August 7, 1942. / { j [ ) , ff a Mr. Don Pierce, / I S001 Sowers Ct.) j Topeka, Kangas./ } ; | of the 4th instant, and wish you lots of good luck with the Brooklyn Dodgers. | re If you want pictures from them I believe you better write then indi = | If there. is sty way I can help you, please command me. I will always be pulling for you. With best wishes for your success, I am i } | | Sincerely yours, FCA :AH Varsity Basketball Coach. coy Aug. 4°42 Dr. Forrest ©. Allen Head Basketball Coach Kansas University Lawrence, .KaSe Dear Docs Wish to offer a tardy thank-you for those two swell pictures fou sent me. Both met the order completely and it won't be long until I have one in a book, the other framed and on a wall of my room. : | Hope Bob and Mitt Will comply some day before too long. As you've probably heard I gave up my job on the Star for what I hopé will be a season whth Brooklyn in pro football. On the face, of course, this looks like a silly thing to do, but IT-have two good reasons. First is that I want to help my folks who need a little boost right now due to my dad's i111 he<h and oe, that I think I can do myself a'lot more good by playing a season then trying to land a sprot job back there than sitting on the Star where I can't get ea ihe jnoré’ desk. 3 | | Of course it's the biggest gamble I ve ever taken, but I don't figure it will be the last by any means. I have a lot of confidence in sticking with the club and am -convinced Igm doing the right thing. Thanks once again for the pictures. No telling when I'll see you again as I leave for Princeton,N.J. in a couple of days. ° ce a) = oe duly 20, 1942. Lieut. W. D. Partner, USER, Naval Pre-Flight School, . University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N. G. Dear Dan: Then on January 4th we met Jack Gardner's Aviation School at Lawrence, and we meet Missouri, opening our Big Six play on January 6th at : i eae Well, since I. have started I find.that it will be moh better to send you « basketball schedule than it will be to write out the description of these dates. . _ Jack. tells me that he will have a $180,000 swimming pool and a. $500,000 recreation building. I am sure these won't be ready, but we are plaming on playing him over there on February 4th. We - will play in Kansas City several times this year. I believe that is the place to. make the money. Certainly the college campuses will not. drew big crowds due te the tire and gas rationing which is sure to be on before snow flies. des & 8 2 c 3 . gh f dabed ftf gidutgegs tt, giedy 2d, HEE buh is Hill tls rte Uagltog, Ssatdch File oespliany thea deal avert) HAN! Gt Wa Ga inp eG Gavel qu Girt Bl aang date qeia qi HENS py th ‘de ARE GIR a heads in Siggy? —— teat la oulp Habe 1g ae PMR EST ait ch lt i Binbe pally) as tality date pyle papdntdte Gabdyce capes Seeasahyh vase algal 2 aan i Pldedas oils pylisgazes it au! 7 ee el ae The : Seu ; (aees Ss en wigs iia! hi Ae tus : a Hehe Ce tit bbe ath iH aif te fe ah fa alin a nail Hea pil if in the ep I do net see Mac as often as I would like. since I have classes in the morning and : our Summer recreation playground in the evening thet I ade » our school closes on the 25th, and closely tied up here. gentlenan sonetine I expect to run in and have visit with the old during Auguste With all good wishes, I am Sincerely yours, Director of Physical Biuontic, Varsity Basketball Coach. PCALAR Enc. Sag VOR cae a RE EN ae eae ea Aa aa aaa % Gg aes See Kg se Koo at WVee7e Ca oe er si cates seco LE 2s-4 pees So a ane pe es. ee = eee x . 5 7 J uly 4, 1942. Acting Sergeant John A. Pfitsch, Battery "C", S7th Ba, AateR-TeCe, ‘I was‘ delighted to have your good letter of dime 28th . end to know that you had made definite progress in your nilitary sepa eto ee — om both of rd es ling inch Satis eg at Aiki Wiha Saal you will find'that ‘the Acting Sergeant broke into print in no wn certain term. ~ a SW RE SI Rad ds Se Sapa eription of the gentleman while they were on the march it might have been better for them because it was in the sumer time and al- Here's hoping that your generat is on the water wagont Many of the boys ask about you, and I thought the best ee ee Tt will be a delight for mo to wiite you « good recomend- ation because you deserve it. Tipfact that you are in this game to wake the nost out of St ie typtoal of you ani we wi ao 1 be pulling for you all the time, Jolmny. Anything that we can do to help you in any wey, it is only necessary to indicate your desire and we will immediately respond | to your call, e i; i. phat cata aetiene : , 7 ei a ah ae Latintat tyee ny el vga ; HEHE: iat g Hie ae [ipsa | Pega f ey ih iy ii a ‘in g , 3 Ht yt eae vintialel ¥ etl! uh jauib allt + fais + A ian pay 1p al a aid sitraedt ey aaa 7 aay i i a lien E pee Hy pt ele HH | mai jolie tig ue i338 3 setaepeas Nivned 7 pei a He 2 sit coll, SRG it ERE ire ac] Pettit Director of Physical Education, Varsity Basketball Coach. Sincerely yours, i. 8 ij 3 | You made a fine impression end an excellent record, — Jolumy, while you were here. Lots of good luck and hope for your unlimited achievenents. July 4th dicta CAMP CALLAN *. SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA w beckccahirja otder f Miz naddlecdg > dees oltine Ch Sabla ts HA Ie pT a lB atheeg @ ‘ CovscorehearLey ome Ec Balin, (larg? C2blan, Coby. anit, baprelz 4 on, eo Mon, Beige BO Fad Aan we: CAMP CALLAN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNI Coe ee Oe ee arene Hons Iwas struck by his studious and earnest habits, his close epplication to details, and his ability to assimilate in- struction. Pfitsch came on to Kansas end mde a fine record. vory thopough, and he was punctual and eager to do that he undertook. a ee, He i sce Sica os ecienoi kcheliias reservation or Sincerely yours, Director of Physic al Education, Varsity Basketball Coach. . ee re fe OT wel ee Ain Macys ae ark Are tad Wad YS Mele here Re fy ES Fp PO “jeccawiet, Derreckay Clin, li, Hin eran ie: re RN RR ER SoHE Rr ENE TEE ELOY I DE AT = gore Acree praetor Nes Lieut. W. De Partner, USNR, for you to convey my best wi tand that it is a very difficult thing to ¢g ap, thought ‘you might enjoy visiting fellow. Our families have visited a times, and Eleanor was back at Annapolis last sumer for the dance. His youngest daughter has just been recently married to an ens Well, Dan, things are rather quiet on the Big Six front at ', present. All the Aggie coaches are in the service Haylett end he is going to take football, and Chili Cochrane 41 coach basketball. have seen that in the papers. and the: Give all the boys kindest regards, including the base- pall scout of the Boston Red Séx, good old Jepper Haskell. ! With all good wishes to you for your continued success, I am UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY el ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND jee — | EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE E. R. STEVENS PRESIDENT INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS R. E. RAWLINS VICE PRESIDENT PIERRE, SO. DAKOTA W. B. SPENCER NEW HAVEN, CONN. H. R. ADAMS HYRUM, UTAH B. C. ALWES DONALDSONVILLE, LA. J. E. ROHR NEKOOSA, WIS. W. E. GRIFFITH SOMERSET, PA. MEMBER STATES ALABAMA ARIZONA ARKANSAS CALIFORNIA COLORADO CONNECTICUT FLORIDA GEORGIA IDAHO ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA MAINE MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI MONTANA NEBRASKA NEVADA | NEW MEXICO NEW YORK NORTH DAKOTA OHIO OKLAHOMA OREGON PENNSYLVANIA SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE UTAH WASHINGTON WEST VIRGINIA WISCONSIN WYOMING “SZ of State High School Athlete Aso “Mr. F. ©. Allen H. V. PORTER executive secretary 7 SOUTH DEARBORN ST., CHICAGO. ILL, May 14, 1942 Univ. of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Mr. Allen: I appreciate your thoughtfulness in sending materials with your letter of May 12th. I am greatly interested in this and I may have some further comments after I have had a chance to make further s of it. In the meantime, I think I can outline where some of the N.C.A.A. went. Unless I am misinformed (and I have not had occasion to che matter carefully), “1000.00 was allocated to Gullion, Holman, et al for use of their "research" committee of the National Basketball | Association, Their "research" during the past year consisted of ( to tear down the work of various basketball groups, including the National Basketball Committee of the — States and Canada, _ The which was made at New Orleans and which i editor of hia associ bulletin is proposing to include in the May issue. Along this report I am including my coments on it. These com ments were sent to the editor of the bulletin when he informed me that he was proposing to run a copy of the report. I do not know what disposition has been made of either the roe or my comments since the latter were sent. It is my opinion that some of the material in this report is so posterous that it isn't worth much attention. However, the recen actions of most of the collegiate representatives on the National © ketball Committee were such as to indicate that they have swallow Gh kcer, line and sinker, inaccuracies, misrepresentations and all They have virtually sold the Interscholastic and Canadian groups 'do the river". The situation is not good. This is unfortunate in many ways because it is my opinion that during the constructive yee the interscholastic groups and the then leaders in the collegiate were working jointly and harmoniously toward a constantly improved of basketball, These joint efforts now appear to be a thing of th past since the inauguration of a policy of complete college domina of the joint basketball committee and of a purging of the joint mittee of anyone who is not in harmony with the efforts of a sm group of the National Basketball Coaches Association to take ove: functions of the joint basketball committee. Under such vito Page two - the joint committee tends to become merely a rubber stamp. I can not conceive of any elf-respecting constituent group tolerating such a state of affairs for any length of time, Yours truly, / Hike: Secretary ABOUT WALTER HUSTON, HENRY VAN PORTER AND ME Bob Burns, who has a mean uncle and ought to know, says that Walter Huston played the devil in his last picture in the guise of Mr, Serateh. Another picture is "The Man Who Pyayed God", A report of a sub-committee of the National Basketball Coaches 4gso¢intion, which has been sent to me by a friend indicates that the writer o° “he repcrt knows of these movies and has assigned me the role of Mister Scratch aml has cast himself as Mister God, The dram. outlined in the report attributes to Mister Sccatch anc his Satanic co-workers a sinister influence on the development of bas- kevball into the unpopylar, unskilled and uninteresting game that it is, To Mister God is assigned the omniscient vision to tell the National Collegiate Athletic Asso ciation who they shall appoint on the rules committee and how appointments shail be made, to tell the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations how they shall conduct their business, to tell the manufcturers of athletic equipment what they may or may not advertise, to tell the high school, ¥ MeC.A. and Canadian basketball groups how unimportant their views are, and to tell the National Baskot- ball Committee what it my do. Even a code of ethics is set up for the group. This dast is an inspiration which is the climax to the dram. The question might be asked as to whether the code applies to the sub-comnittee as well as to the Rules Committee ~~ but as set up, it works only one way. That adds novelty, Letts Get Personal I did not start this personal angle. The sub-committee needs 2 devil to chase around the bush. Otherwise, tilting at windmills gets monotonouse The sinister high school representatwes on the Rules Committee (the whole 4 of them on 2 ccm= mittee of 18) are obliging cusses and have been tagged "it", I will play Mister Seratch if that will help clear the atmosphere. Family names hive been dragged into the above mentioned report, so this statement is in order. The Porters my or may not have come over in the Mayflower, I have never traced the ancestry. There are probably about the average number of horse-thieves up the family tree. The name is common and ohe group may have originated in Africa and another in Kamehatia. The family line that named me (before the Scratch handle) is engaged in many occupations but I have never been able to find any of my line (even o fifth cousin) who is or has been in the business of making mule shoes or toilet seats, or basketballs or basketball backboards. or playground equipment. Probably some of us would be ona higher economic level if we could have profitted from these industries. I donty know, They probably have troubles of their own. The maker of the sub-committee re= port makes a dirty minded insinuation in connection with the name of a J, E, Porter, I have never had the pletsure of meeting the gentleman. He may be alive or dead. In the latter case, Mister God ought to be able to contact hin. Andy, of the radio team"Amos and andy} grew up in my home town of Peoria, Illinois. He lived in the next block, One of his characters is Henry Van Porter. The sub- committee ought to look up that sinister connection, It would be a great catch phrase, "Campbellts soups harbors the Devil in black face," The Porters have always been interested in basketball and this particular one has coxched, managed tournaments, conducted interpretation meetings and done other odd-~ jobs in helping develop the game for. more years than need be mentioned. Like hun» dreds of other game enthusiasts, I have given these efforts freely and witheut re- greg, . if time is worth money, someone owes me a lot of cash but no one seems to have. got around to telling any paying teller about it. Some lucky individuals write a basketball book or get their autograph stamped on a basketball and thus cash in. Lack of industry or something has kept me from doing this. Besides, basketball books go out of date when a rule is changed and molded balls do not carry autoe- graphs. tn common with thousands of other lovers of the game, my returns come through a satisfaction in sceing « great game keep pace with progress in related industries and institutions. I am convinced that the rules changes of the last P Age tiro- severe.l years hove improved the game; that the molded type basketball has been (and still is) a godsend to covery high school, Yu.0,4, and smaller college which docs not have adequate income to produce a new ball for every game or practice sessicn; and that we cannot justify compelling schools to retain a backboard with half of its ares. wasted surface am a hindrance to the spreading of play to the sides and te the end area of the court. This just about brings the family connections up to date. In the words of Red Skelton "Thanks for listenint ." Let's Stick to Facts The sub-committee report contains some things which are good. For mc, it is weak- ened by the attempt to castigate (Mister typesetter--pleasc$) the officers of the Rules Committee, that comaittects policies relative to the annual questionnaire and the National Collegiate method of choosing representatives. Furthermore, it cons tains a number of inaccuracies, in statement or implication, and statements which show little understanding of the purpose of, or the method of making up or distri= buting the questionnaire. It contains "below the belt" insiniwmtions which are so grossly unfair that they give the final propose: code of ethics (drafted for some- one else) a sour taste. Letts be specific. The report criticizes Floyd Rowe for expressing an opinion (in a private letter) that majority opinion over the nation is against the outlawing of the molded type of basketball anc the small backboard. Does Mister God resent freedom of speech? It would be out of character to become peevish when majority opinion does not coins cide with personal antagonism toward articles which have proved their worth. By a rather remarkable type of logic a conclusion is drewm from Mr. Rowets statement, It is: “Should wo not have the privilege of suggesting items for the rules questiar naire?" What are the facts? The Rules Comittee has always encouraged ~every group that has a legitimte interest in the game to submit suggestions for the questionmire. The questiomaire is made from these suggestions. It is put in form by 211 members of the Rules Committec, many of whom are prominent members of the National B,sketball Coxches Association ond 2 of whom wero members of tho Re- search Committeo of that body. The report objects to the form of guestims and cites: "The new fan-shaped back- board is legal where the home management chooses to install it." Of course, it studiously omits the heading which makes it clear that this question and others in the same group give each man a chance to vote yes or no omvhether the present rule is satisfactory. ‘ore is another objection which indicates straining at a gnat. The case is cited where one question is to be voted on by those who “coached, played, officiate” or managed games on courts with the small backboard." The report stuci- ously omits the heading which shows this to be in Part II which deals entirely with reports on experimentation and observation (rather than abstract opinion). It also fails to mention that on the same shcet there was a question where everyone (user or non-user) could record his opinion about the backboard rule. Would tho report have us believe that tho Rules Committee ms no God-given right to find out what those who have used and observed an article or rule think of it? Frankly, “ister Seratch doesn't understand that kind of logic. The report further frets: "The tabulations of results of the Questionnaire are questionablo."” As evidence, it shows that the grouping by sections of the country is not according to National Collegiate districts. To quote: “How can an Nels, representative determine the rcaction of his cistrict when the research tabulations Page three «= are scatterc’ over three or more districts? Why was this change in tabulation al- lowed by our N.C, i.4. representatives? Sorry, Mister foc, but you ought to check your information before you attempt to send innocent men to hell, All 6 cylincers aren't working. The questionnaires are distributed to colleges by each college re- presentative for his own cistrict. A district returns its aquestionmaires to its own representative. He tabulates for his own district and sends the suamry to the Questiomoire Chairman. Obviously, he has his own record of his district -- vother- wise how could the Chairman get the summary? It may have occurred to the sub-com- mittee that there are other groups (relatively unimportant according to report) zn this joint rules committee which are not organized in 8 districts but who might find some use in a sectional tabulation of totalrcturns. Here is another prize statement from the reporti “e----=-one might logically craw the conclusion that the questionnaires were mailed to a carefully selected sampling of those schools favoring the new type of equigent." Since the distribution of tm questiomaires is entirely by the state high school associations and their member high schools for the high schools and by responsible representatives of the N.Coele, the Y,4.C.A, and the Canadian organizations, that statement is a slur on the inte- erity of the state high school officers of 48 states and the coaches and acministra- tors of 25,000 high schools who elect those officers; as well as on the men who form the policies of the N.C,A,4., the Y.M.C.A,, and the Canadian groups. Mister God, you are covering a lot of territory. It is intimated that the sub-committce could make a lot better questionaire. Of course, every individual thinks ho can do it better. Thatts his privilege. let's take a look at the supposedly “unbiased” nature of the questionmire which was sent out by Blair Gyllion to all college basketball conches. It started with this para- graph? "Dear Basketball Coach: Numerous rules changes in past years have not been satisfactory to the members of the college basketball coaching profession. ilany have felt that the National Rules Committee had been acting. in an arbitrary manner inthe adoption of new equipment and the formulation of new rules." Herc is one of the questions with a flag-waving motif: "Do you believe that, in the light of the present demand for conservation of materials for the war effort, that the trend toward the fan-shaped backboard in the college games would be a logical procedure?" his is claimed to be an attempt toget unbiased sentiment based entirely on the merit of the molded basketball and the small backboard. Goa step further anc note the result. This same questionmaire showed 2 slight mjority of the college coaches favoring the molded type basketball and a number who proclaimed it just as good. So the small group which assembled at New Orleans brought in a "practically wani-~ mous" recomnendation that the molded ball be declarec illegal fa college use. This is the group thet is criticizing the Rules Committee for not adopting their recom= memlations and is hurling innuendoes at the High School groups and the other parent bodies of the rules committee and who would like to change the complexion of the committee. One with rubber stamp attributes might be about right. Tye report refers to an “endorsement” of some item of equipment by “ister Scratch. The mature of this so-called "endorsement" is not indicated. The fact is that ligster Seratch, in connection with his varias duties writes quite a few lctters in a yeare To be specific, the stamped envelope record of his office indicates 4,126 for the year in question. Statements in these letters lwe never been copyrighted. 4s number arc in answer to questions as to whether ‘a product or a procedure is in harmony with the rules which govern school athletics and whether it is suitable for usc in member school systems. Schools have a right to kmow whether materials meet rule specifientions anc there is no copyright on statements that they cdo or dontt, (Witness lack of copyright on statement published in the Gullion report and lifted bodily from a private letter from Floyd Rowe.) Such statements are vpen to Page four - use by any firm, whether its name is “hosit, Porter or Sam Lung. Ino nut-shell the case boils dovm to what in geometry would be termed reductio ad absurdun, The report overlooks the goo’-ncighbor policy and takes 2 crack at Canada. The reasoning is sylogistic. Major premise--Purge the Rules Committec of those who will not bow: down. Minor premise=-lhe Canucks will not conform. (They like the molded basketball, the sma21l1 backboard and other rules which the Cormittec has sdoptec.) Conclusion--"Why is Canada=-given two representatives on the Rules Committee," end quote. T,e report objects to an jithletic Journal article "Yu Can't Stand in the Way of Progress", The article gave some facts to dispel some of the wild rumors about the development of some of the rules of basketball. It was written at the request of the the editorial department. Anyone who is interested in how rules which legalized the smiller basketball which is now universally usec, the 4-foot end zone, the screening rule, the larger court, the molded ball and the small backboard, ought to reac it. Of course, it takes some of the glamour out of the whispering campaignabout "press- ure groups" and the manufacturing octopus. It shows how these things originated in the school and institution graips in response to definite needs -- not because some ogre was expe cing to make a profit. The report would have its readers believe that it is alright to throw rocks but it is very unethical for anyone to throw them brek. dre cases needed? Refer to Esquire Magazine of April 1941, This is just after tho Nationel Rules Committee had followed the instructions of the Coaches As- sociation representatives to "have the guts to take a stand” and ceclare a type ball and a type backboard as the one toward which all should work, Here is a quota- tion from the article by a high offieial of the same group: "If these changes (the small backboard) were motivated altruistically, I wouldn't mind so much," ~------ "Most major courts have already installed glass backboards which give more visi- bility than the streamlined monstrosities." Associated Press releases flooded the coumtry with derogatory statements emanating from meetings presided over by o*fi- cials of the same group and referred to the molded all (which is used and liked by three-fourths of the high schools and by a majority of the small colleges) as the "rubber ball" or the "jack-rabbit ball" and the small backboard (which has proved to be so popular that 16 state high school associations, the larger schools anc colleges in Canada, many U.S. colleges and army ond navy camps hove already adopted it) as the "“bean=shaped board", Here is a quotation from one such press release. It was headed "Patented FareShaped Bank and Rubber Ball Rejected at Special Parley". Here is a statement in the article: "This leaves a potential market of more than 5,000,000 for the manufacturer whose procuc. will be the cnly one anyone may legally use." Aside from the fact that the sm1l board can not be patented since it was developed by the schools themselves and that there is no limi% to who can make the board, and some question about the figures, (considering the fact that the new board and bridgework costs only a fraction of that for the old). the article is fairly accurate, This and similar articles were broadcast over the country. Would the report have us believe that only this group has o right to cast stones ani thet no individual with the facts ot hand should have the temerity to give out the tformtion on request? ister God, if this is ethics, the ring- tailed cat is a babboon. Page five = The report recommands the discontinuance of "the permission granted in the past to the Notional Federation of State High School Athletic Associations to print the summer edition of the basketball rules." The chief objection appears to be that those who advetise in the book inclwe the molded ball and the small backboard with the articles they advértise. Aside from the fact that it is rather presumptions for this group to tell the National Federation what it can and can't do and to tell the manufacturers what they can and cantt advertise, the statement might pass ex~ cept for one small detail, The special summer edition of the rules has not been published for two years. It was published at that time ot the request of the Natiar al Committee for summer coaching schools at a time when the almanac edition of the guide could not be ready until the Fall. It was sold for 13 1/4 cents per copy and out of the receipts a royalty was paid to the National Rules Committee and out of the profits (of which there were none), the High School grmp sent their own repre- sentatives to the annual meeting. That is "Big Business". Being a couple of years behind developments is sometimes a virtue. The Conclusion ii, a cure for 211 the evils that have kept the game from development farther than first in popularity among the sports, the report would purge the committee by (a) finding from the NCA, "just how" thoy select their representatives, an. (b) getting rid of those who have been members of the rules committee for several years, incluiing the Canadians, and (c) taking a leaf from the book of the Football Ry,les Committee which operates more or less jncepencently and will have none of this joint committee idea. The (a) ought to easy and those who will cooperate can prob- abiy be found. In (b), it might be wholesome to go through the history of the com- mittee during the period during which the game his developed. James Naismitinas a member for many years, So was L. W, St. John, who expressed (1) the belief that the College Coaches Gould do a fine piece of work in research and the improving of the coaching profession -- and (2) the hope that the group would not make the mistake of attempting to duplicate rules activities which are already weil super vised by a National Rules Committee which represents the millions who are inter- ested in basketball for fun and for buiding school morale as well as those whe mike their entire living from the game. There was HE, A, -‘etzdorf and George Hepbren and Ralph Morgan and Herb Reynolds and others who could be named and who were helping make basketball a great game while some of the present report mkers were stiil in short pants. On the present committec, thae who have been there for soc length of time and wh. sat with some of these men are [swald Tower, J. U, Crocker, Or. John Brown, Jre, Ee J, Hickox ond Floyd Rowe. The writer has been elected by tre 18,000 high schools throvgh their regular state and national organizations for sev eral short terms. The selection is by about the smc obnoxious democratic mevnod that is used in choosing a local dog-catcher or a basketball coach or the prosident _ of the Usited States. The report intimates that I am a "permanent" membor «= a thing which I did not know == but which God cught to lmow. Ag a member of the Conmittec, I nave scen the hundreds of school groups -- Coaches, Orficials, Directors, Administrators, Players, Spectators =-- originate and cevelop ideas for the game. == 4 ball to fit the hands of high school and college players, the encouraging of the use of a lergercourt, the nonscontact screening rule based on siow motion pictures, the elimination of most of the center jumps, ‘the use of alley marks on the free throw lane and of restraining circles for the jumps, making it possible to use a 4efoot end area, the molded type basketball which is now a Life saver for thosc who must use one ball for many games, the small backboard and a re= codification of the rules into a form more or less suited to efficient stucy in the many rules clinics and which is a coce instead of merely a collection of rulos,. Mister Scratch is ready to stand on that record. He will now return to his usual routine of kicking a few helpless dogs, sneaking pennics from blind men an‘ burne ing down a few orphan asylums. REPORT OF THE COMMITTES TO STUDY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL COMMITTER ft the request of President Norgren a special sub-committee of the Research Commit- tee was appointed to study weys and means of improving relationships between tke Notional Basketball Committee and the National Basketball Coaches Association, Ine» cluded in this study was the consideration of better means of presenting the recom= mendations of the National Basketball Coaches Association to the National Basketball Committee, Minny members of our association have felt that the National Basketball Committee has acted arbitrarily in many rulings which definitely influenced the college game and that they had not been considerate of the recommendations of our association. A study of past relationships between the groups brought out a number of important factors for formulating a plan of action. The National Basketball Coaches Associa-~ tion was conceived as 2 means of combating hasty action on the part of the National Basketball Committee in adopting the ruling which limited the dribble to one bounce. This brought about resentment which still seems to smoulder. The National Basketball Committee in turn has felt that the efforts of the coaches association to obtain direct representation on the national committee was not warranted. The following quotations from correspondence with Mr. Floyd Rowe, chairman of the National Basketball Committee, bring out the general trend of feeling between the two groups as well as some of the problems which are in need of correction: 1 ae me -It became quite evident that the policies of your organization (National Basketball Coaches Association) are Quite definitely fixed by a small group of men. Mm cone certainly no- two hundred coaches should expect to have the right to dic- tate policies governing many thousands." "There is no issue at all between the high schools and the colleges as to the necessity of having both groups follow the same rules. Certainly no member of the high school group has ever suggested to the college group tht certain rules which were felt to be advantageous to the high schools should be adopted anc put into force as far as the colleges were concerned," "It would scom then to me that if you are rexlly desirous of getting changes in the rules going back to the old type of ball and back stop that the thing for you to do is to work on the college members of the present rules committee. -w-e-= I think this gives you a pretty good list of college men upon whom to work. If you ein not sell them, then certainly you are not going to have any luck with the high school group, but, at the same time, you will have no trovwblo with the high school group if you sell them," "For the past four or five years the action of the Coaches Association has been irritating to the committee. The coaches meet 2nd because of their largo met- ing and because of the prominence of some of their mombers, their recommonda- tions in regard to rules changes in theeyos of the press constitute rules rather than recommendations to the National Basketball Committee," On the part of the National Basketbi1l Coaches Associntion the following factors have influenced our feeling toward the Naticnal Basketball Committec: Page two =. (1) The necd for special rulings in the high school and jumior high school game have never been questioned by the college coaches; similar efforts regarding the college game have been discouraged. The major problem of our associition seems to lic in the problem of satisfying the needs, problems and interests of the college group in situations where the colleges and high schools Inve a wide difference in these necds, interests and problems. Numerically, the ratio of high schools to colleges is at least 25 to 1; the grouping of the opinion of 211 of the bodies represented on the National Bas- ketball Committee gives the high schools such a preponderance of strength on the questionmire that it my dictate the nature of the college gamc. The criticism that the National Basketball Coachos Association is a sm1l a body of the college coaches and not representative of college thought and opin- ion is not a justifiable conclusion. MTowever, our present questionnaire, which is mailed to every college and university coach in the country, will present an accurate cross section of college opinion this year and in future yoars. THE COLLEGE GAME OF BASKETBALL WILL EXPECT SPECIAL RULINGS FROM THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL COMMITTEE IN SITUATIONS WHERE THE PROBLEMS; INTERESTS, AND NESDS OF THE COLLEGE GAM WARRANT SUCH SPECIAL RULINGS. (2) The wide difference in results from the questionnaires of the respective groups has caused our group to question the methods employed by the Questionnaire Com- mittee in formulating, sampling and tabulating their research questionnaire. Quoting again fron correspondence with Mr. Floyd Rowe, Chairman of the National Basketball Committee, indicates some of the problems relative to the oucstion= naire: "After all, the Rules Committee places 21 tremendous lot of weight upon the results of the questionnaire." "It would scem that largely the point at issue betweon you and Porter is whether or not the questionnaire for this coming year (1942) should include questions regarding the shape of the back stop and the type of ball. I think I am ina position to say that you will never get a vote in your favor on these two items when majority opinion is concerned." Is this lattcr statement consistent with what one should expect from an un» biased rules body? Should we not have the privilege of suggesting items for the rules questionnaire? "Personally, I am quite sure that you are fighting « losing fight on this parti- cular issue (ball anc backboard) and one which is of no great importance." Again, we should know what problems are of great importance to our group. Greater than the mtter of the fom-shaped board and the molded ball is the need for SOI DEFINITE POLICY IN ESTABLISHING THE TYPE OF EQUIPMENT TO B= USED IN THE COLLNGE GAME. Must we alvays be adopting novelties such as the Baskeo-lite, the various molded basketballs, the convex or flat surface fan-shaped bankboard, the 20" diarter basket? The wording of pertinent statements on the questionnaire in recent years have been misleading. Quoting from the 1941 QUESTIONNAIRE OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL COM- MITT EB: Ms Page three = a new foneshaped backboard is legal where the home mana gement chooses to stall it, Since the rule in the book at this time read this way, most cozches interpreted Pe meaning of this statement to be a test for opinion relative to "play on the ba: beard by coaches who had not installed it for their games at home" an@ they were willing to play for experimental purposes. Tying this statement up with the stote. ment listed in the 1940 QUESTIONNAIRE OF THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL COMMITTER: "Assuming that proper safeguards would be made against any sudden compulsory use of equipment whose use would involve considerable expense, do you favor per- mitting the optional use of: (2) A flat surfaced backboard with several inches removed from the borcers and with the upper edge circular, (b) ** convex surfaced board with the shape as in (a)," Is not the inconsistency of the wording evident? Reading further into the science of research we must return to the 1941 QUESTIONNAIRE and the following statemont: "Check below only if you ‘Coached, playec, officiated, or managed games on courts with new type of bankboards: (a) Prefer new type - 819 (b) Prefer old type - 196 " Two factors are very evident in this statement. First, those who have gone to their administrators for the money to buy this innovation will hesitate to cordemn it even though they do not find it an improvement over the rectangular board. Thesecond evident factor is that of the approximately 1900 high schools, colleges, Yts, and others who answered the questionnaire, 1015 answered the above statement. jnce less than 4000 sets of these boards were in use at tmt time, one might logi- cally draw the conclusion that the questionnaires were mailed to a carefuliy selecte? sampling of those schools favoring the new type of equipment. Would not the schools using the rectangular equipment heve a perfect right to voice their opinion regarding the faneshaped bankboard? The tabulation of the results of the questionnaire by the chairman of the Question= naire Committee is questionable; the total summary of the results are tabulated in five sections as follows: 1. Atlantic Coast Area (New England States, Delaware, Maryland, New Jorsey, Now York, Ponnsylvania, Virginia, Washingtor, D.C. and West Virginia) 2. Southern States (Alabam, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississivpi. North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas) 3. Central States (Illinois, ee Kentucky, Michigan, Opio, Wisconsin) 4, Widwestern States (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraskn, North Dakota, South Dakota ) j 5, “Yestern States (Arizona, Califormia, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, N Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming) 6. Canada ew How can ao N.C... representative determine the reiction of his district when the research tabulations are scattered over three or more districts? Why was this change in tabulation allowed by our N.C wi, representatives?