Neville Johnson describes his updated edition of “The John Wooden Pyramid of Success” ($23.95, Cool Titles) as a book “about the human condition, love, marriage, relationships in business, family and romance, and generally how to get along in life, both internally and socially.”
Though it may not become all those things to every reader – even after reading all 470 pages – “Pyramid” offers an engaging lesson in philosophy and history about one of the most important men in UCLA history, basketball coach from 1948 to 1975, John Wooden.
The newly revised second edition, to be released soon, adds a few features to the 2000 book of the same title: interviews with former Nixon Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman, former UCLA basketball reserve Andy Hill, who co-authored (with Wooden) “Be Quick But Don’t Hurry,” and Jack Tobin, who co-authored Wooden’s autobiography “They Call Me Coach.”
Johnson also has added a few more “Woodenisms” – maxims Wooden originated over his career that carry the tone of something hung from the wall of a fifth-grade classroom, such as “Earn the right to be proud and confident.”
The book offers a thinly woven biography of Wooden, but it’s intentionally abridged; this is a philosophy book above all. Still, what Johnson provides in his book gives readers a new look – through the eyes of Wooden – at the men who gave UCLA the Morgan Center, Ackerman Union and Murphy Hall, to name a few.
Sixty-five interviews with Wooden’s family, former players, colleagues and fellow Hoosiers combine to paint a strong oral history that has long been the vehicle for Wooden’s legend.
The three new interviews are among the strong ones, complementing such diverse voices as Bill Walton, current Vice Chancellor and former Wooden player Pete Blackman, broadcaster Dick Enberg and former Chancellor Franklin Murphy.
But as the title suggests, the book is lined throughout with Wooden’s philosophy as epitomized by his “Pyramid of Success.” As it is clearly shown, Wooden’s philosophy is not only what made him a great basketball coach, but what makes him such an important influence on those around him.
The Pyramid has influenced basketball players, corporate executives and even, it seems, students in Estonia.
For all its simplicity, the Pyramid, consisting of its 25 blocks on which Wooden has lived and lectured, is a thorough philosophy. It is useful enough to be played out successfully both in basketball games and life in general, and as Johnson shows, the better part of a really long book.