Adieu to a Master

John Wooden was a great basketball coach and a great teacher. His life was authentic, that is, led unfailingly in concert with his morals, ethics and professed beliefs. Don't chuckle, but I've heard from many people that everyone's favorite neighbor, Mr. Rogers, was the same kind of individual.

Wooden's teams won ten NCAA men's basketball championships, and six in a row from 1968-1973, which included my college years. I have to say that I hated the teams from the consecutive win era, because they always took out teams that I supported. One clue that he was an extraordinary coach is the diversity of players and personalities that thrived under his tutelage: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gail Goodrich, Walt Hazzard, Sven Nater, Sidney Wicks, Curtis Rowe, Marques Johnson, and, of course, Bill Walton. That's quite a group of personalities, which doesn't include the number of backups and bench warmers who thrived even without pounding the rock as a starter.

I heard from coaches who attended his clinics that his manuals included details that might sound silly today. Coach Wooden required cotton socks over synthetics (boy was he right!) because they breathed better and were less likely to lead to blisters. Double socking has a very precise algorithm before you laced up the Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars. Lacing was also specified in detail.

A good friend of mine was manager of the basketball team during part of Coach Wooden's tenure, and Wooden's interactions with Bill Walton and the sullen Abdul-Jabbar were memorable. Despite its political incorrectness, he insisted on addressing Kareem as "Lewis," his birth name. Despite Walton's immaturity and questionable hygiene, it seemed as if Wooden realized that there burned a competitive flame and dedication to improve that was essential to his core concept. Apparently, Coach Wooden rarely talked to his team about winning or losing. His questions were always about whether or not his teams could say to themselves, "Were we prepared, and did we give 100% to the team and did we apply what we learned?" Quite extraordinary.

The smothering press, the back doors, the squeaking sneakers during the layup drills---they were all part what created belief and relaxation in his teams. There was never any reason to be nervous, because they were well prepared, individually and collectively. Everyone knew his role. Sven Nater carried the bags of the starting center for years, but he made his contributions, and everyone knew that many of them came in practice.

Bill Walton is quite a success story in his own right, and not just for basketball or for his winning the NBA Championship either; he is exceptionally open in his gratitude to his teacher. I like that. There's a lot to learn from a leader, teacher and good man like John Wooden.