10 John Wooden Quotes

John Wooden is a household name for many who are familiar with the game of basketball. In a sense, he was the Red Auerbach of college basketball - winning 10 National Championships in a 12 year period which included a stretch of 7 in a row. Before Wooden became a successful coach, he was also an accomplished player, having been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961. 12 years later, in 1973, he was again inducted - this time as a coach. This made him the first person to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.

Over the life of his coaching career especially, Coach Wooden echoed many profound and memorable quotes about the game of basketball and how it should be played. His wisdom also reached beyond the court and touched on general advice on life. Below is a list of 10 randomly selected quotes:

• I do not judge success based on championships; rather, I judge it on how close we came to realizing our potential.
• Young men need more models, not critics.
• When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.
• The more concerned we become over the things we can’t control, the less we will do with the things we can control.
• What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player.
• Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.
• A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.
• Failure is not fatal, but failure to change may be.
  
• Let me give so much time to the improvement of myself that I shall have no time to criticize others.
• Reverse the ball one time for a good shot, two times for a great shot, three times for a layup. 

Source: Click here for more John Wooden Quotes. Likewise, you can visit All Basketball Quotes. They also have the quotes in image form.