John Calipari Book Success Is the Only Option: The Art of Coaching Extreme Talent

Honestly, this should be required reading for all Kentucky High School Students

and is a great gift for all Kentucky Wildcat fans.

John Calipari Book
Success Is the Only Option
"The Art of Coaching Extreme Talent"

Coach Cal shares the secrets of creating the premier programs in college basketball, revealing how he transforms a group of former high school superstars into selfless, cohesive teams—including the 2014-15  that fell just one game short of a perfect season.

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari is known for his unparalleled ability to recruit the nation’s best young players, some of whom will spend just one year with him before going to the NBA, and convincing them to commit to the team without sacrificing their personal goals. It is a promise he makes to them: "Fully invest in the present—and each other—and I guarantee it will serve your future."

In this book, for the first time, he distils his team-building methods in ways that apply to CEOs, business owners, coaches, teachers and leaders of all kinds—lessons for anyone seeking to inspire talented individuals to reach for their best selves and contribute to a greater good.

A basketball team is an intimate workplace, in which blend is everything and character matters. As such, it is a window into the nature of successful leadership. Calipari views each new team like a startup business—one composed of new players, new relationships, and new challenges. Each season is a series of discoveries as he learns how to unleash the extreme talent in each of his players and mould them into championship material as college basketball comes to a crescendo every spring. While he can’t control everything, he is responsible for everything—just like a CEO, Calipari understands that.