Bill Walton Remembers John Wooden

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LOS ANGELES (GaeaTimes.com)- The shock over the death of John Wooden is still not over. Naturally, most of the basketball community finds it hard to accept the fact that an icon of the game is no longer here. Although at 99, the death was more or less expected, still the news does not fail to come as a shocker, considering that John Wooden had been a legend in the University of California, Los Angeles, where he had coached for many years, and had 10 National Championships under his belt. Following his death, his former students and colleagues have expressed their deep shock and sorrow at the death of a legend. One of them was Bill Walton, who confessed in his statement that he had regarded John Wooden as more than just a coach.

Bill Walton had coached under the leadership of John Wooden when he attended the UCLA during 1970 to 1974. He said that his relationship with the coach did not merely remain restricted to that, but stretched far beyond. In the very turbulent period, while the United States was still waging a futile and ruthless war against Vietnam, Bill Walton found in John Wooden a teacher who was not only an outstanding coach, but also a supporter of many of his theories and actions. Bill Walton himself was much involved in anti-war movements and other political propaganda.

Even as a coach, Bill Walton commented, John Wooden was amazing. Not only were his techniques great, he never set impossible targets before his students, and only asked them to do something of he had first ensured that the targets are achievable.