Coach Wooden through the eyes of Rafer Johnson who played basketball at UCLA before capturing the Gold Medal in the decathlon in the 1960 Olympics:Coach Wooden said all he wanted from us individually was that we try, as athletes and students, to be as good as we could be. "Just concentrate on that," he said. "Don't worry about whether you're doing better than the next guy. Just give me your best."
The most important thing to Coach Wooden was how we presented ourselves -- the effort we made -- on the court. That was first, even before the score.
That's Coach Wooden's way of doing it, namely, don't worry about the competition, don't worry about a gold medal, or winning the race. Just focus on running the race that's right in front of you.
From "The Essential Wooden," by John Wooden and Steve Jamison
