When one thinks of the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team today, it is hard to remember a time before the sellout crowds, championship banners swaying in the rafters, and Geno Auriemma was the coach.

In “Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection” (Grand Central Publishing, $16.99), the coach and his co-authors tell humorous stories of practice and facility constraints, player issues, and recruiting struggles. We see the successful coach today and think it must be easy recruiting players to one of the elite programs, but we forget about the struggle he and his staff went through to get to the top.

The book illustrates why landing marquee players like Kerry Bascom and Rebecca Lobo helped give the UCONN program the validity that it needed to accumulate the All-American roster it has today.

The book starts with a foreword written by a former player that any coach in America would be thrilled to have written about them, especially after learning that Coach Auriemma is toughest on his best players. Throughout the book, the underlying measure of Auriemma is the respect and gratitude his players have for him. Yes, he is a very successful coach, but I was equally impressed with how he has positively touched the lives of the players in his program on and off the court. They are extremely loyal to their coach and for good reason.

The book starts out with a history lesson on Auriemma’s roots that helps readers understand why he is so driven. It is interesting to learn that not only did he come to the USA as a poor Italian immigrant, but he didn’t know much English when he arrived. He didn’t use his lack of language skills and poor upbringing as a crutch; instead he found ways to outwork others to accomplish his goals.

Most people envision him as a successful, stubborn and arrogant coach, but it was interesting to learn just how much he questions himself on decisions and worries about the future. Throughout the book his humility shines through and his attention to detail, whether it is a player’s focus or a particular drill in practice being ran perfectly, shows why his teams rarely become complacent.

Auriemma’s unique knack of reading each player and knowing what chords to strike in order to get their best out of their ability is a trait to be revered by all coaches of any sport. His masterful timing (sometimes at the aid of his staff), choice of words, and ability to know each player’s psyche is clearly illustrated no matter the player or role on the team.

There are numerous lessons taught throughout the book that will be helpful to any coach attempting to build a championship program.

It is interesting to learn the key figures who have inspired Auriemma on his climb to success and who continues to inspire him today. Anyone who has read, “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell can easily see the connection between it and Auriemma ‘s story when they learn how fortunate he was to be connected with people like Jim Foster and Phil Martelli when they were just starting out in the high school ranks.

Obviously his work ethic and desire fueled him beyond what he learned from these key individuals, but he is quick to point out his appreciation for them as well as Debbie Ryan from Virginia.

The story of Auriemma ‘s pursuit of perfection is a great lesson plan for every coach to study. I laughed at his stories and appreciated his candor on tough subjects like his relationship with Pat Summit and mistakes he has admittedly made with the media as well as with players.

There’s no doubt why he is such a legendary coach, he isn’t afraid to push himself or his players outside their comfort zone. 

Tricia Cullop is coach of the University Toledo Women’s basketball team.

Tags: Geno Auriemma, Tricia Cullop

This entry was posted on Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Books, Sports.
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