Thank you UCLA. Beat 'SC!

NCAAM, NCAAF

Dear Bruin Family,

I am a Bruin. I have never met John Wooden. I have never met Ben Howland. I have never met Jim Mora.

I believe I know John Wooden, Ben Howland, and Jim Mora. I know them because they have taught me and continue to teach me. They have been exceptionally good teachers because they are an essential part of my family, the Bruin Family.

Professors Wooden, Howland, and Mora can be as inspirational and instructional as any academic professor, especially when you attend one of the best sports schools of all time.

I need to share stories of my continuing education even though I ended my formal undergraduate education at UCLA in 2010.

In early 2011, I faced a difficult time in my life.  I had personal health issues that required my immediate family to take care of me.  With their help and the support of my extended family, including the Bruin variety, I recovered to where I now feel that I am a better and stronger person than before my illness.

While I worked my way back to good health—a day at a time—I read the writings of John Wooden’s book with Steve Jamison:

WOODEN

A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

This book was great to “drink in.”  It was not the novel ideas that stuck with me. It was the reinforcement of ideals and values that I already had acquired over the years from my family, my friends, my teachers, my community, and from my own sense of self. In what was the least confident time of my life I received a boost of confidence from John Wooden. It carries weight when John Wooden tells you that you are a good person.

Ben Howland provided the best entertainment of my college experience. From my first year, he gave me three straight Final Fours. That was fun, but I think I loved his defense even more.  Watching the way in which he produced championship caliber teams was entertainment in its purest form.  He was only denied full vindication in the record books because of two practically unbeatable Florida teams and a Memphis team with one of the best players that plays basketball.  I know that if those UCLA teams re-matched the original victors 100 times each, Ben Howland would not allow the Bruins to win less than 51.

Ben Howland was successful at his dream job. Unfortunately, he was fired this year. He was fired because he did not give what people demanded—wins and more trophies. I know he did everything in his power to achieve wins without compromising how to be successful.  He was fired the year he refocused a young team with no depth to win the conference season title. That was magical work. He lost the conference tournament final and early in the big dance because a tragic injury made overcoming depth issues too big to overcome, for any man or team.  The injury was tragic because Jordan Adams injured himself committing to play elite Ben Howland defense. Adams did not give up before the job was done. The job got done that evening thanks to Adams and the entire UCLA team, but bad breaks can happen to good people. Muhammad got the hype and the honors, Anderson got the honorable mention, and Adams earned the title of the most essential player in 2012-2013 season. (By no means am I forgetting the leadership and record performance of Drew or work ethic of the Wear twins down to the last man on the bench.  If people blindly focus too much on the freshmen, then I must adapt to speak their language.)

Ben Howland was not successful at UCLA because he went to three straight final fours. He was not successful because he trained players that “somehow” do well in the NBA. He was not successful because UCLA won conference titles or tournaments. He was successful because he was a Coach in every essential way Wooden would envision. For those of you who still demand “results,” here is one that a true Bruin should know: John Wooden died on June 4, 2010. Ben Howland was coach of UCLA Men’s Basketball on June 4, 2010. John Wooden went to rest peacefully knowing a man like Howland was coaching his family.

I have a friend that knows Ben Howland professionally and I imagine personally.  While other students, media, and fans criticized him, she never spoke ill of him to me. Far too many would salivate at the opportunity to say negative things in a similar professional relationship. Never once did I hear any malice or regret directed at Coach.  She is a Bruin. In fact, I was lucky enough for her to share with me small things about Coach Howland that made me laugh more than she knows. I never asked for her to share a story to make me smile. She did anyway.

I have another friend who was born with Bruin Blue blood. He was bred into the family. I was lucky enough to be adopted in my teen years. One time at a home game, friends and I spotted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar across Pauley. He was schmoozing with what we thought were little kids. Then we realized Kareem was actually engaged with our die-hard fan of a friend. We laughed. Kareem is really that tall. We were jealous and could not be happier for our friend.

Today, I watched what Jim Mora is cooking. The team played well in the first half while making mistakes.  The players played as a team for each other while honoring a fallen member of their family. Their mistakes were the reason UCLA trailed at halftime. It did not matter. They were already prepared and ready to end the game before it started.  UCLA went back to work in the second half. Beautiful. A Memorial win.

Watch Jim Mora’s post game interview. Ignore the questions and drink in what you feel.  There is not a wasted word, a compromising emotion, or an unearned praise. That is how a Coach should perform. It is no surprise that Mora’s team responded to the model he provides.

Bruin Family, please do not forget the importance of the education we all receive from each other. Please, do not demand a National Championship from Mora.  Expect that he can deliver one, and one day maybe he will.  That will be a nice trophy, but it will be moot to the education that UCLA gives.  We are proud of our versatile education because our educators are professors, mothers, fathers, coaches, and friends. 

It took more seasons for John Wooden to build a championship team than it took for him to set the record for “most championship winning coach.”

Love,

Bruin for Life