Patty Gasso reacts to John Wooden comparison from Gerry Glasco

The Oklahoma Sooners season came to an end early and, for the first time since 2020, they won’t win the national championship. Still, even with the loss, the strength of the Oklahoma dynasty under Patty Gasso remains undeniable.

The job Gasso has done at Oklahoma is widely respected. It even led to the Sooners’ opponent, Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Gerry Glasco, to favorably compare her to John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball program. That was a comparison that Gasso appreciated, even if it’s not why she chooses to coach.

“I appreciate those comments,” Patty Gasso said. “Not warranted, but appreciated for sure. I don’t even, honestly, think about that. I just do my job. That’s all I’m trying to do is turn girls into women and help them become elite softball athletes but, at the same time, make sure they learn about life so that they become good mothers, they’re good daughters, they’re good friends. That they try to live the right way and do the right things.”

Patty Gasso first got to Oklahoma in 1995 and has since consistently found success on the field. Their first national championship came in 2000. Since 2011, the Sooners have failed to make the Women’s College World Series only once. That was in 2015 when they made the Super Regional. They also have won another seven national championships, taking their total to eight, and making Oklahoma the dominant dynasty in softball.

That success is, undeniably, similar to the success that John Wooden had with UCLA basketball. From 1948-1975, he led that program. That included 10 national championships, seven of which were in a row, as the Bruins dominated the 1960s and early 1970s in their sport.

“Those are the lessons that are going on that are probably more important to me than wins and losses,” Gasso said. “I want them to walk away and say, ‘I’m equipped for anything. I can handle this. I can handle anything.’ Losing is not fun but losing is life. We all lose at something. It’s hard, but it’s lessons learned from it. I think that’s probably what’s most important for me is these guys leave with something to take with them for the rest of their lives.”

The comparison between Patty Gasso and John Wooden sees two coaches build up programs over multiple decades, put together dynastic runs, and their legacy extends outside of games. It goes to how they’ve looked to build their players both in action and as people.

Oklahoma is going to get a lesson in falling short this season, as they fell in the Women’s College World Series to Texas Tech. Now, Gasso has a chance to teach her team and help them grow.