“It isn’t what you do,
but how you do it.” 
John Wooden

It’s a morning I will never forget. In June 1974, with the resident students at Bellarmine College Prep having moved out of the dormitory for the summer, I had the responsibility of being the live-in liaison between the school and outside groups that would be renting Bellarmine facilities during the summer months. The first group arrived in mid-June. It was the Wooden-Sharman Basketball Camp.

Coach John Wooden was the legendary head coach of the 10-time NCAA champion UCLA Bruins. Coach Bill Sharman was the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. More than fifty young boys participated in the weeklong camp. Players and coaches lived in the dormitory, ate their meals in the Liccardo Center, and worked out in the old gymnasium. 

One morning that week, I walked over to the Liccardo Center to get my breakfast. As I did each day, I entered the facility through the side door, through which one could access the Jesuit dining room or the kitchen. I’d walk through the kitchen each morning and tell Tom, the head chef, what I wanted for breakfast. He would make cook-to-order meals for me. On this particular morning, after getting my plate of food, I passed through the doors to the main dining room. Normally, I would be the only person there at that early hour. On this day, however, there was one other person sitting at a table already enjoying his breakfast. It was Coach Wooden.

I approached him and asked if I might join him at the table. He welcomed me warmly. I knew the coach was famously successful at UCLA, but, at that time, I didn’t realize that he was much more than just a basketball coach. He explained to me that, first and foremost, he was a teacher. He had taught high school English for a number of years prior to accepting the coaching role at UCLA. In his years on the Westwood, California campus, while he was well-known as the head basketball coach, Wooden still considered himself to be a teacher. Yes, he coached his players on the fundamentals of quality basketball, but he also taught them important life lessons along the way. To be a good person was more important to Coach Wooden than to be a successful basketball player. His lessons have made a significant impact on the young men he coached.

One of my favorite Wooden quotes touches on the topic of gratitude. “If we magnified blessings as much as we magnify disappointments, we would all be much happier.” I concur wholeheartedly.

After a lengthy conversation about basketball, teaching, and life in general, Coach invited me to stop by his room in the dormitory. He had two things he wanted to share with me. The first was a three-page handout on the proper mechanics of shooting a free-throw. In my years of coaching (and parenting), I shared this information with my players (and sons). The information provided in Wooden’s handout enabled these athletes to develop effective shooting skills which served them well during their playing days.

The second item he shared with me was a copy of his Pyramid of Success. If you are not familiar with this document, I urge you to check it out through this link.

It’s been fifty years since my brief encounter with Coach Wooden, yet that experience continues to be one of the most treasured memories of my life. Even as we spoke, I was aware that I was in the presence of greatness. I am so grateful for his positive influence in my life.