By Kyle Jorrey
Sports Editor
At 92 years of age, former UCLA Men’s Basketball Coach John Wooden still commands the attention of an audience like an experienced battlefield general commands the attention of a room full of soldiers.
When he spoke in front of the men’s basketball team and a score of other admirers at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center last Thursday, the room sat in still silence; eyes transfixed on a man whose legend precedes him, and whose wisdom is treasured by sports fans like rare jewels.
“There wasn’t anybody talking — all eyes were on him,” Pepperdine sophomore guard Terrence Johnson said. “I’ve never been around anything like that before.”
Senior forward Dustin Johnson was equally impressed by Wooden’s presence.
“It’s like having royalty on your campus,” he said.
This is the kind of awe and respect that befalls a man considered the greatest basketball coach ever to step on the court.
His unparalleled ability to motivate and lead are what made him famous, but it was the ability to win that made him a legend.
So it goes without saying, especially if you’re a basketball player, when Wooden speaks, people listen.
The former coach came to Pepperdine at the request of longtime friend and Waves Head Coach Paul Westphal. The two first met in 1969 when Westphal, then one of the country’s top high school prospects, was being recruited by UCLA.
Despite the fact that he opted for rival USC, the two have been friends ever since.
“I just called him up and asked him if would come by,” Westphal said. “He’s still a big basketball fan, and he makes time to go and watch practices from time to time.”
Wooden spoke for nearly an hour on a variety of topics, some relating to basketball, others not.
“It was a mesmerizing hour,” Westphal said.
To call Wooden a basketball traditionalist would be a giant understatement. A self-proclaimed non-fan of the professional game, Wooden said today’s NBA puts too much attention on the performance of the individual, and not enough on fundamentals and teamwork.
“The women’s game in college today is probably the closest thing to the pure form of the game that was played when I coached,” he said.
When asked what he thought about the effect of the dunk and three-point shot on the game of basketball, Wooden was quick to reply.
“They’ve ruined the game,” he said. “The slam dunks have made players too selfish, it’s made the game too individual and too much about showing off… and I feel the three-point line needs to be backed up.”
His favorite NBA player?
“John Stockon,” Wooden said. “He’s probably the smallest guy out there, but he’s also the toughest.”
His philosophy on rebounding?
“Three things — assume every shot is going to miss, get your hands above your shoulders, and lastly, just go get the ball,” Wooden said.
The Hall of Fame player and coach talked at length about what it takes to make a winner. He said that too often coaches and players want to complicate a simple game, forgetting that it is, after all, still a game.
Wooden explained his theory on the three ingredients that make a winner.
“First is conditioning: you have to be in shape. Second is skill. You’ve got to have guys on your team that know how to play the game, and play it well,” Wooden said. “And finally, you need to have team spirit. The team needs to believe in what they are trying to accomplish.”
After concluding his short talk, Wooden took the time to field some questions from the audience, pose for photographs and sign autographs. He then made his way to the Fieldhouse to take in a practice before retiring to a dinner with a small group of coaches.
Even in the few short hours on campus, Wooden left quite a mark. Especially with members of the men’s basketball team.
Freshman David Patten said it was almost unreal to have the chance to meet Wooden just a few months into his college career.
“It was crazy … you don’t really expect any of this,” Patten said. “He’s the best coach to coach at any level in my opinion, and to be able to hear him talk, it was amazing, especially because of lot of what he said parallels what Coach Westphal has been telling us.”
Many noted how the 92-year-old Wooden was able to carry himself with the confidence and the composure of someone half his age.
“He’s still the sharpest guy in the room wherever he goes,” Westphal said. “He’s a real treasure.”
Other teammates had a similar respect.
“As a man of 92, he still knows the game better than anybody else,” Johnson said. “There aren’t too many 92-year-olds you can have a conversation with, especially about basketball.”
Senior guard Mike Westphal, who had only briefly met Wooden before, was even more impressed with the coach’s character than with his basketball knowledge.
“I’m incredibly respectful of what he’s done in basketball, but when you hear the type of guy he is, someone who is never thinking about himself, always wanting to help out others, that overshadows his basketball accomplishments,” Mike Westphal said.
Before leaving campus, Wooden took a couple minutes to talk about the triple threat position, one of the most important fundamentals of basketball. Sitting in his chair and making a couple swift moves, he showed those in attendance that knowledge of the game isn’t the only thing he still possesses.
“He was moving his hands, and they were going quick,” Dustin Johnson remembers. “I was like, man, I swear the guy could still play.”
And who would put it past him?
Wooden’s Coaching Legacy
• 905 wins, 205 losses (.805 winning percentage)
• 88 consecutive victories
• 10 NCAA titles
• Seven consecutive NCAA titles
• 38 consecutive NCAA tournament victories
• Eight undefeated PAC-8 championships
• Four undefeated full seasons
• Named College Basketball Coach of the Year seven times
January 30, 2003