Review: Beyond Championships

Beyond Championships: A Playbook for Winning at Life by Coach Dru Joyce II, March 10, 2015. 224 pages. Published by Zondervan. Source: publisher.

As the coach of one of high school basketball s greatest programs, Coach Dru Joyce has been mentor and motivator to some of the nation s best young players, including basketball legend LeBron James. Despite having virtually no experience in the sport, in less than ten years Dru went from a no-name fan to one of the highest profile basketball coaches in the country.

With insight and grit earned from his years on and off the court, Coach Dru shares for the first time the secrets to his teams success and his own coaching achievements. Far more than a sports book, Beyond Championships is a blueprint for anyone looking to make better choices, reach their full potential, and become winners in all areas of life.

As Dru outlines the nine principles that he promotes to his players and tries to live in his own life as well, you ll discover that the solid foundation on which he built so many successful basketball programs can be applied to almost any situation. As you assess your chosen path in life and look for ways to embark on a more inspiring and rewarding journey, Coach Dru offers an accessible and relatable roadmap for personal evolution.

I feel I should warn y'all on one count before I get into this review. I am in no way a fan of basketball; I'd rate it somewhere down there with golf in sports that are unappealing to me personally (give me soccer or softball/baseball). Yet, while I may not have been of fan of the sport Coach Dru referenced through out his book, I did find myself enjoying what he had to say.

While Beyond Championships is a pretty short book, it does take some time to read as one needs time to think upon some of the principles that Coach Dru imparts throughout the book. One of the reasons I found myself enjoying this book, other than the great message it has, was that I liked how he set out to set a god example for the youth he encountered and that the voice of his writing was down to earth.
    As someone who has played a lot of sports, and done them competitively, I enjoyed this book because he strove to teach those he coached something that seems to have been forgotten. That winning is not just about you but about the team. Also, that while it is a game the can lead you places (enter your sport of choice) it really is about so much more.

I am finding it hard to put into words why this is such an interesting read. Other than that there is so much that can be taken away to help you on whatever path, sporting or not, that you may find yourself on this moment.  Beyond Championships, is a great read that can help one decide to chase after their dream or to shift one's perception.
 
Writing-wise, Beyond Championships is pretty good. It does take some time to get into the writing, at least for me, since it is pretty basketball-centric. Yet, the thing about his writing that I really liked was how he was able to talk about both his passion for improving the lives of kids and his faith. Yes, I really liked how well he was able to convey both aspects of his life without sounding preachy. The final thing that makes his book, and thus his writing good, was how he didn't hide the mistakes he made along the way. It was nice to see somehow who owns up to not being perfect, because let's face it none of us are perfect.
 
Final Verdict: Beyond Championships- Inspiring and well written. A great look at how faith and determination can change anything.

Beyond Championships earns

this book was received in exchange for an honest review.