From Publishers Weekly
Considered one of the most competent in his profession, Odum, head basketball coach at Wake Forest University in North Carolina for the past seven years, has taken his team into NCAA postseason play seven times and led them to two Atlantic Coast Conference championships. After 11 years in high-school ball, he served as an assistant at Wake Forest and the University of Virginia until he accepted his present post in 1990. He notes that he wrote this book as a guide for young people who aspire to follow in his footsteps, and he succeeds notably. In discussing the coach's function in any sport, he makes a number of arresting observations: a coach who is not a teacher is not a good coach; a coach who relies only on computer printouts and other statistical data ignores the humanity of his players. Most intriguing of all, he claims not to read articles about himself or his team in the press, for he believes that sports reporters don't know as much about the game as he does.
Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
It is difficult to explain why every college basketball coach feels compelled to write a book. Odom, head coach at Wake Forest University, has noble intentions but does not seem to have much on his mind. He reveals little that has not been thoroughly covered by other coaches in previous basketball books. The major issues afflicting college athletics, such as recruiting rules, agents, and the big money waiting in the NBA, are given just cursory treatment. Those seeking gossip will also be disappointed; perhaps he is too good-natured, but Odom has virtually nothing negative to say about anyone. Moreover, the style of the book, full of two- and three-paragraph remarks and recollections, makes for disjointed reading. This book will interest only Wake Forest alumni and those with an absolutely insatiable appetite for college basketball. Only for regional collections.?Andrew Riccobono, Marymount Univ., Arlington, Va.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
