Kareem, Wooden, Walton and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty.
Most college basketball fans are aware of the string of championships that UCLA basketball put together beginning in the 1960’s. They may even know the names of the key players such as Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton, among many others. They likely have heard of the legendary coach John Wooden who guided the Bruins through golden years on the court including 27 years at the helm. But what most casual college basketball fans, even UCLA fans, may not know is the turmoil that occurred often during their dynasty run through the 60’s and 70’s.
The UCLA Bruins won an astounding ten national championships in twelve seasons under head coach John Wooden beginning in the 1963-1964 season through the 1974-1975 season, which also was his last. So, this may beg the question, was there really trouble amidst the UCLA basketball program during that illustrious stretch of successful seasons? This is what author Scott Howard-Cooper argues did in fact exist and permeate for years somewhat on the court but especially off the hardwood.
The book features the obvious trio of main characters such as Alcindor, Wooden and Walton but naturally over a lengthy period and through a vast, growing sport encounters many other contributors including names like Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps, UCLA athletic Director JD Morgan and Los Angeles businessman and UCLA booster Sam Gilbert. In addition to stories about the players and coaches, Howard-Cooper also tries to tie the events of that era into the story as well including the Vietnam war, President Nixon’s and Governor Ronald Reagan’s policy making and political conniving along with civil right movements and related protests, some that even Wooden’s players were uncharacteristically involved in for the first time during his lengthy tenure.
The sections of the book that introduced Lew Alcindor (later to be named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and how he cultivated an interest in UCLA basketball and developed a relationship with coach John Wooden is an indelible highlight of this manuscript. According to the author, Wooden was reluctant to recruit what was the number one rated prep prospect in the country in the mid 60’s. Despite that obvious notion, Alcindor selected UCLA anyway in part to escape the daily strife of his native Harlem and New York City. Howard-Cooper also asserts that the mature and woke Alcindor became dismayed with his choice to migrate to the west coast citing the lack of connection to his fellow students and sensing, if not experiencing, the racism that he thought was leaving behind on the east coast. In fact, the author also reports that the phenom strongly considered transferring after his sophomore year.
Wooden, of course, was another fascinating case study for this book. Wooden’s early UCLA teams typically featured a smaller, fast line up that overwhelmed their pacific 8 conference brethren as well as many other opponents. The author points out how Wooden had some trepidation recruiting a big center like Alcindor due to concern of not fully fitting his current, successful system, even if this was a generational talent sought after by every program in the country. The book was quick to note Wooden’s mid-western upbringing in the early part of the 20th century and humble, modest nature and outlook on living life. Despite Wooden’s incredible success during his head coaching career, the author’s narrative that the Indiana native seemed to be an odd fit as head basketball coach in modern, progressive southern California is hard to overlook.
Even the third main character, the recently departed Bill Walton, brought along his quirkiness to the program sometimes much to Wooden’s chagrin or dismay. Walton was apt to speak his mind about politics, including writing letters to the president of the United States or standing up for his beliefs through peaceful or otherwise sit-ins and protests. These antics augmented a new challenge for the now aging Wooden in these dynamic times particularly among youth across the nation. Of course, Walton was a supremely talented player, as was Alcindor, thus perhaps making it easier for Wooden to either look past such frolicsomeness on the players part or to simply adjust as needed to help meet the demands of the marketing conscious athletic director or the now spoiled UCLA fan base.
Through this book, the reader will discover that it was not always a symbiotic relationship between the players and coaches. An aging coach that may not have quickly adapted to the changing times, pushed into recruiting players that may not have best fit his preferred system, the growing threat of players wanting to leave the program, the unrealistic expectations of the UCLA faithful and the sneers from many of his peers certainly paints a picture that the joy of coaching, or playing for, this program may not have been all it was purported especially from afar.
The book features two hundred and seventy pages plus an interesting twenty-five-page afterword. The author’s research was impeccable upon review of the dozens of citations and credits. While the argument of tumultuous times amid the program that included an unprecedented college basketball dynasty is fair to address, it is also worth noting that scandal, coverups and dysfunction still very much populate the college basketball scene today as well. Nevertheless, this is a very good read for not only UCLA basketball fans but for any college basketball aficionado that wants to learn more about the rich history of this sport.
- You might like to read this book if you are an old, new or casual fan of UCLA basketball.
- You might like to read this book if you are a fan of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton or John Wooden.
- You might like to read this book if you are a fan of Pac-8 college basketball of the 1960’ and 1970’s.
- You might like to read this book if you are a fan of College Basketball especially from the 60’s and 70’s.
Read more about the author on X: https://x.com/SHowardCooper
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