Coach Wooden’s Pursuit of Pure Teamwork
Swen Nater

Dick Enberg interviewing Coach Wooden after a game:

“Coach, that Sidney Wicks was something tonight. He was 11 for 16 from the field for 28 points. Your thoughts, Coach?” (Dick should have never asked that question. Here was Coach’s reply.)

“Dick, Sidney would have had a difficult time scoring if he didn’t have the ball. We had some pretty good passing out there tonight, wouldn’t you say? I think our rebounding was good tonight, which gave us possession of the ball so that those passers could get it to our scorers. Sidney did a fine job filling his role tonight but so did the others.” 

As a high school and college player in Indiana, Coach Wooden was raised in the team concept in its purest form. Particularly at Purdue under coach Piggy Lambert, he learned that no group can achieve the highest level of teamwork, Pure Teamwork, unless the best player (that was John Wooden who was the college student-athlete of the year) is without any hint of personal agenda other than to do whatever is needed for the team to succeed. He must be eager to sacrifice self-glory for the welfare of the group and that stardom, should it come, is provided by the other members of the team and is a secondary by-product of working together into a fine-oiled machine where no one cares who gets the credit and all have sold their egocentric soles to something much greater—beautiful, harmonious, and unadulterated unity.

Therefore, as a coach, Wooden protectively watched (as carefully as you watch your children at Disneyland) for things that would dilute Pure Teamwork. Coach Wooden’s biggest challenge in this effort was keeping the best players, the “stars,” from letting what the media and others were saying about them, get to their heads. He worked hard to get it through to them that each was only 1/5th of the team that was out on the floor. In order to accomplish that, he had to teach Pure Teamwork in the gym and also out of the gym.

Teaching Pure Teamwork in Pauley Pavilion
1. All players were dressed alike.
2. T-shirts were to be tucked in at all times.
3. Socks were to be pulled up at all times.
4. If you were late to practice, come to Coach with your excuse before getting dressed.
5. Seniors were responsible for leading drills.
6. The use of profanity was grounds for immediate dismissal from practice.
7. The length of your hair was to be short with sideburns no lower than the top of the earlobe (70s).
8. No flashiness to any degree.
9. The offense was designed for equal scoring opportunity although the most talented players ended up scoring more.
10. Equal importance was placed on the dribble and pass, compared to the scoring move.
11. Those who scored were to point at the passer and give him recognition.
12. Managers were treated as members of the coaching staff. They were not “gofers.” You put the ball on the rack yourself. You get the towel yourself. You get that drink yourself.

Teaching Pure Teamwork Outside of Pauley Pavilion
But Coach Wooden knew, all that teamwork produced on the floor of Pauley Pavilion, could be dismantled off the floor by the media, fans, and even those close to the star player. Off the floor, a player’s head can swell more than Coach could shrink it during practice and games. Here are some things (There were many more) he did, off the floor, to keep our feet on the ground, with the rest of the players.
1. On the road, we all wore blue blazers, white shirt, and blue and gold ties. Everyone was dressed alike, something very contrary to the spirit of the 60s and 70s.
2. No player was allowed to talk to the press.
3. With respect to the custodians of away teams, locker rooms were to be left as clean, or cleaner, than they were found. That meant towels were put in a pile, no scraps were left on the floor, and shower soap was discarded.
4. Bus drivers, flight attendants, and hotel personnel were to be respected. We were taught, through his example, no one was better than anyone else.  

With all this in mind, it is no surprise Coach Wooden answered Dick Enberg the way he did. If he had succumbed to Enberg’s question and praised Sidney without giving credit where credit was due, he would have compromised his most solid conviction, Pure Teamwork. Instead, he used the opportunity to maintain his team’s unified fabric by giving due recognition to those that would not get it from the media. Coach Wooden had one item on his agenda; it was to create a real “team” that displayed Pure Teamwork. What an absolutely splendid thing it was to watch the most talented players truly understand and believe, they were nothing without the rest of the team. 

The Little Nut
Swen Nater

I’m just a lug nut—slight and minute.
My job is to fasten the wheel.
Like gears and the clutch,
I’m not noticed so much.
I guess I’m just not a big deal.

Now the engine, it roars and makes folks stop and stare,
At that powerful, glorious, machine.
And the wheels have a shine,
So much better than mine,
Made of chrome and impeccably clean.

But will someone remind those two “stars” of the team,
That without me they’ll not get too far?
All that power and chrome,
Isn’t getting back home,
If that wheel doesn’t stay on the car.