Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

In describing his philosophy that the gym is a classroom, the author explains how he approached team practice in the same way he imagines a professor might approach their classes: Practice included detailed planning and intensely pressured, fast-paced sessions with constant movement and drills. Wooden would then log meticulous notes about each player. According to Wooden, while his players were focusing on their efforts, this planning and attention to detail were his own success journey. His practices centered on what he calls the four laws of learning: “explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition” (144). With enough drills, the good habits would become conditioned and automatic.

On the subject of coaching and leading, Wooden addresses three ideas: athletes as role models, the difference between a spirited player and a temperamental one, and ensuring that all players know they are appreciated. He specifically mentions a host of professional athletes, from Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn to tennis champion Christine Evert, as examples of good role models; in contrast, he calls out basketball Hall of Famer and seven-time NBA rebounding champion Dennis Rodman as a player who, due to his ego, would not be an ideal team player.

In the latter half of Part 3, Wooden hones in further on his coaching style and his career. One of the primary things that he taught his players was how to deal with both criticism and praise. He told them that the criticism they received, just like the praise, would be deserved only some of the time. He suggested that their strength as individuals depended on how they responded to either; similar to his feelings about extreme emotions on the court, he noted that players should accept both criticism and praise without taking either to heart. Wooden also takes care to acknowledge how this advice applies off the court, citing, for example, that people often treated Kareem Abdul-Jabbar worse than his teammates because he was Black (156)—and despite this mistreatment, Jabbar never reacted with anger, instead admirably keeping his composure.

Wooden remarks on the extraordinary nature of the seven consecutive national titles won by his UCLA teams; no one ever thought such a streak was possible. Regardless, he suspects that it will be accomplished again, arguing that “records are made to be broken. They’re not yours to keep but rather to enjoy a little while you have them” (159). Following his final trip to the Final Four in 1975, just before the team advanced to play in the title game two days later, Wooden admits that, for the first time in his career, he was overcome with a feeling of trepidation about having to meet the press and answer questions after a game. According to Wooden, this is how he knew that it was time for him to retire (162-63).