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