MY NICKEL'S WORTH

On our desk this morning was a letter from Forrest C. (Phog)
Allen, athletic director and head basketball coach of the Univer-

sity of Kansas.

Phog, it seems, got hold of our recent column wherein we re-
tracted several statements about him regarding his charges
some months ago about gambling in college basketball. In that
. Same column we again criticized him for not pressing the matter,
at the time by following through with his charges which might ©
have thus averted the Brooklyn college hoop scandal.

Allen wrote us, in part:

“I want you to know that I
sent Ned Irish (president of
Madison Square Garden and one
of those responsible ‘for taking
college basketball into the big
arenas) a telegram naming
names. But I did not give it to

the public press, which, in my -

opinion, was the ete thing to
do. If Ned Irish did not give
series to the telegram I sent
im, then he intentionally cre-
ated the wrong impression. I
had the definite information
when I wired Ned Irish, as I
have it now. I merely wanted
you to know.” :
Be that as it may. We still
feel, Phog, that if Ned Irish
failed to follow through with the
information you sent him you
owed it to college basketball to

continue pressing the charges

yourself if you were so. sure of

our information. And we don’t

ave the slightest doubt but that
you had it, especially since the

rooklyn affair.

Fire and Fight.

We don’t care whether you are
a Rogers high booster or not, you
still have to hand it to those
Pirates for the manner in which
they have battled in this year’s
city high school basketball race.
We're a Rogers fan—if admirin
the school spirit and the fight o
its athletic teams makes one a
fan of any school. But we're not
to be found listed among those

who believe the Pirates have the-

best basketball team in the city,
even though they are undefeated
in six games. That, we suppose
makes us anti-Rogers to a lot of

people, which certainly isn’t the

case either. E
The Pirate students can be
doubly proud of their team _be-
cause the brand of basketball
they play is regarded by many
to be inferior to that played by
Lewis and Clark, for example.

 

 

A team that wins ’em with that
kind of an outfit depends on the
desire to win more than ability.
And those Pirates have the de-
sire and that’s brought them
through the tough spots thus far.

Their toughest three games on
the schedule are still to be played

and the Pirates need only win
one of them to lay

claim to at

Friday night. A lot of people,
and we frankly admit that we’re
among them, feel the South Sid-
ers have a better team, a better
team in fact, than the one that
won the state championship last
year. That’s an opinion, however,
that can be quieted by two things
—namel nego 27, Lewis and
Clark 22, and Rogers 25, Lewis
and Clark 21. You can’t very wel
argue successfuly when faced
with those figures, now can you?

Upsets Can Occur.

What if Lewis and Clark beat
Rogers? The Pirates will still

‘win the title if they successfully

get past North Central and Gon-
zaga once more. Incidentally if
Lewis and Clark beat Rogers.and |
Rogers is also beaten by North
Central or Gonzaga, it doesn’t |
necessarily mean the race will -
end in a tie. Lewis and Clark |.
must also get past N. C. and the
Zags, something that’s getting to
be tougher to do with each start.

The city league race isn’t over |
yet but right now the Pirates are
prohibitive favorites to capture .
the crown and to
Rogers high school history as the
first five to win a city title for
Rogers and the team that ended
Lewis and Clark’s domination of
high school basketball in Spo-
kane. Two very noteworthy -
achievements.

 

 

o down in.’