March 6, 1944.

Vr. Carl Fine, AM3/o
' BB & R Sea Guard,
Haval Air Station,
Norfolk, Virginia.
Dear Carl:

I appreciate the confidence that you boys have in mo and I will
endeavor to give you the : my ability. Your first
question is that you boys
tournament is the largest
present time that I know of is the Illinois tournament with sixteen
teams. They have no classification of Class A, 3 and C.

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Towa perhaps has the next one with eight A teams and eight B
teams. The tournament will be held in the low fieldhouse which should
assiwe an attendance of about 13,000 at a game. The Illinois tournament
is held in their large, massive gyrmasium at Urbana and I believe they

_ geat about 12,000,

In the Indiana tournament the finals of four teams are drawn
one team from each of the four sections cf Indiana and they meet at
Indianapolis in the Butler fieldhouse. The seating capacity of that
Pieldhouse is between 15,000 and 14,000.

If you expected té ask which state drew the greatest total
attendance, then If would tell you Indiana because their district, regional
and sectional tournaments all draw tremendous crowds. The Indiana high
schools have a larger seating capacity in their various fididhouses and
gymmagia than any other state in the nation.

In Mimesota the high school tournament is held at the Minneapolis
fieldhouse which seats between 12,000 and 14,000.

Now, regarding the states which have the largest high school
nenberships in the state association. Ohio has the most with 1150. I
am speaking of high schools that have basketball teams in their member-
ship. Iowa has 938; Tllinois has 920; Pemsylvania has 900; Indiana has
800; Kensas has 650; end Virginia has 225. You ask in your letter, also,
"how many high school teams this state has compared to its rival". I take
it that you ask about Virginia because you are writing from Norfolk. I
have given you the comparisons, I hope, that you desire.

You ask also, “which state is rated as the Basketball State of the
nation and which state has more basketball per capita." Kansas has more
high school basketball teams per capita than any of the states that I have
enumerated. Her population is less than ene and three-quarters million,
while all of the other states mentioned with larger memberships have many