RAPS ALLEN’S CAGE PLAN ELEVATING BASKETS TO TWELV | FEET IS CALLED ABSURD. Notre Dame Coach Says 10-Second Rule Should Be Abolished if an Improvement Is ‘ Sought. Norre Dame, Inv. March 20.— | Coach George Keogan of the Notre [peme basket ball team brands as absurd the pro- posal of Coach F. GC. (Phos) Allen of Kansas to elevate the basket to twelve feet in college competition. “This proposal is as absurd as the existing 10- second rule,” Keogan said yesterday. “If they want to legislate against big men, they ee « Cal abolish the “Phog” Allen, 10-second rule. This rule has legislated the uninter- | esting zone defense into basket ball. “Big men now jam in under the | basket. If the 10-second rule is abolished, these big men will wear | themselves out trying to follow the 'smaller men. The game will become faster and more interesting. Four- _ teen of the sixteen teams in the Indi- “ana high school tournament used the zone defense, and it was generally agreed that this year’s tournament ‘was the least interesting in recent years.” Keogan rebonineaned that fouls in the lower part of the court be not charged against a player as far as his ejection from the game is con- _cerned, or that five fouls be allowed. The player fouled should be, allowed to take his free throw as under the present rule. Keogan believes too ‘many good men are ejected from 'games for harmless fouls. He also recommended that a large ‘circle be drawn outside the center jump ring and that forwards and guards be kept out of this circle until |after the jump. “There is too much jamming around the center circle ‘now, and it slows up the game. Such a rule also would hurt big men,” he said. Koegan’s team won twenty of its twenty-four games the last season. All except one of his men were over six feet tall. - : Concerning Coach George Keogan's, of Notre Dame, criticism of Coach Forrest C,. Allen s proposal to raise the basket to a height of 12 ft. and concerning Coach Keogan's criticism of the ten second rule that was put into effect two years ago, Director Allen had the following to say: "The game of basket ball today is splendid as it is." "There is nothing wrong with it.” "However there is nothing sacred about the rules.” "Is it not thinkable that an improvement can be made upon anything" Coach George Keogan is running true to form as a perennial objector on basket ball rules. Coach Keogan attended the basket ball coaches meeting at Chicago two years ago where the ten second rule was recommended by the coaches body to the rules meeting and Keogan was one of the 160 university coaches who voted unanimously for the cha nge. I fear when Keogan flays the eenter line across the court rule, he ean count his supporters on the digit of his hand. This rule has revivified the indoor sport and made basket ball play more popular than it ever has been before. : In commenting on the suggestions Coach Allen made, he said, "I do not ask that these changes be made this year. I am just offer- ing suggestions for trial and research investigation for the future. However, I do believe that some of these changes will be incorporated in the National Rules in the course of the next three years, Some of them urdoubtedly will bear investigation and trial." Commenting on the 12 ft. basket rule, Coach Allen said, "The height of the basket was placed at 10 ft, by Dr. James Naismith, the in- ventor of the game, because the running track in the gymnasium at Springfield, Mass. College was just that height.” He further stated, "I have asked President Roy Mundorff at of Georgia Tech- at Atlanta, where the coaches meeting is to be held, to install two 12 ft. baskets for a trial game during the coaches meeting. I am sure the coaches will be surprised how very much the congestion under the basket will be cleared up by raising the height of the baskets two additional feet," Four teams of national reputation have been invited to Atlanta to demonstrate before the coaches assembled the style of each particu- lar section. The University of Pittsburgh, University of Kentucky, University of Kansas and Illinois Wesleyan were invited as the | four representative teams, The University of Kansas found it im- possible to attend, because first - the Big Six rules forbid it, and second - the boys would miss too much time away from school after their strenuous basket ball season, #2 Kansas won 16 of our 17 contests played this year. Summing up the suggestions that Coach Allen wili ent to the coaches meeting for consideration and further to the rules body, Coach Allen listed them as follows « 1. Raise baskets to a hei of 12 ft. Purpose: to equalize the height of men and to clear up the con- stlon under baslet. Purther to reduce the great number of fuls phat are now made by players driving in for lay-up shots and being fouled by the guards on this play. This will decrease foule at least by SO per-cent. Rebounds from shote will fall further out into the court, making it impossible for big, powerful guards to bleck out the opponents coming into the basket, Dr, Naismith yesterday 0.K.'d the —— of raising the baskets for college and A,A.vU play to this e = fo increase width of court to maximum of 56 ft. instead of 50 Purpose: @# A blow against the so-called sone defense. Also making geeetie fewer out of bound balis. A team in possession of the ball can much easier manipulate play off of the side of the basket than out in front and into the basket with 6 ft. additional of floor space on the side. | 3, Move the back-boerds 4 to 6 ft. inside the end line, Sy rais~- ing the basket 2 ft. the back-board will be elevated so that the baeck-board and basket will not interfere with pesses from back of the board inte the court, striking the back stop. This will also lessen out of bound plays. Wary shots @s4 m&eeeé which missed the basket heretofore can now be e@ and play continued which heretofore was not true under the present rules, This will make more sustained action and continuems play. | 4. Increase the field goal to 3 points, leaving t one point end the four personal fouls rule as it is, 8, Prohibit pivot pest man from shooting at basket, while he is in the free throw lane with his back to the basket, Allow him to — ball in the free throw area with the three second reatric- On &@8 now, 6, Take no time out for substitutions in the last minute of each half as is the ease of the football rules. This permite substi- tutions but prevents a coach taking excessive time out to beat the purpose of the rule by creating unnecessary delay, 7, A mtnioum eireumference of 29) inches for a basket ball, The rule now states it shall not be less than 50, nor more than 351. Because of the fact that such a change might work a hardship on the ball manufacturers it would be inadvisable to rush such a rule through, ost players favor a smaller ball because it more 83 nearly fits the hands of the average player and goalie are more easily made with a smaller ball, 8. Further cooperation by the coaches and athletie authprities ee Ve of the Boo-Boo by the spectators in ag. e Coach Allen explained that there were @ few college or university courts but what would allow a 12 ft, basket height, The new audditoria and gymnasia are constructed with very high edlings, An extra 3 ft. on the width of a basket ball court woul] be Porrest C. Allen te a be os seme ‘ee a 2 ae og oe and BSE OT aes . - sot Ss rmggoe : : EX me erom 61s eineg bas te. ov ‘fied tellame # déiw obaa yilese @us siteidts bas sedgace elt “3 aot > tediawi .& stotatoegs edd yd eoS-co8 ait Yo aabderutec+ eft brawod effad tovsad eel? ed? ted? beatelaxe viieteviay to egelfos wet exev OF ‘Rf a wolis bluow ¢ : | won odT ,Srigied dedead ,#% 2 | -epatibs ain’ yiev cidiw bed ence ets alsanays ro aleokines 3 od Mvow $109 {fed dodead » te di tw odd mo dt & atixe mA | we na Sadd two be nilvr emae ed? of Jooldue ed? to ebaad ed? edt? vitsea rR i aca i. Se ky SOUTH DAKOTA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION J OURNAL SO KOTA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION le ak DECEMBER. 1935 vows . VALUES IN ATHLETICS* FORREST C. ALLEN Director of Athletics, Lo we are tremendously interested in the athletic life of our young people; athletics are an integral part of school and college life. Athletic administrations are much criticized for overemphasis, commercialism and deception in some high places. But athletics are the halter that enables us to capture and lead the young American mustangs of athletic endeavor to a greater usefulness during their plastic years of growing and going places. Thirty years and more ago athletics were not an integral part of school life. They were not even a step-child. School administrators would not recognize athletics as part of school life. The pool hall proprietor and the sporting gentry of the town were the sponsors of high school and college athletic teams. Some Specific Values Our parents were children of pioneers and had been taught that any sort of recreation in the form of play was wrong. They were so busy hewing homes out of the wilderness of the fron- tier that there was no time for play. And any boy who did play was not to be considered as an energetic and purposeful young man. But today “stone that the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner.” We find splendid competitive teams among boys of high school and college rank. Today the heart of America is clean, athletically, because that clean heart resides in the breast of the 12-year old American boy. He is a fighter and a hero wor- shiper. Every great high school and college ath- letic star has hundreds of worshipers among younger boys. If these athletic heroes train, they set a splendid example to this oncoming genera- tion. The young athlete is a selfish creature. Through his athletic contests and conquests he has found by competition that he must possess not only a splendid body but a strong heart. His body is a machine and by contests with other boys he has learned that if his physical machine does not ' function far beyond the power of his opponent’s, he is defeated. Because he is such a selfish creature he will develop a habit of saying “No” a thousand times to temptation before he can say “Yes” once to *Excerpts from address before SDEA convention, Mitchell, Nov. 25, 1935. SDEA JOURNAL e December, 1935 University of Kansas victory, because to him victory is sweet indeed. So, today our great young American athletes con- form to training rules. True some boys on the team do not train and some boys in school will try to “get by”. But athletics should not be blamed for these indiscre- tions, for without a doubt the erring boy has been carried along by his love of play a great deal farther than he would have gone had he no play life. There are some phases of athletic administra- tive shortcomings that should be corrected. The game of football today is taking the lives of too many high school players. To say that these boy casualties are not in proper physical condition is not enough. Boys of today are not of the tough fiber as were the sons of real pioneer parents two generations ago. The game should be modified not abolished. We must seriously consider its revision and- modification. Why are so many boys of foreign born parents playing football in American colleges today? Be- cause they are the so-called poor boys, without the automobile, the predigested foods, the cocktail parties, the late hours, and the hours of idleness —the very things that are “softening up” our civilization. The foreign born parent is a strict disciplinarian. His son is tough enough to stand the football racket and our average American born “cannot take it.” Athletics For Girls More time and money have been spent on the boys’ program than upon the girls’ program. Someone has said that there are more girls smok- ing cigarettes in America today than boys. If this is true, it is not primarily the fault of the girls. Rather it is the failure of educators and parents to find something that will grip and hold the girls’ interest the same as athletics have for the boys. It is at least thinkable that in the future, the educator will discover, by accident or design, a habit of behavior and activity for the girl which will absorb her self interests during the plastic stage and lead her out of a wilderness of sophisti- cation into a new world of worthwhile romance which she has not experienced today. Perhaps a woman educator will find the answer for her sex. In the deep currents and tides of human’ emo- tions, woman is always the first to detect the true 169 I am wondering if many of us actually realize what is in the heart of a boy, in all the glory and youth of his strength, a few pefore anette $e -bite- -b-hne- =e2en he strides out on the athletic arena and matches his brute strength, skill, wits and brain with his opponents ‘on the other team. Berton Braley in 1912 wrote "The Half Back". It is my opinion that he has perhaps described the reaction of our scholastic half back better than most any man I know. "When the stands are black with people, and they yell, yell, yell, When the whistle shrills the signal for the start, ‘Then the spirit sort of grips me in a potent spell, And the blood goes dancing swiftly through my heart." "And the rooters are forgotten with their flags and all, And the i of battle pulses through my frame, And there isn't anything worth the having but that “old pigskin ball, And there isn't any glory but the game." "Is there anything that thrills you with a zest more keen — S Than to spill the interference in a pile, Or to throw the runner earthward with a tackle clean, Or to gather in a punt in proper style?" "There's the thump of men colliding. There's the thud of feet, There's the play that starts as sudden as the flame, ‘There's the grit that knows no quitting and won 't be beat, They're all a part and parcel of the game." "It's the game of Anglo-Saxons. It's the hard old stuff. . It's the horror of the timid and the tame. ‘And calls for men of daring and of fibre tough Who are worthy of a chance to play the game." "Rumple ‘em! Crumple ‘em! Never twice the same Keep forever on the jump and play the game." When the more zestful days are over and we drift into the quietude of middie or later life, we like to turn to the pages of the "Prayer of a Sportsman", writtearby Berton Braley in 1919 - in which he said - - - : wbx "Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life I ask but a field that is fair, A chance that is equal with all in the strife A courage to strive and to dare; And if I should win, let it be by the code With my faith and by honor held high, And if I should lose, let me stand by the road And cheer as the winners go by!" "And Lord, may my shouts be ungruding and clear ; _ §& tribute that comes from the heart, -And let me not cherish a snarl or a sneer Or play any snivelligg part; Let me say, "There they ride on whom laurel's bestowed Since they played the game better than I, Let me stand with a smile by the side of the road And cheer as the winners go by!" "So grant me to conquer, if conquer I can : By proving my worth in the fray; But teach me to lose like a Regular Man : And not like a craven I pray. Let me take off my hat to the warriors who strode To victory splendid and high, Veg, teach me to stand by the side of the road And cheer as the winners go by!" + Money spent upon healthful recreation for the youth of both sexes is a wise investment. However from our competitive interscholastic and intercollegiate games has sprung a monstrous spectre that threatens -ll a- the future of these contests. Gambling syndicates now flourish in all of the principal cities where bet quotations are posted each week on any or all of the major college and university teams, of the United States. This practice applies to both football and basket ball scores. Horse racing, the sport of kings, formerly occupied the gambling spotlight. The gamblers have now swung to amateur games for their mecca of gain and indications are that the ponies will be in the "Also ran" class and college and high school games will be "tops" with the gambling fraternity. The Pacific Coast has been most afflicted with the gambling malady upon college games. The scandal presipivetes by the gamblers last winter at Minneapolis, Minnesota over the State High School basket ball tournament showed there was possible tampering with amateur per- formers by gambling racketeers. School authorities should view with alarm this encroachment upon virgin soil by these despoilers of the game. Where great throngs gather excitement is on the upwing and a reckless abandon séems to dominate us. Mob psychology is a weird and interesting thing. In the years to come that period of athletic con- struction which followed closely upon the end of the World War will be known as the Stadium Age. Most all of the large colleges and universi- -11 b- ties plunged head over heels in debt building athletic facilities, so that they might make more money. Big business was in the ascendancy and with it a winning team became a necessity. Proselyting with its attendant ballyhoo, ad- vertising the animated abysmal brute, who defied all laws of gravitation, when carrying the pigskin for dear old Alma Mater, appeared on giant placards and posters at many of our schools. President Angell of Yale aptly describes the classification of all college and university games of the future. He divides them into traditional euees, money games and policy games. Teams will be thus classified and only those universities observing common traditions and practices will be scheduled. President Prichard of the Carnegie Foundation suggests that no admission be charged to any of our intercollegiate contests and that the high priced professional coach be dispensed with. This answer lies with the American Association of University Presidents. When this august and powerful body of intellectuals decree such an edict doubtless it will be done. But the college president being a learned man in the body politic is not ready for such ee -ll c- feeeeteeesl move at the present time. While athletics have their decided drawbacks they do provide subsidies for ite non-pay- ing student activities that could not exist otherwise. The physical education weieren