NAT HOLMAN, Basketball Coach at
City College of New York, has been
one of the outstanding figures of
basketball since his college days. He
was a member of the Original Celtics
and is the author of books and
motion pictures on the technique of
the game.

A Glance finckwward and a Look Forward
at the Game of Basketball

ee’ Fs GAME they play today is lavender and
old lace compared to the basketball we
used to play,” Bucky Harris, present manager of
the American League Washington Baseball Club,
said to one of the sports writers at a conference
table. “I prefer to remember basketball as the rug-
ged game that I used to know.” To one who has
traveled the globe playing basketball under most
trying conditions with the Original Celtics, I fully
appreciated Bucky’s remarks. Playing the game in
dance halls where a thick veil of smoke hung over
the heads of the players; where the lighting condi-
tions were so poor that at times one could barely
see the other end of the court; where fans sup-
ported their teams not only with cheers but also
with their fists; where the courts were considerably
smaller—75 x 50; where the play was all spon-
taneous with rapid and sustained ball handling, fast
dribbling and fast cutting for the basket, one knew
basketball at its roughest and toughest. The lanes,
you see, were always open. True, defense men would
switch and pick up a loose man, but you did not
have the compact defenses prevalent in our modern
game. Any person impeding the progress of a de-
fense player in pursuit of his man committed a
foul. That being the case, in order to get out in
the clear, an offensive player had to employ quick
faking, quick starting. There were no aids, such as
a teammate assuming a position on the floor and
then enabling the offensive player to run his guard
into his teammate.

Fifty years is not too long a time, yet the strides
that basketball has made within the past ten years
are startling to the old-timer. True, there always
was a tremendous amount of interest in the game

even though the crowds were not as great in at-
tendance. The “community spirit” was aways pres-
ent. However, the introduction of intersectional
games, the formation of basketball sportswriters’
associations, the radio, current periodicals, Na-
tional Collegiate tournaments, college and high
school basketball coaches’ associations, basketball
clinics, sectional rivalry, Madison Square Garden
with two-game attractions, coaching schools, and
highly competitive conference play have all added
to the general growth of the game. The officiating
has improved as a result of an officials’ organiza-
tion. The sporting goods manufacturers have done
their share to give to the game the best equipment
possible. While basketball is primarily a passing
game, we should note that the present circumfer-
ence of the ball is not greater than 30 inches and
that makes this a champagne era compared to the
old days. Compare that to the ball we used to play
with, with the circumference of 33 to 34 inches.
How pleasant it is today to handle the ball at both
passing or shooting!

Basketball is the only game which is universally
popular that has no standard dimensions for play-
ing courts. It is my humble wish that the rule
makers and all those vitally interested in the growth
of the game will pool their resources to overcome
this problem.

IN SPITE OF IT ALL... our present game has
brought joy and good health to millions of partici-
pants and spectators. Its players have had little
mortality compared to other sports and no scandal
over the years. Let the torch burn—God’s in His
Heaven and all’s well with the finest of indoor sports

—BASKETBALL.

Official Wateh for Timing N.C.A.A. and A.A.U. Championships Is LONGINES —
The Sports-World’s Most Honored Watch

EMRE RATISHLE Bie