UNCOMMON

Dean Stark's 'Uncommon' takes the reader on a journey through his 30+ year career as Boys Head Basketball Coach at Sacramento Waldorf. In this book, you will read about his greatest triumphs and toughest defeats. You will hear his former players passionately describe their experiences playing for the Waves and their coach. Coach Stark also reveals how to develop one's own personal philosophy, shares many unique ways to inspire and motivate you and your team, what separates Sac Waldorf athletes from the norm, the attention to detail it takes to improve one's craft, the significance of winning, leading by example, the importance of being a strong role model, and much more. If you are a coach at any level and striving to improve, this book offers a wealth of information on how to thrive in your sport.

The title of this book, Uncommon, was the theme of my most recent 2020 basketball campaign. My program was coming off of four consecutive conference championships, 4 Section Final Fours, two Section title games, and a NorCal Final Four. However, we had lost a lot of talent, size and experience from 2019 and expectations were not high. Before the 2020 season began, I read David Goggin's book, 'Can't Hurt me' and in it was a quote from him that very much resonated within me - "Be uncommon amongst the uncommon." I used that as my own personal mantra (and still do), and when I shared it with my team, they had a similar reaction as well. We soon ended each practice and game with "one, two, three, Waves!, four, five, six, Uncommon! I write in the book that themes can be a powerful tool in shaping a season. Uncommon has been that and more for me, and I'm confident the principles in this book will make a significant impact on you as well.

Dean Stark is one of the most successful coaches in basketball today. At Sacramento Waldorf High School, he has guided his teams to 635 wins, and 16 conference titles in his 34 years at the helm. He is on the verge of becoming the all time wins leader in CIF Section history for boys or girls coaches. In his tenure, he has been awarded the California State Boys Basketball Coach of the year, and the CIF Section and State Model Coach of the year honors. He also was named to the Sacramento Bee 2010's Boys Basketball All Decade Coaching Staff. He has previously authored 'A Waldorf Approach To Coaching Team Sports', and produced the video 'The Seven Defensive Principles Of Building A Championship Team'.