THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
CALVIN W. JARVIS, PRINCIPAL

ANNA BELLE THOMAS,
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

March 21, 1944

Dr. Forest Allen
Athletic Director
University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
My dear Dr, Allen:

I don't know that you remember me, but I met you some years
ago through our mutual good friend, the late Ray Parkins.

I have been coaching basketball here at Minneapolis Central
for twenty-nine years and, like most basketball coaches of today,
feel that we will have to do something about the 6'7" boys; so
I am offering this suggestion: We will have an area under the
basket marked off with a blue are (I don't know why it should be
blue except that it has a traditional restraining line name from
hockey). Then insert the following paragraph in the rules:

"No player of either team shall be inside the biue
area at any time during the game except while taking
two or more steps in any direction in this area; and,
should he receive the ball while in this area, he
shall make an honest attempt to score, pass to a tean-
mate, or dribble in any direction out of this area."

This will take the big boys away from the basket both on
offense and defense, and they will have to move, dribble, pass,
and shoot the same as the smaller boys; in fact, they will have
to learn all the fundamentals of basketball if they want to make
the team.

There may be many flaws in this, but I am passing along the
idea to you, as high school coaches are never taken very seriously
with new ideas. Some three or four years ago, I got out a score
book. In case you haven't seen it, I am sending you one under
separate cover with my compliments.

Yours very trul a

WM bb etm Mitchell