The Smart Take from the Strong: The Basketball Philosophy of Pete Carril [Hardcover]

Pete Carril (Author), Dan White (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 1997

The basketball coach at Princeton University shares the secrets of his successful twenty-nine-year career at Princeton, explaining how attitude, discipline, and intelligence can lead to overachievement, both on and off the basketball court. 25,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The class and success of Princeton University's basketball program can be traced to two words: Pete Carril. Carril coached the perennial Ivy League powerhouse for 29 seasons before his 1996 retirement, and his hardwood hard line couldn't have been simpler: play smart. Of course, it helped that his players were smart enough--they did get into Princeton--to compensate for any lack of size and talent. Carril preached winning through intelligence, selfless play, and dogged defense. The Smart Take from the Strong is his bible. While it makes a pass here and there at biography, the book's beauty is the keenness of its Carrilion collection of on- and off-the-court parables and beatitudes. How can you turn a deaf ear to eternal verities such as "Bad shooters are always open" and "The ability to rebound is in inverse proportion to the distance your house is from the nearest railroad tracks"? And how can you not love a coach who can suggest, when pondering why the university kept rehiring him, "I think they kept me because some of my players seemed to be better people for the experience," and not have it sound like a crow?

Review

“Warm and wise. . . . disarmingly candid.”—Publishers Weekly

(Publishers Weekly )

“Pete Carril is the Stonewall Jackson of NCAA basketball—unbelievable in victory, unforgettable in defeat.”—John McPhee

(John McPhee )

“Pete Carril is very clear about what he wants in basketball, and he wills things to happen.”—Senator Bill Bradley

(Senator Bill Bradley ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068483510X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684835105
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,164,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple philosophy for success, April 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Smart Take from the Strong: The Basketball Philosophy of Pete Carril (Hardcover)

Coach Carrill boils the game of basketball down to a very simple philosophy that being good at the fundamentals of the game make you a good player, regardless of what position you play. The ability to pass, shoot, dribble, rebound, and play defense are becoming a lost art in the "complete" player. Coach Carrill accurately points to the fact that the "specialists" of today are usually lacking in one or more of these skills. This book is a MUST read for high school and youth coaches. It should also be read by anyone who loves basketball.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Legend, January 18, 2001

By 

jnorat (Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Smart Take from the Strong: The Basketball Philosophy of Pete Carril (Hardcover)

In the summer of 1991, I spent a week at Pete Carill's Basketball Camp in Princeton. When Coach Carill listened to me speaking spanish with a group of friends he came by and started joking with us... in spanish. He told me about his Spanish roots and kept practicing it all week long. We made quite a friendship. As a 14 year old boy I was very impressed with his philosophy of life. He's not only one of the premier basketball brains of the era but a master philosopher. He made us think and he made us laugh in a unique way.

His effective teaching techniques are old school and modern at the same time and that's what I like most of this book. I'm 100% convinced Coach Pete is the reason for the latest success of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. If not go on and ask Chris Webber and Predrag Stojackovic.

I hope one day I can meet with Coach again and tell him how much I appreciate everything he did for us in just a week.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Smart Take from the Strong (Carril), June 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Smart Take from the Strong: The Basketball Philosophy of Pete Carril (Hardcover)

This book is a great look at the "Yoda" of college hoops. Carril's biography is a good look at a blue collar coach who got the absolute most from his players. He reveals no "mysteries" of the game-he stresses hard work around a solid philosophy. It is NOT an X and O book-don't buy it for that reason. It is a great basketball philosophy book. If you love the college game and the personalities that coach in it, buy this book.