Scott Howard-Cooper > Quotes

“strength and dignity of Hugh Wooden would have been compliment enough.”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“noting shortcomings on defense in particular. “He can shoot with two hands, and I still can’t,” no less an informed observer than Philadelphia 76ers center Wilt Chamberlain said. “He’s got a great body and is well coordinated for his age. Already he’s bigger than I am by an inch or so. His legs are well developed.” The season was four games”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“Good afternoon, Coach.” “Today, we are going to learn how to put on our sneakers and socks correctly.” The greatest first-year class in college basketball history looked around and waited for the punch line. Wooden, never one to joke about something as serious as footwear details, bent down and removed his shoes and”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“socks, exposing pale pink feet to light. “We are going to talk about tug and snug,” he said. “Tug. And. Snug.” Wooden saw the puzzled expressions coming back in his direction and grinned. “As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘For want of a nail,’ ” he noted, as if that explained everything. Correctly sensing more confusion than before, Wooden moved”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“five minutes of ballhandling work, ballhandling on the fast break for a layup, ballhandling on the fast break for a jumper, practicing shooting, practicing shooting a bank shot. And everyone did everything, regardless of position. “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Wooden told the freshman team on October 15, 1965.”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“center would dominate varsity opponents when the time came. Not stopping at pronouncing himself “amazed” by the physical presence and “extraordinary demeanor,” Wooden offered the highest praise possible, that Alcindor reminded him of his beloved father in poise and self-control. Comparing anyone in a positive way to the quiet”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“had accidentally walked into history as the first college coach of the player on a path to change amateur sports forever. On the 1965 morning that changed everything, Cunningham was getting breakfast in the Student Union when he spotted his former coach eating alone at a table. He asked to sit with Wooden and ended up in a”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“Wooden the preparation freak tracked drills timed almost to the second on the logged file cards. While the varsity worked behind a partition on one end of the gym, rarely seeing the seven-foot phenom or his teammates, the freshmen learned the crisp routine. Two minutes of layups, two minutes of reverse layups from both sides,”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“conversation that included the news that the Bruins had just lost the freshman coach. Wooden offered Cunningham the job before the end of the meal. A high school junior varsity coach in Ohio tried to land what had suddenly become an unusually attractive role, in the program coming off back-to-back national championships, on the team”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.” Wooden shrugged. “You want to learn about basketball, read Benjamin Franklin.” His new Bruins were somewhere between stunned and confused at the introduction to actual UCLA basketball. If you do not pull your socks on tightly, Wooden went on, finally getting to”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“his point, you’re likely to get wrinkles. Wrinkles cause blisters. Blisters force players to the sideline. Players on the sideline result in losses. Don’t just tug, he directed. Be snug. Alcindor asserted himself on the first day under assistant coach Gary Cunningham, running the freshman squad, with a display that instantly convinced Wooden his next”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“with a historically good freshman roster, but Cunningham had already been hired. The best Wooden could offer was the chance to scout UCLA opponents and help Cunningham with the newcomers, an invitation Bob Knight declined.”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“old. “Can Basketball Survive Lew Alcindor?,” the Saturday Evening Post soon wondered in a headline, not limiting the projected destruction to college hoops.”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“forward with the Founding Father. “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, “For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, “For the want of a horse the rider was lost, “For the want of a rider the battle was lost, “For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“By last week,” Time magazine declared in mid-December, “everybody seemed willing to pronounce Alcindor ‘unstoppable’ and ‘the best college center in history,’ ” even if, actually, Wooden was not, while noting”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

“Cunningham, a UCLA guard from 1959 to 1962 back on campus taking classes toward a doctorate with plans to become a college professor,”
― Scott Howard-Cooper, Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty