Cornfields to Gold Medals: USA Basketball, Lessons in Leadership, and a Rise from Humble Beginnings

Blending personal narrative with practical guidance, Cornfields to Gold Medals delivers well-traveled leadership principles for on and off the court.

Coach Don Showalter’s rise to international recognition as a coach can be traced to his time at the helm of USA Basketball’s Junior National Team, where he went 62-0 and brought home 10 gold medals. Yet, for all his international success he remains grounded in the Midwestern values that shaped his character; principles have made him a passionate ambassador for the sport of basketball and one of its great teachers.

Cornfields to Gold Medals is an all-American story that takes the reader on Showalter’s life journey through the sport he has coached for nearly half a century. It begins humbly, on a family farm perched atop the rolling hills of southeastern Iowa, and extends to gymnasiums in every corner of the world.

Interspersed in this compelling personal narrative are 10 lessons in leadership, strategies Showalter employed throughout his 44-years coaching young athletes. Each is accompanied by key points in how to teach the lesson, and shares effective strategies for readers to implement in daily practice.

Rooted in heartland principles of community, hard work, and service, this essential book offers leaders insight into guiding others and time to reflect on what is truly important.

Don Showalter is a ten-time USA Basketball gold medalist head coach and is the Coach Director for Youth and Sport Development at USA Basketball. A high school coach for 42 years with 601 wins, Showalter owns a perfect 62-0 record at the helm of USA Basketball U16 and U17 teams since the inaugural U16 competition in 2009. In ten years, he coached over 50 NBA players on the USA Junior National Team. He is an international speaker at basketball clinics around the world, including Australia, Belgium, Dubai, Egypt, England, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Spain (Canary Islands), and Switzerland. Showalter has been recognized by numerous organizations for his dedication to the game. In 2020, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Men’s College Basketball.

Pete Van Mullem, Ph.D. is a professor at Lewis-Clark State College. He has authored both trade and academic publications, including books, book chapters, and journal articles. Van Mullem is also the director of Sport Coach America and the editor-in-chief of PHE America. He serves on the editorial board for the International Sport Coaching Journal and was a member of the National Standards for Sport Coaches Revision Task Force. Van Mullem has over 14 years of professional experience in coaching and athletic administrative positions at the middle school, high school, small college, and NCAA Division II and Division I level. He and has authored over 40 publications related to coach development.