Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

Recalling Dad’s Words

In struggling to find an answer to the question Mr. Shidler had posed years before, I recalled what my dad had constantly tried to get across to us when we were growing up back on the farm: don’t worry much about trying to be better than someone else.

Now that may seem a little strange to you. You might not comprehend its true meaning if that was all he had said. However, Dad always added the following. “Always try to be the very best that you can be. Learn from others, yes. But don’t just try to be better than they are. You have no control over that. Instead try, and try very hard, to be the best that you can be. That you have control over. Maybe you’ll be better than someone else and maybe you won’t. That part of it will ...