Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court

Written by Tim Crothers, Roy Williams and John Grisham

Narrated by Alan Winter

Roy Williams, head coach of the University of North Carolina men's basketball team, the Tar Heels, has the highest winning percentage in NCAA history. Over the last seven years, the 58-year-old Asheville, N.C., native-who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007-has won 205 games, including 24 in the NCAA Tournament. That's more Final Fours, more wins, and more NCAA Tournament victories than any basketball coach in the nation.Hard Work tells the story of Roy Williams' life that few people know, in Williams' own distinct and colorful way-his troubled upbringing, his college years, his years of trying to make ends meet before becoming a head coach. It reveals how determination took him from an impoverished home in the mountains of North Carolina to the very pinnacle of coaching success, culminating in the 2009 NCAA National Championship (his second in five years). And it pulls back the curtain on one of college basketball's most guarded programs as witnessed by one of the most successful, dominant coaches, at the prime of his power. Coach Williams describes himself as the most competitive person on earth, admitting that he once got into a game of pool with Michael Jordan that nearly ended in a fistfight. In addition to providing a fresh look at Jordan, Hard Work will chronicle Williams' connection with such basketball luminaries as Paul Pierce, Kirk Hinrich, Jacque Vaughn, Phil Ford, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Sean May, and Rashad McCants, along with Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, all of whom Williams credits with having earned him the highest winning percentage in NCAA history. Hard Work is an inspirational story of what can be achieve by#160; anyone who commits to a dream.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Nov 10, 2009
• ISBN: 9781615730216

Tim Crothers

Tim Crothers is a former senior writer at Sports Illustrated. He is the author of The Queen of Katwe: One Girl’s Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion and The Man Watching, the biography of University of North Carolina women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance, and coauthor of Hard Work, the autobiography of UNC basketball coach Roy Williams. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.

Reviews for Hard Work

[john langworthy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m not a North Carolina fan and have always cheered for Duke when the two played but it might be different next year. He sounds like not only a great coach but the kind of mentor you would want your son to play for and learn life lessons. A great book. Go Tar Heals!

[misterwoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! I grew up watching Kansas basketball in the late '90s. It means a lot to hear Coach Williams's story. This book got me through a rough night of panic attack insomnia, where Coach was talking about his own experiences with stress and insomnia. It made me feel a lot better during a difficult moment. I only wish he would have talked about Paul Pierce more (one of my favorite players!).

The narrator was perfect for this book. What a great listen!!

[JT Shaw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I live Roy Williams because he’s a gentleman in and age of high profile divas. This book shows why: no drama, no real sense of humor, and always polite. Wanted a little more behind the scenes stuff. No go. Good summary of a career, though.