“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do”, as the great John Wooden would say. In the vignette Coach Wooden and Me by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the author talks about how his basketball coach became his best friend and influenced his life in many distinctive ways. This tale tells the story of how two vastly different, yet successful individuals in John Wooden and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar altered each other’s lives for the better. I think the author wrote this book to share the wisdom of Coach Wooden in hopes of changing young lives similarly to how his life was changed by informing Coach Wooden’s ideas, for instance his Pyramid of Success and his many inspirational quotes, one being:”Be more concerned about you character than your reputation, as your character is who you truly are and your …show more content…
He “cheated death” twice in his life, one time being in the Navy and was going to be on a boat, but came down with appendicitis and his replacement got killed by a suicide Japanese mission. The second time was when Coach was booking a flight to Oklahoma, but something came up and he had to delay his flight. Sadly, the flight that he should’ve been on crashed and killed everybody on board. Due to these unfortunate events, John Wooden is grateful for everything in his life, and lots of his selflessness rubbed off onto the people around him. Part of this selflessness showed when the author Kareem (a very tall “black” man and a devout Muslim) was going through very hard times in the era where racism was stronger than ever, John Wooden defended Kareem when nobody would and became angrier than Kareem when a racial slur was said towards Kareem. Due to this and many more, Kareem helped out Mr. Wooden in the latter years of his life in return. This became the foundation of one of the most inspiring and unusual friendships in sports
I chose to review “Leading with the Heart Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business and Life” Mike Krzyzewski, Donald T. Phillips, and Grant Hill (Forward), 2001. The book is written by Duke Basketball coach Krzyzewski, in it he recalls some of his most significant games and events in his career. He also offers advice to anyone who is trying to do better in life. Coach K, "There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride." The book has four sections; Preseason, Regular Season, Postseason, and All-Season. Each section four chapters. In each chapter he provides readers with an understanding into how he selects, learns about, and builds his team.
Experiences throughout your life reflect morals, attitudes, and the person you become overall. Hanif Abdurraqib analyzes Allen Iverson's background, with all of his hardships, and introspects how his future resulted from resilience and raw skill. Iverson grew up very poor with a variety of elements that were going against him. Abdurraqib even added, “The thing about Allen Iverson is that it felt like he should've never made it,” (Abdurraqib 130). Iversons background was a lot different from other famous athletes.
An example of this connection is presented when Williamson describes how “Indiana’s Bobby Knight, seeking to clean house after a disappointing 1996-97 season, drove starting point guard Neil Reed out of town with one year of eligibility remaining. Reed left, but not before accusing Knight of physical and emotional abuse.” This example helps Williamson to show the reader that coaches, driven by hunger for victory and money, now are succumbing to the desire for wealth. Bobby Knight drove Niel Reed out of his team because Niel Reed wasn’t “up to par” and didn’t help the team enough for them to have a successful season. This makes the reader understand the harm and pain caused by Knight’s actions, and presents a situation that the reader could possibly relate to and subsequently feel more connected to; thus persuading the reader to obey the call to action used by Williamson in the last paragraph.
It all started with an email seeking freshman male in his coaching and administration program. The 2012 graduate of UConn’s Sport Administration and coaching program, William Aloia, says this future success as the Associate Athletic Director for The College of St. Rose started out by almost” falling into his lap”. The New Jersey native began his undergraduate experience with two Division-I parents, and like an abundance of people he knew that working in sport was something he wanted to do. Previously a part of the Kinesiology department under the late Joe Marrone, Will jumped on the opportunity posted through an email and started his freshman year as a basketball manager for the very successful UConn’s basketball program. He explains how this experience “opened his door up”. Will states; “once I started at UConn working with the women’s basketball program and being around collegiate athletics at such a high level it’s really something in itself, and unbelievable experience. I knew it was for me, I didn’t know which part for sure, but I knew this was something I wanted to do.” What Will realized very quickly realized about working in sport is that often times it is a thankless job. However, that did not stop him from finishing his undergraduate career as a four-year manager for the basketball team. The motivation for Will early in his career has been a two-dimensional illustration of success.
They must clarify values. Norman Dale valued teamwork. He believed that no player was more important than the other and he expressed this during practice and showed it by changing the way the Hickory Huskers practiced. Unlike the town who wanted to get their star player back and keep the basketball in his hands and not confuse the boys by changing their routine, the new coach wanted to break these barriers. He “modeled the way” by sticking to his values and ignoring the pestering from the fathers and other townsfolk who invited themselves to practice and by kick out players who did not want to listen during practice.
You are going to fail more times you succeed so keep trying because success is on its way. To start, the fiction book Playmakers, written by Mike Lupica, is about the rivalry between Ben McBain and Chase Braggs in basketball. Ben plays for the Rockwell Rams and Chase plays for Darby Bears. The author shows us the battles between Ben and Chase and the problems Ben faces such as one of there best players getting hurt. In the book two main themes show. The first theme is never give up and the second theme is treat others the way you want to be treated. These two themes show up throughout the book multiple times.
“After God and my father, I respect Larry Bird more than anyone,” said basketball legend, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. With the odds set against him, a country boy from the basketball hotbed of Indiana, Bird was able to make a name for himself and has left an impact on the basketball world like no other. Creating an image was hard for Bird; he dropped out of Indiana University after just twenty-four days because he was unable to adjust to the crowded university culture. Bird worked as a garbage man after he dropped out, forgoing his basketball career to spend time at home. Bird loved his time as a garbage man, where he learned to enjoy the simpler parts of life. Bird’s father committed suicide during this time, forcing him
Growing up on a farm in the early 1900s induced a strong work ethic for Wooden, as during that time he had no electricity and little money. His three brothers accompanied him as he grew up. They would play basketball in their barn and it was there where he grew to love the game. At the age of 14, he became a star basketball player and led his high school team to a state championship. Once college came around, he went on to play at Purdue as a guard. There he earned three straight All-America selections and went on to
Joe Ehrmann describes how he has developed his philosophy of coaching by relating the story of his life in his youth, high school and in college describing two different types of coaches he had played for. The first are coaches who were impersonal, authoritarian, and sometimes abusive which he calls transactional coaches; this is in contrast to the humane coaches he calls transformative coaches. Coaches must face this responsibility because we all remember our coaches. “This is the awesome power and responsibility of coaching: You give your players memories, for better or for worse that stay with them until the day they die” (Ehrmann, 2011 p 46-47). Joe Erhmann goes on to ask, “What is the moral and ethical composition of their program?
Great Teammates. When Kareem was with the Milwaukee Bucks, he got the chance to play with Oscar Robertson who was another hall of famer that greatly assisted him. Then, when he signed with the lakers he had a full team of hall of famers to help him out, most notably Magic Johnson. Personally, this teaches me that depending and trusting your teammates is very important for a long and successful
During the 1980s and 1990s the new HIV disease began to emerge in society and with it came harsh stereotypes and discrimination against those who contracted it. Simultaneously, one of the most talented and influential point guards in basketball was dominating the sport: Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Throughout his career Johnson gained three Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards and was admitted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (“Magic Johnson”). However, on November 7, 1991, Johnson announced his diagnosis of HIV and his retirement from the National Basketball Association (NBA). Following this abrupt and unexpected event, Johnson became one of the leading figures in the fight against AIDS. The Magic Johnson Foundation was founded and is still dedicated to educating communities about AIDS. The charitable and influential work Johnson contributed to the research of AIDS revealed him as not just an extraordinary basketball player but also as an extraordinary human being (“Magic Johnson”). A few years after Johnson’s diagnosis, he released his autobiography, My Life. My Life describes the childhood and competitive basketball years of Johnson as well as his announcement of contracting HIV. In the article, “New and Noteworthy Paperbacks”, by Laurel Graeber, reviewer Harvey Araton describes Magic Johnson’s autobiography, My Life, as “best when he shares his insights about his coaches and fellow players” (Graeber). The article has positive things to say about Johnson’s autobiography such
I will inspire athletes to demonstrate good character. Sports do not have an influence on one’s character; however, coaches can strongly impact athletes’ character, both negatively and positively. For this reason, I will work to coach in ways that support the growth of athletes’ character and create learning opportunities and situations in which athletes can practice and learn from. As a coach, I will lead by example and demonstrate good character because actions speak louder than words. I will do this by embodying sportsmanship and respecting athletes, opponents, other coaches, and referees. I will also show this to athletes by respecting, caring, and being trustworthy. I will also lead by example by staying
In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young
With the right influence, communication and skill development is the key to a valuable coach. Without my two outstanding high school coaches, I wouldn’t have the love for basketball and track the way I do today. They have taught me everything I needed to know for the present, along with tips for the future. Coach Lewis and Coach Kohler have done more for me than what I’ve ever deserved and I will never be able to pay them back for all their help and encouragement. But I hope they have understanding of how much of a change they can make on someone's life, someone's life like my
Charles Barkley once said, “I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I can dunk a basketball does not mean I should raise your kids.” No adult has a choice as to whether a child looks up to him or her, but parents are responsible for raising their children as best they can. The first role models or leaders in most children’s lives are in fact their parents; although they may not be the best role models, they are often the figures that children first learn from. Even if there was a perfect parent, that should not limit a child from observing other leaders. John Wooden, considerably the most successful basketball coach in NCAA history, led the UCLA Bruins to 10 NCAA championships with an all-time win-loss coaching record 885-203 (UCLA site). A Game Plane for Life: The Power of Mentoring, is a collection Wooden’s anecdotes related to leadership and the applications of those methods to his coaching practices. Observing leaders from the past allowed Wooden to envision clarity in the future; a clarified vision of the future gave Wooden more power in the present. John Wooden was a consistent and prepared leader who fostered a community of trust and knew his values.