Sport: John Wooden's Simple Strategy

"We are easy to scout but tough to play against." That is John Wooden's way of saying that U.C.L.A.'S court tactics are textbook-simple on paper yet devastatingly effective on the court. "With Bill Walton in our lineup, our strategy is simple," Wooden explains. "You go to him until the opposing team stops it. Then you go to others. If you don't go to Walton, it's like using Babe Ruth in your lineup to bunt."

The Wooden approach is, of course, more sophisticated than that; the Bruins always play within a well-rehearsed plan. On offense, Wooden's...