SUNDAY Q&A with TOM HOFFARTH: Wooden's influence inspired commitment from former UCLA baseball coach Gary Adams

Gary Adams has two baseballs in his collection autographed by John Wooden, one of which made it onto the back cover of his new book.

"Just look at that penmanship," marveled Adams, UCLA's baseball coach for 30 seasons before retiring to Bear Valley Springs in the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County in 2004. "He used to say you could put the NBA 24-second shot clock on him when he was asked to sign a basketball, but he needed the college's 35-second shot clock when it came to signing a baseball. That certainly is a prized possession."

Why the 74-year-old Adams would cherish such a small token given to him by the legendary UCLA basketball coach speaks more to a 36-year relationship they started when they shared an office space on the Westwood campus for eight years many may not have known about.

Adams, who played baseball at UCLA from 1959-62, was hired by athletic director J.D. Morgan as the Bruins' coach in 1975. That also was Wooden's final season, capped by the last of his 10 NCAA championships.

Morgan wanted Wooden to keep an office at the athletic department and asked Adams if he wouldn't mind having a high-profile bunkmate.

"When I tell people how J.D. asked me about this, I say, 'Well, I'll have to think about it and get back to you,' " Adams said before laughing.

As it turned out, Wooden didn't want to impede on the space for incoming basketball coach Gene Bartow and requested he join Adams because of his unrequited love of baseball.

And as the friendship grew, and the conversations continued, inevitably things always would circle back to baseball.

Adams' book, "Conversations With Coach Wooden: On Baseball, Heroes and Life" (Santa Monica Press, 439 pages, $24.95) reflects more on just the lessons learned by being in the presence of Wooden, who died at age 99 three summers ago. Inspired by his Pyramid of Success, Adams created his own little-publicized Sphere of Commitment as a guide for his players in the late '90 s. He explains more:

QUESTION: This isn't the first book, nor will it likely be the last, about John Wooden and the impact he had on someone's life. Do you find yourself learning something new from those written before your book?

ANSWER: I've been reading books actually written by coach Wooden since I was a student at UCLA. His first, Practical Modern Basketball, was a textbook in the physical education class I took (that was) taught by his assistant, Jerry Norman, and I still have a first edition copy of it. It seems like every time anyone talked to coach Wooden, they learned something new. I will say this: A lot has been written about him, and said about him and he really was the kind of man everyone says he was.


Q: What compelled you to launch into this project?

A: Here's what happened. On Jan. 31, 2010, coach Wooden had what he wanted to call a "baseball party," just a bunch of guys over to talk about baseball. So there was Joe Torre, Mike Scioscia, Vin Scully, Bill Sharman, Dan Guerrero, John Savage. It was quite a scene. As I was driving back home, I said, "Someone ought to write a book about coach Wooden and his love for baseball. I'll bet not a lot of people know about it." My wife (Sandy) said, "Gary, why don't you do it?" So three years and four months later, it took me that long to finish it.

I had actually started taking notes about conversations we'd have just so I could focus on how to be a better coach. There are not many chances you get to be an office mate with John Wooden. But I never intended to write a book about it. So whenever coach would leave the office after we'd talk, I'd run to my desk and take down all these notes so I wouldn't forget them.

Q: So in this office you shared, you admit you'd actually move from the bigger desk and nice swivel chair and take the folding chair over at the desk against the wall whenever coach Wooden came in. Did he ever figure it out?

A: If you were me, wouldn't you have done the same thing?


Q: There are all kinds of axioms and phrases Wooden is famous for saying. Which one do you find applies to your life the most often?

A: Hmmm, that's a hard one because there are so many.

Q: In the book, you make mention of his quote: "It's amazing how much you get accomplished when you don't care who gets the credit."

A: As a coaching tip, that was huge. John, in fact, said of all the things he accomplished, he probably felt most guilty about not living up to that as well as he could have. He told me he should have publically given his assistants much more credit.

Q: What do you think of the Wooden quote where he told you: "I will often give you my opinion, but rarely will I give you my advice." Do you think we'd all be better off if we practiced that?

A: I'd never have learned that if I hadn't heard coach Wooden tell me that.

Another one that I liked - maybe because I didn't win as often as he did - was when he said: "Winning is overrated. Effort is under rated." John said he never used the word "win" to his players, but they knew he hated to lose.


Q: You developed your own success chart, the "Sphere of Commitment," with four axioms on it about character, academics, team and career, with family and spirituality in the center. How did that go over with Coach Wooden when compared to his Pyramid of Success?

A: You know, I don't know if I ever showed coach my sphere. I created it in 1996. I didn't do it to make it public. I don't think John created his 'Pyramid' either for that, it's just that his players were so successful it became public and it was easy to copy. In my case, it was something players could tape to their locker, a poster up in the clubhouse. He'd always say a picture was worth a thousand words, and I know people got the message from its design. Some of the things I have are also in John's pyramid, so maybe we're just good at stealing each other's ideas.

Q: It's hard to believe that, as you wrote, the first time you saw him in person was when you were playing in a baseball game at UCLA and coach Wooden showed up to watch from the stands. This was 1959, a game against USC, a chilly Saturday afternoon on a field that now is the site of Pauley Pavilion. Was he kind of larger than live at that point already?

A: To us, there was an awe about him. We knew he was having success with the team back at that old gym. Not a national championship yet, but everyone respected him for what he was able to do with limited resources. I never thought of him as a baseball fan. The only time that happened was when I first met him years later when I was hired to coach baseball, I shook his hand and he said, "Gary, you know you're coaching my favorite sport." That became the bond that not just started our friendship but continued it. His love for baseball made me the perfect target for him. He rarely wanted to talk about the sport he coached and that was OK with me. As time went on, I think we were able to laugh at each other as well as with each other. That's rare for just an acquaintance to do.

I did love him as a person, not just as a coach or author. I'd have to say the biggest moment I ever had as the baseball coach is when I arranged for him to make a surprise visit at my house to talk to my team after the first day of practice in 2004. I wanted my players to have the same feeling I had for him when I first saw him sitting in the stands all those years before.