Hall of Fame Coach Don Lane featured at Kentucky Book Festival

Rachel Dorroh • October 17, 2023

Legendary basketball coach Don Lane will be a featured author at the Kentucky Book Festival this Saturday in Lexington. His book The Lane Way: Family, Faith, and Fifty Years in Basketball, published earlier this month, is his first memoir, but it’s not just his story, he says. It’s also about the people who inspired, encouraged, and supported him along the way.

“Life is really gratitude and generosity,” Lane says. “In my life I try to give gratitude and let those people know who helped me, and I tried to do that in this book.”

As coach of men’s basketball at Transylvania University from 1975 to 2001, Lane made history as the Pioneer’s winningest coach and the first to lead them to a No. 1 national ranking. He also taught exercise science and physical education at Transylvania for 41 years, mentored thousands of youth through the popular basketball camp he created, and received numerous awards in recognition of his achievements.

With co-author Sarah Jane Herbener, Lane traces the influences that led him from working in the tobacco fields of Woodford County to becoming the first in his family to graduate college to building a career that included being inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame.

“Faith was important in all the things I was doing,” Lane says, recalling how his parents taught him from a young age to treat others as he wanted to be treated. “I’ve nurtured that my whole life.”

Cover of The Lane Way: Family, Faith, and Fifty Years in Basketball by Coach Don Lane with Sarah Jane Herbener.

Love of learning was also key to Lane’s success, and he takes care in the book to honor key people who inspired and encouraged him at critical junctures. One of these was his high school basketball coach James McAfee.

“He was a tremendous influence on my life,” Lane says of McAfee. “He would’ve done anything for me, and I would’ve done anything for him. A lot of my coaching style and how I treat people came from him.”

McAfee encouraged Lane to apply to Union College in Barbourville, where he received a 4-year scholarship from head coach Herman Bush.

“I'll never forget – in the letter (Bush) said, ‘I don't care if you play a minute. I think you'll be a great asset to our team,’ which is very special to me. I still have that letter,” Lane says.

Lane graduated in 1965, and his personal and professional life have been tied to Union ever since. He met the love of his life, Monna Williams, at Union, whom he went on to marry and raise two children with. He also got his first career experience when he served as assistant coach for the men's basketball team in his senior year.

When Lane signed copies of the book Saturday as part of Union’s homecoming weekend, it was a full-circle moment for him.

“Union’s had an unbelievable impact on my life,” he says. “I think it’s important to give back as much as I possibly can.”

After graduating, Lane made a promise to himself to pay Union back for the scholarship money he had received. He’s since donated that much many times over and has served on Union’s board of trustees for over two decades.

“Union means an awful lot to me,” Lane says. “I was a first-generation college graduate — as many at Union are — and then from that, there have been a lot of Lanes who have graduated from college.”

Lane's connection to Union led to the publication of The Lane Way, too. He had begun writing the memoir in 2014, but when life events halted his progress, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever finish it. Fellow alum and board member Paul Isaacs referred Lane to Sarah Jane Herbener in 2021, and soon after, Lane signed a co-author contract with her.

“She really brought out a lot of things I hadn’t thought about,” Lane says of Herbener. “She said, ‘Your life is more than coaching those teams.’”

Lane credits Herbener with finding the ultimate shape of the story and identifying themes to help a broad audience – not just basketball fans – connect with his journey.

The Kentucky Book Festival will be held at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington on Saturday from 10-5. Lane and Herbener will be signing books throughout the day, and Lane will be part of the Memoirs on the Main Stage panel at 2 p.m. A program of Kentucky Humanities, the festival features a full day of workshops, craft talks, and family-friendly activities.

“I never thought I’d be part of the Kentucky Book Festival,” Lane says. “That’s a real blessing to be asked to participate. I hope I can do myself and Union proud for being there.”

The Lane Way will be available for purchase at the festival. Readers can also order a copy from Lane's website at coachlane.net or directly from the distributer, Butler Books.

To learn more about Sarah Jane Herbener's work, see Sarah Jane Herbener — First Edition Memoirs.

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