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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 1:02 p.m., Saturday, March 1, 2008

Former UCLA coach Wooden has blood transfusions

By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES — John Wooden remained hospitalized in good condition today, having undergone blood transfusions after the 97-year-old UCLA coaching great broke two bones when he fell at home.

Wooden broke his left wrist and collarbone Thursday night. His wrist was in a cast today and his arm will need to be in a sling when he leaves the hospital, his daughter said.

"Dad has had a couple of blood transfusions because the doctors found he was anemic, but the transfusions will take care of that and Dad will be fine," daughter Nan Muehlhausen said in a statement. "We expect him to make a full recovery."

Wooden was in good spirits and doing well enough to be visited by numerous family members today, including son Jim, Muehlhausen said.

"He had a good night, his vital signs are good and his spirits are good," she said. "He has been joking around with the family."

Wooden could be released Monday from the hospital, which the family has not identified. Muehlhausen has requested the public not attempt to call or visit Wooden so he can rest.

Wooden has a hairline fracture in his wrist and a fractured collarbone. He also hit his head, but a CT scan of his head and neck was negative.

Wooden coached the Bruins to an unsurpassed 10 NCAA basketball championships in the 1960s and '70s, including consecutive titles from 1967-73. His teams also had an 88-game winning streak.

A 40th reunion of Wooden's 1968 national championship team is scheduled for March 8 at halftime of UCLA's regular-season finale against California. It was not immediately known whether Wooden would attend as he had planned.

Wooden, still an active presence around UCLA, gets around using a cane and Muehlhausen usually accompanies him. School officials last month asked fans not to approach him at games because autograph-seekers had been overwhelming him at his seat behind the Bruins' bench.

His last appearance at a UCLA game was Feb. 23, a 75-65 victory over Oregon.

He was hospitalized for several days last April with diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets in the colon. Doctors decided his problem last year was a reaction to medications, including one for arthritis.

Wooden retired in 1975 with a 620-147 record in 27 years at UCLA, where his stars included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich.