Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court

by Tim Crothers, Roy Williams

“A star coach tells his inspiring tale . . . by the end of this engaging tale, you’ll realize why Williams is an unparalleled recruiter . . . He works as hard as anyone, and he knows how to tell a good story.” —Sports Illustrated Coach Roy Williams is one of the most respected and successful basketball coaches in the nation; he has led the UNC team for the past 18 seasons, with 903 career wins, three national championships, led his team to five Final Fours, finished first in the ACC regular standings nine times, and won three ACC tournament championships.    And yet, Williams traveled an unlikely path. In Hard Work¸ he tells the story of his life, from his turbulent childhood through a coaching career with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Williams recounts his rough early years; his long tenure as head coach at the University of Kansas; how he recruits, teaches, and motivates his players; how he’s shepherded teams through some of the most nail-biting games at both Kansas and UNC; and how he suffered through one of the roughest seasons of his tenure and came out on the other side to be awarded 2011 ACC Coach of the Year.   One of the most accomplished basketball coaches of all time, Williams was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.  

371 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

Tim Crothers is a former senior writer at Sports Illustrated who is currently a journalism professor and a freelance sportswriter. He is the author of The Man Watching, a biography of Anson Dorrance, the legendary coach of the University of North Carolina women's soccer team, co-author of Hard Work, the autobiography of UNC basketball coach Roy Williams, and author of The Queen of Katwe, the story of a 16-year-old female chess champion from the slums of Kampala, Uganda.

Crothers lives with his wife and two children
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roy Williams' life is interesting. I would describe his story as big fish in a little pond that became a monster shark in an ocean. This book tells his story from growing up poor in North Carolina to being a standout in his high school and finally head basketball coach at UNC. The title adequately sums up his life, Hard Work.

There are many life lessons in here. Ways to treat and approach people, family, opposition, failure and success. It is not a self-help, or motivational book, but one can find golden nuggets of advice and attitudes that can lead to success. I especially like the mantra of play hard, play smart, play together.

[Scott Hinsche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for fans

A must read for UNC & Roy Williams fans, although the book is a bit choppy. I enjoyed it though.

[Harshu Yadav · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's sach so inspirational story.