Book Excerpt
There Are No
Do-Overs
By Tom Raffio, Barbara McLaughlin & Dave Cowens
Find the Right Players for the Right Positions
L
ong before I was awarded a four-year basketball
scholarship to Florida State University in 1966,
my high school coach told me if I was five feet away from the
basket with the ball, I should pass it out to a guard and not shoot.
When I advanced to the Celtics, I was lucky to play alongside
Larry Bird. Larry was an offensive genius and as
competitive and dedicated to his coach as any athlete has
ever been. His ability to control games was on a level
enjoyed by only a few others. So, if someone passed me
the ball to shoot, I would pass and defer to Bird; Bird
only had God to pass to who would have a higher chance
of making the winning shot.
NBA scouts in attendance, most notably Red Auerbach of
the Celtics. I have heard the story that he made a big
show of leaving early and shaking his head in disgust to
show the other scouts there that he did not think any
player in the game was a potential NBA pick, knowing full
well he wanted me. He selected me as the fourth pick in
the first round a month or so later during the annual NBA
draft. Only Pete Maravich, Bob Lanier and Rudy
Tomjanovich were selected before me.
Perhaps I didn’t have the best shot, but I was fortunate to
be born with a certain amount of athleticism, and what I
recognized early on in
my formative years was my ability to jump, rebound, and
play with an unbridled source of energy. I didn’t need to
have the best shot — at least not at first. In the beginning,
corralling missed shots was my ticket to success.
I worked with that to develop myself into a stronger,
more reliable, and more resilient overall athlete. I became
adept in finding ways to capitalize on the combination of
physical abilities given to me through birth and the energy
and hard work of honing my skill level to excel.
Know yourself with an objective mindset. Constant selfanalysis is a healthy exercise.
– Dave Cowens
It seems to me that the sooner a person realizes what his
or her true strengths are, the sooner he or she can
concentrate on perfecting that trait to the point that other
talents can be developed to complement his or her
primary strength.
My playing career at Florida State University was
highlighted by three years of continual improvement as a
player and as a part of a team. I was the MVP of the
team all three varsity years. My rebounding records
still stand because today’s style of play doesn’t produce
enough missed shots that lead to rebounds.
During my senior year, we played in Dayton, Ohio
against the Dayton Flyers. I heard there were a few
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MARCH 2014 •LUXE BEAT MAGAZINE
Book cover image courtesy of Curran Pendleton Press.