Newell Is the Big Man on Basketball Campus

Finally, you guys figure out who knows basketball. Pete Newell is the greatest teacher of the game of basketball. My father was a member of the 1959 team that won the NCAA title. They were a bunch of nobodies, but they went out there and beat a Cincinnati team led by Oscar Robertson, and a West Virginia team led by Jerry West. They won games because Newell had told them how to win, and they believed him. As it turned out, he did know how to win.

There are hundreds of great Newell stories; fortunately, this great man has a book out, “A Good Man,” by Bruce Jenkins. Anyone who loves the game of basketball should read this. It’s a great read, but also informative. Pete teaches us basketball, something no other coach has been able to do. I know how you love your Johnny Wooden, but just look at the Newell vs. Wooden coaching record. I think you’ll see that Newell won his last eight games against Wooden.

MIKE FITZPATRICK

Los Angeles