STANFORD UNIVERSITY

OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF MEN

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA

December 28, 1939

Mr. R. E. Weinzettel

Fred Medart Manufacturing Company
Potomac and DeKalb Streets

St. Louis, Missouri

Dear Mr. Weinzettel:

This will acknowledge your inquiry of December 20.
The basketball backboard which you so kindly sent us here
at Stanford has been set up on our court. I have had occa-
sion to attend several rules interpretation meetings this
year. At each of these I have called attention to the back-
board you sent us. Many coaches, players, and spectators
Have come to see the board. We have left it set up off our
court during the games we have played so far this season so
that people could see it. The players and coaches have used
it from time to time.

I have received many satisfactory comments concerning x
the board and no criticisms of it. It does permit a person
sitting directly behind the board to see the ball go through

the basket. This is because the basket sits so near the

bottom of the board, so from the standpoint of vision from

all parts of the bleachers, I believe the board is quite sat-
isfactory. I might say that I was agreeably surprised.

From the standpoint of the players, I think the use of
the board is a matter of adjustment. It does not take long
for one to become accustomed to these new dimensions. The
curved surface of the board, so far as I can tell, has no dif-
ferent effect upon the ball than does the flat surface of the
ordinary board.

I believe the only serious problem in connection with
the introduction of this board is the expense. This is some-
thing to which the Rules Committee must of necessity give care-
ful consideration. I am not now sure whether it would be ad-
visable to permit the use of this board and the present 4 x 6
backboard. You can see, therefore, that the whole problem is
one of expense in the change of equipment.

Cordially yours,