The entire structure of the book centers around the overarching mission statement Smith established for his program, wherein he constantly exhorts his players to "play hard, play together, and play smart."This is the core principle upon which the UNC basketball program under Smith was built. Individual sections of the book are based on each clause within this principle. In the "Playing Hard" section, the chapters emphasize individual attributes like caring, being honest, and creating good habits.The "Playing Together" section expounds Smith's guidelines on teamwork, building teams, and being unselfish. In "Playing Smart," chapters focus on paying attention to details, effective...