The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Farewell to Coach Wooden Edition

Today we say "Farewell and Godspeed" to coach John Wooden, who passed away last night in Los Angeles.  Our prayers and condolences go out to his family, his friends, and his extended family of UCLA Bruin players and fans. 

Be sure to visit SB Nation's outstanding UCLA Bruins blog Bruins Nation for the best coverage of Coach Wooden's passing.

Now, for the news:

• Reactions To Coach Wooden's Passing - Bruins Nation

  Reactions to John Wooden's Death, From Westwood Throughout America.

  Via our SB Nation brothers and sisters at Bruins Nation.  Stop by and share your memories and condolences, I'm sure they will be appreciated.

• Page 2 - ESPN

  Great quotes from John Wooden.  My favorite:

  "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

  All of them are excellent.

• John Wooden quotes: Some of Coach John Wooden's favorite maxims ('Woodenisms') | The Fabulous Forum | Los Angeles Times

  Some more Woodenisms.  My favorite from this bunch:

  "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

  Word.

More after the jump.

• John Calipari of University of Kentucky says no investigation, no LeBron James deal - ESPN

  This is a great interview which you should read, if you haven't. I think Coach Cal has exactly the right attitude with all this, which may be condensed down to its essence:

  "Coaching at Kentucky is not for the inexperienced, nor for the faint of heart.  If you want to coach here, be prepared to be loved, hated, wooed, and fired."

  I think that's exactly right.

• Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions

  I meant to post this three days ago, but unfortunately, I could not.

  Check this out to get the skinny on the latest recruits. #3 is very good at this sort of thing, and writes extremely well.

• Kentucky basketball isn't being investigated, John Calipari says | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

  This is just further exposition on the Katz interview.  We all knew that UK is not being investigated, but this is just further confirmation of it from the coach himself.

  That doesn't mean that the NCAA isn't asking questions -- they may be, and they often are, it is their job, after all.

• Tar Heels recruit faces 'stay-or-go' decision - CharlotteObserver.com
  Interesting. This kid looks like a winner for the Tar Heels, no matter what he does.

• Barnhart says UK's lofty status brings scrutiny | KentuckySports.com

  "Our program will be under scrutiny anyway because we're Kentucky, and then you throw (Calipari) in the mix and it's going to be under greater scrutiny," he said. "So you're mandated to be absolutely on it every day. ... Two years ago people were not paying a whole lot of attention to Kentucky, and all of a sudden we're relevant again."

  "Embrace the hate" in a nutshell.

• Calipari looked to Wooden for guidance - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

  When Kentucky coach John Calipari was looking for guidance on how to coach his team, especially help with managing the minutes of such a talented lot, he called John Wooden.

  Read on to find out what that advice was.  As you might expect, it was pretty good.

• Bledsoe's high school coach expects vindication amid controversy - McClatchy Network - Kentucky.com

  The lawyer representing Eric Bledsoe's high school coach said Friday that he expects vindication of his client and the former Kentucky player by early next week.

  "I think it's going to come to an end pretty soon," said Reginald McDaniel, a lawyer representing Maurice Ford, the former basketball coach at Parker High School in Birmingham, Ala.

  "Vindication?"  And on a timetable?

  I'll believe it when I see it, but expect a ton of schadenfreude around here if it does happen.  I want to help those Cardinal fans as their heads explode.

• Geoff Calkins: There's no rush to sign ex-Gopher " The Commercial Appeal

  Calipari may have done a lot of questionable things at Memphis, but he never played a young man who was charged with sending a woman into surgery.

  Coming from Geoff Calkins, this is borderline effusive praise.

• Today's coaches should emulate John Wooden - Page 2 - ESPN

  Admire Coach Wooden.  But don't compare eras.  The explosion of coaching salaries is not the fault of Calipari, or Calhoun, or Krzyzewski.  Do not claim that modest income was a Wooden legacy -- it was not.

  How much money would Jack Nicklaus have made today if his career had begun at the same time as Tiger's?  Coaches like Wooden, Rupp, and Dean Smith laid the foundation for the huge coaching salaries of today, not by the money they made, but by the success of their programs.

  Let's remember Wooden for the right reasons, not fake ones.

• BBL: UK football commitments ranked 20th in nation John Clay’s Sidelines
  John Clay's Big Blue Links. Paris will be proud.

• John Wooden Dead At 99 - SBNation.com
  SB Nation's story stream on Coach Wooden.