Geno: In Pursuit of Perfection

by Jackie MacMullan and Geno Auriemma

Book Overview

Controversial, confrontational, and driven, Coach Geno Auriemma is a force to be reckoned with -- and the most accomplished male coach in women's basketball today.
In his relentless quest for excellence at the University of Connecticut, he has led the Huskies to five national championships. Yet his soul never rests. For Auriemma, life affords only the briefest moments of happiness -- a good round of golf, forty minutes of great basketball,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446694770
• ISBN13: 9780446694773
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Awesome!

It's rare these days -- I just couldn't stop reading. Auriemma's co-writer creates a style that makes Geno come across as a good guy who tries hard - a real rags to riches, Horatio Alger story. As a basketball fan, I loved the glimpses into life at UConn and the stories beyond some legendary playeres. In particular, I liked Diana Taurasi's introduction and the brief mentions of her background and style. She's a fascinating person as well as a great player, adding charisma he way Lisa Leslie once did. Geno tells the truth, too. After UConn, many players faced a letdown. I watched Taurasi play against Seattle next year, as a member of the Arizona team. She tried hard but was obviously frustrated being a top player on a mid-level team. Ironically, there are many parallels between Taurasi and Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee's star, who would have graduated just before Taurasi went to UConn. Both began their WNBA careers as Number 1 draft picks on low-ranked teams. And both complained about being so famous. Tough, said both coaches. I also liked Geno's report of recruiting,a coach's toughest job, he says. A few times I flipped pages while Geno pontificated and philosophized. Most mostly I loved it...and despite a long and growing "To Do" list, I kept reading.

Spoken like a true Italian!

Luigi "Geno" Auriemma has written an extremely heartfelt biography chronicling his life experiences, especially the years he has been coaching UConn's womens basketball team. This is one of those biographies you don't want to miss out on! Geno is a straight shooter and one heck of a honest man. His genuine display of his emotions and thoughts throughout the book are a testament to his character. His loyalty to his wife, family, colleagues, players and fans is incredible! The stories behind how he recruited Diana Taurasi and others are very enjoyable to read, as are the countless other stories he recalls over the years. "Geno" is an excellent book for anyone to read - you don't need to be a huge sports enthusiast (although I reckon it might make a slight difference) as this is a story of an Italian boy from Norristown who made it big through his strong work ethics and values. Molto Grazie, Geno! You rock!

UConn fan must read

This is definitely one of the best basketball books I have read. I was a UConn fan before but now I am a bigger fan. Anyone who doesn't have a greater appreciation for Coach Auriemma after reading this is.... You know what it doesn't even matter what I think they are because I don't want to know those kind of people.

Pursuit of Perfection

If you have ever had an opportunity to watch this man coach, you never would have expected the inside scoop you get in this book. I could not put this book down. This book is not only for those involved in athletics, although it helps to be able to relate to the competitiveness of sports, this book(this man) has life lessons for all of us...A must read....

Love the insight into the Creation of UCONN women's program

I personally Loved the book, particularly all of the juicy little tidbits of info Geno gives about UCONN players from the year he started to present. Being a Type A personality and perfectionist myself, I understood totally, how and why Geno puts the pressure on himself and his players that he does. Anything less than Perfect is not worth playing the game for. This book was not as much a biography or memoir of Geno himself, as it was of Team players, the School, other coaches, his associate coaches, etc. His relationship with Pat Summit is covered. If you love UCONN Women's basketball, you will love this book. I couldn't put it down.