The 1966-1967 season was square in the middle of John Wooden's and UCLA's dominance over NCAA basketball. With two National Championships already under his belt, Wooden was looking for his third title in four years. This would require even more work than the previous years, however, for the opposition was rapidly becoming accustomed to Wooden's strategies and would stop at nothing to dethrone the undisputed champions. All Bruins, both past and present, hoped that Coach Wooden's constantly changing game plans coupled with his extraordinarily talented team would prove to be enough to conquer all who stood in their path. The UCLA Basketball program was known throughout the country for its talent and depth. Each of its players had their own individual strengths and weaknesses that Coach Wooden recognized and used to create a sense of unity among teammates. From Lew Alcindor's domination in the paint to Lucius Allen's marksmanship from behind the arc, the Bruins learned to work as a team to defeat their foes.
At the center position, Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabar, stood at 7' 1'' tall and was considered UCLA's key player. As a sophomore he was recognized with All-Coast and All-American honors for his astounding 29.0 points per game and 15.6 rebounds per game. Even more impressive was his designation as NCAA Player of the Year by a majority of coaches from across the nation. MVP of the UCLA Basketball Team was just one more award to add to the list.
Guard Lucius Allen was another one of the publicly recognized players. Standing 6' 2'' tall he proved to have quite an accurate jumper, scoring 15.8 points per game as a sophomore. He was elected to the All-Coast first team at the guard position and was an honorable mention All-American.
Despite his small stature, Mike Warren was another integral part of the team. At 5' 11'', he was the shortest Bruin starter but made up for it with his skill with the basketball. Warren averaged 12.4 points per game over the year and proved to be quite a potent weapon when teamed with Allen in the backcourt. He, too, was named an honorable mention All-American.
Forwards Lynn Shackelford (6' 5'') and Kenny Heitz (6' 3'') joined Alcindor in the paint, helping Lew out when the opposing team felt it necessary to double or triple team him. Scoring 11.3 and 6.9 points per game respectively, the two forwards had an impact in scoring as well as rebounding.
As the season began the Bruins proved to be just as dominant as before, but would this be enough to beat the opposition? This question became prevalent with the advent of "stalling," a new strategy devised by UCLA's opponents. It consisted of holding the ball for minutes on end without taking a shot to prevent the domination of certain players, i.e. Lew Alcindor. The Bruins first faced this in one of their games against the USC Trojans, which turned out to be one of their closest games of the season. Under Alcindor's leadership, however, they were able to defeat the Trojans 40-35 in overtime. With this important victory under their belt, the Bruins went on to win the 1967 NCAA National Championship, dismantling Houston and Dayton along the way to a 30-0 season.
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