UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Lawrence, Kansas

February 26, 1940.

Dear Colleague;

The advocates of the 12=feot basket for college players make the
claim that by using this higher basket the are of disbursement on rebound
carries the ball further out on the court and elears up the congested
area around the basket. All of these suggestions and changes are to off-
set the unusual height of the exceptionally tall player who, being en-
titled to his position on the floor, cannot be interfered with, and during
this non-interference his exceptional height permits him to tap or dunk
the ball in the basket with the shorter player being unable to do anything
about ite

It is for this reason that this higher basket proposal was made.
The higher basket strikes at both the offensive and defensive altitudin-
ous player, while the 8-foot radius circle strikes only at the offensive
giante

This circle may be painted on any floor within ten minutese By
using a mixture of white show card color and LePage's gluc, this composition
which quickly dries becomes impervious to wear and yet can be washed off
the floor readily with warm water,

Three years ago the onthusiastic advocates of the proposal to
eliminate the center jump from baskotball made the claim that if the center
jump were eliminated this rule would drive the exceptionally tall man from
basketball. Thoy claimod that the importance of tho center jump was suffi-
cient cause alone for the presence of the altitudinous player.

The center jump was eliminated for the 1937-38 season and has been
in effect sinco. The six-footefour and six-foot-five player was the aver-
age height of the tall playor at that timc. Instead of driving this tall
player out of the game, the domand for tall players is evon greater than
it was before. At lonst, there aro a groater number of tall players in
the game today than evor before. The six=foot-soven, the six-foot-eight
and the six-footenino playor is not a raritye

Not alone does the Big Six Confcrence and the Missouri Valley havo
exceptionally tall players, but practically cvory winning team in the
country at the presont time posscssos an extremely tall player among its
first flight personnel. The University of Oregon, under the guidance of
Howard "Hobby" Hobson, won the National Collegiate championship last yoar
with three players under the rebound at six-foot-four, six-foot-five, and
six-footesixe. This year the same team has two players six-footesoven, and
another who plays under both baskots is six~footefour. So the hunt for
the tall player is inercasing rapidlye

A team is not defoated in the center of the court at the jump,
but it is defeated at the backboards of the defensive and offensive baskot.

Will you not try out ina clinic practice game this rule? If
coaches and rule members do not want to raise the basket, something should
be done to alleviato the almost impossible opportunity that a shorter man
has against tho exceptionally tall man immodiately under the baskete

Respectfully submitted,

     
 
 

Chien a.

ON RRO Oe a

nme

FCA :AH _ Chairman, Research Committee/ N.C.AAe