Rebound Rules: The Art of Success 2.0

Rick Pitino's newest book offers much of the same advice you'd expect to find in any one of the hundreds of similar motivational offerings from big names in sports. But the tack he takes -- how he built himself back up after experiencing personal tragedy and professional failure -- really resonates.

Rebound Rules offers much of the same advice you'd see in any one of several dozen motivational books -- he talks about keeping lists of tasks to be completed, about patience, about knowing when to build up a team and when to tear 'em a new one, and about his daily schedule -- which seems to leave very little room for sleep.

But where the book departs from the usual "do's and don'ts" is perspective. As coach of a Louisville team that should spend most of the 2008-09 season at the top of the polls, Pitino is at the top of his profession; a sure-fire hall-of-famer. But he has overcome great personal tragedy and professional failures to get where he is today.

The book, co-written by ESPN's Pat Forde, talks about how the Pitino family lost a son to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a brother-in-law in a traffic accident and another in the 9/11 attacks, and how the coach had to work to overcome those losses.

It also discusses -- in some detail -- Pitino's spectacularly awful run as coach and general manager of the Boston Celtics -- from missing out on the chance to draft Tim Duncan to giving up on Chauncey Billups to giving major free-agent contracts to marginal talents like Travis Knight.

While there are few surprises in the "advice" portions of the book, Pitino's tips do seem worthwhile and helpful. And sports fans will appreciate the insider's perspective and anecdotes from inside the Cardinal, Celtic and Wildcat locker rooms. And the general theme -- of working to overcome personal and professional adversity -- seems particularly resonant in today's economy.