Page 4 University Daily Kansan Tuesday, March 18.195
By JOHN HERRINGTON
Kansan Sports Writer
Every so often, some guy (or gal as the case may be) becomes so highly incensed over the alleged "basketball recruiting" in the Big Seven that he squanders three cents on a stamp, slaps some obscene words on a piece of white paper and mails same—minus his name, of course—to some poor unsuspecting sports editor.
We were confronted by such an outburst today from Wellington. The lad (or lass, possibly) who penned the literary gem called Dr. Forrest C. Allen's attention to the writer's two lines of type and two enclosed clippings that were supposed to bolster his case.
The letter itself said nothing. In support of his case, the writer's collected clippings said little more.
In Pete Lightner's "The Morning After" in the Wichita Eagle, (exhibit "A" for the prosecution) there was a line stating that this was the year KU coaches were told to "stay away" from the state high school basketball tourney in Manhattan.
He goes on to say, "That, then,
leaves Kansas State, the host,
with the field clear. There is nothing in
the new code which says the host
college must order its coaches to
get out of town."
Brother Lightner goes on in a very sensible way and then comes to one of the high points in his column: "However, alumni are allowed to talk to the youths and among thousands of alumni there will be, naturally enough, here and there one or two interested in basketball, Hank Iba had a legitimate point there. The very ones permitted to talk to athletes are the acknowledged villains of college sports, the too enthusiastic grads, real or synthetic, with a big check book and a willingness to talk big business money in a school game supposed to be only a form of exercise."
It seems to us that the peman of the anonymous note should have read the whole thing before jumping off the deep end.
In another article—also presumably supposed to enforce his case—by Bock Hurt and Forrest Miller of the Topeka Daily Capital, it's written that a K-State Wildcat player is assigned to each prep team at the tourney to take care of all the details. About the only other thing in the article which could be taken by some as "bordering on recruiting" is a statement concerning a prep star's Charleyhorse and K-State Trainer Porky Morgan.
Morgan worked on the pulled leg muscle of the high school athlete in an effort to loosen it. It's as simple as that.
But the really puzzling thing about the unsigned note—a defensive measure of many who have a lot of courage until it comes to attaching their signature to a world-shaking piece of literature—is his "att: F. C. Allen" line at the end of the letter.
Nowhere in his "case-stabilizing" clippings were we able to find any reference to Doctor Allen or his staff except for Lightner's unconsequential remarks.
So in all fairness to the Big Seven coaches, we're going to dump Mr. Anon Y. Mous' letter and collection of entertaining—but hardly case-supporting—clipsings into the nearest wastebasket and chalk the whole thing up to experience.
Monday's Baseball
new York (N) 10, Chicago (N) 0
St. Louis (A) 8, Cleveland (A) 7
St. Louis (A) 6, Philadelphia (N) 5
New York (A) 8, Washington (A) 5
Brooklyn (N) 13, Philadelphia (A) 5
Cincinnati (N) 6 Philadelphia (A) 5
Boston (N) 2, Boston (A) 1
Seattle (PCL) 6, Chicago (A) 3
Chicago (A) 11, Los Angeles (PCL)
6.
About 80 per cent of the population of the Virgin islands'is of Negro descent.
Game To Be Third Try For NCAA Cage Title
Kansas will initiate the Big Seven's tenth bid for the NCAA basketball championship Friday night when it tackles hustling TCU in the first round of the Kansas City tournament.
It will be the Jayhawkers third try under Coach F. C. "Phog" Allen, who tucked away his 29th title in 42 years of hardwood tutoring in the conference finale in Boulder March 10. KU waived a fourth tour in the journey in 1943 when it lost eight squadmen to the service after sweeping undefeated through the old Big Six.
The Jayhawks reached the king row in the second year of the 13-year old meet, bowing to Indiana, an invited entry, 60-42 in the finals at Kansas City's Municipal auditorium. The other ties, Oklahoma, in '47, and Kansas State last year, also missed the crown by a single game.
This represents the high-water mark of conference endeavor. However, under the old tourney alignment, the fifth district, which includes the Big Seven and Missouri Valley, has produced more champions and runners-up than any other section of the country. Oklahoma A&M won the title in 1944 and 1945. The Big Seven had fifth finals, Bradley which nipped KU in a 1950 fifth district playoff, lost to CCNY in the finals. This record, plus three runners-up from the Big Seven, has given this district a total of seven titlists and runners-up in the meet's 13-year-old history.
The new four-regional arrangement will now move the two fifth district winners into Kansas City against representatives from the Southwest and Border conferences, St. Louis' Missouri Valley kings open Friday's carnival against New Mexico of the Border. By reloading Saturday's third hawks and Billikens can re- enact the traditionally rugged battle which used to mark the meeting of fifth district aspirants.
Although KU has met both St Louis and A&M previously in basketball, Friday's collision with TCU will be the first court meeting between the two schools. It also significantly will mark the continuation of a banner year for both schools. The Horned Frogs also bagged the league football crown and went on to the Cotton bowl against Kentucky. Kansas mounted an 8-2 grid record and lost only two games in a 24-contest basketball season.
Kansas already own victories over three Southwest foes this year having felled Baylor, SMU, twice, and Rice during its early 13-game victory streak. However the Christians thumped these clubs a total of seven against the winter and were slightly more impressive than KU in so doing.
They own an average spread of 9.4 over SMU against a 12-point mean for Kansas. Both rivals met the Mustangs twice. KU whipped Rice, 68-48, here, but TCU was only 7-tenths of a point behind this spread in playing the Owls two
home-and-home conference engagements and once on a neutral floor in the Southwest tournament. The Purple defeated Baylor an average of 13 points in two games. Kansas whipped the Bears, 57-46, here in its opener.
Like Kansas, the Christians will present two all-league seleucetes in George McLeod 6-7, 218-pound center, and Johnny Ethridge, lightning 5-8$ \downarrow $ guard. Clyde Lovellette and Bob "Trigger" Kenney have earned similar accolades for the Jayhawkers. TCU also will present four senior regulars as will Kansas.
Ann Arbor, Mich. —(U.P.)— Matt Mann, who will coach the 1952 U.S. Olympic swimming team, rates Japan as "the team to beat" with Russia "a leading darkhorse."
Mann Rates Japs 'Team To Beat'
"I know we'll make a good showing in the Olympics," the 67-year-old University of Michigan tank coach said. "But I wonder if it will be good enough. If we do win it, it won't be a runaway like in 1948."
Mann has had a life-time of thrills during his 27 years at Michigan but nothing to compare with being named coach of the U. S. Olympic team, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a coach.
The U. S. team will be weakest in the breast stroke, according to Mann. Joe Verdeur, Keith Carter and Bob Sohl gave the United States a clean sweep in this event in 1948, but none will be back this year.
Bowen Sassaforth of Iowa, Bob Brawner of Princeton and Jerry Holan of Ohio State are Mann's choices to make the team in the breast stroke. He's also pulling for Elliott of his own Michigan team.
"I think we'll be strongest in the free style and diving," Mann said.
He names nine free stylers who will be in the thick of the fight for Olympic berths—Ron Gora, Don Hill, Burwell Jones and Jim McKevitt, all of Michigan; Jimmy McGane and Jayne McGee; Yayed Kaboon Mac and Dick Cleveland, both of Ohio State, and Bert McLaughlin of Michigan State.
Moore walked off with high-point honors in last year's National AAU outdoor championships. He won the 200 and 400, was second in the 800 and swam a leg on the free style team from Yale.
Konno, the teen-aged Hawaiian flash, won the 800 and 1,500 and chased Moore home in the 400 at the outdoor meet.
TABLE TENNIS WINNER — Chloe Warner, education senior, is the 1952 women's intramural table tennis champion. She won all of her matches during intramural play, defended Anne Crosier
for the title.
Newton's Win Is Made Final
Topeka—(U.P.) E. A. Thomas, Director of the Kansas High School Activities association, said today the final game in the high school AA basketball tournament between Shawnee Mission and Newton was "settled and we have no authority to do anything about it."
Thomas said a final decision on the winner was reached "within seconds" after the final gun. He said the officials consulted the timekeeper and then definitely announced the decision.
"But it was several minutes before the public address system carried the final decision," he added.
The Activities association director said that he urged the Shawnee Mission principal to bring his team back to the gym floor for ceremonies after the game.
"Iused my influence for this because I thought it better for all concerned." Thomas said. "I have heard the story that I threatened to kick the team out of the association if it didn't come back to the gym floor. But that isn't true," he added.
AAU Cage Meet Begins In Denver
Denver — (U.P.) Second-round pairings in the week-long National AAU basketball tournament were being completed here today with a 16-hour slate of 10 games on tap.
However, very few of the games promised to be much more than breathers for teams from the National Industrial Basketball league and several strong independent quintes.
By the end of the all-day dribble derby, most of the makeshift teams and unknowns will have been eliminated from the tourney and the seeded quintets can get down to the serious business of deciding the championship and the four entries to the Olympic playoffs.
In six first-round clashes yesterday, four NIBL teams warmed up for more important games by smothering their ready, willing, but not too able cannon-fodder opponents.
Top clashes on today's card include the defending champion Stewart Chevrolet squad of San Francisco against the New Mexico Sellers, and the Caterpillar Diesels Deserts against the San Diego Marina. The Chevrolet and Caterpillar pillars are the top-seeded quints in the upper bracket, and one of the two is expected to reach Saturday's finals.
Other seeded teams in action today will be the Los Alamitos, Calif, Naval Air Station; the REA Travelers of Artesia, N. M.; Kirby Shoes of Los Angeles; and the 33rd air division of Tinker Field, Okla. All face easy opponents.
The tourney favorites, Phillips Oilers and Oakland Atlas-Pacific engineers, ran up terrific scores in their debuts, while two other NIBL squads, Allen Bradley and Fibber McGee and Mollys, won by better than 25-point margins.
Freshmen Named To Relays Committee
Jerry Armstrong, student chairman of the KU relays committee, has announced a list of freshman members for the committee.
Members for the committee are Jerry Dawsen, Harlan Parkinson, Eric R. Parker, Jay Warner, Darrel Fanestil and Fred Dunnire all in the college.
Another 'Sanctum Of Men' Involved As Woman Becomes Billiards Expert
San Francisco—(U.P.)—Stand back, fellers, a lady has invaded another sanctum of the men.
Her name is Matsuka Katsura, late of Japan, now married to U.S. Air Force Sgt. Vernon Greenleaf. Her forte is billiards—the tough, three-cushion kind.
Currently she is playing in the world three-cushion championships here—which is an honor nearly every billiard player seeks. She is the first woman ever to gain the distinction. Only 10 of the best billiard stars in the world are invited to play in this exclusive event.
Spring Football Practice Shows Prospects Should Be Outstanding For Punting Talent
For the first time in five seasons, Kansas may not have a lineman carrying its punting load next autumn. George Mrkonic, the rangy tackle who performed that chore so ably through 1951, is being challenged in early spring drills by Gill Reich, Army transfer, and Dick Sandifer, swift Stafford product up from the freshman team.
Mkrionic succeeded to the booting job last year to prolong a chain that was started by Dolph Simons, Lawrence guard, in 1948, following Frank Pattee's broken jaw. Simons and Bill Mace carried on through the 1949 and '50 seasons.
Mrkonie ranked eighth among league booters last year with a 35.3 average. He was particularly outstanding against Nebraska with kicks of 28, 41 years and 48 yards into a 35-mile-an-hour north wind. He dropped the first two dead on the Husker 10 and 22, respectively, and punched the third out of bounds on the 22. With the wind at his
back he twice was beyond 60 yards, and cuffed only one effort all day, a 12-yarder, in the first quarter at the howling gale.
This means he carries considerable stature in the current spring picture. But Reich, a tightly-wound 187-pounder, already has thrown a stiff challenge. Sandifer carried most of the load for the Jayhawk 'B' team last autumn. Neither has kicked under scrimmage pressure yet this spring, but both have shown enough in drills to move into the front row.
Simons finished seventh nationally as the club's regular punter in 1950 with a 41.2 average on 32 kicks. He trailed only Colorado's Zack Jordan, in conference play. And the latter established a new NCAA major
Other possibilities are Bob Forsyth, sophomore-to-be from Medicine Lodge, John Simons, Lawrence junior-to-be, and Co-Captain-elect Andrew Hammond, head of Mrkonic's challengers, except Hoag, is a quarterback.
college record of 48.1 that season.
This is mild warfare however, in the overall picture. Individual battling for next season's jobs is raging at virtually every post along a 90-man front. Coach J. V. Sikes, who guided the Jayhawkers to a sparkling 8-2 record last Fall, has promised scrimmage in every one of the allotted 20 sessions. He pulled no punches in the first two with four teams banging through 75 minutes of contact.
Roy Dupree, freshman fullback,
from Cimarron, is scheduled to sit
out the entire spring because of a
bruised kidney. Willard Schuldt,
giant Elgin, Ill. end, will report
late following a minor operation.
Both '52 co-captains have been missing from the early going. Hoag is still with the NCAA-bound Jayhawk basketball club. Oliver Spencer, Ulysses tackle, is on the shell with a knee injury. He is expected to report within the next two weeks, however.
"Miss Katsy," as the pool naut fans are calling her, is a true artist at the game in every sense of the word and, according to former world champion Welker Cochran, the young lady may some day become a champion herself.
"She has a phenomenal stroke that is very effective," says Cochran. "She has a great billiard mind and all she needs is more experience."
Cochran thinks so much of Miss Katsy, who is the second youngest player in the tournament at the age of 38, that he is coming out of retirement to take her on tour.
This spring he hopes to visit Kansas City and Minneapolis and maybe Chicago, Detroit, Seattle and Portland.
"But the summer season will be coming on, so maybe we'll wait until next winter before starting a full-scale tour," says Welker. "I can't say enough for this girl. She has the makings of a champion.
"You must remember that three-suchion billiards weren't introduced to Japan until 1937 by Kinrey Matsuyama. He has two star men punts and the three expert plays play before. Now, for the first time, she is seeing champions of all nations and is learning with every game."
Already she has defeated Herb Hardt of Chicago, who was runner-up for the eastern Championships at Buffalo, N.Y., this year; and Joe Procita, Los Angeles, a veteran star who has been top-ranked in American circles for years.
Against the old master, Willie Hoppe, the other night, she didn't do as well—probably awed by one of the all-time great names in the world of sports.
Miss Katsura stands only 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs about 90 pounds.