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Sweet Redemption: How Gary Williams and Maryland Beat Death and Despair to Win the Ncaa Basketball Championship
Here is the untold story of how a secret "kitchen cabinet" of four men
supported Gary Williams, enabling him to overcome personal adversity and
build a big-time college basketball program that reached the pinnacle of
success in 2002 by winning the NCAA Championship. Williams played for
Maryland in the 1960s, but upon returning to the school in 1989 he found the
program in shambles due to the tragic drug overdose of superstar Len Bias
just days after signing with the Boston Celtics, as well as stiff NCAA
penalties for recruiting violations that made attracting high school
standouts nearly impossible for the coach.
Williams tells the story in Sweet Redemption of how he worked tirelessly to
pull the Terrapins from the cellar, both emotionally and on the court.
Eventually the coach lifted the team, led by star guard Juan Dixon, to new
heights. The book, co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David A.
Vise, addresses several questions: What gave Williams and the Terps the
backbone, stamina, and drive to overcome enormous obstacles? What were the
ingredients that Williams blended to produce not only a winning team, but
also a successful, respected program? And how did Williams shake off
lingering demons and triumph over the odds? All of these questions and more
are answered in the coach's inside story, Sweet Redemption: How Gary Williams
and Maryland Beat Death and Despair to Win the NCAA Basketball Championship.
AUTHOR BIO: Gary Williams has been the head coach of the University of Maryland men's
basketball team for 13 years. He was the starting point guard for the Terps
for three years before graduating with a business degree in 1968. He began
coaching a year later as an assistant for the Maryland freshman squad.
Williams coached at the high school level as well as for various college
teams before accepting the Maryland head coaching position in 1989.
David A. Vise has been an award-winning reporter at The Washington Post for
18 years, where he won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. He has been an avid college
basketball fan even longer. Recently he wrote The New York Times bestseller,
The Bureau and the Mole: The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most
Dangerous Spy in FBI History. He is a consultant on the motion picture
version of that book, currently in development after being optioned by Jerry
Bruckheimer Films and Disney's Touchstone Pictures. Vise graduated Magna Cum
Laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 and has an MBA from The
Wharton School. He also received the 1992 Distinguished Alumnus award from
University School of Nashville, where he played point guard. He has been
rooting for the Maryland Terrapins for years.
supported Gary Williams, enabling him to overcome personal adversity and
build a big-time college basketball program that reached the pinnacle of
success in 2002 by winning the NCAA Championship. Williams played for
Maryland in the 1960s, but upon returning to the school in 1989 he found the
program in shambles due to the tragic drug overdose of superstar Len Bias
just days after signing with the Boston Celtics, as well as stiff NCAA
penalties for recruiting violations that made attracting high school
standouts nearly impossible for the coach.
Williams tells the story in Sweet Redemption of how he worked tirelessly to
pull the Terrapins from the cellar, both emotionally and on the court.
Eventually the coach lifted the team, led by star guard Juan Dixon, to new
heights. The book, co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David A.
Vise, addresses several questions: What gave Williams and the Terps the
backbone, stamina, and drive to overcome enormous obstacles? What were the
ingredients that Williams blended to produce not only a winning team, but
also a successful, respected program? And how did Williams shake off
lingering demons and triumph over the odds? All of these questions and more
are answered in the coach's inside story, Sweet Redemption: How Gary Williams
and Maryland Beat Death and Despair to Win the NCAA Basketball Championship.
AUTHOR BIO: Gary Williams has been the head coach of the University of Maryland men's
basketball team for 13 years. He was the starting point guard for the Terps
for three years before graduating with a business degree in 1968. He began
coaching a year later as an assistant for the Maryland freshman squad.
Williams coached at the high school level as well as for various college
teams before accepting the Maryland head coaching position in 1989.
David A. Vise has been an award-winning reporter at The Washington Post for
18 years, where he won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. He has been an avid college
basketball fan even longer. Recently he wrote The New York Times bestseller,
The Bureau and the Mole: The Unmasking of Robert Philip Hanssen, the Most
Dangerous Spy in FBI History. He is a consultant on the motion picture
version of that book, currently in development after being optioned by Jerry
Bruckheimer Films and Disney's Touchstone Pictures. Vise graduated Magna Cum
Laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 and has an MBA from The
Wharton School. He also received the 1992 Distinguished Alumnus award from
University School of Nashville, where he played point guard. He has been
rooting for the Maryland Terrapins for years.
- GenresSports
250 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2002
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Gary Williams
1 bookLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Gary Bruce Williams is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Wi...
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Gary Bruce Williams is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Wi...
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 1, 2022
This is the story behind the 2002 University of Maryland basketball championship season and also serves as mini-biographies of Gary Williams, Juan Dixon, and the University of Maryland basketball program. Very well written and organized, it will be interesting for sports fans, even those not U. of Maryland fans. The many tragedies suffered by the institution and individuals associated with the program are heart rending and compelling.
The Maryland championship season is a real life triumph over tragedy story. Regardless of where one's rooting interests lie, I dare say nobody can read Juan Dixon's story and not marvel at his perseverance and leadership. A true, shining example of heart and courage.
The Maryland championship season is a real life triumph over tragedy story. Regardless of where one's rooting interests lie, I dare say nobody can read Juan Dixon's story and not marvel at his perseverance and leadership. A true, shining example of heart and courage.
March 11, 2023
This was a timely read, even though it was published in 2002. Took me through the sport of college basketball and the pressure and toll it takes on coaches, their families and of course the players. Selection Sunday is tomorrow, and I am excited for the dance!!
July 21, 2025
Good casual read. Must-know story if you are a terps fan.
“Part of being a great player is taking the big shots”
“Live, love, laugh every day as it might be your last, because someday, you’ll be right” - Len Bias
“Part of being a great player is taking the big shots”
“Live, love, laugh every day as it might be your last, because someday, you’ll be right” - Len Bias
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews