Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb (Hardcover)

by Bo Ryan (Author), Mike Lucas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Bo Ryan is not only one of the great coaches in our game, he is also one of the great personalities. I have tremendous respect for him and really enjoy his perspective on college basketball and student-athletes. He's the kind of person you could enjoy your son playing for.'' ------- --Roy Williams, Head Coach, University of North Carolina

Bo Ryan is one of the game's finest coaches, and he has come up the ranks the hard way, and the right way. Ryan is substance over flash, and has developed his skills and philosophy outside of the spotlight. Because of his success, Ryan now lives in the spotlight. Ryan is proof positive that a steadfast belief in core principles and an enduring will to compete can carry you to the top. Ryan is really talented, too, a fact that is too often overlooked. Bo Ryan is the real thing.'' ------ --Jay Bilas, ESPN college basketball analyst

Product Description
Bo knows hoops. As a member of the exclusive 500-win club, University of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan has the second highest winning percentage among active coaches (with at least 500 victories) in college basketball, second only to North Carolina's Roy Williams. Ryan's formula for success can be traced back to UW-Platteville, where he won four national championships during a memorable 15-year run punctuated by two undefeated seasons. But there was still another hill to climb for Ryan, the all-time winningest coach in Division III history. After a short layover at UW-Milwaukee, where he coached the Panthers to their first back-to-back winning seasons in eight years, Ryan welcomed the challenge of proving himself all over again at the Big Ten level. And it didn't take long for Ryan to make his mark with the University of Wisconsin basketball program. In his first season, he guided the Badgers to their first share of the conference title in 55 years. Since then, Ryan has raised the bar to unprecedented heights, leading the Badgers to the four winningest seasons in school history. Ryan's first six teams averaged 23.7 wins per season, capped by the program's first ever No. 1 national ranking and a school record 30 victories in 2006-07. The victory record was broken the next year as the 2007-08 team finished 31-5. Ryan's competitive fire, attention to detail and commitment to executing the fundamentals has been at the core of his success, along with his signature Swing offense. And it all serves as a valuable road map for young coaches. In his autobiography Another Hill To Climb Ryan talks about the many people who have influenced his journey, beginning with his formative years in Chester, PA., where the 'street-smart'' Ryan nurtured his point guard mentality. Known as a fascinating storyteller, Ryan also talks about the hurdles and the highlights that accompanied each step, and the importance of developing a plan that will transcend any level of competition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 230 pages
• Publisher: KCI Sports Publishing; 1 edition (September 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097987291X
• ISBN-13: 978-0979872914
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #169,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sports autobiography University of Wisconsin basketball coach well known for having surpassed 500 victories, December 11, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Madison "Capital Times" newspaper sports columnist Mike Lucas combines his talents with Bo Ryan himself to present Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb, a sports autobiography University of Wisconsin basketball coach well known for having surpassed 500 victories during the course of his record. How did he earn this impressive achievement? In his life story he explains the events and elements that shaped his coaching philosophy, and offers a wealth of insights into the world of college team sports. "I have never made it 'us against them.' That would be counter-productive. In no way do you gain any kind of an advantage by waging in your own mind a psychological battle with an individual or a particular school. It clouds your vision. So I don't do it." An inset handful of black-and-white and color photographic plates round out this testimony of how to blaze the path to victory, in an expert coach's own words.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bo Knows, February 24, 2009

By	Timothy R. Widiker "Tie Guy" (Danbury, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Good book with some basketball coaching information, but more of a biography than a "how to" It's amazing how many people he knows throughout the country and state. He drops a ton of names. If you are a Wisonsinite and Badgers basketball fan, it is a must read. He is a very neat guy who is definitely one of a kind. He sure has an interesting story to tell and does it fairly well. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it is a bit all over the place and doesn't necessarily have a nice flow. It has some nice pictures and stats in it also.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why was this published?, December 22, 2008

By	Jack Spades - See all my reviews

Who is Bo trying to reach with this book? I suppose it will sell very well in Madison, WI. Really, it is just page after page of him bragging about how tough he had it and yet persevered for another day. Isn't that just a little bit cliché: playing ball in the hood, working out in run down gyms in south Philly?

I keep wondering when he will fight Apollo Creed at the end only to realize that it is not winning or losing that matters, but going the distance (spoiler alert for the sequel: Bo Ryan does beat Apollo Creed after a rematch was negotiated - but only because Apollo doesn't really take Bo all that seriously).

It gets very monotonous after a while... just like listening to him speak. Furthermore, doesn't Bo's face look a whole lot like a weasel's face?