John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach of UCLA.

March 30, 2013

John Wooden (continued)

Walt Hazzard was a great passer and a fine floor leader, and he understood what I wanted to do, but he tended to be flashy when it wasn't necessary.  It wasn't easy to get Walt to give up some of his bad habits.  Early in his sophomore year, I benched him against Colorado State, and we lost in double overtime.  I gave him three choices: play the game my way, sit and not play, or go someplace else.  He decided to quit and called his dad to tell him.  His dad talked with him about it.  Walt stayed and became one of the best ball handlers I ever coached.  His sophomore year, in the semifinals of the Final Four. we lost by two points to the eventual NCAA champions.  In his senior year (1964), he was a consensus All-american and played an

integral part in our first NCAA championship.

I found the bench to be the greatest ally I had to make individuals comply with what was best for the team.

As a result, we lost a few games but developed character in the lives of many young men.  We won more championships than any other team ever has, but more important, we developed champions on and off the court.