Sixers Book Club: Team Reading Jon Gordon's ‘Training Camp'

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Sixers' coach Doug Collins took time to meet with the media following his team's first practice last Friday night. Sitting on a fold-up table and holding court before a throng of reporters, Collins' spoke on issues ranging from his team's self-run workouts in Los Angeles to the improvement of Evan Turner to his own desire to keep former Northern Illinois' standout Xavier Silas in camp merely to "lust after his physique."

When not winning over media members with his seamless combination of sincerity and humor, Collins is educating his players both on and off the court. After discussing who had done what to get better in the off-season, the coach revealed that he personally had "done a lot of reading" to improve his own leadership skills.

In fact, one book so impressed him that he gave out copies to every guy in camp. Collins on the reading assignment:

"It's called Training Camp and it's written by a guy named Jon Gordon. It's a fictional account of an undrafted running back who goes to training camp. He's a rookie. He scores two touchdowns in his first exhibition game, then gets hurt in the fourth quarter. And he doesn't think he's going to be able to practice the rest of the time. And it's his rehab and the angst he feels, wondering if he's going to be able to get back and make the team. And one of the coaches on the team, that becomes somebody very special to him, that navigates him through this process, really teaches him what a playbook is all about. it's not about X's and O's, but it's what separates greatness, and why people can be great. So it's a real great read. I gave it to our guys and I hope they'll enjoy it."

It's sort of like those NFL Shop commercials, where they remind you that you weren't drafted but can still dress like the pros. Well, you might not have been invited to camp, but you can still read like the pros. For more on Jon Gordon's Training Camp, including order information, click here.

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