Northern Division Basketball
ACTION is the by-word of Northwest basketball, as featured by Idaho, Washington
State, Washington, Oregon State and Oregon from January to March every year. Since the
inception of the NCAA championships onlyOregon has been able to capture the glittering
crown. But since 1939 Northern Division schools have fared well—Washington State was
second in 1941; Washington, seventh in 1943; Oregon State, fifth in 1947; Oregon State,
fourth in 1949; and Washington, sixth in 1951.
■ ■ ■
Oregon
Like a well-known - gasoline
slogan, the Webfoots of the Uni
versity of Oregon are the "go
farther team” of the Northern
division. It has been the habit of
John Warren, and lately, Bil! Bor
cher to elevate their clubs a perch
higher than expected.
Picked this year to finish no
higher than fourth in the race,
the Ducks already have forced
many analysts to overhaul their
original selections. Botcher, a
novice in the league from the
standpoint of service, is rated as
one of the top young coaches in
the business.
Oregon is strictly a fast break
five and thus are a popular draw
ing card throughout the league.
Their offense is built around Chet
Not, the senior center, and a driv
er guard, Ken Wegner. Ed Hal
berg, Batney Holland, Keith Far
nam, Bob Hawes and Bob Stout
also figure heavily in Webfoot
plans.
DUCKS don’t fly at
Eugene, Oregon—they run.
And Keith Farnam, the slen
der senior from Salem, is of
prime importance to the
Borcher system. Despite an
attack of pneumonia, Far
namis counted upon heavily
for the balance of the season
at Oregon.
TRANSFERS play an
important role in the North
ern division and Tony Vlas
telica may be one of the
prize plums in this lot. At
any rate, Slats Gill at Ore
gon State has big plans for
the big guy from Grays Har
bor JC in Washington.
OSC...
Mystery club in the Northern
division has to be the Oregon
State college Beavers. No one ex
cept Amory T. (Slats) Gill is sure
just exactly what the Beavers
have this year.
The Beavers could pull the sea
son’s number one surprise this
weekend when they trot their
wares onto the shiny new floor
at Seattle's Edmundson pavilion.
And if they do surprise, it will be
just another in a long line of Gill
achievements, among which are
three coast titles and six northern
championships in 25 seasons at
Corvallis.
Outstanding performances are
expected of transfer Tony Vlas
telica, center from Grays Harbor
junior college in Washington and
all-Northern division Guard Danny
Johnston.
■ ■ ■
I
Once upon a time th* Northern
division's perennial basement ten
nants, the University of Idaho
Vandals since 1946 when they
won the northern crown—have be
come a growing power.
Charles L. (Chuck i Finley, who
learned his basketball from Hank
Iba at Maryville, Mo. State Teach
ers, has done much for the school,
witness the Vandals' Dec. 29 and
30 wins over Western Kentucky
and Wyoming at the Oklahoma
City Tournament.
Fortunate is the word for the
Vandal coach who has four out
standing lettermen in action this
year. With Hartly Krueger,
Dwight Morrison, Harlan Melton
and Eruce McIntosh in the lineup
Feb. 27 and 28 when the Vandals
host the Washinton Huskies, there
still may be a chance for the
towering Idahoans, who present
one of the most intricate offensive
patterns on the Pacific Coast.
wsc...
Happier days are in store for
Jack Friel at Washington State
college, where his Cougars have
fallen victim to a victory drought.
But Friel, who along with Slats
Gill, has been around for 25 or
more years, has guided his charges
to three Pacific Coast conference
championships and almost always
fields a contender, despite a usual
lack of material.
Washington's Mr. Basketball in
troduced the two platoon system
to the Northwest and since then
it has taken hold at Idaho and
Oregon State. The main thought
behind the unit system is to send
in a contingent of fresh athletes,
thereby resting the first platoon
simultaneously, rather than break
up a combination..
Far and away the star of the
Staters is the 26-year-old native
of Australia, the springy Mullins
—wrho is the offensive key and
sparkplug. But the future isn't
dark at WSC, even after Mullins
graduates, because Friel is certain
to bring Guards Hon Bennink and
Bob Klock, Forward Bob Swanson
and Center Bill Rehder into their
own.
I I 1 k 1 m k.1^ —Eugene Register-Guard Phot*
JUMPING Joe Cipriano of the University of Washing
ton Huskies is one of the reasons why the Seattle team is un
defeated in conference play and has suffered only one loss all
season long. .Cipriano, a senior from Nooksack Valley,_
Wash., has scored 103 points in 11 games.
Washington
■ ID
Five times crowned champions
of the Northern division during
the past decade and five times
since 1923 the Pacific Coast con
ference titlist, the University of
Washington Huskies are certainly
the kingpins of the region.
Plummeting along like a run
away locomotive it seems unlikely
that anything should forestall a
sixth title in 11 years.
» One of the prize Huskies to end
all prizes is Bob, better knows as
Hooks, Houbregs, the iadar-arm
ed, ambidexterous center who has
stood the sports world on its heels
by his prodigious feats—25-foot
hookshots and 49 point outbursts
against one of its toughest con
ference opponents.
But it's not all Hcubregs.
strange to say, but Guards Char*
lie Koon and Joe Cipriano set the
club in motion; Forward Mike Me
Cutcheon is the take-charge guy,
the clutch fellow; and spindly
Doug McClary handles the re
bounding.
AUSTRALIA is represented in the Northern division by
Pete Mullins of Washington State college. Mullins, no kang
aroo, but a whale of a basketball player, is the fourth leading
scorer in the ciruit, despite WSC’s presence in the basement.