Sigh...Goodbye Coach

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

John Wooden played a big role in my life. His words were fatherly, when I needed them. His success and accomplishments were a kind of dream currency, and his values were something that shaped me during a time when I found solace and comfort in empty gymnasiums with only the thump of a basketball on hardwood and imaginary banners waving from rafters as company.

He was a gentle man, and taught many others to be the same. He was much more than just a basketball coach. It's very hard to say that anymore, and yet he was the most successful coach of all time, the definitive coach. His loss leaves this planet a lesser place.

Watch this and then I double dog dare you to not be overwhelmed with affection for the Wizard of Westwood. Someday I'm going to tell Zoey stories about John Wooden. I hope she listens.