Carson Medley

Through The Red Door Carson Medley

A struggling writer becomes a Division II basketball tourist for a year and finds solace in the company of a virtuous basketball coach and talented basketball team doing more with less. Basketball serves as the way of unpacking the greater story, a behind the scenes journey that provides a privileged glimpse into the hearts of 15 young men, three coaches, two managers, trainer, and a cast of colorful small-town characters as the teams strive to win the CCAA and Division II National Championship. Through the Red Door is the first book ever written about the world of Division II college basketball. The book reveals the story of how Coach Clink turned an underfunded program that had been struggling on both the court and in the classroom into an elite Division II program that that has reached the NCAA Championship Tournament Elite Eight twice in the last four years and made the NCAA Championship Tournament six seasons straight. More importantly, Coach Clink's players have a graduation rate that is well above 80% while the overall graduation rate for Division II college basketball players is 46% for student-athletes who entered the university as freshman. As the banged-up red door on the cover of the book metaphorically portrays, the young men in this book both literally and figuratively move through the door and go beyond. The reader learns how Coach Clink built his program by establishing a culture where redshirting is the norm, a culture that amplifies the value of work, cohesion, family, and integrity. Coach Clink instills the timeless fundamentals of life that translate to any aspect of life - whether it is a classroom or corporate conference room - assisting his players to sharpen leadership traits.