John Wooden says basketball rims should be raised
Michigan
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What do you ask the greatest college basketball coach in history, a living legend who has graced our planet for nearly a century?
John Wooden probably has heard and answered more dumb questions than he would care to remember, so I was hoping one of mine Tuesday — though admittedly off the wall — didn't fall into that category.
John Wooden says he thinks the basket should be elevated and the 3-point line should be moved back some more. (Joe Murphy / Getty Images)
So, very carefully and reverentially, I framed the question during a conference call with Coach Wooden to promote Saturday's 15th annual John Wooden Classic, a college basketball doubleheader at Honda Center again featuring the UCLA Bruins, the team Wooden guided to a mind-boggling 10 national championships in a 12-year span.
Noting that college basketball is still tinkering with the 3-point line, demonstrating it is not totally resistant to change, I asked Wooden if he thought there is any merit to someday raising the 10-foot height of the baskets. (Thank goodness in my nervousness I didn't call them peach baskets.)
I figured it was worth a shot, because Wooden's disdain for dunking has been well-documented and because there are many more 7-footers — and 6-footers who actually can out-leap centers — than there used to be.
To my great relief, he answered without hesitation.
"I have thought a little about that," Wooden said, mentioning the "increased physical abilities" and jumping skills of today's athletes. "I'd like to see it tried. Don't know how much they should raise them, but I think it (elevating the rims) would be better than it is today."
How about raising them to 11 feet?
"Not a full foot," he said. "That would be too much."
Wooden also made an unsolicited recommendation to move the 3-point line even farther from the basket (currently, it's at 20 feet, 9 inches).
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"I've always thought it's too close," he said. "I would like to see them increase the distance of 3-pointers."
At 98, the Wizard of Westwood — oops, he doesn't like that nickname — still has strong opinions about the game his teams dominated, winning seven consecutive NCAA titles (1967-73) and presiding over an NCAA-record, 88-game winning streak.
Nor does he shy away from controversial topics. When I asked his thoughts on star players who leave college after one year to turn pro — UCLA's Kevin Love and USC's O.J. Mayo did it after last season — Wooden did not mince his words.
"For a vast majority of players, it's a great mistake," he said, saying he preferred the old NBA rule that stipulated a player couldn't turn pro until four years after his high school class graduated.
"If players stay in school, the college (teams) will be better off and the pros will be better off. The players will be more mature and more fundamentally sound (when they enter the NBA). But that's not going to happen again, just because of the money involved. Money rules."
Wooden does not live in the past. He still watches the Bruins every game, either on TV or in person, and he is impressed by what Ben Howland has accomplished during his five years in Westwood, especially "proving how important defense is" for a national contender.
And given the parity in college basketball these days, Wooden emphasizes that the Bruins advancing to three consecutive Final Fours is impressive.
"Definitely, it's an achievement," Wooden said. "I don't think it's happened very often in the history of the NCAA, going (to the Final Four) three times in a row."
Not surprising, Wooden knows his history. Just two other schools have had longer Final Four streaks than the current Bruins. UCLA has the record, with 10 (1967-76 with Wooden and Gene Bartow), followed by Cincinnati with five (1959-63) and Duke with five (1988-92).
John Wooden probably has heard and answered more dumb questions than he would care to remember, so I was hoping one of mine Tuesday — though admittedly off the wall — didn't fall into that category.
John Wooden says he thinks the basket should be elevated and the 3-point line should be moved back some more. (Joe Murphy / Getty Images)
So, very carefully and reverentially, I framed the question during a conference call with Coach Wooden to promote Saturday's 15th annual John Wooden Classic, a college basketball doubleheader at Honda Center again featuring the UCLA Bruins, the team Wooden guided to a mind-boggling 10 national championships in a 12-year span.
Noting that college basketball is still tinkering with the 3-point line, demonstrating it is not totally resistant to change, I asked Wooden if he thought there is any merit to someday raising the 10-foot height of the baskets. (Thank goodness in my nervousness I didn't call them peach baskets.)
I figured it was worth a shot, because Wooden's disdain for dunking has been well-documented and because there are many more 7-footers — and 6-footers who actually can out-leap centers — than there used to be.
To my great relief, he answered without hesitation.
"I have thought a little about that," Wooden said, mentioning the "increased physical abilities" and jumping skills of today's athletes. "I'd like to see it tried. Don't know how much they should raise them, but I think it (elevating the rims) would be better than it is today."
How about raising them to 11 feet?
"Not a full foot," he said. "That would be too much."
Wooden also made an unsolicited recommendation to move the 3-point line even farther from the basket (currently, it's at 20 feet, 9 inches).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I've always thought it's too close," he said. "I would like to see them increase the distance of 3-pointers."
At 98, the Wizard of Westwood — oops, he doesn't like that nickname — still has strong opinions about the game his teams dominated, winning seven consecutive NCAA titles (1967-73) and presiding over an NCAA-record, 88-game winning streak.
Nor does he shy away from controversial topics. When I asked his thoughts on star players who leave college after one year to turn pro — UCLA's Kevin Love and USC's O.J. Mayo did it after last season — Wooden did not mince his words.
"For a vast majority of players, it's a great mistake," he said, saying he preferred the old NBA rule that stipulated a player couldn't turn pro until four years after his high school class graduated.
"If players stay in school, the college (teams) will be better off and the pros will be better off. The players will be more mature and more fundamentally sound (when they enter the NBA). But that's not going to happen again, just because of the money involved. Money rules."
Wooden does not live in the past. He still watches the Bruins every game, either on TV or in person, and he is impressed by what Ben Howland has accomplished during his five years in Westwood, especially "proving how important defense is" for a national contender.
And given the parity in college basketball these days, Wooden emphasizes that the Bruins advancing to three consecutive Final Fours is impressive.
"Definitely, it's an achievement," Wooden said. "I don't think it's happened very often in the history of the NCAA, going (to the Final Four) three times in a row."
Not surprising, Wooden knows his history. Just two other schools have had longer Final Four streaks than the current Bruins. UCLA has the record, with 10 (1967-76 with Wooden and Gene Bartow), followed by Cincinnati with five (1959-63) and Duke with five (1988-92).
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<< <i>What do you ask the greatest college basketball coach in history, a living legend who has graced our planet for nearly a century?
John Wooden probably has heard and answered more dumb questions than he would care to remember, so I was hoping one of mine Tuesday — though admittedly off the wall — didn't fall into that category.
John Wooden says he thinks the basket should be elevated and the 3-point line should be moved back some more. (Joe Murphy / Getty Images)
So, very carefully and reverentially, I framed the question during a conference call with Coach Wooden to promote Saturday's 15th annual John Wooden Classic, a college basketball doubleheader at Honda Center again featuring the UCLA Bruins, the team Wooden guided to a mind-boggling 10 national championships in a 12-year span.
Noting that college basketball is still tinkering with the 3-point line, demonstrating it is not totally resistant to change, I asked Wooden if he thought there is any merit to someday raising the 10-foot height of the baskets. (Thank goodness in my nervousness I didn't call them peach baskets.)
I figured it was worth a shot, because Wooden's disdain for dunking has been well-documented and because there are many more 7-footers — and 6-footers who actually can out-leap centers — than there used to be.
To my great relief, he answered without hesitation.
"I have thought a little about that," Wooden said, mentioning the "increased physical abilities" and jumping skills of today's athletes. "I'd like to see it tried. Don't know how much they should raise them, but I think it (elevating the rims) would be better than it is today."
How about raising them to 11 feet?
"Not a full foot," he said. "That would be too much."
Wooden also made an unsolicited recommendation to move the 3-point line even farther from the basket (currently, it's at 20 feet, 9 inches).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I've always thought it's too close," he said. "I would like to see them increase the distance of 3-pointers."
At 98, the Wizard of Westwood — oops, he doesn't like that nickname — still has strong opinions about the game his teams dominated, winning seven consecutive NCAA titles (1967-73) and presiding over an NCAA-record, 88-game winning streak.
Nor does he shy away from controversial topics. When I asked his thoughts on star players who leave college after one year to turn pro — UCLA's Kevin Love and USC's O.J. Mayo did it after last season — Wooden did not mince his words.
"For a vast majority of players, it's a great mistake," he said, saying he preferred the old NBA rule that stipulated a player couldn't turn pro until four years after his high school class graduated.
"If players stay in school, the college (teams) will be better off and the pros will be better off. The players will be more mature and more fundamentally sound (when they enter the NBA). But that's not going to happen again, just because of the money involved. Money rules."
Wooden does not live in the past. He still watches the Bruins every game, either on TV or in person, and he is impressed by what Ben Howland has accomplished during his five years in Westwood, especially "proving how important defense is" for a national contender.
And given the parity in college basketball these days, Wooden emphasizes that the Bruins advancing to three consecutive Final Fours is impressive.
"Definitely, it's an achievement," Wooden said. "I don't think it's happened very often in the history of the NCAA, going (to the Final Four) three times in a row."
Not surprising, Wooden knows his history. Just two other schools have had longer Final Four streaks than the current Bruins. UCLA has the record, with 10 (1967-76 with Wooden and Gene Bartow), followed by Cincinnati with five (1959-63) and Duke with five (1988-92). >>
In my opinion dunking denigrates the game - It was interesting for awhile when it occurred, but to me quite frankly the NBA game has become a total bore, and dunking is part of the boredom. The basket should be raised in the NBA to perhaps 12 feet...high enough so that nobody can dunk - to me it would make for a better, more interesting game.
Its all about the money John!
JS
http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/
Ralph
<< <i>"Not a full foot," he said. "That would be too much." >>
<< <i> Lay Ups don't sell tickets, and no one is going to watch ESPN to see 12 foot Europeans shooting them off the glass!
Its all about the money John!
I think John Wooden is probably on to something. I think americans love to see big dunks but I think Wooden is basically saying that today's players are dunking and hitting 3 pointers way too easy. I think moving back the 3 point line and raising the basket less than a foot will still make the game great and it will eliminate some of the dunks. And that's a good thing because it gets old seeing everyone hitting threes and slamming the ball down the hoop.