It is in this struggle of an idealistic coach te remain true te his neblest
convictions, regardless of all opinion te the contrary, that the purpose of
the stery unfelds. Don Hendersen begins and ends his coaching career true to
the finest traditions ef his spectacular prefession. But, after he came inte big-
time Indiana high school basketball competition, he ceached but ene yeare Whether «
er net he would have emerged from a lenger ceaching career with his idealism
unscathed is preblematical.

Mr. Tunis thus gives his stery a happy but rather imprebable ending. Den
quits ceaching after his defeat at State te join the editorial staff ef
Springfield's newspaper, a crusader fer right, and stays in Springfield te lead
in community reforms and te help displace men like bess J. Frank Gray, from
interference with the best ideals of youth in sports. The fact that Don makes
this decisien te go inte the newspaper business in the little tewn ef Spring-
field en the very heels ef an attractive effer for the pesition ef coach ef
basketball at Yale University, makes a reader who knows something of the im-
pelling forces of coaching swallew a bit laberiously. If Den had given up
his ceaching career after winni the State at Indianapelis, it seems that Mr.
Tunis could have berne eut his ferceful characterizatien ef Den Henderson a
bit more successfully.

In Springfield, Den seon finds thatthe pewers-that-be want a winner at
the State tourmament, and that they aren't going te bend over backward being too
ethical in finding ways and means te preduce that winner. To them, winning is
all that matterse The same ethical standards prevail with every prospective
State title-winning high school team in Indiana. Competition to win the State
has grewn so keen that basketball has ceased te be a sport. It is a disease.

In Springfield the new ceach, young Don Henderson, finds in J. Frank Gray,
the tewn's business-boss and incidentally a scheol beard member, a crafty,
unscrupuleus man - a man who might be typical of a type of ge-getter in any t ewn.
Success is all that matters te J. Frank. Any means te that end is justifiable.
He thinks it perfectly within the law ef clean spert to get a star player te
move from another town and high school to Springfield if he can effer the boy's
family an inducement for the migration, a better-paying job. Infact, he
comes to verbal blews with young Den Henderson ever just this situation. Je
Frank Gray thinks it geed spert te place money and plenty of it on his faverite
team. He feels, as de many Indiana eldsters, that this attraction ef state high
school basketball is for middle-aged amusement, rather than fer the spirited
happiness ef youth. As a result, for lask of seating space, the high school
beys and girls de net get te attend the regienals and semi-finals and finals in
Indiana in great numbers. Mest of the seats are bought up in large blecks weeks
befere by the middle-aged, the types of J. Frank Gray.

Je Frank finds it difficult te tolerate a young, hard-headed coach, whom
he has helped to hire, but who has stubbornly refused to take dictations from
him, er to faver him with a group of hard-te-get seats for the important contests.

Don Henderson runs his own team, ins pite of the fact that Tom Gray, his
star player, is J. Frank's son. And in spite ef the fact that, through some
reverses ever which he has had no contrel (sickness and the like), he has been
ferced te play the tough cempetitive seasen through with but five men - absolutely
no substitutes.

Mr. Tunis has a happy gift as racenteur of a thrilling basketball game.
He carries his readers with him. They hang on te the edge of their seats. And
his game situations are nicely varied: Springfield 43, Marion 42, in a wild
ball game where Marion led by 1 point 45 seconds before the final gun.

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