[A Pennsylvania Coach]

In PIAA games in Pennsylvania, after reading the sportsmanship statement to the captains and coaches in the pre-game meeting, the referee asks each head coach if he can certify that his players are properly equipped. It's incumbent on me to verify that my players aren't wearing earrings, etc., and if they are, I guess that puts the responsibility on me also. I would never pretend not to see earrings.

If I had the book here, I'd give you the excerpt, but John Wooden tells a story about Bill Walton showing up for the first practice day of a season with a beard, against Wooden's no-facial-hair rule. Walton said that he should have the right as an American to have a beard, and Wooden told him something like "Bill, you absolutely have the right to keep that beard. And our team will miss you." The next day Walton showed up clean-shaven.