LEWIS P. ANDREAS, Basketball Coach
of Syracuse University, has turned
out many notable winning combina-
tions.

A FEW HINTS FOR BEGINNERS

ERE are a few tips to youngsters just learning

to play basketball. The average beginner is
like the novice in golf. The game is so much fun
to play that the beginner would rather play than
practice. Hence, his game suffers later because of
his failure to master certain fundamentals at the
beginning.

What are these important fundamentals? The
game is so widely publicized that today almost
every schoolboy has at least a speaking acquain-
tance with them.

First, and foremost: Shooting. Ask an expert
(every town has at least one coach) to give you
information in holding the ball for the set shot;
the correct position of the feet, body and elbows;
the use of fingers and wrists. Then select one spot
on the court 20 or 25 feet from the basket and
PRACTICE until you MASTER the shot from that
spot. In the same way acquire correct information
about running shots, both toward and away from
the basket; pivot shots, and free throws — then
PRACTICE.

The greatest all-around basket shooter I have
ever seen was Bobby Thompson, the former Passaic
High School star, who averaged 33 points a game
for 33 games. He was called “Thousand-Point”
Thompson.

In my many conversations with him, he always
emphasized the hours of practice afternoons and
evenings spent by himself and his teammates in
the Y.M.C.A. at Passaic and in Coach Blood’s back-
yard, practicing shooting, and note this—not just
during the season but during the WHOLE YEAR.

When you love a game, it is a small price to pay
in spending extra hours of practice at it. Yet, how
many boys today whose fondest ambition is to
become basketball stars ever think of practicing
in the off-seasons?

19

SECOND:
player to practice throwing and catching the ball,

Persuade some equally enthusiastic

using the chest pass, the hook pass, the bounce
pass and underhanded pass. Learn to pass at a spot
without looking directly at it. This is the mark of
the good actor, the professional touch.

Tuirp: Learn to stop while running at top speed.
To do this, throw the feet out in front and come
down flat footed on BOTH feet spread; at the
same time squatting to such an extent that the
balance of weight will not be thrown forward.
Even the slowest player may develop quickness
with this exercise, by stopping and then starting
in a different direction. Not only will he develop
the necessary quickness to shake off the close guard-
ing opponent but he will develop the strength and
endurance in leg muscles that are the foundation
of every great player.

FourtH: Ask an experienced player or a coach
to teach you proper defensive stance and footwork.
Every great player I have known not only could
shoot but also could defend against a shot.

FirtH: Learn to concentrate. In competition ex-
clude every tension that tends to bring pressure
upon you. Keep calm and poised, no matter what
happens. If you shoot, aim. If you defend, watch
your man.

SrxtH: As you gain in experience, study your
weaknesses and strengthen them, but improve your
strong points first.

SEVENTH: Finally, you must resolve that no mat-
ter how difficult, you are determined to make your-
self a star player; that you will have courage not
to hesitate or shrink from driving into hard play
situations; that you will keep physically fit so that
you can always do justice to yourself. It is strictly
up to YOU whether you remain ordinary or be-
come a great player.