Wooden To Watch Final Four From Home

By The Associated Press

John Wooden will watch UCLA's Final Four run from the comfort of his armchair, and the 97-year-old coaching great believes this is the Bruins' year to win a record 12th national championship.

"(Two) years ago, we were in the Final Four and we finished second. Last year, we were third. Seems logical to be first this year, don't you think?'' he told The Associated Press by phone Monday.

Wooden is back home after stints in the hospital and at a rehab center. He broke his left wrist and collarbone in a fall at his suburban condo in February.

"I'm still having trouble getting around,'' he said. "Nothing to do with my fall, but my knees have been very, very bad. I use a walker and a wheelchair. Overall, I'm very fortunate at 97.''

Wooden's daughter, son and extended family are constant presences and he had friends drop by Monday. He won't be in San Antonio for the Final Four, but daughter Nan Muehlhausen will attend to present an award named for her father, as she has done the last couple of years.

Wooden's shadow continues to loom large over the UCLA program 33 years after he retired, having won 10 national championships, including an unmatched seven in a row. The Bruins' only title since then came in 1995 under Jim Harrick.

Wooden attended the championship game in Seattle that year, slipping out before the final buzzer to keep the focus on the players.

Coach Ben Howland calls himself "the caretaker of John Wooden's UCLA program.''

"That's what it is and always will be,'' Howland said Monday.

Informed of Howland's comments, Wooden joked, "My program? I retired in '75.'' Then he added, "I know what he means and I'm flattered.''

Wooden attended several UCLA games this season, sitting in his usual seat behind the Bruins' bench, until he got hurt.

The Bruins bring a 14-game winning streak into Saturday's national semifinal against Memphis.

"I thought going into the season that this was going to be coach Howland's best team at UCLA,'' Wooden said. "Success breeds success. You get a program going and it's easier to keep a program going that's doing well than it is to get there because you learn so much along the way.''

North Carolina and Kansas play the other semifinal, marking the first time all four No. 1 seeds have reached the Final Four.

"That is remarkable,'' Wooden said. "Any one of the four could win, but I wouldn't trade UCLA's chances for any of the other teams.''

(photo credit: AP)

Coach John Wooden Returns Home From Rehab Center

By Bruin Basketball Report

Coach John Wooden went home from a rehabilitation center Friday, having regained his strength after the 97-year-old UCLA coaching great broke his left wrist and collarbone in a fall at home.

Wooden was hospitalized Feb. 29 and sent to the rehab center March 11. He had been doing daily exercises to strength his limbs.

His daughter, Nan Muehlhausen, through a UCLA spokesman, asked the public to continue respecting her father's privacy.

Wooden planned to watch on television when top-seeded UCLA plays Texas A&M on Friday night in a second-round NCAA

Wooden Released from Hospital To Rehab Center

By Bruin Basketball Report

John Wooden went from the hospital to a rehabilitation center Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the 97-year-old UCLA coaching great broke his left wrist and collarbone in a fall at home.

"Dad had one of his better days today," his son, Jim Wooden, said in a statement. "He will do exercises two to three times daily. As soon as his strength is back, we will get him home."

Wooden said his father wanted to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and the many get-well cards he has received.

He was hospitalized Feb. 29.

Howland Prefers A Good Screen Over A Dunk Shot

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Those familiar with UCLA Coach Ben Howland's coaching philosophy understand the man is all about teaching basketball fundamentals and smart play.

Subsequently, no one should be surprised that Howland, when asked what he thought about Russell Westbrook's dunk shot against Arizona, said, "He (Westbrook) dunks like that everyday and I don't think he's thinking about ESPN or Fox.  On those shows they do not show jump shots - just dunks. That is what is promoted by the media. I, on the other hand, would rather see the good screen."

Basketball geekdom is alive and well in Westwood, and Bruin fans are happy its centered here.

Although Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had just 9 points and 2 rebounds against Arizona, Howland was still pleased with his junior forward's other contributions on the floor.

"Luc was 5-5 from the foul line and played good defense as he always does," Howland said. "The turnovers were unfortunate. He is back in game shape. He has played in five games since he missed two weeks and I am confident he is back at full shape. He may still have some pain (in his ankle).

Howland stressed the importance of the two remaining regular season games against Stanford and California and his team's quest for a high seed in the NCAA tournament.

"Our primary goal is for us to win the Pac-10, to win it outright and that is what we are playing for on Thursday," Howland said.  "We have no control over the seedings. Obviously, we would like to stay out West for the first and second round - that is what we have said all along."

"I think we were a two-seed last year but we got to stay out West and we got to the Final Four so staying out West is very important to us. You play really good teams in the NCAA Tournament no matter where you are seeded: 1, 2, or 3. The parity in college basketball is so good now; I don't think there is much of a difference in playing a 7-10 winner or an 8-9. Having to travel East as opposed to Phoenix, Arizona is the big difference."

After returning from the team's road trip to Arizona, Coach Howland had a chance to visit with Coach John Wooden at the hospital.  Wooden is still hospitalized and recovering from broken bones he suffered after falling at his home.

"I think Coach Wooden is in a lot of pain. His family is there with him basically around the clock supporting him," Howland said.  "We talked for just a minute and I didn't want to be a bother. He was sleeping when I first got there. He kind of woke up just when I was leaving. He is really, really tough. He watched the Sunday game with Arizona on TV with his son Jim."

(photo credit: AP)

Coach Wooden Resting Comfortably In Hospital

By Bruin Basketball Report

Coach John Wooden, is doing well on his second day in a local hospital. The name of the hospital is being withheld at the request of the family.

Coach Wooden, 97, was hospitalized on Friday with a hairline fracture of his left wrist and a fractured left collarbone he sustained in a fall in his condo on Thursday night. His wrist is in a cast and his arm will have to be in a sling when he leaves the hospital.

Nan Muehlhausen, Coach Wooden’s daughter, said her father was in good spirits and doing well on Saturday afternoon. He has had visits from numerous family members, including son Jim, who saw his father this morning.

“Dad is doing well. He had a good night, his vital signs are good and his spirits are good. He has been joking around with the family,” said Muehlhausen.

“We anticipate he will in the hospital until Monday. Dad has had a couple of blood transfusions because the doctors found he was anemic, but the transfusions will take care of that and Dad will be fine. We expect him to make a full recovery.”

Muehlhausen again requested that people not attempt to call or visit the hospital so that Coach Wooden can rest.

Wooden Hospitalized After Fall At Home

By the Associated Press

John Wooden broke his left wrist and collarbone in a fall, leaving the former UCLA basketball coach hospitalized Friday.

Daughter Nan Muehlhausen said the 97-year-old Wooden fell in his condominium Thursday night. She said Wooden was resting comfortably in a hospital and visited with family members throughout the day.

"Dad's spirits are good," Muehlhausen said in a statement. "He is up and joking around with the family. He will probably be in the hospital for a couple of more days before he goes home."

John Wooden, 97, fell in his condo Thursday night, breaking his wrist and collarbone.

Wooden has a hairline fracture in his wrist and a fractured collarbone. He also hit his head, but a CT scan of his head and neck were negative.

The family didn't release the name of the hospital.

"We appreciate everyone's concern, but we are requesting that people do not call the hospital and do not try to visit Dad at this time," Muehlhausen said.

Wooden coached the Bruins to an unsurpassed 10 NCAA championships in the 1960s and '70s, including consecutive titles from 1967-73. His teams also had an 88-game winning streak.

"The entire UCLA community wishes Coach Wooden a speedy recovery," current Bruins coach Ben Howland said Friday night in Tucson, Ariz. "We are glad that his injuries are not more serious, and we look forward to seeing him when we return to Los Angeles."

Wooden, still an active presence around UCLA, gets around using a cane and Muehlhausen usually accompanies him. School officials last month asked fans not to bother him at games, because autograph-seekers had been lining up near his seat behind the Bruins' bench.

He was hospitalized for several days last April after having symptoms similar to those he had a year earlier, when he had to spend time in the hospital with diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets in the colon. But doctors decided that his problem last year was a reaction to a combination of medications, including one for arthritis.

Wooden retired with a 620-147 record in 27 years at UCLA, where his stars included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich.

He announced during the 1975 NCAA Tournament that he would retire after the championship game. The Bruins gave him a going-away present; they won the title game against Kentucky.

They'll Take It From Here, Coach Wooden

By Bill Dwyre
Los Angeles Times

[reprinted with permission]

The years are adding up as fast as all those NCAA basketball titles he won. John Wooden will turn 97 Sunday, and those who think that makes him blessed have it wrong.

The rest of us are blessed.

We used to ponder the unthinkable. Now we assume immortality and refuse to think otherwise.

It will be a weekend of celebration. The former UCLA basketball coach turned philosopher and humanist will go along to the parties and be the most bemused person there.

He has never quite figured out that the rest of us have figured him out, that we now understand how basketball was merely a front for a career of teaching life and perspective.

Friday night, close friends and many former UCLA players gathered at the home of former player Andy Hill, a member of three of Wooden's 10 NCAA title teams. Sunday will be time for immediate family, a group that has mushroomed with grandchildren and great grandchildren for party of about 40.

Today, we will let a selection of his former students do the public celebration. Their names are familiar because their classroom was Pauley Pavilion. They could be considered Wooden's all-time All-American team, but you'd have to go about 30 deep to truly do that justice.

So Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Warren, Henry Bibby, Gail Goodrich and Bill Walton -- imagine what a three-guard, double-post offense that would have been -- have the podium.

--

KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR

Abdul-Jabbar is 60, an assistant coach with the Lakers. He was the star on three of Wooden's NCAA title teams and is the leading scorer in NBA history. He has written six books and is currently working on a documentary about the Harlem Rens professional basketball team of the 1930s.

"I would not have had any success as a parent if I had not had John Wooden as a coach," he says. "He gave me ideas of what the boundaries are. My children are all college graduates, none have substance-abuse problems and none have children out of wedlock."

Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor and referred to by Wooden as "Lewis," remembers learning to never doubt his coach's wisdom.

"My sophomore year, we were playing Colorado State," he says. "It's at Pauley, but it is close. At a timeout, late in the second half, his instructions were surprising, contrary to logic, contrary to something I thought we should be doing. They had the ball and I was looking for defensive instructions, how to stop them this time down. Instead, he told us to foul one of their guards as soon as he got across half court. They were in the one-and-one, so that really didn't make sense to me.

"But we did as we were told, and the guy missed the front end of the one-and-one. We got the rebound, went down and scored and the game was over.

"Never again did I question him."

--

MIKE WARREN

Warren is 61, and was recruited from South Bend Central High in Indiana, where Wooden had once taught and coached. He was on two NCAA title teams and has had a successful acting career. Currently, he works on ABC's "Lincoln Heights" and is doing on a documentary he calls a love story. It is about John and the late Nell Wooden.

"One of the reasons I left the Midwest was to get away from my parents," he says. "They were great parents. No one in my life has been more important than my parents. But it was time for me to be on my own. So I go 2,000 miles and there he is, John Wooden, just like them.

"I arrive and I am 18 years old, a grown man now, of course. And there are parties and something going on day and night in the UCLA campus. I'm there, enjoying it all.

"Then I get a call to see Coach Wooden. I'm fine. Excited. Figure we would talk about basketball. Then I get to his office and he's looking at me. Those beady eyes. He asks me if I know why I am here and I tell him yes, to play basketball. And he says, no, I'm here to get an education and if I don't shape up, I'm going to get neither basketball nor an education. He says my parents would certainly not appreciate the way I am conducting myself.

"The next quarter, I was on the Dean's List."

--

HENRY BIBBY

Bibby is 57, in his third season as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. He is a former coach of USC and the Sparks of the WNBA. With Bibby as starting guard, UCLA won three titles.

Bibby played high school basketball in Franklinton, N.C., population 1,300. There were 19 students in his graduating class. Wooden heard about him during a basketball camp appearance in Bowie, N.C., and visited him and his parents.

"It was 1968, it was the South," Bibby says, "and yet they looked at him as nothing more than a man, right from the start. There were no race issues at all. With them, it was never about UCLA. It was about John Wooden."

Bibby says he went to Wooden's house four or five years ago, to talk about jobs, ask for advice, just catch up on things.

"That day changed my life," he says. "It was like going home to your parents. I saw how it was never about one player, but about all his players. He didn't care about the game or the winning, just the people."

--

GAIL GOODRICH

Goodrich is 64, lives in Greenwich, Conn., and works as an analyst for NBA TV and for ESPN International. Goodrich starred in the first two of Wooden's NCAA titles, in 1964 and '65.

"I remember in the locker room before that first title game in '64," he says. "We were 29-0, playing Duke, and Coach Wooden started to talk. No fire and brimstone. He just told us that we got there playing a certain way -- full-court press, taking full advantage of our quickness -- and regardless of the outcome, we should play the way we knew.

"Then, he did something I'll never forget. He asked us all if we remembered who finished second last year. Nobody said a word. I actually did remember. Loyola of Chicago had beaten Cincinnati. But I didn't say anything.

"He waited, then said that nobody will remember who finishes second tonight."

Goodrich says he once tried a behind-the-back pass and the ball went into the stands.

"In the locker room, he went off on me, but as only he can do," Goodrich says. "He never cursed, but when he started out with his 'Goodness gracious sakes alive,' I knew I was in big trouble."

--

BILL WALTON

Walton is 54, almost as big a star in the world of sports broadcasting as he was at UCLA and in the NBA. He starred on two NCAA title teams.

He talks to Wooden frequently, in person and by phone, and jokes that, as a person who once had a speech impediment that made him verbally withdrawn, he may have overdone his turnaround.

"The famous broadcaster, the late Marty Glickman, taught me how to get past my speech problems in order to be a broadcaster," Walton says. "Now, Coach Wooden is always saying to me how sad it is that Marty is not with us anymore so he could get me to shut up."

Walton might be the most loyal of all Wooden loyalists. And he always takes note when he sees where that loyalty originated.

"When Shaq was getting to be a star big man," he says, "they made a commercial and brought other big centers in for the shoot. I was there and Kareem and several others and Wilt. They also had Coach Wooden, as part of it, sitting in a director's chair. So Wilt, always dominating everything, gets us all together and he says to Coach Wooden, 'Johnny -- always called him Johnny -- so, look around you, you're the coach. Who gets to start?'

"Wooden doesn't even hesitate. He says to Wilt, 'Which one of you won three NCAA titles?' Then he looks at Kareem."

Because he always has so many, Walton will get the last word. His teammates here would understand.

"People who don't know John Wooden come up to me and say, 'Ah, come on, you talk like he's perfect.' I tell them that he isn't perfect. That, actually, he's better than that."

--

Dwyre can be reached at bill.dwyre@latimes.com.

(photo credit: uclabruins.com)

Wisdom From The Wizard

By Jill Painter
L.A. Daily News

'It's the things you learn after you know it all that count.'
   

HE'S 96 NOW, but legendary basketball coach John Wooden still holds
close the values passed on by his father when he graduated from grammar
school.

In fact, tucked in his pocket is a copy of the seven-point
creed his dad gave him that day, planting the seed in a boy who became
known not only for his prowess on the court, but as a role model for
generations.

And now those sentiments about life - among them, "Don't
measure yourself by what you've accomplished, but what you should
accomplish with your abilities" - will grace a new line of
inspirational print products, from greeting cards to office supplies.

Wooden, who led UCLA to 10 national championships, is touched.
   

"Most
people agree that the greatest joy is to learn that something you've
said or done has been meaningful to others," Wooden said in a recent
interview.

"I'm happy they think something I've said or done has been meaningful to another."
   

It's
been 32 years since Wooden coached a championship Bruins team, but his
message - one that has little to do with basketball and much to do with
life - is more popular than ever.

Wooden and Steve Jamison,
who's co-authored most of his books, are writing another children's
book after the popularity of "Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success."
Quotes, advice and his definition of success will decorate calendars
and to-do lists, and his maxims will embellish an elementary school
planner.

Wooden also has a contract with General Mills for the John Wooden Leadership Course.
   

Then
there's the line of greeting cards being produced by Shade Tree
Greeting Co., of New York, which mounted successful lines carrying
inspirational thoughts from Ray Charles and Christopher Reeve.

Steve Hallowell, Shade Tree's vice president of sales and
marketing, got hooked on Wooden's literary work after reading an
Esquire magazine article that included some of the coach's quotes.

The only question was if others would be equally receptive. A focus group of 60 people provided the answer.
   

"Seventy-five percent of the people didn't know who he was at all," Hallowell said, "but they loved his thoughts."
   

The
cards are still in the development stage, with releases scheduled in
August and January. Conceivably, one could mail a Wooden card from the
U.S. post office in Reseda that was renamed in Wooden's honor last
October.

"There's some very powerful learning that can be put into greeting cards," Hallowell said.
   

"We
look at them as cards that can encourage, motivate and inspire a broad
group of people. Some are blank inside, so a person can add their own
ideas. On some, we put one of Coach's maxims on the front. Some, you
learn more about him through a story or more information.

"The response (through market research) is that people just loved it."
   

Wooden has long explained his teaching methods and motivational techniques through books and personal appearances.
   

Fans
can now enjoy his ideas through his Web site - www.coachjohnwooden.com
- which Jamison just updated, adding video interviews with a dapper
Wooden taped in the office of his Encino home.

And, of course, the Web site includes Wooden's famed
Pyramid of Success, an invention of 25 behaviors he believes help an
individual achieve competitive greatness.

John Russett, vice president of manufacturing for General
Mills, which hosts Wooden's leadership academies, says he's learned to
communicate better with his employees using the former coach's lessons.

"General Mills is constantly looking for different ways to
develop our organization's search for the gold standard in whatever
we're doing," Russett said. "Clearly, he's a gold standard for teaching
and coaching. His message can cut across so many different levels. We
believe everyone is a leader and can benefit from his teachings."

Basketball great Bill Walton, the star of Wooden's
championship teams in 1972 and 1973, never paid much attention to
Wooden's maxims while playing for the Bruins, but he lives by them now.

Two of Wooden's better-known adages hang on the wall of
Walton's home office in San Diego: "Everything you know and learned is
from someone else," and "Most of what we learn is what not to do. It's
the things you learn after you know it all that count."

"The thing about John Wooden, he's like a great rock 'n'
roll song by (Bob) Dylan or (Jerry) Garcia or Neil Young or Crosby,
Stills & Nash or Carlos Santana," Walton said. "They're timeless,
even though the words are the same and the music is the same. Every day
your situation and experience in life gives you a different
relationship to that song, that person."

Walton talks with Wooden by phone every day and frequently
visits his mentor. And while he went on to a 13-year NBA career and is
now a courtside analyst for ESPN, Walton's favorite memories include
his former coach.

"There aren't enough adjectives in the dictionary to
describe the joy, the happiness, the positive upbeat nature and the
sense of hope that anybody who has been touched by John Wooden or UCLA
has. You can't adequately convey how perfect, how special it was.

"I don't think any of us had any idea what Coach Wooden meant to us while we played for him."
   

While
the Bruins players and their fans were familiar with the coach's
teachings, it wasn't until the publication of "Wooden" a decade ago
that the franchise really took off.

"The book came at a time when it put Coach back in front of
people again," Jamison said. "It brought him back to the public in a
way that didn't just talk about 10 national championships ... All of a
sudden, people went, `Holy cow! What a great person.' They looked at
John Wooden again."

Most of Wooden's keys to success come from philosophies
instilled by his father. He has a seven-point creed - where the popular
phrase "make each day your masterpiece" came from - which his father
gave him. He still keeps a copy in his pocket and has copies to give to
friends, family and fans.

"A lot of it comes into play about the origin of how my
definition of success came about," Wooden said. "It came from my father
Joshua, who said never try to be better than somebody else.

"Never cease trying to be the best you can be, whether it's you or me or someone else."
   

[reprinted with permission]

John Wooden Released From Hospital

By The Associated Press

John Wooden was resting at home today after his hospital release. The
96-year-old former UCLA basketball coach had been hospitalized since
Sunday.

"He is at home and doing well," daughter Nan Muehlhausen said in a statement relased by UCLA.

She said he was thankful for people's thoughts, prayers, cards and notes.

"Dad needs his rest, so we are asking people not to visit or call him on the telephone at this time," she added.

Wooden was taken to the hospital when he began to have symptoms similar
to those from a year ago when he was hospitalized for diverticulitis,
an inflammation of pockets in the colon.

Doctors later believed he had a reaction to a combination of
medications, including one for arthritis, according to his daughter. He
also had an elevated heart rate Thursday.

Wooden coached the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships in a 12-year span
before retiring in 1975 with a 620-147 record in 27 years at UCLA.

(photo credit: AP)

Wooden Hospitalized But Doing Well

By Bruin Basketball Report

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was hospitalized for treatment of a possible recurrence of diverticulitis. He was admitted to a Los Angeles-area hospital Sunday because of bleeding
in the colon.

He's absolutely doing fine,'' daughter Nancy Muehlhausen said. "He's laughing and cracking jokes. He looks good.''

Wooden had four blood transfusions since Sunday. Doctors
could keep Wooden in the hospital for a couple of more days, but
Muehlhausen said her father was doing well.

"Dad is in good spirits,'' she said. "He lost a lot of blood but has gained his strength back thanks to the transfusions.''

Wooden was hospitalized for three days in April 2006 for
diverticulitis, a condition in which inflammations occur in pockets in
the colon. It can lead to serious infection if contents from the
intestine leak into the abdomen.

Doctors now feel he suffered from a reaction to a combination of medications, including one for arthritis, Muehlhausen said.

Patients with mild diverticulitis are usually treated with
antibiotics and placed on a liquid or high-fiber diet. In severe cases,
surgery may be required to remove the diseased part of the colon.

Wooden was scheduled to speak Wednesday to the Kansas State University athletic department but had to cancel.

(photo credit: AP)

'Don't call me Coach'

By Steve Hanlon
hanlon@nwitimes.com
Times of Northwest Indiana

(reprinted with permission)
 

Pete Trgovich played for UCLA under Coach John Wooden from 1972-75

John Calipari was inside the John A. Baratto Center in September. The
men's basketball coach at Memphis was watching the E.C. Central players
at an open gym. He was observing junior Angel Garcia, whom Calipari is
recruiting.

As the balls bounced on the floor, Cardinals coach
Pete Trgovich spoke strategy with the coach who has made nine NCAA
tournaments in 14 years of Division I coaching and one Final Four.
Calipari spent an hour diagraming his new offensive system on the
chalkboard, as Trgovich took notes.

As the weeks went on, Trgovich and Calipari spoke on the phone every week or two.

A
long-distance friendship developed, which has helped Trgovich's team
advance to Saturday's Class 4A Lafayette Jeff Semistate against
seven-time state champion Marion. The winner moves on to the state
championship game at Conseco Fieldhouse.

"We haven't had a great
chance of running his stuff, because once we do, we see a zone,"
Trgovich said of Calipari's intricate motion offense, which opens up
the floor for individual one-on-one play. "We've seen a lot of zone
this year."

With three D-I athletes -- Purdue-bound E'Twaun
Moore, Garcia and Kawann Short -- on the floor, that's another reason
people play zone versus E.C. But against Valparaiso in Saturday's
regional championship, when Garcia and Short were in foul trouble,
Trgovich "went small." The perimeter-oriented players ran Calipari's
offense to perfection, continuously getting to the basket against
6-foot-8 standouts Scott Martin and Rob Hummel.

"When you speak
to college coaches, they seem more willing to share stuff," Trgovich
said. "It's a little different with high school coaches."

Trgovich's
resume has the greatest college coach in history, UCLA's John Wooden,
on it. After leading E.C. Washington to the 1971 Indiana state
championship, he played for Wooden and was a part of two Bruins
national championship teams. Wooden's shadow hangs over Trgovich, even
if he isn't comfortable with it.

"I tell people, 'Don't call me
Coach,'" Trgovich said. "To me, there was only one coach and that's
John Wooden. Everything we do fundamentally I learned from Coach
Wooden. I want to give him credit. My critics see what we're doing and
they say, 'That's not what Wooden did.'

"And they're right. That's why he's John Wooden and I'm not."

When
Trgovich moved back to the Region from Southern California, he had no
interest in coaching. Then, he got an itch and became a volunteer
assistant at Purdue Cal and the die was cast. From there, he took over
at South Suburban College, where he was the head coach for four years,
followed by four years as an assistant at Loyola of Chicago.

Every place he's been, Wooden's voice remains in Trgovich's head. And this rings true with these Cardinals.

"We
feel like we're the best conditioned team in the state," Trgovich said.
"Our practices, the kids are always moving, always running."

Trgovich
then laughed about his UCLA days, where the Bruins were told by Wooden
they were the best conditioned team in the country. But the second-year
E.C. coach learned something when he read a book by Wooden a couple of
years ago.

"He said that even if we weren't the best conditioned
team in the country, if we thought we were, then he had done his job as
a coach," Trgovich said.

Like UCLA under the Wizard of Westwood,
E.C. plays a brutal schedule, rated the 27th toughest in the state by
Jeff Sagarin's computer. No other Region team was close. Playing in the
Indianapolis North Central tournament, the Region Roundball Rumble,
along with games against Indianapolis Pike and Arlington, made his team
ready for March.

"We were always playing big games with Wooden,"
Trgovich said. "I agree with that. Those games got us ready for the
postseason, more than anything else."

Another area where
Wooden's shadow hits the gym walls in East Chicago is the expanded time
spent in practice shooting, which was a Wooden trait. While Moore and
Garcia are the best perimeter marksmen, other Cardinals have won
postseason games by knocking down free throws late.

In the past, that didn't happen and E.C. lost big games.

"Hey, we work hard at those," Moore said. "We don't overlook free throws. We can't. If we did we would've lost already."

Moore
has brought a lot of college coaches into E.C.'s gym the last three
years. But he said that Calipari's schemes have helped to give the
Cardinals options they didn't have before.

"We've tried that
offense a few times and it's worked pretty good," Moore said. "Because
of what teams have done, we can't do it all the time. But it's been
good when we've used it, like against Valpo."

Trgovich and his
staff have influenced this team in ways the public doesn't always see.
But the shadow of great basketball minds are behind some of the
success. For Trgovich, he just wants to keep the focus on his players.

"If people come up to me and call me Coach, I tell them to just call me Pete," he said.

Note: Pete Trgovich's East Chicago Central Cardinals won the Indiana Class 4A State championship last Saturday, defeating Indianapolis North Central led by stand-out Eric Gordon, 87-83, before a sold-out Conseco Fieldhouse.

A Tribute to John Wooden

Hall of Fame Magazine's (HOFMag.com) Tribute to John Wooden

Success In The Teachings Of a Lifetime
by Andrew Hill
Monday, November 27
[read story]

Faith, Love and Lessons from an Old Coach
by John Vallely
Tuesday, November 28
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A HOF Dinner With John Wooden
by Frank Pace
Wednesday, November 29
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Words for a Lifetime: A Tribute to Coach
by Swen Nater
Thursday, November 30
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In His Own Words
by John Wooden
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Success In The Teachings Of A Lifetime

By Andrew Hill
HOFMAG.com

One of a four part tribute to UCLA Head Coach John Wooden

My senior year as a high school basketball player in Los Angeles far exceeded my hopes. I averaged over 27 points, 12 assists and five rebounds a game as our team went undefeated in league play. I was named to the All City team and was clearly one of the top players in Southern California. Dozens of colleges came after me during that winter of 1968, but they were all a blur when it became clear that a scholarship to UCLA was in the cards. Sitting at training table between Coach Wooden and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (still Lew Alcindor at this point) was so thrilling that I felt like I was living a dream.

I understand now that this dreamlike state set in motion by the recruiting process is probably at the root of much of the pain and disappointment that young ballplayers experience when their dreams of starring in college never come to pass.

(Go to HOFMAG.com to read rest of story)

Wooden Inducted into Hall of Fame

By Bruin Basketball Report

Legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame today in a ceremony held in the Crown Center Exhibit Hall in Kansas City. 

Wooden was joined in the inaugural class by Dean Smith (North Carolina), Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati), Bill Russell (USF), and Dr. James Naismith.

They stand for more than 100 former players, coaches and contributors currently members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, MA) with strong college roots, who will be automatically included in the new college hall.

"Our committee identified these five. You could make it 12, or 30 or 50. Wherever you draw the line, you could say what a great group," said Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. "But the five representing this founding class had significant impact on college basketball."

Wooden and Russell traded a few good old memories from their days together with the audience.

"A couple of times I thought that I had a pretty good team and we had to play them in the tournament and they knocked us out," said Wooden, his lips curling into a smile. "He never said he was sorry."

"We won those back-to-back championships, and I remember the last game we lost was to Coach Wooden in Westwood," Russell said. "And we left there with the conclusion that if you wanted to lose a game, go to Westwood."

The Hall of Fame is part of the College Basketball Experience, an interactive attraction that will eventually be incorporated into the new Sprint Center arena, set to open in downtown Kansas City next year.

Organizers say the Kansas City Hall is not meant to compete with the Naismith hall nor with the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn

Coach Wooden coached at UCLA from 1948 to 1975 compiling a record of 620-147. (808) and led the Bruins to 10 national championships. As a collegiate basketball player in Indiana, Wooden was a three time All-American at Purdue (1930-32) and was named College Basketball Player of the Year in 1932.

(photo credit: L.A. Times)

Wooden Honored By Post Office On 96th Birthday

Associated Press

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden got a special gift for his 96th birthday on Saturday.

The Reseda post office in the San Fernando Valley was dedicated in his honor.

University of California, Los Angeles, cheerleaders were on hand and the school's alumni band played "Happy Birthday."

Wooden, looking dapper in a navy suit and bolo tie, and walking well despite a cane, told a crowd in front of a blocked-off street that he was humbled and appreciative, said Richard Maher, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.

"Nobody expects to be around to 96," the coach told the crowd, according to Maher.

"Someone asked me if I was afraid of death," Wooden said. "I've been blessed too many ways to be afraid of death. You people here today have blessed me."

Maher said someone asked Wooden the secret of his longevity.

"I've always practiced moderation and I have peace within," he replied.

Wooden coached UCLA for 27 years, retiring in 1975 with a record of 620-147 and 10 national titles.

Legislation to dedicate the Reseda post office for Wooden was sponsored by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Los Angeles, and signed by President Bush in August. A plaque noting the dedication will be placed inside the building, Maher said.

Wooden has lived in nearby Encino for more than 30 years but his local post office was renamed in 2002 in honor of the late Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn.

Wooden's daughter, Nancy Muehlhausen, lives in Reseda. She and Wooden's son, Jim, were on hand for the dedication.

(photo credit: AP)

Nearly 96, Wooden Still A Driving Force

By Steve Bisheff
Orange County Register

It shouldn't be surprising that John Wooden, still in remarkably good health, is cruising toward his 96th birthday Saturday.

What is surprising is that he still is cruising - literally. "Oh yes, I drive on occasion," the legendary former UCLA coach said. "I'm still pretty good at it, too."

Somehow, the image of Wooden out in the street near his Encino condo doing wheelies in that trusty 1994 Ford Taurus seems a bit of a stretch.

But nothing this wise, dignified gentleman does now should shock anyone. No matter how many times you're with him, he always leaves you thinking he's unlike anyone you have met along the busy road of life.

On my most recent visit, I brought my son, Greg, a basketball coach and teacher in Calabasas, figuring it was time he listened to a few pearls of wisdom from the finest basketball coach of all time.

Like everyone else I have taken to Wooden's condo, Greg was transfixed. He asked questions, he laughed heartily at one of Wooden's jokes he couldn't wait to repeat later to friends, and he generally squeezed every ounce he could out of the experience.

Later, I asked him what his overall impression was.

"You kind of come away feeling better about yourself," Greg said. "He looks at the good in everything. There's nothing negative about him."

It is remarkable how Wooden transcends generations. The young, the old, the in-between, it doesn't matter. He somehow manages to relate to them all.

John Vallely knows. A former Corona del Mar and Orange Coast College star, Vallely transferred to UCLA and became one of the better shooting guards of the Wooden Era.

He played on two national championship teams, one in 1968-69, in then Lew Alcindor's senior season, the other in 1969-70, Sidney Wicks' breakout year.

Since then, Vallely, 58, has had his luck take a much harsher turn. He and his wife, Karen, suffered through every parent's nightmare, the loss of a child. Their daughter, Erin, died at 12 after a courageous, two-year fight with cancer.

As if that hadn't been gut-wrenching enough, then Vallely was diagnosed with cancer. He has been battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and has had to undergo two stem cell transplants.

In one, he received DNA from an unknown German donor. Upbeat Vallely immediately fantasized that the gentleman was related to NBA star Dirk Nowitzki.

"My jumpshot might improve!" Vallely e-mailed his friends.

"That's all fine, John," wrote back Kenny Heitz, his old teammate, "but does the German guy pass?"

His former backcourt mate's humor helped, but at one point Vallely acknowledged he had become understandably despondent over his situation. So he reached out to an old friend.

"I called Coach Wooden to say, `I had lost faith. I had no hope,'" Vallely said. "Within a second, this wise man responded, `be patient, John. Your faith will return.'"

His coach's soothing reassurance proved true. His faith did come back.

Vallely recently was inducted into UCLA's Sports Hall of Fame, and although he loves to talk about his playing days, most of his conversation with a reporter centered on the man who helped shape him as an athlete and a person.

"His greatest joy is giving to others," he said of Wooden. "I really thinks he gets energy from doing it."

Like so many of Wooden's former players, Vallely tries to visit the coach as often as he can, whether it's joining him for breakfast at Wooden's favorite Encino coffee shop or just sitting around the tiny condo that is like a basketball museum.

"If you had a chance to play for this man, you realize you have a friend and mentor for life," Vallely said.

"What he taught was the essence of relationships and competition. It applies on the basketball court and, more important, it applies to how you live your life."

It is no wonder Wooden seems to receive a special honor every time he turns around. Already a school in the San Fernando Valley has been named after him. Next will be a post office.

As part of his 96th birthday celebration, the John Wooden Post Office in Reseda, near his daughter Nan's house, will become a reality.

Congressman Brad Sherman sponsored the legislation that won congressional approval, and President Bush signed the bill in August.

The official ceremony will be held Saturday morning in Reseda, where politicians, friends, family and many of his celebrated former players will gather to again pay tribute to this extraordinary man.

It is set to begin at 10 a.m., but like most of these functions, the festivities tend to be less punctual than the coach prefers. This man who always demanded his players be on time believes in practicing what he preached.

So expect Wooden to be among the first to arrive Saturday.

Especially if he decides to drive there himself.

(reprinted with permission)

(photo credit: AP)