Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court

by Roy Williams, Tim Crothers, John Grisham Narrated by Alan Winter

Overview

Roy Williams, head coach of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team, the Tar Heels, has the highest winning percentage in NCAA history. Over the last seven years, the 58-year-old Asheville, N.C., native—who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007-has won 205 games, including 24 in the NCAA Tournament. That's more Final Fours, more wins, and more NCAA Tournament victories than any basketball coach in the nation.

Hard Work tells the story of Roy Williams' life that few people know, in Williams' own distinct and colorful way—his troubled upbringing, his college years, his years of trying to make ends meet before becoming a head coach. It reveals how determination took him from an impoverished home in the mountains of North Carolina to the very pinnacle of coaching success, culminating in the 2009 NCAA National Championship (his second in five years). And it pulls back the curtain on one of college basketball's most guarded programs as witnessed by one of the most successful, dominant coaches, at the prime of his power.

Coach Williams describes himself as the most competitive person on earth, admitting that he once got into a game of pool with Michael Jordan that nearly ended in a fistfight. In addition to providing a fresh look at Jordan, Hard Work will chronicle Williams' connection with such basketball luminaries as Paul Pierce, Kirk Hinrich, Jacque Vaughn, Phil Ford, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Sean May, and Rashad McCants, along with Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, all of whom Williams credits with having earned him the highest winning percentage in NCAA history.

Hard Work is an inspirational story of what can be achieve by anyone who commits to a dream.

Foreword read by Rick Adamson

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

“Hard Work is a successful coach’s memoir not because it provides a blueprint for success but because it reveals the humiliations and insecurities that have stoked Williams’ competitive fire.” —Will Blythe, The Raleigh News and Observer



“A star coach tells his inspiring tale . . . by the end of this engaging tale, you’ll realize why Williams is an unparalleled recruiter . . . He works as hard as anyone, and he knows how to tell a good story.” —Sports Illustrated

“Hard Work is a successful coach’s memoir not because it provides a blueprint for success but because it reveals the humiliations and insecurities that have stoked Williams’ competitive fire.” —Will Blythe, The Raleigh News and Observer

"If Roy Williams has a secret it is that he is the same person now that he was when I first met him as Dean Smith's No. 3 assistant many, many years ago. This book is a clear reflection of that man—hard working but loyal, dogged, self-deprecating, and, at his core, one of the world's truly good people." —John Feinstein

"A near perfect embodiment of the American Dream."—Kirkus Reviews

NOVEMBER 2009 - AudioFile

This memoir of University of North Carolina coach Roy Williams is far more than a basketball book. He traces his story from the poverty of his youth to the pinnacle of collegiate success, multiple NCAA basketball championships. The story is classic Southern Appalachian storytelling, reminiscent of the work of Rick Bragg. To satisfy the basketball fans, there’s lots of inside material on stars such as Michael Jordan. And the author's self-examination includes some of his shortcomings. Alan Winter narrates with enough of a drawl to make the account realistic but not so much that it makes understanding difficult. His pacing is easygoing and his tone is conversational, a style that makes the book speed along surprisingly quickly. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171648329
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	11/10/2009
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos