I had the great fortune of meeting John Kundla in 2015. My day job allows me to interview Minnesotans for the Minnesota Historical Society, and I think there are few more successful Minnesotans than Coach Kundla. The following is a passage about his early life and learning the game of basketball.
I was Slovak, and I can speak Slovak to this day. I came to Minneapolis and went to school, and I know the first day of class I got up and …the thirty-third question, and the teacher says, "John, stay after class. Now put your tongue between your teeth and say, 'thirty-three, thirty-three.