WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 1951
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
PAGE FIVE
Along the JAYHAWKER trail
By JAMES VAN VALKENBURG
(Editor's Note: James Van Valkenburg, journalism senior, is today's guest columnist. Valkenburg is one of the state's top prep experts and has consented to review the state Class AA basketball tournament picture for the Kansan's readers).
The 16 Class AA Kansas high school teams which have battled their way to the state tournament will open fire today at Emporia in the annual AA tourney with Wichita East and Newton, co-champions of the Ark Valley league, strong favorites to meet in the finals.
A number of other good teams, such as Ottawa, Parsons, Winfield, Emporia, EIDorado, and Salina, are capable of upsetting one of the two top favorites, and all will be hoping to turn the trick. But on the basis of the regular season the Ark Valley powers rate the first two spots.
Coached by Ralph Miller, former KU. great, Wichita East has won 22 out of 25 games and their last 18 in a row. The state's highest-scoring Class AA team of all time with a 66-point average in regular season play, the Blue Acres will be a slight favorite if and when they meet Newton in the finals.
Newton is the second - smallest school (enrollment 498) in the eight-team A.V.L., but Coach John Ravenscoff's boys are the team to beat almost every year. More often than not, the answer to the question, "Who will win the state tourney?" is, "Whoever can beat Newton."
The Railroaders have won more Ark Valley titles (25) than any other school, more state championships (10), and have even finished second more times than any other school. They have finished among the first four in the tourney 20 times in the past 25 years.
By contrast, Wichita East has been among the leaders only in the past three years, despite that their enrollment (2,885) is the largest in the state and several times that of Newton. East was a power every year in football, but not in basket-ball until Miller took over and installed his type of fast-breaking offense.
Taking over with four games left in the 1948 season, Miller has won 63 games, lost 17 at East. His teams were second in the state in 1949, third last year, and second both times in league play. This season's club is without doubt the best from Wichita since the great 1925 Wichita High team finished second in the league, then won the state and national tournaments. The 1950 title was the first league title since 1924. The school was divided into East and North in 1929.
After losing two of their first three games, the Aces began to roll and have lost only one of their last 22 games, that to Newton 65-63. East led in that game 51-38 going into the fourth quarter on the Newton court, but lost in the final 20 seconds after an amazing Newton comeback. In the second game, Newton led 33-28 in the early seconds of the third quarter, when East caught fire to score 12 straight points in 75 seconds. That terrific spirt lifted them ahead 40-33 and they won 52-45, stalling most of the final 10 minutes.
The prospect of another East-Newton game will draw a lot of spectators in itself, but an even bigger drawing card, especially for college coaches in this part of the country, will be several excellent individual players, topped by Cleo Littleton. East's center.
Littleton, a 6-foot 3-inch boy who has a reach comparable to a 6-foot 5-incher, is the most sought-after, especially since freshmen will be eligible next season. This long-armed wonder broke all league scoring records with a 24.6 average and had a 23.0 full-season mark. He made 217 shots from the field and missed 202, for a phenomenal 51.8 percentage, and bagged 65 per cent on his free throws.
Miller in his high school days at Chanute (1935-37) had a three-year average of 20 points a game and 26 in his best year. He is one of the few $ _{f_{w}} $ perhaps the only big-school
player in Kansas history to equal Littleton's mark. Miller's best onegame total, 42 points, equals that made by Littleton, who made 42 in 28 minutes as East sandbagged Ark City 105 to 35. It should be remembered that high school contests are 25 per cent shorter than college games.
The University is well represented at present in the state's high school coaching ranks. Dick Miller, Ralph's brother, will guide his Pittsburg team against Newton today. In four years at Pittsburg, Dick has won 52, lost 36, winning the league title in 1948 with an 18-4 record and finishing second last year with 17-7. He coached John Gibson, now at Kansas State, and this year Pitt center Eldon Nicholson was among the state's top three scorers.
Two K.U. grads came through with good clubs this year in the Northeast Kansas league. Grant Clothier took over a Leavenworth team which had only two of 18 games, and finished with a 9-10 record, despite three one-point defeats and a two-poner. Bob Johnson's Shawnee-Mission Indians tied for the N.E.K.L. championship, won 13 of 19 games in his first year, and missed the state tourney when Argentine pulled a big upset in the Regions.
Official Bulletin
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 14
Student Union Travel bureau now has lists for "rides" and "riders" for Spring vacation. Sign between 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
A. S.T.E., 8 ontight, 300 Fowler Shops. Mr. C. H. Weiser. Plant Personnel supervisor, Southwestern Bell Telephone company, "Management Principles as a Means to Safety." Public invited.
Arnold Air society, 7:30 tonight Military Science building. Movies.
HAJA's, 7:30 tonight, 105 Military Science building. Important all members attend. Entertainment following.
F. A.C.T.S. 7-15 tonight, 206 Fraser. All interested students attend. Social Work club, 4 p.m. today. 210 Fraser. Religious Emphasis week speaker.
Campus Affairs committee, 7:30 tonight, 222 Strong. Final plans on course evaluation. Lane Harold, chairman.
Women's Rifle club, 7-9 tonight,
Military Science building.
Le Cercle Francais se reunira mercredi a sept heures et demie, 113 Strong. Quelques scenes du Bourgeois Gentilhomme de Moliere seront representées.
Square Dance gym. 7:30-9 to night, 101 Robinson gym.
Y. W.C.A. all-membership meeting, 4 p.m. today, Kansas room Union. Miss Elizabeth Jones, speaker. Introduction new slate of officers.
Jay Janes, 5 p.m. today, Pine room,
Union.
(Continued To Page Seven)
Clyde Lovellette On Look's 2nd All-Star Team
After being selected on the Associated Press, United Press, Colliers, and Sporting News All-America basketball first teams, Clyde Lovellette hit a snag (or the selectors did) and rated no better than a second team berth on the 1951 Look magazine All-America selections announced Tuesday.
The Jayhawkers' big center was edged off the first team by Oklahoma A. and M.'s Gale McArthur, who scored only one goal for a two-point total in the Aggies' 27 to 37 loss to "Phog" Allen's club Saturday night at Stillwater.
Based on a poll of sports writers and radio announcers, Look magazine's selections are as follows:
First Team
Bill Mikvy, Temple
Sam Ranzino, N.C. State
Bill Spivey, Kentucky
Mel Hutchins, Brigham Young
Gale McArthur, Okla. A. and M.
Second Team
Clyde Lovellette, Kansas Meyer Skoog, Minnesota
Meyer Skoog, Minnesota Bill Garrett, Indiana Ernie Barrett, K-State John Azary, Columbia
Look's fifth district N.C.A.A. all-star team is dominated by the Oklahoma Aggies who placed forward Don Johnson and McArthur on the Missouri Valley area club. Bradley's 5-foot-8*2-inch pivotman, Gene Malchiorre, rates a spot along with Barrett and Lovellette.
The only other All-America selection failing to place K.U.'s scoring wizard on the first team was The Weekly Collegiate Basketball Record, published by Athletic Publications, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.
First team selections were Ranzino and Bob Zawoluk of St. John's university, forwards; Spivey at center, and Duke's Dick Groat and McArthur at the guard spots.
On the second team besides Lovellette were Garrett and Hutchins, forwards, and Skoog and Barrett in the backline positions.
Spivey, Kentucky's 7-foot pivotman, has been selected on every All-American selection to date to rank as the "Collegiate Player of the Year."
Read the Daily Kansan Daily.
Big Seven, Big Ten Basketball Champs Slated To Clash Tonight At Manhattan
Manhattan—Two of the nation's most prolific scoring crews, Big Ten Champion Illinois, and Kansas State, Big Seven titleist, will clash here tonight in an unprecedented meeting between winners of the two conferences.
A capacity crowd of more than 13,000 is expected to jam Kansas State's new fieldhouse for the 8 p.m. tipoff between the two schools. The contest has been booked to give both teams a tuneup game before they enter N.C.A.A. playoff competition next week.
The post season game is a natural any way you look at it. Not only are the two teams winners of their conferences, but they also are rated high nationally. K-State was third in the final United Press poll while Illinois was fourth. The two teams were fourth and fifth respectively in the last Associated Press listing.
Tonight's game promises to be an offensive show all the way. Both crews have set new scoring records this year. The Wildcats' 835 points in Big Seven play gave them a new team offense mark of 69.9 per game. Illinois hopsted hit 989 tallies during their Big Ten campaign to post a new 706 standard. Coach Harry Combes sent his Illini through a rugged 22-game schedule this season which had them winning all but three starts.
Patronize Kansan Advertisers!
We keep your clothes in "new" condition with our efficient laundering and Dry Cleaning.
Lawrence Laundry and Dry Cleaners
Prompt Pick-up and Delivery
Value Plus
LIFE
MAGAZINE Per Year
$4.00
A NEW LOW RATE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS AND FACULTY, A 20 CENT MAGAZINE DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME FOR ABOUT 8 CTS. PER WEEK
TIME
MAGAZINE
Four Months
$1.00
ABOUT 6 CENTS PER COPY DELIVERED, AS AGAINST 20 CENTS SINGLE COPY PRICE
your rebate is an additional saving
Student Union Book Store