To say USC and UCLA have had varied, recent success on the hardwood criminally understates the situation in Southland and Westwood. But the failure of Trojan basketball did not deter Bruin legend Bill Walton from stopping by the USC campus before his alma mater in his nine-spot tour of Pac-12 schools to promote his return to broadcasting.

“I’m feeling fantastic,” the 60-year-old said before his speaking engagement in a USC class. “It’s been six years since I’ve been a fulltime broadcaster, and I’m working my way back in, climbing back into the game of life and on that mountain one more time, trying to get to the top.”

Walton came to USC just two days after the men’s basketball coach Kevin O’Neill was fired and the day before UCLA takes on Oregon State in a game which Walton will call and former Bruin and Laker Jamaal Wilkes’ number will be retired, placing UCLA’s undefeated Pac-12 record on the line.

But Walton didn’t just declare USC must improve. He holds broader expectations for the conference.

“All of the California teams – they need to get better,” Walton asserted. “In Pac-12 basketball, the California teams are dragging down the conference. California has the demographics, population and the money that ultimately will drive the Pac-12 to its unbelievable destiny.

“But sports – it’s entertainment,” he continued. “And you have to put an exciting product on the court. So, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Cal – unbelievable schools. But right now, if there’s empty seats in those arenas, it means that those teams are not playing an exciting enough brand of ball.”

In USC’s case, that’s putting it lightly. The Trojans just notched their seventh win of the season, surpassing last season’s pathetic win total of six. O’Neill wasn’t getting it done.

“I’m surprised it took so long for the coaching change to be made,” Walton said. “The best thing USC has going for them besides Los Angeles, California, everything that’s going on with their fantastic alumni network – they’ve got Pat Haden. Pat Haden is brilliant. Pat Haden is a visionary.

“He’s not looking to promote himself, he’s not looking to make himself rich, he’s not looking for any other agenda other than to make USC great.”

Even the Sons of Westwood’s 14-3 mark doesn’t impress Walton, who loves the up-and-down game, not the slow, methodical one.

“I grew up with the Lakers and Chick Hearn, John Wooden. Every coach I had was a John Wooden disciple, which led to fast break and full-court press and let’s celebrate and let’s run,” he said. “I don’t watch basketball for the timeouts or plays. I watch for running, jumping, celebrating, creativity, imagination, the vision of young dreamers.”

The rivalry, while certainly in a down era, still possesses great significance for Walton.

“Rivalries make it so fun, and it’s what drives us. It’s what gives us a sense of purpose,” he said. “One of the purposes in life, particularly at a college, is the challenge to inspire them to care. The battles between UCLA and USC, people care very much about that.”

The game of life

Rife with his typical flowery descriptions and positive thinking (he said USC should pursue Phil Jackson, Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan for the head coaching vacancy), Walton’s television demeanor and personality is the thoroughly authentic Walton, who subscribes to the philosophies of Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and, of course, Wooden. He wasn’t on campus just to talk basketball, but also life.

Wooden and Walton often argued on topics from hair length to Richard Nixon. In today’s college basketball scene, if someone gave, say, Shabazz Muhammad those restrictions, he would either A) wait out the season and go pro anyway or B) transfer. But if that occurred today for Walton, he would be hard-pressed to leave the Wooden dynasty he was once a part of, one of three great teams he played a part of.

“It depends on what’s important to you,” Walton said. “Our team, John Wooden, UCLA? That was really important to me. Nothing was more important than being on that team with those guys.”

Such a large part of Walton’s life now revolves around imparting his life philosophy, heavily influenced by Wooden, onto young people.

“The totality of life is critical,” Walton stated. “And all the things we’re gonna talk about in there: chasing your dream, building your life, developing a foundation, becoming a player in the game of life, ultimately becoming the championship leader, and then realizing the mantras that apply to so many different aspects of the game of life.

“For people here at this incredible place of learning of knowledge and hope of a dream, of selflessness, ‘When life looks like easy street, there’s danger at your door,’” he persisted with his only Grateful Dead quote of the night. “Happiness begins when selfishness ends, and never measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but rather what you could or should have been able to do,” he concluded, ending with two Wooden maxims.

After talking, Walton labored across the lobby carrying his preferred chair, moving his 30-plus-times surgically repaired body. He does not allow that to inhibit him, living up to as many Wooden maxims one can. In perceived enemy territory, no one thinks of the Bruin-against-Trojan ties, including him.

“This is not enemy territory. USC is one of the great campuses, great colleges, great places of higher education in the entire world,” Walton said. “I’ve got so many friends that go here, who’ve succeeded masterfully in their lives because of what USC has been able to do.

“Plus, why would I ever consider USC the enemy?” he said with a sly smile. “I’m undefeated lifetime against USC.”

OK, well maybe he had it in mind.

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