The Wizard Is Watching and Likes What He Sees

Tonight, in his cozy Encino condominium, John Wooden plans to turn on his television and root for UCLA to continue its surprising run in the NCAA tournament.

Wooden, 89, who has two children, seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, remains as loyal a UCLA fan as they come. The man who guided UCLA to 10 NCAA championships in the ‘60s and ‘70s has paid close attention to this season’s up-and-down Bruin team.

“I’ve felt all along they’ve had extraordinary talent,” he said. “It compares to anyone, but they haven’t been together. What brought them together, people say, is [JaRon] Rush. That’s helped, but I felt when they were behind 19 points to Cal and won by 21, from that point on, they began to believe in themselves. To me, the whole difference is them playing together as a team.”

Wooden said it is unusual for a team and individuals to make dramatic improvement in such a short period of time late in the season, as UCLA has done.

“I’ve had some kids come around slowly, but not suddenly make the change,” he said. “It makes you feel good to see them suddenly come on. They knew they weren’t playing well together. They are playing together now. To me, that’s the most important thing.”

Wooden said as long as the Bruins keep playing as a team, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win it all.”

First up is a Sweet 16 game against Iowa State tonight at Auburn Hills, Mich.

Wooden had already made plans to attend the Final Four next week in Indianapolis. And what happens if UCLA is there?

“It would be very interesting,” he said.