Phoenix Rising: A Playbook for Building a Mid-Major College Basketball Program

by Aaron A. Mitchell, Gene Keady (Foreword), Barry Collier (Contributor)

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball program was the epitome of mid-major mediocrity when it hired Dick Bennett as its head coach in 1985. Relatively new to the high-pressure world of NCAA Division I athletics, UWGB took a chance on a Division III coaching legend in the hopes of resurrecting its once-proud program.

The Phoenix rode Bennett’s core pillars of developing a successful program to reach rarified air seldom experienced by its mid-major brethren. Phoenix Rising tells the story of how one program rose to national prominence by focusing on the elements of team sports within its control rather than dwelling on its limitations.

404 pages, Paperback

Published November 10, 2021

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably closer to a four-and-a-half star, but I rounded up: The book is meticulously researched and has interviews with just about everybody you’d want. The text lives up to the subtitle’s billing of a playbook - it covers behind-the-scenes moments such as practices and team gatherings. However, one can tell that it’s a book published by a small company. The proofing is a bit rough around the edges, with missing words or punctuation popping up. Additionally, some of the photos included are a couple pages ahead of when they actually occur in the plot line. The only major gripe I have with the content is that at points, it blew by game losses way too quickly, as if there was nothing to be learned from them. Still a very good read for any UW-Green Bay or mid-major basketball fan.