[NU Sports] The John Wooden myth

[Dennis W. Brandt]

The myth is that everyone says Wooden needed so many years before he was 
successful and that we should give Carmody the same consideration.  That is 
false.  Wooden's record shows he was VERY successful right from the start at 
UCLA.  With the current rules governing post-season tournament, UCLA would 
surely have gotten into more tournaments and likely won more post-season 
games.  If Carmody had experienced two 20-game seasons during any of his 
eight seasons, we wouldn't be having this discussion.  Instead, we might be 
complaining that he doesn't win more tournament games.  Now that would be 
refreshing.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric West" <e-west at northwestern.edu>
To: <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] The John Wooden myth


> It's hardly a "myth." By 1961 John Wooden had won exactly one NCAA 
> tournament game (and that was a consolation game), he hadn't won his 
> conference in five years, and the 20-win seasons were long gone. Though he 
> was still the most successful coach at his school in decades (like, you 
> know...Carmody), there's no doubt quite a few folks on this list would 
> have been moaning that he'd lost his touch, he was regressing, he couldn't 
> sustain his early success, the program was clearly heading in the wrong 
> direction, it's time for new blood, etc., etc.
>
> Beyond that, if our most successful coach since the 1960s -- by FAR -- 
> can be called a "failure," then we are simply talking past each other. 
> It's great to expect something that has never ever happened, but there's 
> zero evidence to suggest that we will get there faster by firing Carmody, 
> *especially* at this particular point in this particular season.
>
> I'm starting to repeat myself, so I won't weigh in on Carmody again until 
> after the season is over. It will be telling how the team responds to this 
> jarring loss; the parallel might be the football team's loss to Indiana 
> this year. Will the basketball team fizzle out, or will they buckle down, 
> adjust, and get even better? The rest of the season will be interesting.
>
>
> Eric West
> e-west at northwestern.edu
>
>
> Dennis W. Brandt wrote:
>> Let's put to rest this it-took-John-Wooden-forever myth as an excuse for 
>> Carmody's failure.  The Wizard of Westwood's lifetime record at UCLA was 
>> 620 - 147, an overall winning percentage of .808, and it was .823 in 
>> conference.  He won 22 and 24 games his first two years at UCLA 
>> (1948-1950). Prior to his 1964 championship win over Michigan (my 
>> freshman year - we blew a game to Michigan at home that season, too, when 
>> Cazzie Russell took over late), he won 20 or more games in six seasons, 
>> 19 twice, and 18 three times. He never had a losing season at UCLA.  His 
>> worst year was 1959-60 when he was 14-12.  By the playoff rules of today, 
>> he would have been in the NCAAs the vast majority of times prior to 1964. 
>> He was even 47 - 14 in the two years at Indiana State before he went to 
>> UCLA.
>>
>> We're not asking Carmody to win the NCAA championship at this point, just 
>> get us the hell into it!  He hasn't even gotten his team into the NIT 
>> with the also-rans, which makes us never-beens.
>
>
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