University of Memphis Coach John Calipari Named 2007-2008 Naismith National Coach of the Year - Will Publish Book With Free Press in September 2009

NEW YORK, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Free Press would like to congratulate Coach Calipari on being named the 2007-08 Naismith National Coach of the Year and to announce again his upcoming book for 2009, BOUNCE BACK: Overcoming Setbacks to Thrive in Business and in Life. Calipari will write the book with journalist David Scott. Free Press Vice President & Editorial Director Dominick V. Anfuso says, "We would like to extend our congratulations to Coach Calipari and the entire University of Memphis Men's Basketball team for their unprecedented success this year. Calipari's most recent accomplishments -- leading his team to the NCAA Finals and being named the 2007-08 Naismith National Coach of the Year -- truly qualify him to write a book about overcoming obstacles, and we're honored to work with him."

It is the second time Calipari has earned this national recognition, as he also received the Naismith Award for the 1995-96 campaign while directing the UMass Minutemen to the 1996 NCAA Final Four. Calipari is only the second coach to win the Naismith Award twice since the honor's inception in 1987. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is the other coach to do so, taking home the award three times. Calipari, who was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the second time in three years (2006, 2008), was also a National Coach of the Year finalist for the Henry Iba and Jim Phelan Awards.

Many of us remember Calipari from his very public firing from the head coaching position with the New Jersey Nets in 1999, just 20 games into his third season with the team. In the wake of this public embarrassment, Calipari made the decision to face this humbling experience head on, get his life back in order, and resurrect his career. Memphis's 2008 Final Four appearance and its NCAA single season win record of 38-2 is a validation of that comeback, as the successful head coach has now guided two different schools-UMass and Memphis-to the Final Four. He is one of only five coaches in NCAA Division I history to lead two different programs to a No. 1 national ranking. Calipari, who just finished his eighth year at Memphis, led the team to the Final Four for the first time since 1985 and just the third time in school history. His program is now tied for the most wins (104) over a three-year period in the history of college basketball, with three straight 30-plus win seasons.

Memphis's 2008 NCAA Final Four appearance and the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award prove that Calipari knows the secret to bouncing back, and his book is for everyone who has experienced a career, emotional, or personal setback in their lives. As Calipari asserts, this book gives him a chance to help people who are going through any type of life-altering event. "I want readers to know that they are not alone. People get fired every day. I can give guidance in negotiating those troubling times and so can the people I enlist to help me with this book." BOUNCE BACK, in the tradition of national bestselling books like Pat Riley's The Winner Within and Lou Holtz's Wins, Losses, and Lessons, proves that succeeding has little to do with luck and everything to do with perseverance, hope, and staying positive.

Free Press Vice President & Editorial Director Dominick V. Anfuso acquired world rights, audio, and first serial for BOUNCE BACK from literary agent David Black of the David Black Literary Agency. Free Press is an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., a part of the CBS Corporation. Simon & Schuster is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information visit our website at www.simonsays.com.