Business Plus, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group), has announced it will publish a new book by Duke University basketball coaching legend and U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K). Tentatively slated for publication in Spring 2009 and co-written with his daughter, Jamie K. Spatola, Krzyzewski will reveal the unique leadership skills that he used to unify a diverse group of NBA superstars and win the gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

In his previous bestselling books including “Leading with the Heart” and “Beyond Basketball,” Krzyzewski guided readers to success the way he has guided his teams at Duke — with his inspirational words and phenomenal leadership skills. Now, after stepping up to take on an entirely new challenge by volunteering to coach the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball team, Coach K has achieved another great accomplishment — leading the team in Beijing to a gold medal. Krzyzewski will reveal how he took some of the biggest NBA stars and molded an American team that won against the best competition in the world and restored Team USA to the gold standard of basketball.

More than a celebratory book, it will be Krzyzewski’s first-hand account of how he worked with such stars as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony to buy into his “total team” play. A book on basketball and on management techniques, it will feature Krzyzewski’s personal style and approach to getting people to work together and succeed in reaching a common goal.

“There are so many amazing stories from this recent Olympic experience and to share them in a book project will be fantastic,” said Krzyzewski. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with Jamie and working with all of the great people at Grand Central Publishing again. The U.S. Olympic gold medal team has served as a perfect example of what successful team building is all about.”

In making the announcement, Rick Wolff, Vice President, Executive Editor, Grand Central Publishing and Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Business Plus said, “We absolutely cherish our long-term publishing relationship with one of America’s truly legendary coaches, and we’re thrilled to be able to work with Mike and Jamie on this project. All basketball fans know that America still has the highest total of top stars, but it took the coaching magic of Coach K to find the right players, get them to work as a team, and to bring home the gold. We anticipate this work to be a meaningful case study in fundamental management techniques, and as with his previous books, transcend the world of sports.”

Mike Krzyzewski has been the head basketball coach of the Duke Blue Devils for 28 years, winning 730 games and three NCAA championships at the school, while also earning National Coach of the Year awards twelve times. Coach K was inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and is the sixth winningest NCAA Division I coach with 803 total wins, including five seasons as the head coach at West Point, his alma mater.

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Holiday Builders’ Ambassador Comes Out of Retirement to Assist WNBA Team

Holiday Builders, an award-winning homebuilder celebrating 25 years of quality building, today celebrated its most visible ambassador, Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, and her exit out of professional basketball retirement. WNBA’s Detroit Shock team signed Ms. Lieberman to a seven-day contract, taking her out of the ESPN broadcast booth and back on the court as the team looks to her to help make up for the absence of forward Cheryl Ford. The moment Ms. Lieberman took the court in Thursday night’s game, playing nine minutes, she broke her own record as the oldest player ever in the WNBA — a record she originally set in 1997 with the Phoenix Mercury at age 39.

Ms. Lieberman was selected to serve as a Holiday Builders ambassador in January of 2008 to help the company and its Employee-Owners promote the benefits and timeliness of homeownership throughout the communities it serves. Since then, Ms. Lieberman has worked with Holiday Builders to educate consumers about why now is the time to reach out and grasp the dream of homeownership.

“Holiday Builders is very excited to see Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman back on the court,” said Kim Shelpman, CEO of Holiday Builders. “Nancy’s passion for the sport and true skill is remarkable. Her moxie both on and off the court mirrors Holiday Builders’ dedication to fostering the development of every community we serve.”

Holiday Builders is currently offering a ‘Rate Buy Down’ program where prospective homebuyers purchase a home at a 30-year fixed interest rate of 5.25 percent. Holiday Builders then “buys down” the rate to 3.25% for the first year and 4.25 percent for the second year. For the third year, and the life of the home loan, the rate will be 5.25 percent (APR 5.37%) — never to go up.

Through this program, new homebuyers’ payments are greatly reduced during the first two years, making a home more affordable, giving them time to budget for year three and beyond — after they have begun to enjoy the tax benefits of homeownership.

Holiday Builders has built more than 30,000 single-family homes throughout Florida, Texas and Alabama, with more than 50 proven floor plans and approximately 180 elevations.

For more information on Holiday Builders and what new homes are ready for move-in in your community, visit http://www.holidaybuilders.com/ .

About Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman

Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is an accomplished basketball player, coach, two-time Olympian, broadcaster and writer. In 1975, she was named to the USA Team designated to play in the World Championships and Pan American Games where she brought home a gold medal in 1975 and a silver medal in 1979. Ms. Lieberman has provided commentary for ABC, ESPN, NBC, NBA-TV and is a contributing writer to the Dallas Morning News, the New York Times and USA Today. She is currently a full-time analyst with ESPN for men’s and women’s college basketball and both the men’s (NBA) and women’s (WNBA) National Basketball Association’s development leagues. During the summer, Ms. Lieberman hosts and coaches basketball camps for girls and boys in Dallas, Detroit and Phoenix.

Nancy Lieberman is also heavily involved with charities such as the Special Olympics, the Jimmy V Foundation (named for the late Jim Valvano), and has been the local chairperson for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s “Race for the Cure” in Plano, Texas — a support group for victims of breast cancer.

Source: Holiday Builders

AT&T Wireless, AT&T blue room, AT&T U-verse(SM) TV to Feature Exclusive USA Basketball Content for Fan

USA Basketball and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced a new agreement that makes the global communications company an Official Partner of the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team.

This wide-reaching agreement will provide AT&T and its customers with exclusive USA Basketball team online and Video on Demand content. Along with exclusive wireless and online content, AT&T will also feature its products and services through special USA Basketball-themed marketing materials.

Fans can connect to exclusive USA Basketball content today through AT&T blue room (http://www.attblueroom.com/TEAMUSA) and soon through AT&T CV on AT&T 3G wireless handsets, and on AT&T U-verse(SM) TV via AT&T Team USA On Demand. Fans will enjoy access to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage including selection of the team, USA Basketball Training Camp, exhibition game highlights, USA Basketball video segments, interviews with athletes and coaches and other vignettes. AT&T blue room and AT&T Team USA On Demand will keep fans connected to the U.S. Olympic Team with webcasts and footage of events, plus exclusive interviews with Team USA hopefuls.

In addition to content, AT&T will launch a “USA Basketball Communicator,” an AT&T-developed branded downloadable widget for users to view USA Basketball news, information, and schedules. Fans can go online and download the “USA Basketball Communicator” from the AT&T blue room or http://www.usabasketball.com/.

“The dedication, teamwork, and commitment of our USA Basketball Senior National Team exemplifies the Olympic spirit,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball executive director. “We are pleased to partner with AT&T to offer fans exclusive content, connecting them to this extremely committed and hardworking team and the excitement of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.”

“As a proud sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team, we’re thrilled to add another great sport to our roster,” said Jason Simpson, AT&T director of Olympic integration. “We’re excited to offer fans across the country unique USA Basketball content, consistent with our goal to connect consumers to the athletes through as many venues as possible.”

AT&T is an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team and provides significant financial support, products and services to the U.S. Olympic Committee. AT&T will also serve as the official telecommunications services partner of the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In addition to supporting USA Basketball, the company serves as an official partner for several National Governing Bodies, including USA Diving, USA Track & Field, USA Gymnastics and USA Swimming.

Source: AT&T Inc.