A phenom and a legend

Saturday, June 12, 2010 | 2:04 a.m.

Bryce Harper is the definition of a baseball phenom. The Henderson resident left high school last year after his sophomore year, earning a GED, to attend the College of Southern Nevada, where he could play against better competition. He arrived with an incredible reputation. A Sports Illustrated cover story last year dubbed him baseball’s LeBron James and “the Chosen One.”

Under intense scrutiny from scouts, fans and the media, Harper never wilted. He hit .443 with 31 home runs and 98 RBIs in 66 games.

On Monday the 17-year-old became the first overall pick in Major League Baseball’s annual amateur draft, and he is one of the most celebrated. He joins an elite club of first-round picks that includes Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones and Harold Baines.

A first-round pick can command a multimillion-dollar deal and, yes, the scouts say, Harper is that good. Assuming he signs a contract, Harper is at the beginning of what could be an incredible career.

Of course, Harper is destined for a long journey. He has faced harsh — and anonymous — criticism in some baseball circles, and those critics jumped on his behavior in his last college game as evidence that he is arrogant and hotheaded. He spiked the opposing first baseman and then was later ejected after a called third strike.

However, Harper, who likes to remind people that, “I’m just a kid,” has shown maturity that his critics don’t acknowledge. He personally apologized to the first baseman and after the game was tearful about his ejection, apologizing to his coach and teammates.

That doesn’t strike us as arrogant. That appears to be a good attitude and one that will be critical for his success.

As Harper moves toward what we hope is a long and successful professional baseball career, we’re reminded of John Wooden, the great UCLA basketball coach, who died last week at 99.

Wooden won an unprecedented 10 NCAA titles over a 12-year period and put up an unequaled lifetime coaching record of 885-203. But his legacy is what he taught his players, who called him a great teacher and a man of integrity. NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played at UCLA, said Wooden was “absolutely a very humble person.”

“His office was a Quonset hut,” Abdul-Jabbar said, recalling his first visit with Wooden. “It was like, ‘Whoa!’ Here’s a guy who just won two consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and he was coaching out of a Quonset hut.”

Even in retirement, people found Wooden to be the same humble man. His number was listed, and he answered his phone.

Wooden said he learned a great lesson in humility after he won his first NCAA championship. He was standing outside his hotel with his wife, Nell, the morning after, waiting for a cab to go to church.

“And a pigeon hit me right on top of the head,” Wooden recalled. “And I felt, ‘Well, we just won the national championship, the team did, don’t let it go to your head.’ And I think the Good Lord was letting me know, ‘Don’t get carried away.’ I’ll always remember that.”

Indeed. It’s a good lesson for all of us.