Former UCLA basketball coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden is resting comfortably at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center and is surrounded by his family after being hospitalized, according to UCLA officials.
The university said in an e-mail Friday morning that Wooden spent a peaceful night at the hospital on Thursday night.
Former UCLA and Los Angeles Lakers star Jamaal Wilkes told The Associated Press that he visited Wooden in his hospital room twice this week and they chatted briefly.
Wilkes said Wooden recognized him and that the coach's mind remains ``sharp as a tack,'' although he said the 99-year-old Wooden's body is ``very, very frail.''
During his second visit on Wednesday night, Wilkes asked Wooden if he recognized him.
``His glasses fogged up and he had to clean his glasses,'' Wilkes said. ``He looked at me and said, 'I remember you, now go sit down.'''
Wilkes teamed with Bill Walton to help UCLA win NCAA titles in 1972 and '73. He was part of UCLA's record 88-game winning streak under Wooden.
Besides his grown son and daughter and other family members, Wilkes said Wooden has had several visitors since being admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on May 26, including Walton.
Wooden was admitted to the hospital on May 26 due to dehydration, and his family has requested that no other information regarding his condition be released.
UCLA would not confirm media reports that he is in grave condition, all attributed to anonymous sources.
Former UCLA and Los Angeles Lakers star Jamaal Wilkes told The Associated Press on Friday that he visited Wooden in his hospital room twice this week and they chatted briefly.
Wilkes says Wooden recognized him and that the coach's mind remains "sharp as a tack," although he says the 99-year-old Wooden's body is "very, very frail."
Wilkes said Wooden is sleeping a lot. The university said the former coaching great was being treated for dehydration.
``I got the sense that it's an overall physical decline,'' Wilkes said while attending an event for an NBA charity.
``His mind and his spirit is very lucid and sharp. He was sharp as a tack, still got the sense of humor. People don't realize how funny he is, but his body is very, very weak, very frail.''
Wilkes said he recognized what he called ``that little glint'' in Wooden's pale blue eyes. He was in the room with Wooden's son, James, when Wooden asked to be shaved.
``His son made the comment that when he got shaved he was getting ready to see Nellie,'' Wilkes said, referring to Wooden's late wife who died of cancer in 1975.
Like many of Wooden's players, Wilkes, now 57, has stayed in regular contact with his former coach through the years. He said they rarely discussed basketball and mostly talked about their lives.
``He's such a tough survivor and you want to keep wishing and hoping that he's going to live forever, but we all know he's not,'' Wilkes said. ``The realization that this may actually be it hasn't really hit me yet. I'm so overwhelmed with what's happening.''
Wilkes, however, said Wooden seemed at peace with himself, and that the coach's pastor was another visitor.
``He's OK with it. It's the rest of us that have to,'' Wilkes said, his voice trailing off. ``It's hard.''
There were multiple media reports that Wooden was in grave condition, but all were attributed to anonymous sources.
Former UCLA star Bill Walton said Thursday that he visited with the 99-year-old Wooden at the hospital two days earlier.
Walton spoke at the NBA Finals, where he declined to comment on Wooden's condition.
"He's the greatest,'' Walton said, his voice catching. "We love him.''
Los Angeles television station KCAL and the Los Angeles Times first reported that Wooden was in grave condition.
The Times cited an anonymous school source who said Wooden's health has been an issue in recent weeks and that he was briefly hospitalized about a month ago.
Wooden led the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships -- at one time winning seven in a row -- during a 27-year run that ended with his team cutting down the nets one last time in 1975.
The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964-74, both records.
NBA commissioner David Stern was asked about Wooden's contributions to the sport of basketball before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
"We decided that we would not declare his obituary now, other than to say that he's the winningest coach in our history, four 30-0 seasons, and the ultimate aficionado of our game,'' Stern said. "We hope he's in peace right now, and we'll wait on events.''
Wooden led the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships - at one time winning seven in a row - during a 27-year run that ended with his team cutting down the nets one last time in 1975.
The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964-74, both records.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
