January 22,1942,
7403 N.Ridge Avee,

Chi
MreForrest C.Allen, cago, Illinois.

University of Kansas, :
Lawrence, Kansas.

Dear Mr. Allen:

Perhaps you will recall we exchanged letters in 1937
and 1938. One of the boys in our office plays with a basketball team and
has asked me to coach theme I have not been an active participant for the
past two years and accordingly I felt that I should refer to your Basket-
Ball Biblee When I did so I found that I had retained your letters and I
want you to know that it was a great pleasure to read them once again.

Something you wrote in your last letter has made me
curious and although I know you are very busy if you do find a few spare
moments I would like very much to have an expression from you as to your
reaction to the stages through which basketball has passed to reach the
present fire engine speed . In that letter you stated that although it
was probable that most teams would as soon as given the ball make an
attempt to score through use of a fast break ~ if such fast break was
not successful that the teams would go back to use of plays to obtain
set shots. Although I have played but little during the past two years
nevertheless I see as many games each week as possiblee I now work in
Evanston and have therefore seen Northwestern play numerous games although
I do go out now and then to see Chicago plays We have a fast amateur
league in Chicago - The Metrépolitan League = most of the teams composed
of former college starse As an example saw the Acme Steel team play the
other night < they feature Joe Stampf and Amundsen two former U of Chicago
starse Escept for the professional teams I have yet to see the supposedly
better grade teams use set plays to any great extent.

It seems that no team spends any time on defense. When
I read these 60 to 58 basketball scores I become disgusted with basketball.
While I believe firmly that it was a good move to dispense with the old
standing guard certainly there must be some value to having guards who do
not spend all of their time under the opposing team's basket. As it now
stands no player seems to worry about how many points his opponent scores.
I may be wrong but I do believe that the player who scores five baskets and
holds his opponent to one or two baskets is of far greater value to a team
than the chap who scores eight or ten baskets but doesn't know and doesn't
seem to care about how many baskets his opponent has rung Upe

But to me the most deplorable feature of the game as
Played today is the fact that the average player does not know the meaning
of a set shot from around the free throw circle - and much less does he know
about the shooting ~ with two hands - of such a shote In game after game I
have seen players suddenly find themselves unguarded in a spot somewhere

around the free throw spot. Invariably that player will take off with