It was a sight to behold, silver-haired Pete Newell gazing skyward, instructing another towering, freshly minted NBA first-round multi-millionaire in the finer points of basketball footwork.

A man old enough to be their grandfather — or, in some cases, even great grandfather — getting rapt attention from someone whose parents probably weren't even born when Newell was winning national championships in college or swinging a blockbuster trade in the NBA.

But, then, the lessons Newell taught at his famed "Big Man's Camp" in Hawai'i and elsewhere for more than 30 years were timeless. Like the man himself.

Which is why his death Monday, even at age 93, came as something of a surprise. Like the skills he taught and defensive precepts he preached, it seemed the sage Newell would somehow go on and on.

"A lot of people try to be teachers; Pete just does it," former Chaminade University coach Merv Lopes once observed.

Indeed, Newell had a way about him that crossed generations and eras. The respect he was accorded assured attention and focus.

It was an indication of the esteem that Newell and his keen insights on the game were held in that coaches and players came to him. Pro teams paid thousands of dollars to send their rookies to Newell's week-long sessions here. College players scraped together lesser amounts to attend.

Never, however, did the self-effacing Newell have to advertise or toot his own horn.

Word of mouth from satisfied customers, including Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal and Bill Walton, said it all. "Guys tell guys; teammates tell teammates," as announcer Stu Lantz of the Lakers liked to say.

Newell was more than a Hall of Famer, he was a coach's coach, a resource and an innovator. Bob Knight considered Newell a mentor. John Wooden learned from him. Dean Smith applied Newell's theories.

Newell coached the University of San Francisco to the 1949 National Invitation Tournament title, when the NIT was bigger and more prestigious than the NCAA Tournament. He guided California to the NCAA title in 1959 and the Bears were runners-up in 1960. Newell also coached the United States to the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rome that year, one of the few to win all three. As general manager of the Lakers he swung the trade that brought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Los Angeles.

It was after his "retirement" in 1976, when Newell began doing individual tutorials, that his "Big Man's Camp" was created.

Newell's genius was in explaining, encouraging and reinforcing. "You can tell a dog what to do and have him sit up, but with players, you also need to tell them why," Newell liked to say. "I want them to understand why it is important to do something a certain way."

Usually the fact that Newell said it was reason enough.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.