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Rebound Rules: The Art of Success 2.0
“Rick Pitino knows a thing or two about comebacks—on the court and in life.” — Louisville Courier-Journal Basketball legend Rick Pitino reveals his model of success built upon his experiences of failure and personal loss in Rebound Rules —a powerful, deeply personal book about never giving up. Recalling the tragedies that shaped his life and career—his unsuccessful tenure as Celtics coach, the devastating loss on 9/11 of his best friend and his brother-in-law and the deep depression that followed—Coach Pitino shares his Rebound Rules , demonstrating how he emerged wiser and rose to new heights with a richer perspective on life and work…and how you can, too.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 18, 2008
9 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Rick Pitino
24 books12 followersRick Pitino is the head basketball coach at the University of Louisville. He won the NCAA Championship in 2013 with the Louisville Cardinals and the 1996 NCAA Championship with the Kentucky Wildcats--the only basketball coach to win national titles at two different universities. He entered the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8, 2013. Pitino also was head coach at Providence College during its remarkable NCAA tournament in 1987, and in the NBA was head coach of the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. He has written five previous business and leadership books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Success is a Choice.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 7, 2021
Interesting reading. He was very open in sharing his struggles but I am sure there are other sides to those topics.
It is a casual read for those who are interested in success. However, I have an MBA in Executive Management and I see pitfalls in his points.
A good book to skim.
It is a casual read for those who are interested in success. However, I have an MBA in Executive Management and I see pitfalls in his points.
A good book to skim.
February 19, 2011
As passionate and enthusiastic a coach as I've seen. His teams are always competitive. Here he converts his success on the court to success in business. Success principles are universal and can be applied in any area.
January 14, 2015
Pitino's book Success Is a Choice: Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life had an impact on me in the 1990s, and I still refer back to some of its lessons on communication.
I was eager to read this book by a more mature and, if possible, more humble Pitino. I read an article on Pitino by Forde years ago that talked about how he'd mellowed after the loss of his best friend and brother-in-law Billy Minardi in the World Trade Center on 9/11. The article suggested that winning didn't mean as much to the man, and that every success was something to stop and celebrate, and I was curious whether this was true. I also have the perspective of the Pitino who got caught in adultery and secretly paying for his fling's abortion, something that was against everything the man supposedly stood for. It is hard to read this book which lays out Pitino's firm principles (similar to his first book) and square it with that Pitino.
Each chapter has a theme with some examples from the coach's experience, some anecdotal illustrations from business or similar, and a bullet-point summary at the end. The coach's examples are interesting but the canned illustrations from business, drawn from the Wall Street Journal and other sources, are rather dull. Pitino's comments on those illustrations become somewhat annoying. He may express humility at points in the book ("I'm working, on a daily basis, to put others before me" p. 38), but it's clear he still has the confident in his own expertise in everything from other sports to manufacturing to politics. The worst example comes in a foray into theology toward the end of the book.
"Some of our biggest problems in the world today are rooted in religious fanaticism and intolerance of other views. I don't know that there is such thing as a 'chosen' faith, so much as there is a chosen way to live. I don't believe God would exclude a Catholic, a Jew, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a Hindu simply because they chose the wrong doctrine to follow—not if they've lived a good life" (p. 189).
There are some glimpses into the personal tragedies of Pitino's life that connect the reader to the coach on a deeper level. The first is the death of his infant son, Daniel, in 1987. This came at the height of one of the most joyous seasons, the Providence '87 Final Four team that propelled him to fame and fortune. Pitino reveals much of his and Joanne's grieving process, and how they've worked to make it a positive but it still haunts him. The second is the loss of two of his best friends and brothers-in-law in 2001, just months apart. Minardi is still on their minds as his pictures are in every room of their house. Pitino uses stories from Minardi's life for encouragement and motivation. These events helped humble the coach and help him put family and career into proper perspective.
"Basketball is my passion, but not my life. Helping my players, family members, and friends achieve happiness counts more than the final score of any game. I'm still enjoying what I do immensely and my energy to work remains extremely high—but there is a greater balance at the end of the day" (p. 13).
Kentucky fans will enjoy his stories about players from those teams although there are more in Success is a Choice. He reveals how and why he and Antoine Walker didn't get along initially, the issues his assistant coaches had in the early days, and more. Louisville fans will particularly enjoy the story of his first meeting/confrontation with the group of misfit players he inherited. He talks a lot about his project players, but admits his failures, like with Terrance Williams.
Pitino admits he left Kentucky in '97 "for the money." He has often expressed regret for this decision as his "failure" in Boston took a lot of time for him to get over. He does explain the reasons for his failures there: he got too caught up in making emotional, short-run decisions with the team to win immediately rather than stick to a long-run strategy. His plan was to retire rich and famous at 55 and he now realizes that was foolish.
I appreciated his retrospective here and anyone who has lost a job or experienced any level of failure can appreciate Pitino's wisdom (p. 29):
Darkness of doubt happens.
Get in touch with your fundamentals to combat doubt.
POINTS OF CAUTION:
Denial doesn't work.
Use past mistakes as learning tools
Running away doesn't work. Don't isolate yourself.
Avoid rebound marriages, like I considered entering into with UNLV.
Besides dealing with the darkness of doubt, my main takeaway from the book is Pitino's resolve to stay "relentlessly positive." Kentucky's 31-point comeback at LSU was the result of staying positive in the huddles. He rejects cynicism and won't tolerate "bitchfests" in meetings. Pitino keeps a written record of whether he remained positive or not in a given day. He's honest about the difficulty:
"The best I've done for a season is to average 70 percent positive days, so there is work to do" (p. 123). He also writes that he gives a copy of Spencer Johnson's The Precious Present to almost everyone and reads it to his players (and even summarizes it in the book). I will have to check it out.
He writes that he has personal accountability on a daily basis for achieving his career goals, and recommends accountability to others. I suppose that his succumbing to a floozie at a bar in front of his friends means he does not maintain that same accountability for his personal life.
My favorite quote from the book comes from the legendary Bill Russell, who spoke to Pitino's locker room before a game (p. 169). Russell rips into the selfish players and demands better:
“I know you guys think I'm making fun of you and calling you out for your egos. But I'm the most egotistical son of a bitch who ever played. The only thing is, my ego didn't come from any individual statistics. Your ego is about points, rebounds, and assists. My ego came from the final score. My ego is team ego. But then again, what do I know? I've only won 11 world championships, back-to- back college championships, 56 college games in a row, and an Olympic gold medal. And that's why I'm Bill Russell and you're not.”
Pitino emphasizes team ego and says he recruits players and coaches who have a "PHD," who are "passionate, hungry, and driven." This is why he now avoids one-and-done players who live in a "microwave" culture of instant gratification. He wants people who he can make better.
"Your goal is to achieve maximum performance on a daily basis, and to help those around you do the same. Set that goal and then try like hell to attain it" (p. 137).
Pitino says retiring on top is not necessarily important to him, he just doesn't want to coach past the point where he no longer has his own PHD. I would say that day is coming pretty soon.
In all, I give this book 3 stars out of 5. Not great, but good enough.
I was eager to read this book by a more mature and, if possible, more humble Pitino. I read an article on Pitino by Forde years ago that talked about how he'd mellowed after the loss of his best friend and brother-in-law Billy Minardi in the World Trade Center on 9/11. The article suggested that winning didn't mean as much to the man, and that every success was something to stop and celebrate, and I was curious whether this was true. I also have the perspective of the Pitino who got caught in adultery and secretly paying for his fling's abortion, something that was against everything the man supposedly stood for. It is hard to read this book which lays out Pitino's firm principles (similar to his first book) and square it with that Pitino.
Each chapter has a theme with some examples from the coach's experience, some anecdotal illustrations from business or similar, and a bullet-point summary at the end. The coach's examples are interesting but the canned illustrations from business, drawn from the Wall Street Journal and other sources, are rather dull. Pitino's comments on those illustrations become somewhat annoying. He may express humility at points in the book ("I'm working, on a daily basis, to put others before me" p. 38), but it's clear he still has the confident in his own expertise in everything from other sports to manufacturing to politics. The worst example comes in a foray into theology toward the end of the book.
"Some of our biggest problems in the world today are rooted in religious fanaticism and intolerance of other views. I don't know that there is such thing as a 'chosen' faith, so much as there is a chosen way to live. I don't believe God would exclude a Catholic, a Jew, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or a Hindu simply because they chose the wrong doctrine to follow—not if they've lived a good life" (p. 189).
There are some glimpses into the personal tragedies of Pitino's life that connect the reader to the coach on a deeper level. The first is the death of his infant son, Daniel, in 1987. This came at the height of one of the most joyous seasons, the Providence '87 Final Four team that propelled him to fame and fortune. Pitino reveals much of his and Joanne's grieving process, and how they've worked to make it a positive but it still haunts him. The second is the loss of two of his best friends and brothers-in-law in 2001, just months apart. Minardi is still on their minds as his pictures are in every room of their house. Pitino uses stories from Minardi's life for encouragement and motivation. These events helped humble the coach and help him put family and career into proper perspective.
"Basketball is my passion, but not my life. Helping my players, family members, and friends achieve happiness counts more than the final score of any game. I'm still enjoying what I do immensely and my energy to work remains extremely high—but there is a greater balance at the end of the day" (p. 13).
Kentucky fans will enjoy his stories about players from those teams although there are more in Success is a Choice. He reveals how and why he and Antoine Walker didn't get along initially, the issues his assistant coaches had in the early days, and more. Louisville fans will particularly enjoy the story of his first meeting/confrontation with the group of misfit players he inherited. He talks a lot about his project players, but admits his failures, like with Terrance Williams.
Pitino admits he left Kentucky in '97 "for the money." He has often expressed regret for this decision as his "failure" in Boston took a lot of time for him to get over. He does explain the reasons for his failures there: he got too caught up in making emotional, short-run decisions with the team to win immediately rather than stick to a long-run strategy. His plan was to retire rich and famous at 55 and he now realizes that was foolish.
I appreciated his retrospective here and anyone who has lost a job or experienced any level of failure can appreciate Pitino's wisdom (p. 29):
Darkness of doubt happens.
Get in touch with your fundamentals to combat doubt.
POINTS OF CAUTION:
Denial doesn't work.
Use past mistakes as learning tools
Running away doesn't work. Don't isolate yourself.
Avoid rebound marriages, like I considered entering into with UNLV.
Besides dealing with the darkness of doubt, my main takeaway from the book is Pitino's resolve to stay "relentlessly positive." Kentucky's 31-point comeback at LSU was the result of staying positive in the huddles. He rejects cynicism and won't tolerate "bitchfests" in meetings. Pitino keeps a written record of whether he remained positive or not in a given day. He's honest about the difficulty:
"The best I've done for a season is to average 70 percent positive days, so there is work to do" (p. 123). He also writes that he gives a copy of Spencer Johnson's The Precious Present to almost everyone and reads it to his players (and even summarizes it in the book). I will have to check it out.
He writes that he has personal accountability on a daily basis for achieving his career goals, and recommends accountability to others. I suppose that his succumbing to a floozie at a bar in front of his friends means he does not maintain that same accountability for his personal life.
My favorite quote from the book comes from the legendary Bill Russell, who spoke to Pitino's locker room before a game (p. 169). Russell rips into the selfish players and demands better:
“I know you guys think I'm making fun of you and calling you out for your egos. But I'm the most egotistical son of a bitch who ever played. The only thing is, my ego didn't come from any individual statistics. Your ego is about points, rebounds, and assists. My ego came from the final score. My ego is team ego. But then again, what do I know? I've only won 11 world championships, back-to- back college championships, 56 college games in a row, and an Olympic gold medal. And that's why I'm Bill Russell and you're not.”
Pitino emphasizes team ego and says he recruits players and coaches who have a "PHD," who are "passionate, hungry, and driven." This is why he now avoids one-and-done players who live in a "microwave" culture of instant gratification. He wants people who he can make better.
"Your goal is to achieve maximum performance on a daily basis, and to help those around you do the same. Set that goal and then try like hell to attain it" (p. 137).
Pitino says retiring on top is not necessarily important to him, he just doesn't want to coach past the point where he no longer has his own PHD. I would say that day is coming pretty soon.
In all, I give this book 3 stars out of 5. Not great, but good enough.
January 2, 2011
One thing you must do in the face of adversity is to be honest with yourself, and with the people you're trying to lead. Acknowledge the difficult spot you're in and commence dig out out of it. Don't point fingers, don't recriminate, and don't make excuses. Stay positive and get to work. (p. xii)
Our comebacks began with positive energy on the floor, on the bench, and in the team huddles. They began with a belief that things would get better if we persevered through adversity, trusted each other and worked together. They began with a conviction that consistent effort, even against long odds, inevitably would turn the tide. The most important thing I did during those comebacks was build my players' self esteem. When people feel extraordinary, you get extraordinary results. When people feel feel ordinary, you get ordinary results. (p. xiii)
How do we create success in this microwave culture? For starters, you've got to be extremely thick-skinned. Criticism cannot affect you to the point that you deviate from your plan. You cannot let a day's problem, or a loss, allow doubt to creep in. (p. 60)
Every season, I sit down with my athletes individually and communicate with them - primarily by listening. I want to hear them articulate their goals and objectives. I want to know what they're playing for and why.What price are they willing to pay for success? What lengths will they go to in order to be extraordinary? What buttons can I push to help them get there? And most importantly, how can we mold a collective will out of these different people who arrive with different motivations? How can we create team chemistry? We try to make it clear that none of our individual goals and motivations can be met without buying into team success and achieving team goals. I have shown our players countless times that the straightest path to individual recognition is through team accomplishments. It's been more than 50 years since the Heisman trophy winner came from a losing team. Winning games always trumps individual stats when it comes to gaining glory. (p. 76)
A coach needs to communicate with his 10th, 11th, and 12th players as effectively as he does with his stars to make sure they understand their value to the team. (p. 78)
We must instill a belief with all our team members that everyone succeeds when one of us succeeds. There should be a sense of satisfaction from watching someone else excel, knowing that we all had a hand in it. (p. 84)
Most negative people don't realize that they're tearing apart the fiber of a team unless it's pointed out to them. Leave no doubt that the cynical behavior must change. There will be consequences for anything that undermines team chemistry. Let nothing fester. (p. 85)
Failure is okay if they own up to it and use it as fertilizer to make things better. I tell them excuses are a sign of weakness, and weakness won't be tolerated. (p. 90)
We spend a huge amount of time in our program working on building self-esteem. (p. 153)
Team Ego Concept: Bill Russell story where he skewers Celtics players who care more about themselves than the team, and then says, "Your ego is about points, rebounds, and assists. My ego came from the final score. My ego is team ego." (p. 155)
Our comebacks began with positive energy on the floor, on the bench, and in the team huddles. They began with a belief that things would get better if we persevered through adversity, trusted each other and worked together. They began with a conviction that consistent effort, even against long odds, inevitably would turn the tide. The most important thing I did during those comebacks was build my players' self esteem. When people feel extraordinary, you get extraordinary results. When people feel feel ordinary, you get ordinary results. (p. xiii)
How do we create success in this microwave culture? For starters, you've got to be extremely thick-skinned. Criticism cannot affect you to the point that you deviate from your plan. You cannot let a day's problem, or a loss, allow doubt to creep in. (p. 60)
Every season, I sit down with my athletes individually and communicate with them - primarily by listening. I want to hear them articulate their goals and objectives. I want to know what they're playing for and why.What price are they willing to pay for success? What lengths will they go to in order to be extraordinary? What buttons can I push to help them get there? And most importantly, how can we mold a collective will out of these different people who arrive with different motivations? How can we create team chemistry? We try to make it clear that none of our individual goals and motivations can be met without buying into team success and achieving team goals. I have shown our players countless times that the straightest path to individual recognition is through team accomplishments. It's been more than 50 years since the Heisman trophy winner came from a losing team. Winning games always trumps individual stats when it comes to gaining glory. (p. 76)
A coach needs to communicate with his 10th, 11th, and 12th players as effectively as he does with his stars to make sure they understand their value to the team. (p. 78)
We must instill a belief with all our team members that everyone succeeds when one of us succeeds. There should be a sense of satisfaction from watching someone else excel, knowing that we all had a hand in it. (p. 84)
Most negative people don't realize that they're tearing apart the fiber of a team unless it's pointed out to them. Leave no doubt that the cynical behavior must change. There will be consequences for anything that undermines team chemistry. Let nothing fester. (p. 85)
Failure is okay if they own up to it and use it as fertilizer to make things better. I tell them excuses are a sign of weakness, and weakness won't be tolerated. (p. 90)
We spend a huge amount of time in our program working on building self-esteem. (p. 153)
Team Ego Concept: Bill Russell story where he skewers Celtics players who care more about themselves than the team, and then says, "Your ego is about points, rebounds, and assists. My ego came from the final score. My ego is team ego." (p. 155)
December 16, 2010
This is a book about how to rebound back from life's struggles. Coach Pitino talks about how he lost his son after the Big East Tournament and how he and his wife dealt with that. He gives very simple easy to understand ideas and thoughts to bounce back. He goes into detail about how his life changed when he lost his brother-in-law/best friend, Billy Minardi in the 9/11 tragedy. Coach Pitino writes about how it totally changed his mindset about how he looks at life and approaches obstacles. There is some basketball in this book but most of it is about life. There are ideas and thoughts about business and how to use this in your own life. Only downfall of the book is that he tries to be motivational and inspirational and I'm not sure that he really achieves that. The stories he uses to highlight his concepts are powerful but not sure that he takes it to the next level for them to be truly motivational. I would recommend this to Rick Pitino fans and for people looking to hear about his life since UK. Not sure about people looking for a business inspirational book.
March 9, 2011
No matter if you're a Louisville fan, basketball fan in general, or still hate Pitino as a Kentucky fan this book is well worth the read. Some great wisdom given out by one of the greatest basketball coaches ever. Practical for sports, business, or anything in life. Pitino's perspective of hard work, rebounding from disappointment, staying positive, and adapting to challenges really inspires.
Well worth the read for a sports fan in general. Pitino talks a lot about business and how it applies so its great for coaches and managers as well.
Well worth the read for a sports fan in general. Pitino talks a lot about business and how it applies so its great for coaches and managers as well.
March 28, 2009
I'm not sure why I picked this one up, because it is a motivational book for the business world. I enjoyed learning a little about his career and how 9/11 affected his life (he lost a very close brother-in-law in the WTC), and how he succeeded as a coach. I felt like he was preaching too much about worldly success and forgetting about success in his family. One thing that I liked was an acronym he mentioned. EGO=Edging God Out
June 3, 2009
I'd give the book 3.5 stars.
I read this cause I used to use his 'PHD' (Poor, Hungry, and Driven) in my Ibanker interviews.
The book was on and off. It didn't really have a smooth flow, but there would be great comments and insight peppered throughout the book. Thing I really learned was 'When we truely find contentment in our journey is when we understand how to live in the present'
Its a worthwhile read. Especially for the $5 I spent on the book.
I read this cause I used to use his 'PHD' (Poor, Hungry, and Driven) in my Ibanker interviews.
The book was on and off. It didn't really have a smooth flow, but there would be great comments and insight peppered throughout the book. Thing I really learned was 'When we truely find contentment in our journey is when we understand how to live in the present'
Its a worthwhile read. Especially for the $5 I spent on the book.
May 1, 2012
I Liked this book a lot First of all I am a huge fan of College basketball and I admire a coach like Pitino, he is one of my all time favorites. The book was very interesting because it didn't really focus on basketball so much as professional work skills. It talked about sportsmanship, respect and having class in both winning and losing. So if you are into sports or just a fan of character I would recommend Rebound Rules.
March 20, 2012
Rick Pitino is deeply personal, inspiring, practical, and powerful than ever before. More than a comeback story, Rebound Rules is a manual for overcoming life's difficulties and resetting your worldview for a fresh start, written by one of the sporting world's most innovative and dynamic leaders.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2015
As a new home based business owner, I participate in the Book Club of my mentor in my first endeavor. This is one of the mind opening books she introduced to us. I really love life skills learning from proven sources. Read it to invest in yourself!
September 8, 2014
Solid read.
Favorites:
PHD
Passion
Hunger
Desire
4 E's
Execution
Effort
Experimentation
Evaluation
I really like his take on being positive. He's a Hubie Brown disciple. Tons of wisdom in this read.
Favorites:
PHD
Passion
Hunger
Desire
4 E's
Execution
Effort
Experimentation
Evaluation
I really like his take on being positive. He's a Hubie Brown disciple. Tons of wisdom in this read.
February 17, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. I'd read his book Success is a Choice years ago. I enjoyed that one as much as this one. If you haven't read this book and enjoy motivation and positivity, even through adversity, I implore you to read this book. You'll definitely reap benefits.
December 23, 2008
Motivation, coaching, mindset changing. Great read for leaders who want to continue to develop their relationships with co-workers...
May 6, 2009
I'm reading this book because Tim recommended it. It's the only book he's finished in the three years I've known him - it must have some holding power.
July 30, 2011
I reviewed this one for my site on About.com... http://collegebasketball.about.com/od...
March 22, 2013
Pitino is biographical in his delivery of the things you need to do to lead a happy fullfilled life. Lot of new insights.
September 4, 2013
Must-Read!
September 21, 2014
This book was good in beginning, but quickly became redundant. It has more use to the author than the audience.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews