A Season With Coach Dick Bennett

Rating:
Summary: Good inside view of a college baketball coach
Review: A Season with Dick Bennett, an inside look at Bennett's Wisconsin basketball team during the 1996-1997 season, is outstanding. I'm sure many people looking at this review have no idea who Dick Bennett was. This is unfortunate, as Bennett was a terrific coach who did not get the publicity of, say, Bobby Knight or Dean Smith. Ferris does a terrific job of introducing the Dick Bennett to the reader. The book is somewhat similar to Feinstein's Season on the Brink,although not quite as good. (To be sure, the subject is a far more sympathetic figure).

Ferris, a coach himself, gives the reader a revealing look at Dick Bennett, not only as a basketball coach, but more importantly as a husband, father, and mentor to his players. Bennett, while not as well known as Bobby Knight or Dean Smith, was one of the best coaches in the game. He would take a less than superb Wisconsin team to the Final Four three years later. In this book, he is portrayed as both an excellent coach and an outstanding, if flawed, human being. Most readers will , as I did, come to the conclusion that Bennett is as good a person as Ferris portrays him. Bennett is proof that a coach does not have to be a boor (e.g. Bobby Knight) to win at the Division I level.

The reader will also appreciate Ferris' inclusion of a glossary, as some of the terms used in the book were fairly technical and might not be understood by a casual basketball fan. Basketball coaches, whether high school or college, will gain from studying Bennett's philosophy. My only complaint with Ferris is that he does not ask the Badger players how they feel about playing for Coach Bennett. Without that perspective, I felt the portrayal of Dick Bennett was incomplete. Nevertheless, I still recommend this book.

One sequel I'm sure many Badger fans would love to read: the story of Bennett leading Wisconsin to their miraculous run to the Final Four in 2000. Given the relative lack of talent on that team, the word miraculous is not an overstatement.

Rating:
Summary: A great inside look at a leader dedicated to excellence.
Review: This book provides a great portrait of an educator dedicated to excellence. Coach Bennett provides the author with intimate access to not only his team, practices, games, and staff meetings, but inside his own life and thought processes. What is exposed is a man dedicated to faith, family, and dedication to excellence. His strong Christian values are reflected in the five intangible concepts stressed to his team: Humility, Passion, Unity, Servanthood, and Thankfulness. Of particular interest is the role of faith through the tough times a highly competitive season brings, dealing with the anger and disappointment that can result, then using those situations as a catalyst for change and improvement. A chapter "Prepare To Succeed By First Eliminating Failure" is must reading for any dedicated basketball coach. His feelings on the down side of personal competitiveness and the skewing of personal priorities are outstanding reflections. In a time where coaching has become in many instances style over substance, Coach Bennett's team concepts and personal toughness in the face of adversity reveal the substance of a champion on and off the court. His insights on Indiana's Bob Knight during their preparation to compete are interesting as well. Eric Ferris's book provides the reader with an intimate look at the competitive toughness needed to succeed in major college basketball. Anyone who liked "Bob Knight, His Own Man", John Wooden's "Reflections On A Lifetime", and "The Smart Take From the Strong" will love this book.