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Rating: 
Summary: "The only thing bigger than his belly is his heart"
Review: Far and away the best book I have read in the past year. Coach Majerus' passion for his players will leave you mesmerized. The best part of the book are all the quotes added from former players, friends, coaches, family members,etc...Rick never was much of a great athlete, but he knew the game from an early age and was considered the epitome of a team player. Majerus' stories from his days at Marquette and Ball State to his time with Don Nelson and Del Harris make for a great read. If you like sports and admire the true work of a "team" you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: "The only thing bigger than his belly is his heart"
Review: Far and away the best book I have read in the past year. Coach Majerus' passion for his players will leave you mesmerized. The best part of the book are all the quotes added from former players, friends, coaches, family members,etc...Rick never was much of a great athlete, but he knew the game from an early age and was considered the epitome of a team player. Majerus' stories from his days at Marquette and Ball State to his time with Don Nelson and Del Harris make for a great read. If you like sports and admire the true work of a "team" you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Pure basketball, pure joy to read
Review: If Majerus suffers from egomania, then I wish every college coach was like him. I'm a basketball junkie and the book satisfied my hoops tooth, but it also told a wonderful story about a coach who is true to his sport, his players and himself. Sure he has flaws, and he wasn't afraid to admit them in the book. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Pure basketball, pure joy to read
Review: Most people assume 'big time' college coaches were great players 'in their day.' Not true. Louie Carnesecca couldn't play a lick. Phog Allen didn't give Dean Smith many minutes. Roy Williams never went beyond the UNC JV (coached by Bill Guthridge at the time). Majerus never played high school ball at Marquette High in Milwaukee. Not because he didn't want to . . . man did he want to . . . he just didn't have the tools (or so the coach thought). This book shows that playing and coaching are two distinct endeavors. Wanna list the great players who flopped as coaches . . . me neither . . . it would take too long. From his earliest years Majerus was coaching, and he didn't even know it. He was putting together teams in Milwaukee so he could get a game. He was learningd how to 'put the pieces together', not to win a national championship, but to 'keep the court' for the next game . . . and the next . . . Majerus' Utes 'kept the court' for six marvelous games in 1998. It wasn't until Kentucky showed that 'sometimes the other team wins because they have better players' (al mcguire) that Majerus' Utes had to leave the court defeated. This book shows how a life's work, a life's passion, can culminate in a short span of time. It's a great read because Majerus made it happen himself. He was handed nothing. But he learned from everyone:McGuire, Raymonds, Nelson, Harris . . . probably even Butch Lee, Bo Ellis, and Lloyd Walton. Read the book. Majerus' tale is one of a kind.
Rating:
Summary: Majerus' Unique Road to the 'Bigtime'
Review: Most people assume 'big time' college coaches were great players 'in their day.' Not true. Louie Carnesecca couldn't play a lick. Phog Allen didn't give Dean Smith many minutes. Roy Williams never went beyond the UNC JV (coached by Bill Guthridge at the time). Majerus never played high school ball at Marquette High in Milwaukee. Not because he didn't want to . . . man did he want to . . . he just didn't have the tools (or so the coach thought). This book shows that playing and coaching are two distinct endeavors. Wanna list the great players who flopped as coaches . . . me neither . . . it would take too long. From his earliest years Majerus was coaching, and he didn't even know it. He was putting together teams in Milwaukee so he could get a game. He was learningd how to 'put the pieces together', not to win a national championship, but to 'keep the court' for the next game . . . and the next . . . Majerus' Utes 'kept the court' for six marvelous games in 1998. It wasn't until Kentucky showed that 'sometimes the other team wins because they have better players' (al mcguire) that Majerus' Utes had to leave the court defeated. This book shows how a life's work, a life's passion, can culminate in a short span of time. It's a great read because Majerus made it happen himself. He was handed nothing. But he learned from everyone:McGuire, Raymonds, Nelson, Harris . . . probably even Butch Lee, Bo Ellis, and Lloyd Walton. Read the book. Majerus' tale is one of a kind.
Rating: 
Summary: He has so much passion for the game.
Review: Rick Majerus wasn't a superstar basketball player when he was growing up but he did love the game. He loved the players that other people might not of liked. He was into the hard working, pick setting, "little things" type of player. This book tells about his chlidhood growing up and then goes into his coaching days. It is a wonderful book that shows what kind of great human being he is. It has quotes throughout the book of players, coaches, family, and others that just makes the story all more enjoyable. I hope my future in basketball will run into a coach like Rick Majerus. If it does I will be very very happy.
Rating:
Summary: He has so much passion for the game.
Review: Rick Majerus wasn't a superstar basketball player when he was growing up but he did love the game. He loved the players that other people might not of liked. He was into the hard working, pick setting, "little things" type of player. This book tells about his chlidhood growing up and then goes into his coaching days. It is a wonderful book that shows what kind of great human being he is. It has quotes throughout the book of players, coaches, family, and others that just makes the story all more enjoyable. I hope my future in basketball will run into a coach like Rick Majerus. If it does I will be very very happy.
Rating:
Summary: Catching a Wonderful Coach at an Opportune Moment
Review: Sports books that attempt to cash in on the immediate popularity of the author often suffer in quality due to the desire to strike while the iron is hot. I am glad to say that My Life on a Napkin does not suffer from this flaw. Gene Wojciechowski, contributor on this book, did an extremely good on format and finding and maintaining Majerus' voice. His previous work on Nothing But Net (Bill Walton's autobiography) has served him well. The most interesting technique used in the book is the interjection of short anecdotes culled from Majerus' friends and family. The juxtaposition between his view and the view of his friend/family member/player is humorous at times. This is a technique I haven't seen used before in this type of book and I find that it seems to work better than simple paraphrasing would. In short, the only reason this book doesn't deserve four stars is because it falls far short of the high standards set by autobiographies/biographies of individuals whose careers have already ended. I feel this book focuses too much on the recent to the detriment of the early years. For example, A Coach's Life by Dean Smith has an entirely different perspective because in many ways his story is finished. This allows him to devote equal time to all portions of his life and career. Additionally, it would have been nice to have an appendix containing information on every player who had ever lettered for Coach Majerus. If we could see the tremendous legacy that he has had on the lives of all the students who have passed through his programs it would reinforce hsi commitment to his players' well-being. To me, that would be an even greater testimony to his legacy than the stories presented in the preceding chapters.
Rating:
Summary: Not only is Majerus a great coach, he's hilarious!
Review: Very interesting book describing life of a fantastic college basketball coach. Humorous and informative. Enjoyed information on teams and players coached. Great behind-the-scenes information on college hoops. I would recommend to any college b-ball fan.
Rating:
Summary: best hoops book i've read in years
Review: With the exception of feinstein's ``season on the brink'' and feinstein's book on the ACC, this is one of the best basketball books i've read in a long time. i've always been intrigued by majerus--how he wins at a place like utah--and this book takes you way inside the program and shows you how he does it. it's an autobiography, but it's also a great look at utah while it made it's final four run last season. majerus must have given the co-author a lot of access, because it's wonderful stuff. anyway, if you love hoops, you'll love this one. and i'm a carolina fan.
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