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Not in terms of their historic context in the game of basketball and relative accomplishments. But I reread "Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success" the other day, and it's just amazing how uncannily similar their basketball philosophies and methods are.
The following are from Wooden's Pyramid, but if you didn't know better, you'd think they were Geno's words (were he that eloquent):
- "Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick. There is no easy way."
- "Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each day."
- "Stay the course. When thwarted try again; harder; smarter. Persevere relentlessly."
- "The star of the team is the team. 'We' supercedes 'me.'"
- "Much can be accomplished by teamwork when no one is concerned who gets credit."
- "Goals achieved with little effort are seldom worthwhile or lasting."
- "Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details."
- "Make each day your masterpiece."
If you've heard Bill Walton talk about the life lessons beyond basketball that he learned from Wooden, it sounds exactly like Diana Taurasi when she speaks of her years with Geno. Biggest difference between them- 'goodness gracious sakes alive' were the harshest words the wizard ever spoke.
They were also both incredible control freaks- Wooden made his players put their socks on a specific way, punctuality, dress, hair length, etc. Geno with social media, the dress code, covering tats, etc.
(Check out HBO's excellent documentary on Wooden, "The UCLA Dynasty." )
The following are from Wooden's Pyramid, but if you didn't know better, you'd think they were Geno's words (were he that eloquent):
- "Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick. There is no easy way."
- "Perform at your best when your best is required. Your best is required each day."
- "Stay the course. When thwarted try again; harder; smarter. Persevere relentlessly."
- "The star of the team is the team. 'We' supercedes 'me.'"
- "Much can be accomplished by teamwork when no one is concerned who gets credit."
- "Goals achieved with little effort are seldom worthwhile or lasting."
- "Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details."
- "Make each day your masterpiece."
If you've heard Bill Walton talk about the life lessons beyond basketball that he learned from Wooden, it sounds exactly like Diana Taurasi when she speaks of her years with Geno. Biggest difference between them- 'goodness gracious sakes alive' were the harshest words the wizard ever spoke.
They were also both incredible control freaks- Wooden made his players put their socks on a specific way, punctuality, dress, hair length, etc. Geno with social media, the dress code, covering tats, etc.
(Check out HBO's excellent documentary on Wooden, "The UCLA Dynasty." )