-I DUCK TRACKS
By BERNIE HAMMERBECK
Sports Editor
The fast-galloping, high-scoring Lemon and Green cagers
who are currently rocking the maples for Coach Hobby Hobson
are the cause of a great deal of optimism among Oregon fans.
Thev show perhaps as great a
potential as any turnout in the
history of the-school.
As is typical of Hobson's
basketball teams, the squad is
definitely the home-grown va
riety. That was Oregon's great
claim in their Tall Firs nation
al champs of 1939. Four of the
five starters were native Ore
■M gonians. while.' the fifth. Slim
Winternrute. came from just
a cr o.s.s-1-1 fe Columbia at Long
v'ietjr? .rMashm'gtbn.
TV get back to this year s
squad which at present in- ANSE CORNELL
eludes about 15 men only a quartet have out-of-state mud on
their shoes. Roger Wiley and Ken Hays, the sub-stratosphere
twins, both come from Washington. Wiley hails from Brem
erton while Hays is from Waitsburg.
The other two “foreigners” are Reedie Berg, who originally
came from Huron, South Dakota and is now hard at work to
wards earning his third varsity letter, and a newcomer, Dan
Ducich.
Ducich an All-Stater In Montana
Ducich was an all-stater in prep circles when playing high
school ball in Butte, Montana back in 1942 and 1943. Then he
entered the service and saw considerable action with the Los
Angeles Shamrocks, an outstanding Southern California in
dependent team. One of his teamates on the Shamrocks was
Alex Hannam, who is this year back at USC. Dan was highly
regarded as a comer while playing on the veteran Shamrock
quintet, and has been looking mighty good while working out
binder Hobson.
Ducich’s big trouble thus far has been adapting himself
to the Oregon fast break. Most of his previous experience
has been with the more deliberate style of basketball, and
switching to a racehorse system is no easy task. Once he has
completely mastered Hobson’s system he may be a hard man
to beat out.
Portland, of coure, leads in contributions to this year’s team.
Bob Wren and Bob Lave}’ come from Washington high, A1
Popick and Dick Wilkins come from Lincoln, and Marv Ras
mussen comes from Franklin.
Astoria Fishermen Claim Two
The Flying Fishermen from Astoria take credit for a pair—
Ivoy Seeborg and the mighty mite, Stan Williamson. The
Dalles has made another contribution in Ed Dick—second in a
family of brothers to prove outstanding at Oregon.
Sam Crowell is from North Bend; lanky Bob Amacher, who
has the makings of a great center, comes from Hillsboro; and
Paul./Sowers made the journey to the Eugene campus while
claiming Baker as his home. Sowers, by the way, enrolled at
Oregon immediately after being discharged from the service
and did not even get time to go home. When Coach Hobby
Hobson excused him from the squad for the Thanksgiving
'■‘•’weekend it marked his first visit home as a civilian.
Marv Rasmussen’s knee injury Saturday night came as
a big blow. Marv was mighty close to a first string berth,
and from the fans’ view in the bleachers was Hobby’s No. 1
substitution. The extent of the injury cannot yet be de
termined, but Oregon rooters needn’t expect Rass back in
the lineup until after division play opens. He is in the in
firmary at present and still in considerable pain. No frac
tures or dislocations are apparent, but the knee is badly swol
len, and an accurate diagnosis may not be available for some
time yet.
Big Rass will be missed especially on the boards, as he is
one of the Webfoots’ best in that department. He has a tremen
dous amount of spring in his legs and at 6-3 can move high above
the basket for rebounds. Fie drew several rounds of “ahs”
in Portland Friday night when he came soaring in to pick off
British Columbia rebounds.
Ho Word From Cornell
Athletic Manager Anse Cornell just grins and keeps quiet
_^-when queried about grid coaching candidates, but Oregon
students have their hopes none-the-less. Suggestions that a
young coach be tried who is on the way up seem to meet with
general approval. A1 Simpson’s record boasts only college
Bevos to Make
Dixie Bowl Tiff
Decision Soon
CORVALLIS, Ore., Dee. 3—(AP)
—Oregon State College's athletic
board chairman said late tonight the
sponsors for a Dixie Bowl invitation
to OSC to play against Villanova
had asked for an extension of time
before Oregon State officially acted
on the bid.
C. V. Ruzek, board chairman, said
“The executive board informed
those who extended the invitation
that Oregon State was definitely in
terested in a post season game, but
against a team from a representa
tive conference.”
Ruzek said the invitation had
been for Saturday, December 28,
and not New Year’s Day, and added
that the Birmingham, Ala., spon
sors had asked OSC officials to de
lay action on the invitation until' af
ter the Dixie Bowl group telephoned
the Oregon State officials tomor
row. Ruzek had no explanation for
the request.
He said “we would like a post
season game,” but added that “If
we do play any more, we want to
meet the strongest team possible.”
He declined to comment on possible
action by the board if Villanova re
mains as the Dixie Bowl choice to
represent the East.
Meanwhile, there was a report
from Salt Lake, Utah, that Utah
State had voted to accept a bid to
go to the Dixie Bowl but were with
holding announcement until offi
cials at Birmingham had first made
public the western foe of Villanova.
The Villanova squad has won
six of its ten games, bowing to
mighty Army 35-0 and to Navy
7-0. Oregon State, runner up in
the West Coast conference won
six, lost one and tied one game.
The student union drive is under
way.
Back Student Union.
uniL,i ivivi 1.1\. V1., I)
w ecinesaay, uec*. 4, 1V40
Fag* a
Frosh Cage Opener
Looms as Close Tilt
By DON FAIR
In the preliminary to the Oregon varsity vs. Fee’s Roller
drome fray at Jefferson court in Portland next Friday, the Frosh
cagers will tangle with the Franklin Quakers in the opening
game on their schedule. Saturday, December 7, Ted Schopf’s
first-year squad will journey back to Kugene to face St. Mary’s
on the latter's floor.
1 he contest with the Quakers Friday evening at 7 p. m.
looms as no sort touch tor the
Frosh quint as the Portland team
is being pre-rated as one of the top
three teams in their league.
Coached by Paul Durham, the
Ben's have an all-veteran starting
outfit including one all-city man.
Offensive aces for the Quak
ers are Ken Pearson, 6 foot 2
inch center, and Bob Williams,
squatty eagle-eye guard. Wil
liams placed on the second string
all-city quint in Portland Iasi
season. His big asset is uncanny
accuracy with long two-handers
from behind the key.
John McMillan, 6-foot four inch
forward, was shifted from center
this season and will cause plenty of
grief under the boards. Probably
the weakest cogs in the Quaker
WSC Opens Home Season
PULLMAN, Wash., Dec. 3—(AP)
—Washington State college will
open its home basketball series to
morrow night against Eastern
Washington College of Education in
the first of four straight home
games.
The Cougars, 51 to 43 winners
over Whitman college at Walla Wal
la Walla last Saturday, will play
Whitman here again Thursday, ;the
College of Puget Sound Friday and
Gonzaga Saturday.
Coach Jack Friel predicted his
team, not yet welded into a unit,
would have difficulty with Eastern
Washington’s Savages, 63-47 win
ners Saturday over ' the Yakima
American Legion independent club.
coaching experience at Southern Oregon college, but the
finesse and perfection which his teams have exhibited speak
rather highly of him. The same could be said for Johnny
Londahl of Central Washington College, and a pair of high
school coaches—Joe Huston at Grant in Portland and Dutch
Shields at Vancouver, Washington. Shields, however, is a
few years older than the other three, and all four are Oregon
grads.
five will be the guards, Louie Scriv
ens and Dale Harris, who have the
stuff but lack experience. Backing
them up will be Bruce Smith, 6
foot 5 inch reserve center.
In last year’s league compe
tition Franklin copped eight and
lost a like number of games under
Hufe Fox who is now coaching
Spokane of the new pro cage
circuit. Durham, his successor,
still employs the “wind” system
or come-out-and-get-me style of
play. It doesn’t make for many
points but instead is employed
to break open the opponents’ de
fense by. quick passes followed by
a block.
The Frosh will also strike a thorn
in the zone defense which the Bens
deploy. Little time this season has
been spent on the zone defense by
the Oregon team and this is caus
ing Schopf plenty of worry now.
As for the Duckling lineup, only
the guard positions are really still
a wide open affair. Pat Wohlers,
Chuck Rufner, Rod Downey, and
Ed Gudgel are all scrapping it out
for starting berths. Towering
Roger Mockford has closed the
hatch on the center position.
As Bill Green twisted his ankle,
the forward spots are still un
decided with Tom Patton slated
to take over should Green’s in
jured limb fail to respond by Fri
day. At the other forward will
be curly-thatched Don Kimball.
In a scrimmage with the JV’s
yesterday the Frosh managed to
more than hold their own by
matching the older men point-for
point. The Schopfmen seem to
have the fast break down pretty
well now and were using it with
great success in the session.
Schopf is expecting a tough
battle with Franklin and plans to
employ the old man-to-man de
fense as a barrier against the
Quakers.
Wilson Maynard . . . former University of Oregon guard who now cavorts for the Portland General Grocer’s
team. He played for the Ducks in 1941-42.