Former WSU Basketball Player Publishes Motivational Book
Concordia University in the 2001-02 season.
Woods, who played for the Wildcats from 1998-2002 before playing seven years of professional basketball in Europe, has written and self-published a motivational book, which provides a six-step guide to success. The book is titled “One Mailbox @ a Time, Your Step By Step Guide to Success.”
He said the idea for writing came to him when he was in his first year of professional basketball in Lausanne, Switzerland, a city on the banks of a lake that bordered France.
“I was coming out of my apartment, and you could see France across the water and it hit me. I made it,” Woods said. “I went to college and graduated. I was playing professional basketball. To think back to where I came from, my upbringing and where I grew up. I began to think, ‘How many people from my neighborhood live in Lausanne, Switzerland?’ That’s a really big accomplishment.”
Woods grew up in East Chicago, Indiana. He was always the person in his group of friends who tried to motivate and help people accomplish their goals. Woods said that the most influential event of his life happened when he was 12 years old. On Thanksgiving 1992, Woods’ father died following what was supposed to be routine surgery. Then, six years later, Wood’s friend was murdered.
Growing up without a father in a tough neighborhood, Woods said he could have used tragedy as an excuse to join a gang or use drugs, but he decided, instead, to honor the memories of his loved ones.
“I chose to do was use that anger as fuel to do what needed to be done and do the right thing to live in honor of my father and in honor of my friend so they could be proud of what I have accomplished,” he said.
Woods also credits his mother, who worked two jobs to make sure he and his sister were able to stay out of trouble and stay in school.Woods used his athletic ability to earn a WSU basketball scholarship. He was recruited by former head coach Joe Cravens from whom he learned a great deal.
“Weber State taught me how to be a man,” he said. “Here I was, an 18-year-old kid thrust to fight among men and learn how to survive. That helped mold me because I learned a lot from my teammates and my coaches. More than talking, they exemplified themselves to where I saw the way you should carry yourself, work and get things done.”
Cravens wrote a foreword for Woods’ book and praised his work ethic, loyalty and character in the face of adversity.
“Chris rose above [the East Chicago street life] environment to become a college graduate, an All-Conference basketball player and have an outstanding professional career,” he wrote. “It is of no surprise to me that he is now a successful motivational speaker and author.”
Woods began writing his book in 2002, and for six years he wrote whenever he had time. One day his computer was stolen. Woods continued to write in his notebook, where he had kept some notes. After a game in Finland, Woods left for the airport and forgot his notebook. After eight years of writing, Woods had to start over.
“In most situations, most people would quit,” he said. “But what I came to realize, losing my notebook and my computer happened for a reason. It was a bigger part of the testimony of the book. It was a test to see if I really believed in what I was writing.”
Woods often quotes a saying from his youth. “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” He believes those with a plan combined with “dedication, determination and discipline,” can accomplish great things.
Woods recently visited the WSU campus and sat down with the men’s basketball team. He shared his view of success with them.
“I told the players they can follow these steps, but they can’t compare their success to that of Damian Lillard,” he said. “That is his success. Some of you are not going to be as good as he is. But you will be better than you were. That is the premise of the book. Who you are and who we want to be, it all comes down to what we are willing to do.”
Now he has finished his book, Woods plans to travel around the country to motivate people to make plans and then follow his six-step program until they reach their own levels of success.
To learn more about Woods and his book, visit letsgochriswoods.com.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
- Marcus Jensen, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7295 • marcusjensen@weber.edu - Contact:
- Chris Woods, former WSU and professional basketball player
219-798-3646 • letsgochriswoods@gmail.com