Toughness, by Jay Bilas can bring out the best in athletes of all ages. From college athletes who are receiving a wakeup call to what college athletics are like, to grade school athletes who may not be working hard. This book gives so many great teaching points and tips to help athletes improve their sport. It is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys being a part of sports or even watching sports. 

There were a lot of different things in the novel that stood out to me. Such as developing skills, how to be a part of a team, but what stood out the most to me was what it really means to be tough. The book provides several examples of what it means to be tough and these really resonated with me. Such as sacrificing for your team, giving your all every second of the game, and being tough enough to understand your role on the team and how it may not mean being the best player.  Me being an athlete, this book really made me think about whether or not I was being tough and whether or not I was truly giving it my all 100% of the time. 

Jay Bilas played at Duke from 1982-86. He was the star while he played there becoming a part of Coach K’s first Final Four team. When he came to Duke in 1982 he did not think he had to give it everything he had in order to be the best. He thought the work he put in and previously always being the best would continue to allow him to play at a high level. Coach K put a stop to that thought immediately. He gave Jay the toughest matchup during practice and made sure that Jay knew if he wanted to play he would have to go as hard as he could and never stop. He went on to be a part of an ACC championship team in 1986 and that same season his team set the record for most wins in a single season which still stands today.

As a High school athlete, hearing from a collegiate athlete that you have to work hard every single second of every single play is really eye opening. Especially at the high school level where it can sometimes feel like you don’t always need to work hard. Being up on Varsity for basketball as a freshman can sometimes get to someone’s head, such as myself. I knew I had to keep improving but there was always a part of me that expected to be “paid my dues” in a way. I thought after my freshman year I would be given free reign to do what I wanted on the team and because of that we ended up losing some games that we should not have lost. Even last year as a junior I had a lot of problems playing well because I was thinking too much about trying to make the right play, I took myself out of the game and the team suffered because of that. This Book really prepared me for this upcoming season. I know that the leadership skills and toughness that I have to bring this year. Toughness helped me understand what kind of player I have to be.

Overall I loved this book. It is truly inspiring to read about the thoughts and experiences of someone who was extremely successful at what they did and not because of natural talent, but because they always gave it everything they had. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for sports.