(4)

its report at the annual basketball clinic held at the University of
Missouri in December. In addition to aiding the State Board of
control in conduct of high school sports, the association plans to
send delegates to the national conventions. Illinois and Texas now
have state high school coaches' associations which are functioning
effectively.

a ee

HELP TO MAKE THESE BULLETINS MORE VALUABLE

During the next six weeks, there will be many rules
interpretation meetings and basketball coaching clinics at which dis-
cussions and demonstrations of great importance to all coaches will
take place. Directors of such meetings will materially aid advance-
ment of the sport by sending to the secretary detailed reports.

These will be included in future bulletins. You owe it to the sport
to distribute your findings and to give others a chance to aid in
the solution of your problems. This is a national game and diffi-
culties in one section are present almost everywhere.

on ee Ge a et ome oe met Ome

A PROBLEM WHICH NEEDS A SOLUTION

Discussions at the last convention of this organization
indicated that the most unpleasant situation in modern basketball
revolves around the use of compact, deeply retreated defenses.

Most of the tests at the meeting aimed at this feature
but none seemed sound enough to be adopted without further experi-
ments. Unable to agree upon any legislation that would appear
effective, the convention voted to submit a recommendation to the
Rules Committee that a request be printed in the Guide asking
coaches to attempt a cure for this evil without recourse to rule
changes or additions. Read carefully the following statement sent
to the Editor of the Rules regarding this condition, It is a topic
of vital and timely interest.

"This Association feels that the greatest threat to
basketball lies in the use of a compact type of defense which with-
draws into a territory within fifteen or twenty feet of the basket
and there awaits the charge of the team with the ball. The conges-
tion which results when attempts are made to score causes most of
the present difficulties.

We have discussed and tried several plans to force more
agressive defensive play, but have no proposed legislation which is
satisfactory.

We recommend that the first step to eradicate this evil
should be a section in the Guide devoted to the dangers of this type
of defense to the welfare of the game. We would like to point out
that deeply retreated and compact defenses cause most of the fouls;
slow the action of the game; reduce scores; minimize skill; and
result in many uninteresting and unsatisfactory contests. These
features tend to destroy the popularity of basketball among both
players and spectators and make the games harder to administer.