Wooden

I didn't know much about John Wooden and his 10 basketball championships. After reading this book, I realized why he won those championships. Wooden reflects on his experience as a coach and also what he learned from his dad. The thoughts presented in this book are timeless. I have read this book more than 10 times and still look forward to read it. Just reading Wooden's philosophy makes me feel better. It changed my outlook towards life.

This brief book is full of wisdom and heart.
If you have never read anything by or about John Wooden, this is the place to start.

This book was written from the perspective of a man who was (and is) successful at what he has done, it is not a book about a basketball coach. The fact that it was written by a basketball coach is entirely incidental.

That said, it is a very worthwhile read, particularly (in my opinion) for people who are bringing up children. There are no many good life lessons delineated here, most of which are based on common sense, which can be easily passed on.

The whole book reads as one lesson after another, in quick bursts, such as the old "Jack Handey" blurbs.

It has the sort of timeless feel that makes you think you'd want to re-read it every 5 years or so.

A great leader is great for many reasons, but none more important than credibility. Once established, a leader is free to develop others and mold them into becoming the best they can be. Mr. Wooden personifies that attribute and few will ever match him, particularly in todays money grubbing environment at the college level. There's a movie out now about the 1966 NCAA basketball championship (the year UCLA failed to win during coach Wooden's magnificent 10 of 11 titles) and the focus of the movie is on Coach Wooden's peer and rival, Adolph Rupp, who won 4 titles in 42 years. Coach Rupp was a great coach at Kentucky and built a fine program and unfortunately, his credibilty is being tarnished by this film. Coach Wooden has not suffered the same fate, nearly 30 years after retirement, because of these principles and beliefs. Buy this book if for no other reason than to understand how to establish and maintain credibility.

Whether you read it all at once or 1 page at a time, you can't help but be inspired by this humble man who had much to teach about basketball and much more to teach about life. Coach Wooden's writes in a simple, easy-to-understand manner that packs a powerful punch concerning what's important in life and what's not. Less of a sport's book and much more of a "how to" for life, this book makes a great gift for anyone, even those who aren't basketball or even sports fans.