PHOG ALLEN IS ONE
OF THOSE GUYS WHO
WRITES ON MENUS”

 

 

We feel a bit silly for talking about basketball in this bock oe
weather and we wouldn’t do it except we have been intimidated
by Dr. Forrest C. “Phog” Allen, the Kansas man, here for the con-
vention of American Association for Health, Physical Education
| and Recreation.
Dr. Allen is director of physical education and basketball coach
: at University of Kansas and long

has been considered one of the pro-

gressive brains of the winter sport.

When he was out here a few

“weeks ago for the N. C. A. A. col-
legiate playoffs at Treasure Island,
Dr. Allen struck a sympathetic note
with us by advocating elevation of
the basket from 10 feet to 12 feet
to take the game away from 6 foot
5 goons and restore it to athletes of
standard height.

In recent weeks, Dr. Allen has
been an overland commuter be-
tween Lawrence, Kas., and San

. Francisco. Before he entrdined for a
our town for the second time, he —

| stopped off at the Hotel Morrison : NIBS PRICE
in Chicago, and while foraging in the dining room, wrote 33 reasons on
the back of the a la carte men: why the basket should be hoisted.

We always believed the greatest contributions to the fund of knowl-
| edge are penciled on restaurant table cloths and menus. If Dr. Allen
| had come to us with a neatly typewritten list of arguments we would
| not give him this valuable space, but because his thoughts were scrib-
| bled on the Morrison menu between the soup and entree courses we are
' convinced of their merit and sincerity.

In private life, Dr. Allen is-a most. pious and conservative man who
shuns the flesh pots of likker and terbaccy, but professionally he is a
radical soul who would keep the game in a constant uproar with shock-

' Ing rule changes.

> >
| GREASE SPOTS ON HOTEL MENU,
So : °°

We have not space or inclination in this climate to reprint Dr.
Allen’s 33-point program here because some of his handwritten items
run into the roast beef au jus and eggs Florentine on the Morrison
menu and are not legible to our eyes.

However, we are happy to advance two other innovations which Dr.
Allen sponsors, namely, the convex backboard and the streamlined
backboard, both of which seem worthy to us.

“These changes were put before the recent meeting of the national
rules committee, and although no action was taken, I do not expect any
for a year or two at the earliest,” said the doctor.

“There is no reajyon why the backboard should be flat, no more
than the basket shovld be anchored at ten feet. Both were established
by arbitrary judgment. Basketball is a young sport and is still in the
uncouth stage. We should welcome, rather than resent, suggested
changes in physical equipment.

“The convex or curved backboard was invented by oe Maune |
of St. Louis. Mr. Maune is a middle-aged citizen who is a red hot fan.
He holds no patent on the scheme and nobody has a financial interest |
in it. With the help of G. R. Chervenka, a research engineer, Mr. Maune
designed the convex backboard and freely offers the idea for the good
of the game.

“I'd like to see it adopted two « or ioe years from. now, when
prejudices have been broken down. A curved backboard would —

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