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"JUST RAISE THE BACKBOARDS?"!

by Bob Hamilton

"No City College team ever lost four in a row under Nat Holman's regime
put the current Beaver squad is going to lose many more games unless it
learns that the fundamental idea of basketball is to put the ball into the
hoop. City executes intricate passing maneuvers with speed and accuracy,
out all of this serves merely to get the ball farther away from the goal,"
This ig-an excerpt from the colwm of a well-knowm basketball writer which

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appeared recently in a Metronolitan paper.

The almost complete collapse of Eastern basketball teams against "outlanders"
today revolves around their failure to recognize the fact. that "the fundamental
idea of basketball is to put the. ball into the hoop," It is the difference
between the so-called Eastern and Western styles of basketball... Gk

Eastern methods were provably derived’ from the system used by the old —
Celtics with great success years ago. Indiana, or Western basketball, never .
had the "benefit! of seeing the old world's. chammions in action and, therefore,
they simply continued to throw the ball into the basket without regard: to so~called
pivot and screen plays. It is being definitely demonstrated today that the score
is raised two noints after the ball anes throuch the hoop, with or without
benefit of "razzle-dazzle!'. Since the principal idea is to obtain-more. . . .
points than the opnosition, the simple conclusion is that the ‘team, which throws
the ball through the basket more often wins the game, The sooner. that destern:
collegians learn to shoot from any nosition or spot on the floor, the sooner: they
will give Western teams better omosition, sort. ag rH

It was my lot tc have learned the gome in the Eastern style. of passing .«:
and set shooting. Unfortunately ! was forced to sit on-the beach, wate  ngyove
many gevss at Sotre Dame, until 1 had learned. to throw wae ball from ay position
without getting "set". For years the axiem of Western coaches when playing.an :
Eastern college was ‘watch their fet - when they start draving them together.
step in close and block the throw", Therafter the Western coaches bothered: .
no further with defensive measures other. then to teach their players to "switch"!
on the defense when the onnosition used pivot plays, etc, : Y BCRIOT OF EE

After warming the bench for one year and then playing fo two witha...
Notre Dame team which won 60 out of 66 games and the Western championship twice
1 returned to the East, Through the efforts of Arthur Donovan, the well-know
referee, an oprortunity was given me to try~out for the N, Y, A thletic Club five.
This team ultimately consisted of ten players, nine of whem had been captains -
of their respective college tears, most of then Easterners. lt was at once...
apparent that those who had learned the game in the West and‘ those who. had’ learned
in the East could not coordinate their resnective systems, namely. a wide-open:
game.and a short- pass, pivot geme, However on individuel merits this. tean
won the Eastern Athletic Club chammionship the first. year. Eventually, after
a lapse of four years and a change of players had taken place, ther evolved ;too
separate and distinct teams. One srow was comprised of players from Indiana, ;
W. &dJ,, Oregon and Notre Dame; the other of players from W.Y.U.,. Fordham, Man-
hattan and Columbia, .