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unfolds. Don Henderson begins and ends his coaching career true to the finest
traditions of his spectacular profession, But, ofter he came into big-time Indiana
high school basketball competition, he coached but one year. ‘Jhether or not he would
nave emerged from a longer coaching career with his idealism unscathed is problem-
atical.

fr.-Tunis thus gives his story a happy but rather improbable ending. Don
quits coaching after his defeat at State to join the editorial staff of Springfield's
newspaper, a crusader for right, and stays in Springficld to lead in community re-
forms ond to help displace men like boss J. Frank Gray, from interfcronce with the
bert ideals of youth in sports. The fact thut Don makes. this decision to go into the
newspaper business in the little tow cf Springfield on the very heels of an attrac-
tive offer for the position of coach of basketball at Yale Univorsity, makes a read-
er who knows something of the impolling forcess of coaching swallow oa bit sedoriously.
If Don had given up his coaching carver after winning the State at Indianapolis, it
seems that Mr. Tunis could have borne out his forceful characterization of Don Hend-
erson a bit more successfully.

In Springfield, Don soon finds that the powers-that-be want o winner at the
State tournament, and that they aren't going to bend over backward being too ethical
in finding ways and means to produce that winner. To then, winning is all that
matters. The same ethical standards prevail with every prospoctive State title-
winning high school team in Indiana. Competition to win the State has grown so keen
that basketball has ceased to be a sport. It is a disease.

In Springfield the new ccach, young Don Henderson, finds in J. Frank Gray,
the town's business-boss and incidentally a school board member, a crafty, unscrupu-
lous man = a man who might be typical of a type of go-getter in any town. Success
is all that matters to J. Frank. Any means to that cnd is justifiable. He thinks
it perfectly within the law of clean sport to gst a star playor to move from another
town and high school to Springficld if he can cffer the boy's fanily as inducement
for the migration, a better-paying job. In fact, ho comes to verbal blows with
young Don Henderson over just this situation. J. Franx Gray thinks it good sport to
place money and plenty of it on his favorite team. He feels, as do many Indiana
oldsters, that this attraction of state high school basketball is for middle-aged
amusement, rather then for the spirited happiness of youth. As a result, for lack
of seating space, the high school boys and girls do not got to attend the regionals
and semi-finals and finals in Indiana in great nunbers. Most of the seats are
bought up in large blocks weeks before by the midle-agod, the types of J. Frank Gray.

J. Frank finds it difficult to tolerate a young, hard-headed coach, whom he
has helped to hire, but who has stubbornly refused to take dictations fra hin, or
to favor him with a group of hard-to-get seats for the important contests.

Don Henderson runs his own team, in spite of the fact that Tom Gray, his
star player, is J. Frank's son. And in spite of the fact that, through some reverses
over which he has had no ecntrol (sickiess and the like), he nas beon forced to play
the tough competitive season throush with but five men - absolutely no substitutes.

Mr. Tunis has a happy sift as raccnteur of a thrilling basketball game. He
carries his rvadcrs with him. They hang on to the edge of their seats. nd his
same situations are nicely varied: Springfield 43, Marion 42, in a wild ball game
where Maricn led by 1 point 45 seconds before the final EuNe :

oe 4t Muncie, Indiana, Springfield beats Fort Wayne Tigers in the semi-finais
oo freezing the ball for the last minute and one-nelf -. 29 to 27, When Springfield
Cats Andersun in the first gam. at the State sourtament at Indianapolis, Springfield