Carlos Boozer discusses tragedy, doubt, Duke basketball, Coach K in new book
Editor’s Note: This story is the first installment of our four-part series highlighting Carlos Boozer and his book – Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience. Published by HarperCollins, the book was released Oct. 3 and can be found in hardcover, e-book and audiobook versions. The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network will highlight key moments from Boozer’s journey, from his time with Coach K and Duke basketball to life off the court.
Duke basketball legend Carlos Boozer had one goal as he went through the process of writing his book – “Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience.”
“To tell my journey and my story with the hopes of inspiring others,” Boozer said.
“It doesn’t have to be basketball. I know there’s a lot of basketball kids who are gonna read this book, but it can be anything in life. ... Just because you get tested doesn’t mean your goal isn’t for you.
"Keep reaching out to people who may be able to help, because it only takes one person to believe in you. Imagine me coming from Juneau, Alaska, and wanting to be in the NBA? It wasn’t a smooth path. … With my book, I wanted to inspire people to keep going.”
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During a 45-minute interview with The Fayetteville Observer/USA TODAY Network, Boozer discussed several topics from his life. In part one of our four-part series, we take a look at his journey to Duke, winning a national championship and lessons learned from legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“For me, it just comes down to having a dream, fighting for a dream and then having an opportunity to live your dream,” Boozer said.
Tragedy and doubt changed Carlos Boozer’s life
Boozer, 41, starts his memoir with a story he has kept secret for more than 30 years. It’s about a tragedy in Washington, D.C., that paved his path toward Alaska.
“My best friend (Chris) got shot and killed right in front of me. That was a lot to deal with as a 6-year-old kid,” Boozer said. "In the book I talk about Chris, gang violence and (Chris) dying in my arms."
Boozer gives a detailed account of the horrific event that led to his family’s move to Alaska. Years later, as a 12-year-old student, Boozer faced a different situation when he made it known he had dreams of playing in the NBA.
“My seventh-grade teacher, in front of the entire class, says, ‘Carlos, you should think more along the lines of lowering your expectations and maybe working at Costco or the local gas station or the grocery store,’” Boozer said.
“I come from a household where my parents allow me to dream. They want me to go wherever I want and at school I’m being told by my teacher that my dream is too big. Right there, in that moment, I could have gotten deterred or turned away. Instead of doing that, I chose the other path – the harder path – to keep going.”
The tragedy of losing a friend and the doubt from a teacher are among experiences that shaped his life.
“I think all of us have our own story and I think all of us go through things in life where we have a lot of triumphs,” Boozer said. “But we also have some tragedies, some failures and some turbulence."
Duke basketball’s 2001 national championship, rivalry with Maryland
Boozer left Duke as one of its all-time great players with a career shooting percentage (63.1%) that remains a program record.
In 2001, he helped Duke win a national championship. But it didn’t come without some obstacles along the way.
A right-foot fracture in a loss to Maryland in late February caused him to miss the next six games before returning in the NCAA Tournament. But Duke went 10-0 after that loss to the Terrapins and Boozer noted the boost from backup big Casey Sanders.
Duke fans won’t forget watching the Blue Devils beat Arizona for the title, but wins against Maryland stick out in Boozer’s mind. In addition to the “Miracle Minute" in which Duke rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final minute at Maryland and won in overtime, Boozer recounted the Final Four matchup with the Terps.
“Don’t get me wrong, the Duke-Carolina rivalry will forever be the biggest college rivalry in the history of sports. But that three-year window where we were on campus, Maryland was our rival,” Boozer said.
“. … Think about it, we won it in ‘01 and they won it in ‘02. That’s how good those two teams were. They’re kicking our ass in 2001 in the semifinal. We’re down 22 points and we get in the huddle and Coach K is just like, ‘Look, we’ve been here before.’ … It was one of those moments where Coach K looked us in the eye and we were like, ‘We’re not losing this (expletive) game.’ ”
Coach K's best lesson
Five-time national champion Mike Krzyzewski was tasked with writing the foreword for Boozer’s memoir. Krzyzweski starts with a one-word sentence to describe Boozer: “Genuine.”
It’s also a word Boozer used to describe his longtime mentor.
“It’s those hard conversations that he’s not afraid to have with you, so that you can become the best person, player, man, husband, father that you can be,” Boozer said.
A relationship that started when Boozer was a 16-year-old recruit continues to grow.
“The mark of a really good coach, in my opinion, is someone you have a relationship with beyond the field, beyond the court. I’ve been blessed to have that with Coach,” Boozer said.
“Maybe the biggest lesson I’ve learned from Coach K is ‘next play.’ … That’s one of the biggest things that Coach K taught me – being able to have a failure and use that for momentum for the next thing.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball's Carlos Boozer discusses tragedy, Blue Devils in book
