President Hdwarcs address Cont'd.

Upon his introduction to Saint Peter he immediately
outlined these plans and amplified them with a theory which
resultcd in screens that became blocks. But the kind old guardian
of the entrance dashed his hopes with the announcement that there
are no basketball players nor any game equipment in heaven. Only
in Hades could these be found.

It was a dejected coach who wrestled with this problem.
He wanted to fulfill an ambition to be an angel, but couldn't
imagine spending an eternity without a chance to be in contact
with his favorite pastime. Temptation was too great, though, and
he reluctantly requested a leave of absence for investigation.
His wisios were granted and the coach was transported to the
regions below. |

There he was met by Satan with open arms and with the
information that earth held no courts as fine as his. The coach
was escorted to the finest indoor basketball stadium he had ever
seen, where lighting, ventilation and spectator accomodations
were perfect. He trod on the smooth floor and found that it
passed lis most exhaustive tests for traction, resiliency and
uniformity. A tour of the dressing rooms showed every detail
perfecti.y planned.

& sense of returning strength to his old legs aroused a
desire to try a new shooting form he had devised, so he begged
for a suit and shoes. Before the uniform could be issued, however,
he was required to sign a permanent enrollment form which prevented
any chance to return to the heavenly league. This he did quickly
because the place looked ideal to him. Donning a neat uniform and
Lacing on a pair of exquisite shoes he trotted onto the floor.

Yond me a ball," he cried. "I have 1. hunch I can hit from
mid-floor with my eyes closed."

"Well," grinned his Satanic majesty with his famous smile,
"that's the hell of it. We have no basketballs here."

Some of our deliberation today and tomorrow will touch
upon the construction of basketballs, and it might be well for
us to remembor that while such an article can't even be found in
hell, its absence would certainly be a calamity.

Every year we havo found it true and proper to describe the
condition of our game in statements which are becoming rather trite.
We say cither, "Baskctball is growing by leaps and bounds," or
"Basketball has just scen its most successful season." Again we
can join in this chorus, for while other activities may have felt
the effocts of a recession, we have beeh kept busy trying to care
for an ever increasing demand for our sport.

Unquestionably, the major portion of the credit for this
widespread and ever-growing appeal belongs to the game itself.
Nevertheless, we can claim no small share of the credit since it
is through the labors of the coaches and officials that players
are taught properly and games conducted efficiently so that at-
tractive, dramatic and pleasing contests result. While we are
patting ourselves on the back, though, we must beware of the pit-
falls which accompany sclf-adulation.