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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1943)
They staged the basketball classic of the coast last Sat urday night in San Francisco when the Naval Pre-Flight cagers staged a court war with the Coast Guard Sea Lions of Alameda. The clash between these two titans of the pinewood was not only a testing match between the two top service quintets of the Pacific Coasts, it was a personal scoring duel between the Navy’s ace casaba man. Hank Luisetti, and the Coast Guard’s mighty forward, Jimmy Pollard. The navy kids from St. Mary’s annexed the contest, 45-36. ^ It was Mr. Pollard,'former number one basketeer on the Stanford University national championship squad of 1941, who emerged from the contest with high-point honors. He bagged a cool twenty-two digits. Air. Luisetti was not very far behind Mr.-Pollard, however. Hank rolled twenty points through the hoop. Undefeated The PreMrlight bays have thus far enjoyed a season un blemished by-defeat; The Goast Guarders have been bumped twice. But together, they have whipped every outfit in the bay area. Let’s look for a moment at the Pre-Flight line-up. Be sides Luisetti at one forward, the St. Mary’s boys boast Hal Eifert, former great University of California star at a guard position, Ralph Hillsman, Olympic Club eager at another guard slot, Bob McDonald and Chuck Gentry, the latter a famed WSC court star, at centers, and Pat VaLente, great Oregon State bas keteer, as a reserve guard. That’s more material than the average basketball coach could dream up in a month of Sundays. The Coast Guarders ^pve besides the flashy Pollard, towering Gene Gallete, who ^ame from the same San Francisco high school that produced Luisetti, Marty Passaglia and Bruce Hale. Mel Dropo, an other local high school star is holding down the reserve center slot. And then there’s a list of cagers from the east, who have been accustomed to playing with fast company. AYliat we would enjoy seeing very much is a series of games between the Naval Pre-Flighters and the Coast Guarders against Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, or WSC or Idaho. We wonder how gum-chewing Hec Edmunson’s great Husky quintet would hold up under fire of Luisetti, Pollard & Co. Hank Showed Hec openly admits that Hank is the greatest eager he has ever seen. Plec. recalls the play-off of the northern and south ern divisions of the Pacific Coast Conference a few years ago. His Huskies with Chuck Wagner and Egge and Bishop and a couple of other court luminaries had spread-eagled the north ern field. Luisetti, flanked by Phil Zonne, Art Stoefen, Jack Calder ^wood, Bob Zonne and others, had likewise closed the hatch on the southern division clubs. In the first night of the play-offs, held down south, Luisetti shot through the Hus ky defense like there was no-one there to guard him, and rang the bell for thirty-two points. Hec stopped chewing his gum during that contest. All things being as they are, we would still enjoy seeing a Contest between the above-mention teams. Lhris Ired Ken Christianson, who used to pen this column, dropped in to see us the other day. He was more than a little incensed over the fact that the Baab Trophy Award Was not conducted in the manner to which he had previously outlined some time ago. The previous set-up called for a special faculty commit tee composed of President Erb, Dean Earl, several athletic coaches, the Emerald sports writers, Dick Strite of the Regis ter-Guard and one or two others to have the final say-so on matters; -Evidently things were not run exactly that way on Jjris year’s appointment, although let it be said that Bill Car ^y is as fine an athlete as there is in the senior class. It’s a little off the beaten track, but it just occurred to us that Superman, that famous comic star, appeared a little bit ridiculous in yesterday’s strip. He was very incred ulous over the fact that there existed a number of fifth col umn propagandists in this country. His idea of a rumor corner, to spike all unwarranted rumors, is a good one, though. We’re wishing a speedy recovery to Sammy Crowell, var sity cub, who injured his foot in the second Willamette con test last week. Sam will be on the side-lines for a month, ac cording to the earliest appraisals. Bigger Things? If the Idaho Vandals had bagged two wins against our be Kved Ducks in this current basketball series, they might well jP on their way to vacating any cellar reservations that had been accorded them in pre-season calculations. It would have marked the third time in the last twelve years that Idaho has not been the doormat of northern division basketball. Yearling Casaba Travel Stopped By War Orders New Ruling Aids Frosh By MART POND A graphic description of the situation facing the freshmen in the way of future basketball con tests has grown from just a minor and insignificant item to a prob lem of feeding twenty point hungry hoopsters who have to content themselves, it seems, with a brisk run up one side of Mc Arthur court and down the other, while the older varsity squad is on their initial jaunt of the 1943 Northern conference race. What does one do to promote reasonably tough games for a team that is quite a few miles fur ther davanced than the competi tion that can be placed before them ? Everyone realizes, of course, that the situation of gas, tires, and other war transporta tion necessities merit first atten tion over the possibility of finding far-off talent to face our touted Ducklings. Another necessity of course, or handicap, is the lack of sufficient time to place extra con tests on the already over-crowd ed McArthur court roster, for the two Eugene high schools use the courts, too. Original Plans One of the original plans for the freshman basketball team this winter was to send the frosh with the varsity squad as much as pos sible, but the priorities of a war ring world have denied the year lings some of their top perform ers and curtailed the traveling plans for the duration. If the idea could last until after this war is over, the teams of the northwest under such training, would undoubtedly work into some of the finest balanced teams in the country. How is it though, that these plans can never seem to make a hit with anyone until the time comes when it’s impos sible to use them? Just think of all the experience these young sters would receive, if they were allowed to follow the senior team to all of their games, in order to watch the plays of each, and to develop offenses that could be used in the years to come. SPORTS STAFF Fred Treadgold, Fred Beckwith, Co-Sports Editors Mart Pond Ned Liebman Rollie Gable Don Lonie Mary Alderson. BASKETBALL, INTRAMURAL Wednesday, January 13 4:00 .court 40 -Kirkwood vs. Sherry Rcss (A) 4:40 court 40— Delts vs. Sigma Chi (A) 5:20 court 40—Alpha vs. Sig ma Alpha Epsilon (A) Board Decision j: w ";l> V " £ a • j r> • ■■***«**'** Aids Swimmers By ROIXIE GABL.E At a special meeting last night, the athletic board assembled to discuss the alternative of either catting' the schedule that- had bean originally planned for the swimming teams this season or leaving .it intact. After some discussion, however, the board approved a third meas ure: (1) The budget of the swim ming teams will be boosted to en able them to maintain their pre viously outlined schedule; (2) There will be no curtail ment on swimming funds this se mester. Hoyman Glad Such a decision was well appre ciated by varsity swimming coach Mike Hoyman, who is now free to New Killing One of the biggest propositions that has hit the Oregon campus for many years, is the new fresh man eligibility ruling. Under this ruling, the first year students who wish to participate in basketball can, under the present set-up, play with the older varsity club. The reason this ruling has been repeated, is that an innumerable amount of interested fans have re quested this change in conference law, to be rewritten. The boys who are capable of making the grade to a varsity berth, and play in one of the conference games, iose their freshman standing and can no longer be classified under that category. Roger Wiley, Ed Dick and Stan Williamson are three of the top-notch players from tile first-year squad and at any time some of their former team mates might have to be called into ac tion. OUT OF ACTION . . . . . . Sammy Crowell, varsity sul), is now on the sidelines with a leg injury. OVER THE SEAS . . . . . . Wally Johansen is now in the services of Uncl'e Sam’s navy. He formerly belonged to the Oregon N. C. A. A. cage champs of ’39. instruct his charges again with out the worries of a slashed bud get waving above his ears. The transportation of athletic teams under war-time conditions has been a constant thorn-in-the side to both coaches and athletes alike this semester. Oregon has suffered war-time curtailment as has every other college and uni versity in the country. Varsity Happy Members of the varsity swim ming team were greatly satisfied to hear the news; the doubt that the full schedule would be carried out was heavy in their minds for the past two weeks. Although the Northwest Championships at Seattle will not be held until February ‘23, varsity swimmers are training their sights on the Oregon State Beavers In the meet which pils the two teams against each other on January 30 at Corvallis. The schedule as originally planned: Please turn to page eight
