[BillyMac]

On his first day of practice, Coach John Wooden (UCLA) would spend the entire day teaching his highly touted recruits how to properly put on their socks and sneakers. The likes of Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bill Walton watched patiently as Coach Wooden demonstrated the proper way to put on athletic socks and tie shoes. It seems silly and frivolous to speak of this, until you realize that Coach was teaching his team to pay attention to the minute details that form the foundation of their preparation. He showed them that neither a world-class vertical jump nor a seven-foot frame was immune to failure if your shoes became untied or if the socks bunched up and created a blister that limited your play. He was telling his players that the greatness of their game was subject to the very foundation of their preparation.