Cyclones’ Late Holiday Worth the Wait

They Practiced
-On Christmas.

By Maury White.

Iowa State’s basketball
squad .didn’t have a_ very
merry Christmas this year
but, man, it was set Saturday
to welcome the new year!

The 15-man Cyclone, squad
stayed in Ames during Christ-
mas weekend when most peo-
ple were consorting with
Santa Claus and did nothing
more exciting than practice.

‘Since, and probably part-

 

 

ly because of this diligence,
Coach Bill Strannigan’s
team has received the best
present of all—the Big Sev-

en Conference tournament

' Six of the squad scattered
from Kansas,City after Friday
night’s 67-56 title victory over
Kansas and nine arrived back
in Des Moines by train Satur-

day afternoon.

They had the trophy, a big
gold-plated basketball. They
had some fond memories.
They also had an 8-1 basket-

 

 

 

ball record and quiet confi-
dence about the future.

“I don’t even want to
think about the league sea-
son today,” said Co
Strannigan. “I just want to
spend the day enjéying
what we won.”
Four of the six

   
   
 

Vogt and Medsker were.

Everybody was happy, but
everybody was tired. There
was Very little talk about bas-
ketball.

Iowa State’s young bunch
(nine sophomores, three jun-
iors) wasn’t amazed that it
had won. That victory over

nationally - ranked Vanderbilt

did a lot for its confidence.
| KK Kek

It is a pleasant chore to
report that previous winners
of the annual league meet
have done all right during the
regular season (which opens
with Kansas State at Ames
Saturday).

Five times in nine previ-
ous meets the tournament

_ titlist has gone on to win a
_ clear title or a share. The

guest team won the first
meet in 1946. —

Kansas State won the 1947
meet and the °47-48 crown.
Oklahoma won the next meet
itle with

   

sas State and Kansas each
pulled the trick in the next
two years.

It didn’t work in 1952, but

'

 

in ’53 Kansas won its second
meet and tied Colorado for
season’s honors. Last year
Missouri won the tourney and
Colorado took league honors.

This looks to be-the best
balanced Big Seven race since
the 1948-49 season when an
8-4 record gave three schools
a share of the top.

Huskers Strong.

Opinions varied, but most
people are guessing that
everyone except Oklahoma
and Nebraska is capable of
making a stout bid. And
they’re leery about the Husk-
ers, too.

Iowa State’s last title was
in 1944-45 in Big Six days and
every team except Missouri
has won or shared a league
title since then. ove)

The. 8-1 mark the Cy-