Official Review: Coach by Jerry Mason

[Adrianna Melillo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Coach" by Jerry Mason.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Jerry “Bobo” Mason was a high school basketball sensation. College coaches were practically blowing up his phone to try to get him to come play for them. However, there was only ever one school for Jerry: Seton Hall University. There, he would surely find himself on track to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA.

But Seton Hall University is not where Jerry went. Instead, and due to a number of factors (one large one being the birth of his son), he decided to stay closer to home and attend Texas Tech University. Mason firmly believes that this is where his dream was destroyed. His coach at Texas Tech not only kept him on the bench (despite the numerous hate letters he received from Mason’s fans), but also broke him down mentally. He told Mason over and over again that he could not play defense (even though that’s what he was recruited for), and never let him incorporate his own “style” into his playing. So, instead of playing for the NBA, Mason coaches basketball. Though he loves his career, he can’t help but still feel broken over the prospect of what could have been. With his autobiography, COACH: “The Mediator Of Dreams And Destroyer Of Generations,” Mason is now committed to guiding parents and athletes through the process of choosing a coach/team, with the hope that he can spare future athletes from getting their dreams crushed by those who are supposed to be their mentors.

Mason truly seems like an author who cares about the success of his readers (or, at least that they get an opportunity to succeed), which is something I really liked about this book. Additionally, it’s sprinkled with some very powerful bits of wisdom. For example, he writes that a great coach “provides for you. From there, he enjoys the journey with you.” I think this (and the other bits like it) could serve as a great reminder for coaches to reflect on from time to time.

Unfortunately, there were a number of things I did not like about this book. First, I don’t think it had any professional editing done, as it was filled with typos and grammatical errors (e.g., the incorrect forms of “there” and “to” were used on several occasions). There were also a lot of repetitive sentences and paragraphs. For example, the words “he provided” were repeated five times in two paragraphs, and not in a way that showed an effective/impactful use of parallel structure. My biggest issue, however, was the fact that I was uncertain about where Mason actually wanted to go with this book. At points, it seemed like a coaching manual (and was filled with a lot of useful information). At other points, it seemed like a personal narrative, but one that lacked the necessary details and structure to put a complete story together (e.g., it wasn’t until very late in the book that Mason revealed that his son was one of his primary reasons for not attending Seton Hall).

I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. I removed one star for the grammatical errors alone, and I removed the other star because the book lacked a clear direction. I think that this book could either be longer, and much more detailed, or split into two books (one that is a coaching manual, and one that tells his life story).

I’d recommend this book for both parents of young athletes and those who are just starting out (or about to start out) as coaches. There is a lot of useful information for parents who are trying to pick the right team for their athletes. Likewise, Mason clearly explains what a good coach does, as well as what a good coach avoids doing.

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Coach
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[Joan642]

I loved the story itself, I could relate well with Mason because it's a fact that no matter how much you desire something and feel it would be a breakthrough for you, life might have other plans for you.
After all the criticism given to this book mostly on the errors, I am beginning to have a rethink about reading this book. Thanks for your honest review.

[Mtibza eM]

I am saddened by the dissapoiments that you came across when reading this book. Thank you for a detailed review.