John Wooden

When I was 16 years old, I was lucky enough to have John Wooden visit our locker room before one of our basketball games. Even as a kid, I knew that this was a moment that I should take advantage of. So I raised my hand and asked him, "What did you tell your players right before they went onto the court? What did you say to pump them up and make sure they were ready to play?" I thought that was appropriate, since we were about to play our game. So here's a chance to hear the greatest coach of all time tell us what he told Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton before they played. Coach Wooden smiled and said, "Nothing... By the time the game started, my job was over."

I'm not sure I knew what he meant at the time, but years later, I have a better idea. The pre-game speech is overrated. It just is. We want to romanticize it, but it's not what wins the game. We'd like to believe in the underdog, but it's just not realistic. I was hoping for something a little more inspiring from John Wooden. But instead I was reminded of what really matters. Sure, a motivational pep-talk won't hurt, but it's not what wins the game.

What wins the game? Hard work and preparation. And that's what John Wooden was talking about. Of course, talent helps too. Some people are so naturally gifted, and don't have to work as hard. And others simply get lucky or unlucky. But hard work pays off 90% of the time. And even though hard work is not a guarantee, it will breed results.

What's a guarantee? Nothing is a guarantee. Woody Allen says, "People are afraid to acknowledge or to face what huge dependency they have on luck." It's true in sports and in life. The ball bounces two inches one way and you lose, two inches the other way and it's a different story. So does that mean we shouldn't work hard? Of course not. I mean we could sit around and blog about it if we wanted to, but I think John Wooden's pre-game speech was letting us know that hard work and preparation put us in the best position to win. And that's the best we can do. We can work hard and see what happens.

I was 16 years old, and I got to hear from John Wooden before a basketball game. And if that's not motivation enough, Coach Wooden sat on our bench during the second half. That's the key to victory, right? Wrong. Our team had not put in any preparation or hard work beforehand. So we lost the game.