My Tribute to "Tex" Winter on the Night of his Induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Morice Fredrick Winter. If you stumbled upon this blog, you might be saying to yourself, 'who the hell is that?' But, if I say "Tex" Winter and you're a basketball aficionado, or a fan of the Chicago Bulls or Los Angeles Lakers, the name is instantly recognizable. Tex was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, August 12, 2011 as a coach.


Tex was not able to speak for himself on the night he was inducted into the Hall of Fame because of a debilitating stroke he had suffered in 2009. After listening to Tex's son, Chris Winter's rambling speech, I decided to start tweeting about Tex. Nothing I've ever tweeted has resonated more with those who follow me on twitter than the comments I made about Tex and Dennis Rodman.


Here are my real time comments (slightly cleaned up) about Tex after he had been inducted into the HOF:

I haven't commented on the BB HOF speeches; sad that Phil Jackson didn't give that speech for Tex; Chris should have read the speech, like Artis Gilmore. Tex was a friend of my father, Clarence 'Big House' Gaines. He was the coach at Long Beach St. when I moved to Long Beach in 1983. At my Dad's request, Tex took a look at my condo before I bought it.  Gave a thumbs up. Tex's last stop as a college head coach was at L.B. State. - He struggled in his last years as a head coach. Tex is/was a wise investor. He's a child of the depression. Will save his last nickle. Johnny Bach would call him penurious.

Tex had called it quits (or about ready to) as a coach {was at LSU under Dale Brown as an assistant coach} and then Jerry Krause got the Bulls job and the rest is history. The first basketball person Krause called when he got a second chance at running a NBA team was Tex Winter. Tex liked to tell the story that he was listening to TV and heard Krause got the job, and immediately said to his wife Nancy, "the phone will be ringing." A few minutes/hours later, the phone rang and thus began his journey with the Bulls. Tex wasn't readily accepted by Stan Albeck, but Krause canned Albeck after only 1 year on the job.

Krause leaned heavily on Tex's advice in hiring Doug Collins, which was a radical move at the time. Doug Collins never took to Tex, but Tex did form a great relationship with his co-assistant, Phil Jackson. The year Doug was fired, Tex was fed up.  Doug got fired for many reasons, but one of them was his inability to value his assistants. When PJ got the head coaching job, which was also my 1st year with the Bulls, he and Tex began to implement aspects of the triangle. It took time for the players and MJ to buy into it.

Bulls practices were a sight to behold. Tex usually led the offensive drills. Most coaches & fans would be shocked at the basic fundamentals that were stressed by Tex during the initial stages of  practice. It's stuff I do with the young kids that I coach. Tex's attention to detail is second to none. His nickname should be "the doodler," always doodling on paper to come up with unique angles (ways to break down a defense).

The greatest compliment I ever heard about Tex was uttered by Scottie Pippen to Michael Jordan on the Bulls team bus after they had been on the Dream Team. If Clyde Drexler had Tex Winter as a coach, he could be on the level of Michael Jordan (I'm embellishing).  Bottom line, Clyde was not a fundamentally sound player. MJ had Dean Smith & Tex Winter to emphasize the fundamentals of the game in his developmental years. Clyde didn't have that. To have two players like MJ and Scottie Pippen recognize Tex's greatness in that way, should be a measure of why Tex is in the Hall of Fame, and it should be a wake-up call to coaches at every level to dedicate a portion of every practice to the fundamentals of the game. It should also tell you that MJ and Pip's games were built on more than just pure athleticism. Their game was built on a solid foundation.

Tex's 7 principles of a sound offense is a basketball bible. The Bulls asked a player to stick his game in the system (triangle), because if he did that, his game would come out.  7 principles of a sound defense, which was the Bulls defensive philosophy in the 90's, is also a great guidepost. Both are presented in their entirety at the end of this post.

Tex is one-of-a-kind. Very spry in his 70's - could get out on the court and demonstrate any and everything. Sad to hear he had a stroke, because he was an athletic marvel. Tex was not only a basketball player at USC, but he was a world class pole vaulter.

His mind was as sharp as a tack. I would have loved to hear Tex's speech, because he knew & coached against so many greats. Tex's relationship with PJ deepened over the years. Many times you would look in the film room and  it would be just PJ & Tex breaking down the tape of the game.  Part of Phil Jackson's greatness is that he not only is a great teacher and thinker, but he is a great student and listener.

Tex was the architect of the triangle (Sam Barry, the father,) but PJ put his stamp on it, and within a few years he had mastered the nuances of HOW TO TEACH THE OFFENSE. The secret to why the triangle has worked for the Bulls and the Lakers is largely due to the drills that were formulated by Tex and PJ to teach it properly to the players. I could go on & on about Tex & the Bulls, so many stories I could tell.

Tex is 89 years old. If we're lucky, we will all live a long life, and hopefully, we will live it gracefully and without regret in our sunset years. Have a great night, and as my dad used to say about growing old - "Remember me as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I, as I am now, so you will be, prepare for death and follow me."

On the morning of August 12th, I read a column on Tex Winter, Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson by Kevin Ding. Ding writes for the Orange County Register and is one of the best NBA beat writers and sports columnists in the country. His article, "Jackson there for them – Zen, then and now," and his comments about Tex elicited this comment from me:

"Can't always take Tex seriously when he's talking about young kids. Tex is an optimist with new talent and a pessimist with established talent. Bottom line - Tex will eventually poke holes in everybody's game, but with their best interests at heart. One of my favorite Tex quotes relates to the Larry Turner's of the basketball universe - "You don't feed pearls to swine." Also, don't discount Tex's early years as a coach at Kansas State. His K-State teams were as good as any team in the country. He was recognized as one of the bright young minds in the game." 

What I didn't tell Ding about his article was that he was on point in characterizing Rodman and Winter 'as mad geniuses,' needing 'Jackson's steadiness to harness their powers to reach this moment.' What Ding failed to tell his readers was that Jackson needed Tex as much as Tex needed Jackson. Salutations to one of the greatest partnerships in basketball history. The stamp Tex & PJ put on the game of basketball will always be a part of the game's history, and hopefully, will be lived out on the hardwood for as long as the game is played.

 

POST-SPEECH ARTICLES THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ:

1. The Redo - Tex Winter's Hall of Fame Speech
   
2. Kevin Ding's Blog 
3.  

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF A SOUND OFFENSE

 

1. MUST PENETRATE THE DEFENSE:

•  Good % shots - define good shots for each player.
• Stress inside power game. Play for the 3-pt power play.
• Break down all defenses. Full court presses to double teams.

2. BASKETBALL IS A FULL COURT GAME, END TO END PLAY. SKILLS MUST BE LEARNED AT FAST BREAK PACE. KNOW THE OPTIMUM SPEED AND WORK TO INCREASE IT. TRANSITION BASKETBALL STARTS ON DEFENSE. LOOK TO RUN!

• First wave = "Attack"
• Second wave = "Storm"
• Set offense blends into fast break - "Flow"

3. PROVIDES PROPER FLOOR SPACING 15' to 18', CREATING AN OPERATING ROOM AND CLEARING AREA ON THE COURT. IT KEEPS THE DEFENSE OCCUPIED ON AND OFF THE BALL.

4. IT PROVIDES PLAYER AND BALL MOVEMENT WITH A PURPOSE. THERE IS ONLY ONE BALL AND FIVE PLAYERS. ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, A PLAYER IS WITHOUT THE BALL 80% OF TIME.

5. IT PROVIDES STRONG REBOUND POSITION AND GOOD DEFENSIVE BALANCE ON ALL SHOTS.

6. IT PROVIDES THE PLAYER WITH THE BALL AN OPPORTUNITY TO PASS THE BALL TO ANY OF HIS TEAMMATES. THE OFFENSE SHOULD PROVIDE FOR A COUNTER TO THE DEFENSE.

7. IT UTILIZES THE ABILITIES OF THE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS. MUST CREATE HIGH % SHOTS FOR BEST SHOOTERS, REBOUND OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOUNDERS, DRIVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR BEST DRIVERS, ETC. AFFORDS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY OUT OF A FORMAT (ALIGNMENT) RATHER THAN BE RESTRICTED TO A DEFINITE SET PLAY.

7 DEFENSIVE PRINCIPLES

Determination to outplay your opponent, to shut him down, get rebounds, hustle down the ball and to do your part towards team defense brings out the best in a player.

1. "WORK." Defense is a matter of hard work, period ..Transition defense relies on hard work. "Tear Ass Back" Don't be on the defensive when you play defense--anticipate the opponent, i.e., be ready to play defense before your man has the ball, anticipate the post up or penetration.

"Footwork and conditioning are to defense what passing and shooting are to offense. "

2. "PRESSURE THE BALL." Good defense finds a way to challenge ball control. It prevents the offense from doing what they want.

3. "STOP PENETRATION." The ball must be stopped. We will push sideline and baseline (outside).

4. "FRONT THE POST." Everytime the ball is on the wing-sidelines, front the post.

5. "SEAL THE LANE." Weakside defenders are responsible for lane penetration. STOP the ball either on the dribble or on the pass.

"TEAM DEFENSE can only be as strong as its Weakest Individual. "

6. "CONTEST THE SHOT."  We will challenge every shot we can --get a hand-up.

7. "BOX OUT."  A team cannot beat you if you give them 1 shot per possession. Get a body on somebody. Big men cup the board. Guards get to the elbows. Let's get that ball and go!

A strong defense is the place teamwork starts. Everyone has their weaknesses at that end of the court and therefore everyone must compensate to help their teammates. Defense stabilizes a team's effort -it keeps us in a game when the offense sputters and prevents disorganization. Simply put DEFENSE WINS!

TEXISMS 

1. Defense: Footwork and condition are to the defensive team what passing and shooting are to the offensive team.
2. Team defense can be only as strong as its weakest individual. I.E. ( A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.)
3. Be mentally alert and aggressive on defense.
4. Determination, fight, and mental and physical aggressiveness are necessary to a good defense.
5. A strong defense is a stabilizing factor in your team play. It will enable you to stay in a game and prevent disorganization in your play.
6. Determination to outplay your opponent, to shut him out, to get the rebounds, to be a great ball hawk, and to do more than your part towards a good team defense will bring out the best in the player.
7. A player's greatest team value may be his rebounding- Go Get That Ball!
8. As a man improves in technique, muscular coordination will manifest itself, followed closely by a certain rhythm; and then comes in rapid order; poise, assurance, and self confidence.
9. Be Defensive-minded. 
10. "Basketball is a game easy to play but difficult to master." Dr. James Naismith.
11. Everything turns upon a trifle: “For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for the want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care about a horseshoe nail." Benjamin Franklin