KFKU SPORTSCAST ~ Mareh 9, 1944.

Basketball at the University of Kansas made its final bow tonight when the
Co-Operative Club was host to the Kansas varsity basketball team at the Colonial
Tea Room, It has been years since Kensas finished as low in the percentage
column as they did this year in the Big Six race, but there were many other
factors that are considered outstanding ~ the most unusual of which, I think,
is the fact that the entire sixteen men on the Sansas varsity did not use
tobacco in or out of season, This is a testimonial to the worthwhileness of
athletic training in the schools, Doubtless none of these boys thought of
smoking as a morale problem. They considered it from the beginning an efficiency
matter, These boys all wanted to be champions, and in their idealistic stage
ha realized that they could not dissipate their energies by the use of tobacco
and other harmful ingredients that might interfere with their success.

Although they did not win a championship, I am very proud of these boys in
many, many ways, Most of them are outstanding students, and after this war is
over if the boys are returned to college, I predict a very unusual future for
many of them. So, after all, athletics in war time are only to fill a need in
the lives of these young boys which I am very sure this competition succeeded
in doing.

The team members had many thrills, They defeated some of their ancient rivals
and lost by ‘close scores to others, but the great joy is playing out the game.
The great value of education through play was satisfied by their having a chance
to win, Grantland Rice, in his poem, "As To Gameness", describes it better,
perhaps, than anyone else when he said - quote

There's only one reason for games strewn about,
Not winning or losigh but playing them out;
Wot merely to pick - the cheers that are due,
Forgotten tomorrow when others break through;

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