5-Star Reviews Rolling in for Breaking Serve: From Championship Coach to Prison—and the Journey Back
Here are a few of the latest reader reviews that have been posted on Amazon (Breaking Serve):
D. C. Chapman
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2025
The first book that I read on the Varsity Blues scandal was “Unacceptable” by Jennifer Levitz and Melissa Korn. It was an excellent overview of the college admissions scandal involving celebrities, the wealthy and college coaches. “Breaking Serve” is an excellent follow-up on how it rocked the world and changed the life of one coach, Texas men’s tennis coach Michael Center. Coach Center owns up to his mistake, for which he was severely penalized. Penalized much more than many who had done much worse. And that does not even count having to watch on TV while his Longhorns finally won a national championship. He was hung out to dry by the University of Texas, who chose to protect the brand over one of their own. There was no loyalty, even though they were so obviously complicit. He went to jail during COVID, and received no breaks along the way. Yet he persevered. He relied on the lessons that he had instilled in his players over decades to help him get through the worst of his situation, even though he freely admits that it was not easy. He needed to coach himself, and fortunately he had a great coach to follow. The book is not long, but it is a very interesting read. What is a real shame is that he will never be a college coach again. Read this book and you’ll learn about taking responsibility and would want to play for him.
David Rascoe
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2025
Michael has been a friend for close to 30 years and I am proud of him for persevering through this trial and coming through it and paying it forward to help others get through difficult times. The 5 pillars/foundations for success can be applied to teams and businesses and to individuals and we all need to be reminded to play the next point in life to the best of our ability.