Winning Loyola Ramblers Coach: How to Lead and Succeed--On and Off the Court!

CHICAGO, March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Loyola University men's basketball coach Porter Moser's court-pacing, jacket-throwing energy guides the Ramblers' to continued wins, just as he did in that magical 2018 season which culminated in the NCAA Final Four tournament. So what makes for this success? And what does Moser look for and try to develop in his recruits to create a winning culture? Readers can find these answers and more in Moser's new book titled, All In: Driven by Passion, Energy, and Purpose (Loyola Press, $18.95 hardcover, February 16, 2020). Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM, the lively 100-year old chaplain of the men's basketball team, contributes the foreword and gives a hint to the rich lessons that reside in the author's rousing stories.

More than a "basketball book," All In is an exuberant guide to becoming an effective leader and living a meaningful life. Through personal stories of lessons and learnings, Moser reveals how he built his no-negativity work ethic; how a second chance from legendary coach Rick Majerus helped him achieve new levels of success; and how he guided the No. 11 seed Ramblers through their inspiring Cinderella-story season in 2018—helping the Ramblers today in their push toward a championship season in 2020.

Moser's passion, determination, and grit make clear that he's in it to win it. Yet he's just as interested in helping his players develop off the court. "Having players of high energy and character who have high values is how we have built the men's basketball program at Loyola," Moser says. Ramblers' culture prioritizes outstanding skills, strong character, humility, a solid work ethic, positive mental attitude, and putting others first."Porter encourages values based on leadership, global awareness, and service based on social justice," says Sister Jean in the foreword.

Through sometimes hard-earned lessons dealing with themes of adversity and perseverance, Moser drives home what it truly means to be "all in":          

• All In: After leading the Ramblers to the Final Four in 2018, Moser was offered the position of head coach at a school in a more prestigious conference. He turned down the bigger spotlight and much bigger paycheck to go "all in" with Loyola: "At the end of the day, what makes me happy—purpose, influence, community, and faith—mattered more than money."
• Fall Seven, Rise Eight: Moser's mantra (from Proverbs 24:16: "though they fall seven times, they will rise again") reminds him that "no matter how many times I fall, I get up and keep fighting." As an undergrad basketball player at Creighton University—where he was a walk-on nobody without a number on his freshman jersey—perseverance and positive attitude provided him with one of the most memorable experiences of his life.
• The Damn Ticker on ESPN: Telling his family he'd been fired as coach of the Illinois State Redbirds was the worst day of his professional life, which Moser says was compounded by the news scrolling across the TV screen on ESPN. Lessons about humility borne of failure inform his coaching.
• Competitive Reinvention: Moser determined he wasn't going to let failure define him. Instead, he undertook what he calls "competitive reinvention": developing a vision of what you want to become and pursuing it with energy, positivity, and passion.
• A Person for Others: The "unofficial Jesuit motto" has shaped the Loyola men's basketball team into people who want to make their teammates better. "In Chicago, I see myself as part of not just a great educational institution but of a tradition that goes back to the founding of the Society of Jesus in the sixteenth century," Moser writes.

"When you can set the world on fire every day, you know you have a purpose beyond yourself," Moser says. "When Sister Jean celebrated her one hundredth birthday, people asked me what her secret has been to a long and happy life. Well, I'll tell you: She has a purpose every day. That's a powerful thing, to know that you have a purpose, that you have a reason to get up in the morning."

About the Author
An NCAA Division I men's basketball coach for thirty years, Porter Moser has been the head men's basketball coach at Loyola University Chicago since 2011 and has grown a reputation for developing men on and off the court. While at Loyola, Moser has coached two Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honorees, a pair of Associated Press Honorable Mention All-Americans, and two Academic All-Americans. He has guided the Ramblers to three postseason berths including a historic run to the 2018 NCAA Final Four and back-to-back MVC regular-season championships in 2018 and 2019. Originally from Naperville, Illinois, he currently resides in the Chicago suburbs with his wife, Megan, and their four children, Jordan, Jake, Ben, and Max.

All In: Driven by Passion, Energy, and Purpose
by Porter Moser
Loyola Press
PUB DATE: February 16, 2020
$18.95 hardcover
ISBN-10: 0829450017
ISBN-13: 978-0829450019

SOURCE Loyola Press