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By John Whitty
In just three short weeks, Eugene will he the scene of the
•lltli annual Oregon-State High School Basketball Tournament.
I he names will he played on McArthur Court, beginning Tues
day night, March IS, and concluding on Saturday, March 22.
'I his event, which is recognized by sports fans throughout
the state as the greatest single attraction in the sporting year,
was originated here at University of Oregon in 1919. The first
stale tourney saw only eight teams competing, as compared to
sixteen in the modern version of the playoffs.
Under the direction of Dean Walker, Oregon athletic di-!
rector at that time, the contests were played in the Men s
Gym here on the campus. Lincoln high school became Oregon’s
first official state basketball champion when they defeated
Salem in the finals by a score of 27-14.
In 1920, the tournament was moved to Willamette Univer
sity at Salem, where it was conducted by the late K. U. “Matty”
Mathews. Tin; tourney stayed at the capital city for 26 years,
returning to Eugene after World War II. During that time,
Salem, the perennial host team, captured first place on six
occasions.
"Nine Boy Wonders"
In 1932, the number of contenders was increased to sixteen
schools, four of which were “B" .schools. In 1937, little Bell
fountain hi^h school, with only nine boys enrolled, became
the only “B school ever to win the state title. Three men
from Bellfountain made the all-state team, two on the first
squad and one on the second contingent.
During the war, only 12 teams participated in the playoffs,
but in 1946, the number was again raised to sixteen, and a year
later the five day spectacle was returned to the University of
Oregon, where it has been held ever since.
In last year’s tournament, Jefferson high school of Portland
defeated Klamath Kails in a high-scoring game to seize the
crown. 1 lie score of the contest, 66-56, set a new record for
high score in a final game, breaking the old record set in 1949
by state champ Roosevelt and runner-up Marshfield at 62-50
for a 112 point total.
This Year's Parings
lor tlic information of those University of Oregon students
who will find some time during final week to see a few of
the games, the first round pairings in the tourney are as follows.
Upper Bracket: Dist. 9 (Hillsboro) vs. Dist. 10 (Astoria);
Dist. 8 (McMinneville) vs. Dist. IS (Cleveland or Lincoln);
Dist. 5 (Marshfield) vs. Dist. 14 (Scapoose); Dist. 2 (The
Dalles or Pendleton) vs. Dist 13 (Central Catholic).
Lower Bracket: Dist. 3 (Bend) vs. Dist 4 (Medford); Dist.
16 (Cleveland or Lincoln) vs. Dist. 11 (Salem); Dist. 6 (Eu
gene) vs. Dist. 7 (Corvallis or Albany); Dist. 1 (La Grande)
vs. Dist. 12 (Oregon City, Milwaukie, or West Linn).
The teams in parentheses following the number of each
district are those which are favored to win in each of their
- respective districts. Cleveland and Lincoln of Portland have
already established themselves as the representatives from
districts 15 ami 16, but it has not been decided which school
shall represent which district.
Of these teams listed above, nine are listed among the first
ten cage squads in the state by Associated Press poll. Central
Catholic has been rated first in the slate for the past five weeks
by the poll. It is closely followed by two other Portland fives,
Lincoln and Cleveland in that order.
Marshfield Will Be Tough
Marshfield, the state tournament perennial contender, is
listed fourth in the state hy the poll to lead the downstate
schools. McMinncville, the early leader in the weekly voting,
has established itself in fifth place. Medford, favored to win
in district 4 resides in sixth place in the poll, followed by
Klamath Falls, the other contender in that district.
La Grande, who will probably represent district 1 in the
tournament, occupies eight place, and Oregon City and Salem
round out the first ten in the poll.
Using the ratings of the poll as a basis, it would appear that
Central Catholic will be the next state champion. However, a
careful observer would note that Central runs up against
Marshfield, always a hard team to beat at the tournament, in
the second round of play, considering that both squads reach
the tourney and win their first tilts.
Marshfield is the only team in the state which has beaten
Central Catholic this year, and although the Rams won the
other game, the boys from Coos Bay will know what to expect
if the two teams meet.
Anyway it turns out, the 50,000 or so fans who attend the
1952 state tournament know that they will be in for a lot of
basketball, and good basketball at that.
Oregon Captain Nears Cage Wind-up
(Cotilinueil from page jour)
I at Marshfield High school, Ken
helped his teams compile an amaz
ing record at the state tourna
ment. The Pirate squads attended
the playoffs all three years that
Hunt played for them. In 1947 they
captured first place and wound
up third in 1948. Ken was picked
on the second-string All-State
crew in 1947 and was on the first
string the following year.
While in high school the six-foot
PE major also participated in foot
ball, in which sport he put In two
years at the quarterback and left
half positions, and in track, in
which he threw the javelin.
As a rreshman Ken demon
strated his potential by leading
the team in scoring as the Year
lings copped 16 out of 20 games.
All season Hnnt has been the
main cog of the Webfoot attack
which utilizes the fast-breaking
methods of Borcher, and as such
he has sparked the team with his
speed and clutch-playing ability.
In addition to leading in the scor
ing column, Ken also paces the
I>ucks in total assists.
Hunt’s sparkling floor play has'
been one of the brightest spots in
an otherwise mediocre season, and j
the heads-up performances of the I
flashy gvard definitely will be ]
missed next season.
Phi Delts Win
(Continued from page four)
40 yard dash: Brlot, Sigma Nig
Wilcox, Phi Belt; Mansh/irdt, PM
Bolt. Time: 4.0 nee. ■
Relay: Phi Delta Theta. Time:
15.2 seconds.
>/4 mile run: Mundle, Phi Beit;
Hepfner, Sigma Nu; Gent, Sigma
Nu. Time: 3:41.0.
Thus far in this year's intra
mural standings, Minturn hall is
still holding the wide margin that
it grabbed during Fall term.
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18th at High St. Dial 4-1842
Campus Interviews on Cigarette Tests
No. 36...THE OTTER
SOME OF 'EM ^
OUGHT'ER BE
ASHAMED! x
.A. usually mild-mannered and easy-going
lad, he really made the fur fly when he realized
the trickiness of most of the so-called cigarette
mildness tests! He knew there was one
honest test of cigarette mildness. Millions of smokers
everywhere know', too — there’s one true test!
It’s the sensible test ... the 30-Day Camel
Mildness Test, which simply asks you to try Camels
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day-after-day basis. No snap judgments! Once
you've tried Camels in your “T-Zone”
(T for Throat, T for Taste), you’ll see why . . .
After all the Mildness Tests ...
Camel leads all oilier brands bybit/ions