Of Basketball, of John Wooden and of Life

I played basketball when I was young, I played a lot of basketball, at a competitive league, in school - elementary, middle school, JV, varsity; I spent hours on a daily basis on a basketball court. I don't play anymore, in fact I haven't played competitive basketball (other than pick-up games) since I turned 18 years old (I went to a Division I university, one with a pretty good basketball program - not that I would've had a chance in Division III anyway).

I always look back and think about what that time investment gave me... and today I believe it gave me a lot. Beyond the physical exercise and the camaraderie, competitive/organized basketball provides a lot of very good things for later in life. It taught me to be unselfish, to understand how far true teamwork can take you, it gave me enough experiences to understand that sharing success with others is better than sharing success by yourself.   It teaches you the meaning of competition - that feeling of having an opponent yet knowing that their excellence is nothing more than a goal/target for yourself to improve; and for when that success is reached it then means so much more.   It teaches you that actions have reactions- both in the good sense and the in the bad sense; the unwritten code of behaviour that says that everything we do is not in a vacuum and that it has consequences.  Lastly, among so many other things, it teaches you that hard work gets you closer to any goal you may have, there is no such thing as a free lunch, hard work is as necessary in life as it is on a basketball court.


I could write for hours of the many things that basketball gives players or coaches...but, I want to get to John Wooden, the legendary UCLA coach who yesterday died four months before his 100th birthday. While I never met him and never saw him coach (I was born the day before he coached his last game at UCLA - winning the national championship against Kentucky on 3/31/75), I've read about him and followed him for quite some time. I always struck me how a nice and humble person had been so successful, in fact the most successful college basketball coach (arguably on any sport) of all time. Just scratching the surface of his thoughts provides a lot of insight as to how this man was so successful in trade and in life - I would say as successful in LIFE as anyone can be, here are some of his quotes:

• Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.
• Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
• If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.
• It isn't what you do, but how you do it.
• Never mistake activity for achievement.
• Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
• Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
• Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
• The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.
• You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
• Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.

He also shared thoughts from his father: "The Seven Point Creed"

• Be true to yourself.
• Make each day your masterpiece.
• Help others.
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
• Make friendship a fine art.
• Build a shelter against a rainy day.
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

He wrote various books, which will become more popular now... and perhaps his main one was based on something he instilled on his UCLA players: the Pyramid of Success (which also has an application for life) - the attributes required to be a winner on the court and in life.
 
I have no doubt John Wooden would have been successful in anything he set out to do - he was successful as a husband, father, grandfather, friend, basketball coach, author, lecturer, among others.... in the same way he would have been successful as a CEO or even as a politician (maybe not, he was too nice , :)). 
 
May he rest in peace and may his teachings and examples which are applicable on the court as off the court (for basketball as in life) serve various generations in the future.