USA - Hoops coaching legend John Wooden dies

LOS ANGELES (NCAA) – The basketball world is in mourning following the death of American coaching legend John Wooden.

Nicknamed the ‘Wizard of Westwood’ for his incredible success at UCLA, Wooden passed away on Friday at the age of 99.

He died of natural causes.

Wooden had no equals, and never will.

He coached a UCLA dynasty that won 10 NCAA titles in 12 years.

His Bruins teams captured seven consecutive NCAA Championships from 1967 to 1973.

To put his title-winning success into perspective, the late Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp and current Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski are next in line with four NCAA titles apiece.

Krzyzewski, who is also the coach of Team USA and will lead the Americans at the FIBA World Championship this year, paid tribute to Wooden.

Krzyzewski said: "Today, we've lost a giant in all of sport with the passing of Coach Wooden.

“Quite likely, his accomplishments as a college basketball coach will never be matched.

“Neither will the impact he had on his players or the greater basketball community.

“Many have called Coach Wooden the 'gold standard' of coaches.

“I believe he was the 'gold standard' of people and carried himself with uncommon grace, dignity and humility.

"Coach Wooden's name is synonymous with excellence, and deservedly so.

“He was one of the great leaders - in any profession - of his generation.

“We are blessed that the sport of basketball benefitted from his talents for so long.

“Coach Wooden and his wisdom will be sorely missed."

Among the greats who played for Wooden were Lew Alcindor, who later changed his named to Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Bill Walton.

Abdul-Jabbar spoke about Wooden in a statement issued through UCLA.

"It's kind of hard to talk about Coach Wooden simply, because he was a complex man. But he taught in a very simple way. He just used sports as a means to teach us how to apply ourselves to any situation," Abdul-Jabbar said.

"He set quite an example. He was more like a parent than a coach. He really was a very selfless and giving human being, but he was a disciplinarian. We learned all about those aspects of life that most kids want to skip over. He wouldn't let us do that."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also offered his thoughts.

“Coach Wooden was more than a Hall of Fame basketball player and coach; he was an incredible man whose dedication and leadership on the court inspired generations of Californians,” Schwarzenegger said.

“He meant so much to Los Angeles, California and the entire basketball community around the world.

“Maria and I extend our thoughts and prayers to his loved ones as they remember the extraordinary life of this coaching legend."

Wooden had checked into the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center just over a month ago.

A member of the Team USA coaching staff, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, said: “When I think of a basketball coach, the only one I ever thought of was Coach Wooden.

“He had a great life and helped so many coaches until well in his 90s.

“Every time I talked to him, he would give me some words of advice. He's the best of all time.

“There will never be another like him and you can't say that about too many people.

“It's a sad day but he had such an unbelievable run. I can't tell you what he's done for game of basketball and it's not just the wins.

“It's the attitude and the way he carried himself. I just can't say enough about him."

FIBA