44—Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Saturday, March 18, 1944

 

 

 

 

SPEAKING
SPORTS

By DON WATSON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce Drake, youthful University of Oklahoma basketball
coach, recently prepared a questionnaire which he sent to
brother coaches at leading universities throughout the|
country...»

Fifty out of 54 coaches who answered the questionnaire]
believe that goal tending by skyscraper players should be
eliminated by rule.

It showed that 92.5 per cent favored some way of keeping
the game from being dominated by the boys who grow tall.

However, the solution isn’t in raising the height of the basket
most of the coaches voted. Instead, 43 favored awarding a field
goal if a defensive player touched a try for goal above the level
of the basket after the ball started its downward arc.

Three would inscribe an arc on the floor beneath the hoop

which players would be barred from entering. Just two wanted
the basket raised to 12 feet, but another wanted an 11 foot}.
high hoop. One would eliminate the three second rule, which]
two just “didn’t know.” ;
* * * :
. The four coaches who opposed goal robbing restrictions all use
“big boys” as goal tenders this season. They are Howard Hobson of
Oregon; C. C. Washabaugh of Westminster; M. J. Maddus Jr. of
St. Paul, and Gus Miller of West Texas State college.

The nation’s big boys are led by seven-foot Bob Kurland of Okla-
homa Aggies, and right behind him comes Don Otten, Bowling
Green, one half inch shorter. Other prominent goal tenders are Mikan
of DePaul, Risen of Ohio State, Novak of Loyola, Schryoer of. South
Dakota State, Horstein of Penn State, Boykoff of St. Johns, Holub
of Long Island, Cotten of Long Island university, Wiley of Oregon, |
Borrevik of Oregon, Wintermute of Oregon, Henry of Rice, Ellifson |
and Halbert of West, Texas, Carpenter of Arkansas, Dougherty of
Loyola, Gruentg” of Denver Safeways and Wellhausen of Kansas.

*

 

*
a WILL PRESENT FINDINGS

_ Drake, who recently wrote a magazine article, attacking goal-tending,
said he would present his findings to Chairman James St.. Clair -of
basketball’s national rules committee. The committee meets in New
York March 27-28. —

The following coaches were listed by Drake as opposing goal- tending:
Frank Brickey, Arizona State; Forest. B. Cox, Colorado; John Breeden,
Montana State; Vedal Peterson, Utah; Everett Dean, Stanford; E. M.
(Nibs) Price, California: Jack Friel, Washington State; A. F. (Slats)
Gill, Oregon State; J. A. Brown, Idaho. ute