Court Sense

The best basketball players and coaches are known not only for their success in the sport but for the manner in which they manifest their knowledge and abilities in playing, coaching, and teaching the game. Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Steve Nash, Diana Taurasi, and other great players past and present share a special grasp of what is needed in every situation on the court and how to maximize their own effectiveness as well as that of their team.

Teams coached by John Wooden, Phil Jackson, Pat Summitt, and Mike Krzyzewski won many championships because of their coaches' amazing ability to teach, motivate, discipline, and unite players to perform to their potential individually and as a group. Court Sense highlights all those qualities that make players and teams great, and it provides practical ways to improve any intangibles that might be lacking.

The first half of the book covers all the basics a player must have in place, on and off the court, in order to excel.

The second half features the six Cs that are crucial to on-court performance: coachability, communication, cohesion, capacity to lead, competitiveness, and concentration. Author John Giannini brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the subject as a former collegiate player and veteran coach who has earned a PhD in sport psychology.

His insights and advice are combined with real-life examples and supported by stories shared by these top coaches: John Beilein, Tony Bennett, Tom Crean, Jamie Dixon, Steve Donahue, Joanne P.

McCallie, Sean Miller, Oliver Purnell, Bo Ryan, Tubby Smith, Sharon Versyp, and Jay Wright. Playing like a winner first requires preparing like one.

Use Court Sense to your advantage and you'll be one step closer to cutting down the nets. ContentsPart I Fundamentals for a Winning FocusChapter 1.

Evaluation of Abilities Bo Ryan: Player Assets Chapter 2.

Commitment to Goals Steve Donahue: Goals for Growth Chapter 3.

Expectations of Success John Beilein: Individual Motivation Chapter 4.

Off-Season Work Ethic Sean Miller: Off-Season Development Chapter 5.

In-Season Accountability Joanne P. McCallie: Team-First Mentality Chapter 6. Off-Court Conduct Oliver Purnell: Good Habits Part II The Six Cs of On-Court SuccessChapter 7.

Coachability Tubby Smith: Player Responsibility, in Writing Chapter 8.

Communication Jay Wright: Shooting Straight Chapter 9.

Cohesion Sharon Versyp: Team Building Chapter 10. Capacity to Lead Tony Bennett: Leadership Values Chapter 11.

Competitiveness Tom Crean: Developing Competitors Chapter 12.

Concentration Jamie Dixon: Upperclassmen Focus