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. 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.
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.
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.
Excerpts
- Commitment to Goals
- Building Confidence
- Cultivating Social and Inner Discipline
- Team Cohesion
- Competitive Toughness
ORDER THIS BOOK NOW FROM HUMAN KINETICS FOR ONLY $24.95
About the Author
John Giannini, PhD,
is the head men’s basketball coach at La Salle University, which
competes at the Division I level in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He has
led La Salle to its best Atlantic 10 record in school history. Giannini
accepted the job at the Philadelphia-based school in 2004 after a
successful eight-year stint at the University of Maine, where he became
the winningest men’s basketball coach in the school’s history and
turned the Black Bears into a perennial force in the America East
Conference. Prior to that, Giannini amassed a remarkable 168-38 record
in 7 seasons as head coach at Rowan University. He also brought a
Division III national championship to the Glassboro, New Jersey, school
and was named Coach of the Year.
Giannini’s collegiate basketball career began as a player at North
Central College in Naperville, Illinois. He continued his education
through graduate school and in 1992 earned a doctorate in kinesiology
with a specialization in sport psychology from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While at Illinois he served as a graduate
assistant coach for two years, including the 1989 season when the
Fighting Illini made it all the way to the Final Four.
Coach Giannini applies many innovative motivational, communication, and
instructional techniques with his players. As a result, his teams have
been known for their effort, teamwork, and attention to the
fundamentals.
Giannini, his wife, Donna, and their two daughters reside in Mullica Hill, New Jersey.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Mike Brey
Acknowledgments
Part I Fundamentals for a Winning Focus
Chapter 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 Success
Chapter 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
Index
About the Author