Choice not Chance: Rules For Building a Fierce Competitor

Choice not Chance: Rules For Building a Fierce Competitor

Released February 2012
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118087114

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Book description

A celebrated coach reveals the secrets to building a fierce competitor

At age 26, Joanne P. McCallie, a.k.a. Coach P, began her career at Maine, where in the span of eight years, she elevated the women's basketball program to a very competitive team that outdrew the men's crowds, a rarity in college sports. Over her tenure, she created the Choice Not Chance (CNC) philosophy, training kids how to think and focus on making the correct choices in life. She imparted her passionate philosophy to all of her players and now brings it to her efforts as head coach at Duke. Choice Not Chancehighlights McCallie's lessons for building a fierce competitor, such as "Going against the grain," "Never become satisfied," and "Enjoy the prospect of getting better daily."

The CNC philosophy is widely used by McCallie, her staff, and players, who are very active in the community speaking about "CNC."

Joanne P. McCallie is head coach of the Duke Women's Basketball team and was the ACC Coach of the Year in 2010

McCallie became the first coach in Division I history to be crowned champion in four different conferences, as well as the first coach in NCAA history to garner coach of the year accolades in four different leagues

A native of Brunswick, Maine, McCallie owns a career mark of 431-174 and is entering her 20th year as a head coach at Maine, Michigan State and Duke; as a coach and player, she has led her teams to 15 conference titles, 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, seven NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances, three NCAA Final Four appearances and three NCAA Championship game appearances

During the 2004-05 season at Michigan State, she won the Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Championship en route to a National Championship game appearance. For her efforts she was named the Associated Press National Coach of the Year

McCallie has taught her teams to play with passion and fight hard for recognition, and her teams have achieved remarkable success. Apply her wisdom to your teams, your employees, and your own life.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Praise for Choice Not Chance
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Foreword
  8. Preface
  9. Introduction
  10. Chapter 1: Be Ready for Change and Adventure
    1. Opportunity Knocks
    2. My First Meeting with Coach K
  11. Chapter 2: Creating “Choice not Chance”
    1. We Are All Products of the Choices We Make
  12. Chapter 3: The Underdog, Fighter Mentality
    1. A Navy Brat Grows Up
    2. Wherever They Live, Kids Need to Be Motivated
    3. Role Models Help Me Develop My Skills
    4. Nurturing Interest and a Desire to Improve
    5. Graduation Approaches
  13. Chapter 4: Nobody Likes Whiners
    1. Arriving at Northwestern and Fighting for Playing Time
    2. A Coaching Change
    3. My First (Bittersweet) Taste of the NCAA Tournament
  14. Chapter 5: Money Alone Won’t Make you Happy
    1. What Am I Going to Do with My Life?
    2. Following a Passion: My Return to Basketball
  15. Chapter 6: Never Be Afraid to Try Something and Make a Mistake
    1. Making a Commitment and Sticking with It
    2. Things Begin to Make Sense
    3. A Nearly Fatal Mistake
  16. Chapter 7: Seek Out Mentors: There Is No Substitute for Experience
    1. Why the Scoreboard is Irrelevant: Play the Game to Attack and Compete
    2. Learning from Failure
    3. Seek Out the Wisdom of Others
  17. Chapter 8: Not All of Your Players (or Employees) Will Get Along with Each Other
    1. The Other Side of Success
    2. Learning Balance, Restoring Energy
    3. Expectations for the Future
  18. Chapter 9: Life is More than the Game
    1. Away from the Court, My Priorities Change
    2. Team in Transition
    3. New Developments on the Court and in My Life
  19. Chapter 10: Set High Team Goals While Motivating on an Individual Level
    1. Arriving at Michigan State
    2. Lessons from Tom Izzo and Lonny Rosen
    3. Motivating a New Team
    4. Managing Conflict
  20. Chapter 11: Everybody Has to Be Challenged to See How Good They Can Become
    1. Challenges and Progress at Michigan State
    2. Always Measure Your Accomplishments
  21. Chapter 12: Step Back and Reassess Your Priorities
    1. How Can We Improve? What Can We Do Better?
    2. Refusing to Give Up, No Matter the Opponent
  22. Chapter 13: A Message from Coach Smith and Coach Wooden
    1. Winning Isn’t Always about Who Has the Best or Most Talented Players
    2. Coming Close Creates Added Motivation
  23. Chapter 14: Coach K Teaches, “Do What You Came Here to Do”
    1. Moving On
    2. Meeting Another Challenge
    3. Getting to Work at Duke
    4. Coach K Gives Me the Message I Need When I Need It
    5. My First Big Win at Duke
    6. Transition at Work and at Home
  24. Chapter 15: You Have to Seek Out the Changes—and See How You Need to React to Them—to Make the Team (and Your World) Better
  25. Chapter 16: Recruiting is a True Test of Will, Discipline, Character, and Evaluation Ability
    1. Getting the Right Group of Players
  26. Chapter 17: Competitive Cauldron
  27. Acknowledgments
  28. Index

Product information

  • Title: Choice not Chance: Rules For Building a Fierce Competitor
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: February 2012
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118087114