The Philosophies Of John Wooden, They Call Me Coach

Another similarity between the coaches’ philosophies was that they felt like they should let the players play during the game without too much interference from the coaches. John Wooden believed that coaches should prepare the players well enough prior to the game so that during game time the players can go out there and do what they trained, without feedback from the coaching staff. He said that necessary adjustments should be made at halftime or during time-outs, but didn’t believe that yelling at the players during play was a good idea because it would distract them from the game (Wooden, They Call Me Coach, 218). In ancient times, Philostratus writes that trainers were not of much use to the athletes. “As for cases where trainers have been

Wooden did not believe in home visits, while Schembechler and Summitt strongly believed in checking out the home of the recruits before offering any offers. Wooden went on a total of 12 home visits throughout his career (Wooden, They Call Me Coach, 220). During one visit he describes, “While I was chatting with his parents, his mother asked me a question. Before I could answer, the young man interrupted and said, “Mom, how can you be so ignorant? Anyone so stupid should just keep still.” I was appalled, although neither parent seemed to take offense at his rudeness.” (Wooden, They Call Me Coach, 222). Wooden went on to revoke the scholarship. This is an example of how crucial home visits can be and it is the reason why Schembechler and Summitt partook in those visits. Seeing the home of the player gives an entirely different perspective about the way they live and what they are actually like outside of school or their sport. The way Schembechler put it, “The home visit can cut both ways. If we lost a few in the home, I’ll bet twice that many prospects lost us during our visit. Some guys probably didn’t realize it, but we were checking them out, too.” (Schembechler, Bo’s Lasting Lessons, 111). In Philostratus’ Gymnasticus, he talks a lot about what the athletes should look like, what they should eat, and how they should deal with certain issues that may arise (Philostratus, Gymnasticus, 30-44).

Wooden believed in not being equal, but fair. He would judge what he thought was the most appropriate approach to specific problems and carry them out accordingly (Wooden, They Call Me Coach, 183). For example, Bill Walton, one of Wooden’s best players ever, had knee problems so Wooden gave him special privileges. Walton was allowed to call timeouts during games when he felt his knee could not take much more and he could also choose whether or not he practiced the Monday following a game (Wooden, They Call Me Coach, 183). Schembechler did not agree with Wooden’s philosophy. Schembechler responded to Wooden’s methods by saying, “If it’s not equal, it’s not fair, and everyone on your team already knows it! The fastest way to demoralize your team is to make exceptions for the stars.” (Schembechler, Bo’s Lasting Lessons, 123). Schembechler believed that no one can be above the team so everything had to remain fair and equal. However, Schembechler later goes on to mention that he did treat his seniors differently and everyone knew about it and looked forward to it. The difference was that every senior got the special treatment, it wasn’t just the stars. Seniors, starters or bench, were all given the bonuses. One example, was the plane tickets. The seniors were the only ones who got to ride in first class. All the others, including staff, did not get that privilege