The Day the Wizard of Westwood Paid a ‘Visit’ to Redmill Jr. High

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.” – Proverbs 3:13

John Wooden. Legendary men’s basketball coach at UCLA, 1948-1975. His teams won 10 National Championships in 12 years—a record likely never to be broken.

Thanks to my principal and seventh grade basketball coach, Mr. Larry Banks, I got to “meet” John Wooden in 1978.

No, I didn’t get to shake Coach Wooden’s hand. No, I didn’t get to talk with him, nor did I actually see him in person, but I was “introduced” to him through one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read, entitled They Call Me Coach.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Banks for directing me to Wooden’s seminal work in my formative years. Though our school was an aging building constructed during the Depression era and sported a cramped library with limited choice, that volume by John Wooden opened a whole new world to me both internally and externally.

Being a college basketball fan, I devoured the book in short order, and the lessons I learned from it took up residence then, and they continue to live in me to this present moment, providing inspiration, challenge, and direction.

At 14, I had no idea that I would one day spend 29 years as a teacher and coach, so providentially meeting the “Wizard of Westwood” at such a young age helped prepare me for my career. The principles and truths laid out in Wooden’s story provided a solid foundation on which to build my own philosophy of teaching and coaching.

Examples: Pay attention to the little things. Fundamentals matter. Learn to do things correctly, then repeat those things with intention. Hard work pays off. If you practice hard and do things right, winning will take care of itself. Learn how to win and lose with class and dignity. Care more about the team than your own individual success.

Here’s a particularly powerful quote that settled into my soul: “Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.”

That I have done, because wisdom declares that one should pay close attention to those who have been successful by living life well, and none lived better than Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

So, what’s the message? This: point young people in the direction of learning about, and from, great people, because you never know where that might lead. They may well end up living a fuller, richer life because of the extraordinary individuals they “meet” along the way.

I am forever indebted to Mr. Banks, my mentor and friend, for introducing me to the Wizard of Westwood at Redmill Jr. High School. My life has been, and is, the better for it, and I hope the same is true for the many wonderful students and players I was privileged to teach and coach.

Finally, a parting bit of inspiration from Coach Wooden: “Never try to be better than somebody else. But most importantly, never cease trying to be the best you can be.”

A fellow beggar along the Way,

Greg