STANFORD UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF MEN C STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA 0 Pp : December 28, 1939 i Mr. R. E. Weinzettel Fred Medart Manufacturing Company Potomac and DeKalb Streets St. Louis, Missouri Dear Mr. Weinzettel: This will acknowledge your inquiry of December <0. The basketball backboard which you so kindly sent us here at Stanford has been set up on our court. I have had occa- sion to attend several rules interpretation meetings this year. At each of these I have called attention to the back+ board you sent us. Many coaches, players, and spectators have come to see the board. We have left it set up off our court during the games we have played so far this season so that people could see it. The players and coaches have used it from time to time. I have received many satisfactory comments concerning the board and no criticisms of it. It does permit a person sitting directly behind the board to see the ball go through the basket. This is because the basket sits so near the pottom of the board, so from the standpoint of vision from all parts of the bleachers, I believe the board is quite sat- is factory. I might say that I was agreeably surprised. From the standpoint of the players, I think the use of the board is a matter of adjustment. It does not take long for one to become accustomed to these new dimensions. The curved surface of the board, so far as I can tell, has no dif- ferent effect upon the ball than does the flat surface of the ordinary board. | I believe the only serious problem in connection with the introduction of this board is the expense. This is some- thing to which the Rules Committee must of necessity give care- ful consideration. I am not now sure whether it would be ad- visable to permit the use of this board and the present 4 x 6 packboard. You can see, therefore, that the whole problem is one of expense in the change of equipment. Cordially yours, (signed) JOHN W. BUNN John W. Bunn, Dean of Men. inca cate catia eds SR oe a ee ee Sieh a Fe NS enna Aes cer wees eG bee eeeos Sa ees ae a a Se Ea tg