UCLA Demonstrates Wooden Way, Tradition
You have to see it to understand.
We hear stories about John Wooden. We see his 97-year-old self interviewed time and time again (“I’d like to see them go-away with the dunk.”) We see the legendary coach perched behind the UCLA bench for nearly every UCLA home game.
But the frustrating part is this: What was the “Wooden way,” for those of us that weren’t around during his generation? How do we experience tradition, and not just talk about it?
Simple. Watch the current group of UCLA athletes that are striving for a 12th banner and third-consecutive Final Four.
They do it the way Wooden would have taught it: attention to detail, hard-nosed defensive basketball. Basketball that revolves around the extra pass above individual glory. Basketball that stresses rebounding, smart decision-making and discipline.
I’m biased as a lifetime UCLA supporter, but tradition spans across all fields of sport. Tradition, it seems, is what makes sport transcend across generations. It is fun to see the Boston Celtics succeed, only because that’s the way Red Auerbach would have taught it. You see Celtics coach Doc Rivers reference Auerbach’s legacy, you realize you’re part of a larger sports (and cultural) landscape. Vince Lombardi? Bill Walsh? Dean Smith?
Fortunately, our media paints these personalities in a positive light, but unfortunately, these coaches seem to be remembered for their legacy only after their death.
You can’t mess with tradition, and for that, remember those that make our sports the way they are today, even though our games are painted in an increasingly negative light. A game is supposed to be a game, pure and innocent.