Refuse to Lose Book Review By: Cameron Riley

Written by present day Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari and Dick Weiss, Refuse to Lose, a sports autobiography takes place from the 1980’s through the 1990’s. As a player and coach, John matured from a young adult to a grown man through the game of basketball. In fact, John risked trespassing into his high school through an open window to practice the game he loved. He began his coaching career as an Assistant at Kansas and Pitt, but his big break as a Head coach came with the MinuteMen of UMass. At the time this program was one of the worst in the country.  

A losing record was the norm in Massachusetts when it came to basketball, but John wanted that mentality to change. With his mindset “Refuse to Lose”, his basketball team went from only expecting four wins to achieving a 20 win season and being invited to national tournaments. He developed this school’s program for years to come by putting their school on the map because they were successful.

John’s success was supported by his wife, Ellen. She was his biggest fan, by always being there in the stands for games and helped John feel better if things didn’t go their way. His players were also there with him, Marcus Camby is the biggest example. Marcus is important because John recruited him and he became one of his best friends on the team and one of the most important players as well.

This book was an easy read. The authors transitioned well from topic to topic and game to game. The story always got more interesting especially when his team made the 1996 NCAA Final Four with his band of brothers. The book is great, one of my favorites from this genre.

I give this book an 8 out of 10 overall.