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Coaching Articles : Eric Musselman File For Coaches Jackson makes Hall of Fame on principle By Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson heads the 2007 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted Saturday in Springfield, Mass. The group includes University of North Carolina men's coach Roy Williams, Louisiana State University women's coach Van Chancellor, the 1966 Texas Western University men's team, referee Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph and international coaches Pedro Ferrandiz of Spain and Mirko Novosel of Yugoslavia. Jackson, 61, has won nine NBA championships as a coach — six with the Chicago Bulls and three with the Lakers — tying Hall of Famer Red Auerbach's record. He has coached some of the NBA's greatest players, including Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen with the Bulls and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal with the Lakers. Jackson gets players to buy into his coaching philosophy, which is influenced by Native American and Eastern beliefs. "The great thing about Phil is the way he has handled players," Hall of Famer Magic Johnson said. "He has a different style, too, that old Zen thing. I love him because he never gets too high and never gets too low and always wants to help the guys grow as men. He teaches them basketball and also teaches them outside the sport." One of his more renowned strategies is handing out books for players to read during road trips. "He's trying to get players to see that there's more to life than the NBA and your performance today," said NBA TV analyst Steve "Snapper" Jones.
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