driven+from+within

Week One Group Leader- Michael Andriopoulos

1. On your group's wiki page, describe the main characters in your text. What makes them interesting? What is their story or background? Why are you drawn to them? Conversely, are there any characters that you just cannot stand? Why not? (A) This book is a biography of Michael Jordan. He tells about how he got to where he is today and the people who helped him get there. The whole book is about Michael Jordan’s story or background. He grew up like a normal boy. No one ever thought he would become so famous. He was the least likely to succeed of his brothers.

Quotes- Vincent Solazzo


 * 1) “ When I was younger I didn’t really fit in, so I was a jokester.” – MJ


 * 1) “ You don’t want to waste everything you made.” – MJ


 * 1) “ I’m applying the same principles to my motorcycle team” – George Koehler


 * 1) “ Some people look at him for all the wrong reasons.” – MJ

Quotes: LaVar James
 * 1) “ Come on lets go play one – on – one.” GK

High school coach Clifton “Pop” Herring- “It’s hard, but it’s fair.”

“Coach Herring was the first one to see what I saw in myself.”

“I’m going to North Carolina. I’m going to a place no one else from my town has ever gone. You can say whatever you want, but I’m going. If I have to sit on the bench, at least I’m going to learn how to sit on the bench with the best.”

Teacher- “Youll be back here in Wilmington pumping gas if you don’t go to the Air Force Academy.” Yeah? We’ll see about that.

“I’m not wearing that shoe, I’ll look like a clown.”

Andy Cho-Questions 1

1.Where and when was Michael Jordan born? A- Brooklyn, NY. February 17, 1963

2.Why and how did Jordan find his talent at basketball? A- He wanted to impress his family because he thought he was the least successful one in his family. He didn’t wait for his goal, he chased it.

3.When did Jordan’s gambling problems start A- In 1993, before a game with the NY Knicks.

4.Did Jordan try to sign a contract with another shoe company besides Nike? A- Yes, he tried to work with Adidas because he personally hated Nike. But Adidas rejected him. It turned out that Nike signed him and his sneakers became one of the most famous sneakers in the world.

5.Where did his family and friends want Jordan to go to college and where did he go? A- They wanted him to go to Air Force Academy, but went to North Carolina.

WEEK 2

Quotes- Michael Andriopoulos

“I understood that the reason I was getting attention was because of the work I had put up to that point, not because of what I had done to meet other people’s expectations for me.” –MJ

“You couldn’t help but notice this guy was different from all of us who were already there with the bulls. His practice habits were unmatched” – Rod Higgins

“I wanted my shoes to be like a Porsche or a Ferrari, so when I turned, the shoe turned.” –MJ

“Money is only one kind of commitment.” – MJ

“Michael gets the cast off and he has no flexibility or mobility, and he says “I have to go test this out.” It was all atrophied. So we drove to the gym.” – George KoehlerNick

Cefali-Questions 2 1.What high school and college did Michael Jordan attended? He went to Emsley A. Laney High school Wilmington, North Carolina and the University of North Carolina.

2. Was Michael Jordan excited to work as a teen? No because he wanted nothing to do with it and was hoping to be a basketball player.

3. How much of an effect does Air Jordan’s have on Nikes sales? His shoes helped the sells of Nike go over 500 million.

4. What effect did coach Herring have on Jordan’s basketball career? He pushed Jordan as much as he could to make him a better player.

5. What is this book about? The book talks not just about his life and career it talks about his career in Nike. It also talks about how he felt and what he thought about over his career.

**Summary: Vincent Solazzo**  This week we discussed how back then you had to work for your fame but now you really don't have to. How Michael Jordan started his basketball carrier in high school and then collage and ended in the NBA professional basketball team. Also, we talked about the first time he gambled.

Questions: LaVar James

What design did Nike incorporate into the shoe without Michael’s permission? They incorporated the jump man design.

What did players look at Michael for? Marketing, Admiration, and money.

What did Michael do over the summer? Hotel Maintenance

What crucial thing happened in Michael’s second NBA season? He broke his foot and missed 64 games.

When Michael was done with Nike what did he decide to do about shoes? He decided to make his won shoe company.

Summary – Andy Cho

This week, we discussed about how Michael Jordan was not just a genius at basketball, but a freak at it. He had physical and mental skill that made him a basketball God. We also talked about his shoe company. He made his own shoe company called Jordan after his contract with Nike was up. Michael Jordan is so good; you might think that his dream started in the NBA. But he actually started at the gym, back in his hometown. He practiced and focused on his dream, every single days of his life.

Week 3 Questions- Michael Andriopoulos 1. What did Michael Jordan want in his shoes? He wanted a shoe that turned when he turned, jumped when he jumped, and basically everything basketball required a shoe to do. He was looking for a mid top shoe also. 2. What was Michael Jordan all about? He was all about working for his rewards and not taking shortcuts. 3. How was Michael Jordan with his money? He was extremely frugal and did not spend more than he needed to. 4. What was Michael's biggest concern? His decision making. 5. Did MJ stay with nike at first? Yes

Nick Cefali Summarizer

In the book it is talking about what Michael Jordan does instead of basketball. He states how he got into basketball and the feelings he has about how lucky he is. There are a lot of pictures of his brand of shoes. The book also talks about what motives him. Are group talked about how the shoes are the main part of the book. We also talked about the cool pictures in the book. We stated the quotes that are in the book.

Andy Cho- group leader

Our book is basically on Michael Jordan’s fortune and rise of his shoe company. And how he went from; rejection from Adidas, contract with Nike, and making his own shoe company named ‘Air Jordans’. The overriding emotion of this book is how his shoe company was so successful. He makes billions of dollars just with his shoes, and no one knows when it will stop.

Quotes: LaVar James “The Jordan III was different from anything that had come before and my life mirrored that fact.” MJ

“The decision to stay at Nike ended one period and started anther. Within 18 months I had a son a wife and I was taking my game to another level.” MJ

“When you see Michael Jordan you see a man who is now called the best ever.” Howard H White

“Michaels got this goofy comical side that is in direct contrast to vicious competitive nature.” Tinker Hatefield

“When you do something that catches the hearts and minds and imaginations of people and is really special.” Tinke Hatefield

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Questions Vincent Solazzo
 * 1) When did he start make the design for his shoes?
 * 2) How did Michael Jordan get all his money?
 * 3) What was Michael concerned about?
 * 4) How did Michael Jordan do in his High school basketball season?
 * 5) How did Michael Jordan get into the NBA?

Week four Michael Andriopoulos- Questions 1. What was unique about Michael's shoes? They were made very differently than any other shoe. Different materials, designs, and colors were used. 2. How did Michael feel when it came to money? He was very frugal. Even when he was in the NBA he has an average sized house. He never paid for more than what he ate when he went out to eat. 3. How was Michael taught to do things in his life? He was taught to do things his way because that is the only way you can be motivated. 4. What did Michael eventually do with his shoes? He made his own company. 5. What did Michael do after basketball? He played baseball.


 * Nick Cefali Quotes**

1 “ It all started with an appetite to prove.”

2 “No one ever knew how I was going to come out at the beginning of a game.”

3 “ I want to allow whatever is going to happen to happen at its own rhythm.”

4 “ I would wake up in the morning think “Ok how am I going to attack today.”

5 “ Fads are Fads; they come and go.’


 * Andy Cho – Quotes**

1. “This is the last game because I’m playing baseball next year.”

2. “He’s retired. Let’s move on. It’s over. It’s done.”

3. “I had doubts. What had I lost?”

4. “To this day, I still feel like I can play the game.”

5. “I want to allow whatever is going to happen to happen at its own rhythm.”


 * LaVar James- Group Leader**

The image that the author seems to be portraying is Michael’s struggle from the bottom to the top. I think he uses this because what a lot of people probably think is that Michael was just born with natural ability and didn’t have to work for anything. What people don’t realize is that Michael had a hard time getting to where he is. He had to work for what he has now, he didn’t even make his freshman high school basketball team, and when he was applying to Duke the coach told him he would be a pretty good player and he turned out to be the best basketball in the world. That’s what I think the author is trying to portray. Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000003178 StartFragment:0000002289 EndFragment:0000003142 This week we talked about how his shoes were not selling well. Also, how he was doing in his Basketball Career. His shoes weren’t that popular when the first came out until he wore them to one of his basketball games and everyone loved them. By the next day everybody wanted the shoes. When everyone wanted the shoe his basketball career went up a lot. He did better in the games, everyone loved him, and the all wanted the shoe.
 * Summary Vincent Solazzo**

Last Meeting Michael Andriopoulos- Group Leader On your group's wiki page, discuss your final reflections on this book. Would you recommend it to peers? Why or why not? Has this topic been discussed more/less effectively in another book or books? Should this book be considered for the school's curriculum? (B) I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the life of Michael Jordan or someone who needs to do a report on Michael Jordan. This book shows how Michael Jordan got to where he is today. I feel that this book does a better job at describing Michael's life than any other. This book should be considered because it shows good morals and ways to live life.

Week 4 Quotes: **LaVar James**

"Authenticity is about being true to who you are, even when everyone else wants you to be someone else." - Michael Jordan "My father always said, only be accountable for what you can control."- Michael Jordan "When your Michael Jordan, that's how you get ready once the on button is pushed, there isn't an off button."- George Koehler "There is nothing I have to do for brand Jordan to continue to grow other than to continue being myself."- Michael Jordan "When I did get attention I wanted to show people that I deserved it."- Michael Jordan

Questions Vincent Solazzo 2. How did a lot of people treat him when his shoe came out? - Very well. 3.Did he do well in his basketball games? - Yes. 4.Was his shoe popular when they first came out? - No Because no one wanted it. 5.Did he win the championship with the shoes on? - Yes.
 * 1) How did Michael make his shoe popular? - He wore them to a basketball game.

Summarizer- Andy Cho

This week for our book club meeting, we focused on Michael Jordan’s road to legacy. There were a lot of points in the book where Jordan talked about how his gift wasn’t just given to him; he worked on it everyday of his life. We discussed that this book’s main story is about the development of his shoe company and his road to the NBA.