Chaters 16-18 Summary and Analysis

Coach Wooden talks about people who influenced his life. He names his father, his high school coach, and his coach at Purdue. Former Notre Dame football coach Frank Leahy influenced Coach Wooden's dedication to organization. He also says he appreciated the managerial skills of Los Angeles Dodgers manager Walter Alston. Coach Wooden says Alston handled his players like doves. If he had squeezed too tight, they would have died; but if he had held too loosely, they would have flown away. Coach Wooden says that's how he handled his team members and each had to be "held" differently.

Coach Wooden says he is asked often to tell who his best player was. He never answers the question. He mentions that Conrad Burke and Dough McIntosh were probably the most successful, not because of their skill, but because of their...