STARS UPDATE: STARS LOOKING TO THE WIZARD.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

INGLEWOOD - The bond between John Wooden and his former UCLA basketball players remains as tight as ever, so when Jamaal Wilkes called asking for a favor a few weeks ago, the old coach didn't disappoint.

Wooden, who coached at UCLA for 27 years and won 10 NCAA titles between 1964-1975, joined the Los Angeles Stars of the American Basketball Association on Thursday in the loosely defined role of executive consultant to basketball operations.

``This is like having William Shakespeare advising a local theater,'' said Wilkes, the team's vice president of basketball operations who played on two UCLA championship teams under Wooden in the 1970s.

``It's like Albert Einstein advising a science department or Duke Ellington advising an orchestra.''

The duties of Wooden, 90, will be largely ceremonial, but he will assist Wilkes by attending games and practices periodically and offering input on player-personnel matters.

``I hope that as a consultant I'm not an advisor,'' Wooden, an Encino resident, said at a Forum news conference. ``I don't like to give suggestions but I will give opinions, and certainly I'm not going to tell anybody how to do their job.''

Wooden, who retired in 1975, has kept busy as an author and a motivational speaker, and has not seen an ABA game in the league's newest incarnation, which began in December. The extensiveness of Wooden's involvement with the Stars will depend on his health and other business ventures.

``This is a very important day for the Los Angeles Stars in our brief history,'' general manager Steve Chase said. ``To have someone with coach Wooden's reputation with the Stars is very important to us.''