ELKINS-SWYERS CO., SPRINGFIELD. MO.

   

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Ee Hho NE 2 eS

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.

February 27, 1941

Coach F.C. Allen,
The University of Kansas,
Lawrence, Kansas,

My dear Coach:

The name of the writer of this letter will mean nothing
whatsoever to you, but it has been my pleasure to watch Kansas
basketball teams play for a number of years. It is my thought
that their coaching and material exceed that of any other schools
in this area.

t am writing to tell you of a young chap of this city, which
I believe to be the best high school player that I have ever seen,
and that I consider to be a wonderful college basketball prospect.
It is also my thought that possibly you are centinually on the
outlook for boys of this char:cter--hence this letter.

This boys name is Ralph Bowen, he attents Greenwood Hig
school of this city. The boy is a "natural". He is six foot, two
inches tall, and in mh opinion has the ideal basketball puild. 4
is slender, his coordination perfect, and I think he has the
finest eye for the basket-I have ever seen. The young chap is
modest, and his high school coach a good one. &Hé is not tsught the
type of basketball that involves his shooting a great @@a&k. That
is to say the style of play whichis used to, is“team play. For
this reason his individual totals are not astounding. . However I
will say that he is the leading scorer in this city for-thé year,
and his average number of points per game, will be in excess of a
sixteen point average. I am enclosing two or three clippings, so
that you can see that what I say is substantially correct.

The reason that 1 feel that this boy is a wonderful prospect
is because of his perfect coordination, beautiful: ball handling,
and I think an exceptional eye for the basket. When on the floor
he seems to just more ep less glidearound.

This boy as I: have said is extremely modest, he will not come
to anyone with the story of his basketball. Ais family is one
of very modest means, and I fear that unless he is able to obtain
some help from an outside source that he will end up attending
college im this city.

I felt that possibly there might be some means whereby this