Matt Doherty - Rebound: From Pain to Passion--Leadership Lessons Learned

After being fired from his dream job in 2003, Matt Doherty decided to Learn & Grow by embarking on a leadership journey that took him to the Darden School of Business and The Wharton School. He went on to become the head coach at FAU and SMU in addition to working at ESPN, the Indiana Pacers and the Atlantic 10 Conference. He currently runs the Doherty Coaching Practice along with working in media and private business.

Matt is married to Kelly and has two children, Tucker and Hattie. They reside in Mooresville, NC.

I am grateful to so many people for their encouragement, input and influence along the way. Not only in writing this book, but impacting my life. Writing this book has been a walk down memory lane from my days growing up on Long Island to playing at UNC to coaching college basketball to learning from great leadership experts.

I was blessed with a great family surrounded by a supportive community that encouraged me to chase my dreams. Coaches, teammates and competitors that pushed me and instructed me. Friends and family that shared in wonderful experiences that created memories and friendships that last a lifetime.

The foundation coaches Bob McKillop and Dick Zeitler gave me in high school prepared me well for my career at North Carolina. The toughness and fundamentals learned from them and my teammates helped me make a seamless transition to play at the best program in college basketball. I was blessed to be coached by one of the best coaches in all team sports, legendary Coach Dean Smith. The staff of Bill Guthridge, Eddie Fogler and Roy Williams were amazing teachers and men. It was a dream come true playing for them at UNC and with some of basketballs all-time great players. Al Wood, Jimmy Black, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Michael Jordan, Brad Daugherty and Kenny Smith were fantastic players, wonderful teammates and talented players.

Your life is a series of decisions and dealing with the consequences. The better decisions you make the better your life will be. The decision to attend Holy Trinity High School and the University of North Carolina were two of the best decisions I ever made. I am a proud Titan and Tar Heel.

I decided to become a coach because I wanted to impact young men the way my coaches impacted me. The lessons you learn playing a team sport for quality coaches goes way beyond the court. They are life lessons that you can draw upon in most any circumstance in business and life.

My leadership journey started after I was forced to resign from UNC in 2003. John Black encouraged me to take this journey and coached me along the way. Carol and Jack Weber taught me valuable leadership lessons at the Darden School. Fran Johnston and Mike Useem did the same at The Wharton School. Dr. Jerry Bell was very generous with his time devoted to helping me become a better leader.

Thanks to John Black and Scott Stankavage for reviewing, editing and encouraging me with this project. Their support is what friends are made of.

To all the coaches that touched my life and all the teammates I had from grammar school to college. To all the players I was blessed to coach. Thank you!

Publisher Larry Carpenter came highly recommended by Scott and he has been a pro. He laid out a plan and kept me on track during the process.

Publicist Cindy Birne was a rock star. Her enthusiasm and passion is unmatched. She attacked the project and made me feel that we could do something special.

Thanks to photographer Kathleen Martin for making me look good on the cover. That was a challenge!

To my parents, my sisters and my brother. Thank you. How lucky was I to grow up in the Doherty household in East Meadow, NY.

To Bobby Ellington, thank you for always being there.

Lastly, Kelly, Tucker and Hattie. You have been on the roller coaster with me. We have had high highs and low lows, but such is life. Your love and support is truly appreciated. I love you all very much!

In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart; I have overcome the world.
- J OHN 16:33 ESV

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.

O PRAH W INFREY

I grew up in East Meadow, NY, a small, middle-class town about thirty miles from New York City. My dad owned a Pepsi route. He would get up every morning at 6 a.m. and commute to The City for twenty-five years. Rain or snow, Big Walt,as he was fondly known, would make his way to work. At the plant in Long Island City, he would load up his truck and then drive through New Yorks Midtown Tunnel to deliver soda in Greenwich Village. My dad grew up in Brooklyn and was a great athlete, but never really discussed it. He ran track at La Salle Academy in Manhattan and went on to play minor league baseball. His baseball career took him from Canada to South Carolina. Walt Doherty was a pitcher hoping to make it to the big leagues. My mother grew up in the Bronx. She was a pretty lady who loved family, friends, and her Irish heritage. Her parents came to the United States from Dingle in County Kerry, Ireland, and settled in NYC where they were superintendents in an apartment building.

My parents loved each other and their five children. After the birth of my older sisters, Meg and Nan, my parents moved to Long Island where they had three more children: Maureen, myself, and John. We were blue collar middle class. Growing up on the south shore of Nassau County was a wonderful place to be raised. As a young boy, I had parks, beaches, access to The City, and wonderful teams to root for. I was a NY Mets fan, and tried to pitch like Tom Seaver. I was a NY Knicks fan, and tried to play like Bill Bradley. I was a NY Giants fan, and tried to throw like Fran Tarkenton. I was a NY Rangers fan, and tried to play goalie like Eddie Giacomin. There was a sport for every season, and I played them all.

Like most young boys on Long Island, I started playing baseball. My dad would throw with me in our large backyard. I remember crouching down like a catcher and he would pitch to me. He could throw a knuckleball that would dance across the plate. Every once in a while, he would throw a fastball,and my glove would pop and my hand would sting! Even after a long day delivering soda, my dad would be happy to play catch. I never remember seeing my dad in a bad mood and he never pushed me to play sports. I was blessed.

When I was in fourth grade, my dad signed me up for Gus Alfieris All-American Basketball Camp. Coach Alfieri was a great high school coach at St. Anthonys HS on Long Island. As we prepared for the week of camp, I vividly remember my dad taking me to Nescott Drugs to buy my first jockstrap!Afterwards, we sat in the car, and he said to me, When a coach is correcting you, dont say, I know. Wow. What wisdom. My dad was teaching me how to be coachable. Many years later, I would pass that nugget on to my son, Tucker.

I loved camp, every minute of it. I was learning and getting better. Each day, we would have a guest speaker. I would always sit in the front row, so if they asked for someone to demonstrate, I would raise my hand and run out onto the court. One day, Julius Erving spoke at camp. Dr. J was a great player for the NY Nets at the time. They played in Nassau Coliseum, only five miles from my home. Here was Dr. J at the All-American Camp giving a clinic on pivoting! The best dunker of all time was giving a clinic on pivoting! When he asked for ten campers to demonstrate, I sprinted off the floor to join him! Dr. J then proceeded to teach us how to front pivot and reverse pivot. It was a very fundamental drill that could be considered boring, but I loved it and I used it with every team I ever coached.

When I would get home each night from camp, I was exhausted, but I would go to my room and write down notes on what I learned that day. I was, and still am, a note taker. I wanted to be able to reference my notes from camp so I could continue to improve as a player long after camp was over. The thing I loved most about basketball was that I didnt need anyone else to improve. I could work on my game by myself to get better. In football and baseball, you needed others to work with to get better.