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University Daily Kansan Tuesday, March 19, 1957
By GEORGE ANTHAN (Assistant Sports Editor of The Daily Kansan)
A lot of Kansas basketball fans watched what might have been KU's most important ball game on television Friday night. Those fans can thank an organization called the Jav Watchers for having a part in bringing that telecast to this area.
The group, which was organized by a few Lawrence business men and turned over to a committee of students about a month ago, was handicapped from the beginning, mainly because of a lack of time.
The Jay Watcher policy was to act as a time-buying agency on some television station in an attempt to televise one or two KU away-from-home games.
The original plan was to televise the K-State game but the cost was estimated at $15,000 which made the plan unfeasible.
About two weeks ago the group was supplied with definite information concerning the televising of the first game of the Dallas regional.
Decided To Go Ahead
Decided To Go Ahead
At this time, according to Bob Reck, co-chairman, the group had about $1050 and decided to commit itself even though it did not have adequate funds.
Last Wednesday a group of Phil Delt pledges collected about $104 in Lawrence, according to Reck, and donations from fans through the mail brought the total in the Jay Watchers treasury to $1550—still short.
The SMU-KU game, however, turned out to be a thriller and people were pleased and impressed with the Jay Watchers who had made possible the televising.
Donations poured in and so far, said Reck, we collected a total of about $2500 or $2600 and have about $500 in the treasury now."
May Carry NCAA Finals
What the situation will be Friday and Saturday during the finals at Kansas City, Reck does not know.
"A network might televise the game on a nation-wide basis," he said, "but we will not know that until Wednesday. If the network decides not to carry the game then the Jay Watchers have an obligation to the fans to step in and see what they can do."
This group is now faced with more far-reaching problems than whether or not the finals will be televised. The organization was designed as a permanent one and now Reck and Bryce Cooke, co-chairman, must decide whether or not the Jay Watchers will be left entirely in the hands of a student group, whether they will turn the organization over to an alumni committee, or whether administration will be both student and alumni.
Reck explained the Jay Watchers, in the future, would act as a sort of pusher agency, trying to sell sponsors on the idea of backing financially a telecast of Kansas basketball games which have received NCAA clearance.
"If." Reck said, "the efforts of the Jay Watchers to obtain sufficient backing are not enough, then the group could step in and buy time on the air, thus supplementing a sponsor."
Jay Watchers Have Responsibility
WATCHERS. These are the fans the Jay Watchers must keep in mind when they decide how the organization is to be run in the future. Like Reck said, the Jay Watchers have an obligation to the fans.
The organization's success was largely due to the efforts of A.C. (Dutch) Lonborg, KU athletic director, who spent many an hour ironing on difficulties which arose. Also, many interested alumni came to the rescue and lent a helping hand.
All in all, what started out in a somewhat haphazard manner evolved into a group which accomplished what it set out to do although its development was accompanied by its share of growing pains.
Dons Between Kansas And NCAA Title Game
Fans who are looking forward to a showdown between the nations two top teams—North Carolina's Tar Heels and the Kansas Jayhawkers—must remember that both of these teams face rough opponents before they will gain the right to do battle.
The Jayhawkers, ranked second behind the Tar Heels in the final national poll, will face the San Francisco Dons in the second semifinal game in Kansas City Friday night.
The winner of that game will meet the winner of the of the North Carolina-Michigan State tussle which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Dons Could Make History
The Dons gained the right to meet the Jayhawkers by downing California, 50-46, in the Corvallis, Ore., Regional. They have won the national tournament the last two years in a row and with two victories in Kansas City could become the first team ever to take three straight
In San Francisco, the Jayhawkers will be facing a team that has two regulars from last season's squad and one front-line reserve. The only two missing are all-American's Bill Russell and K. C. Jones.
Undoubtedly, the Dons are not the seemingly unbeatable team they were with Russell and Jones, but they still are very strong. Playing what some experts consider an easy schedule, San Francisco compiled a 21-6 record this year. After a slow start they have been victorious in their last 12 games.
Gene Brown, 6-3 guard who sat out the first part of the season with a broken hand, is the key man in the Don attack. He has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, favoring a jump shot.
Mike Farmer, 6-7 junior, broke into the Dons championship line-up as a sophomore last year. He finished as the team's No.2 rebounder. This year he has shifted from forward to the center position, replacing the graduated Russell. He has the ability to hook with either hand and also possesses a one-handed push shot from 20-30 feet out.
Mike Preaseau, 6-5, is one of the starting forwards for the Dons, giving them good over-all size in their starting line-up.
Other mainstays of the San Francisco club include Dave Lillevand, 5-11, who has cracked the starting line-up as a sophomore. Combined with Brown, Lillevand gives the team good speed.
This starting five also is very sound on defense. They can be expected to revert to the slow style of play that was used by Iowa State and Oklahoma A&M in handing KU its only two defeats of the season. There is nothing this San Francisco team would rather do than beat KU without Russell.
Ed Robinson, 6-7, the other forward, gives good over-all height which certainly will be needed if the Dons hope to stop the Jayhawker's Wilt Chamberlain.
The Stilt, King On Dallas Squad
Wilt Chamberlain and Maurice King were among six players hogging the voting for the all-tournament team honors in the NCAA West regionals in Dallas.
Chamberlain, the 7-foot giant whose very presence makes Kansas an awesome opponent, was the only unanimous choice of the 32 sports writers and sportscasters participating in the poll, but two other steller performers pushed him for that honor.
Southern Methodist's Jim Krebs and Oklahoma City's Hubert Reed, the two centers Chamberlain faced in pacing Kansas through the two rounds at Dallas, each lacked only one ballot of being solid choices. And, Krebs, with two votes, kept Chamberlain from also being a unanimous choice as the outstanding player in the tournament.
The other major vote getters were St. Louis' Harold Alcorn, Kansas' Maurice King and SMU's Bobby Mills, all sterling play-making guards and potent point-getters in their own right. Alcorn polled 20 votes and King 14 to nose Mills out of an honor team berth by one vote.
Others receiving attention include Oklahoma City's Lyndon Lee with 9 votes, Kansas' Gene Elstun with 4, Oklahoma City's Roger Holloway and St. Louis' Jake Mimizat with 2 each; SMU's Bob McGregor and Oklahoma City's Cecil Magana with 1 each.
A Million Offered For Herb Score
SARASOTA, Fla.—(UP)—General manager Jobe Cronin of the Boston Red Sox confirmed today that he made a "serious cash offer" of $1,000,000 for Cleveland strikeout king Herb Score and bristled at a suggestion that the fabulous offer was a publicity stunt.
"I was and am definitely serious—certainly the offer was made in good faith," Cronin told skeptical reporters after general manager Hank Greenberg of the Indians revealed he had rejected the deal.
"I offered him $1,000,000 for Score and told him to take the offer to the Indians' board of directors.
Dr. James Naismith created basketball while he was the physical director at the YMCA College in Springfield, Mass., late in 1892.
—(Dally Kansan photo)
PLAY BALL—The change from basketball season to baseball season is typified by this scene at varsity practice. Coach Floyd Temple's team has been working out regularly in preparation for the season opener April 1 at Houston.
Football Squad Views Films Of Saturday's Scrimmage
Movies taken of Saturday's football scrimmage were viewed by the players and coaches over the weekend.
Weaknesses of each individual player were looked over and means of improving on the weaknesses will be stressed in practice Tuesday.
Tackle Tom Russell, Groves City, Ohio junior, will miss at least one more week of practice due to an attack of the flu.
The practice schedule for the remainder of the spring season will
West Picks Elstun For Shrine Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — (UP) — Two Big Seven basketball players, Gene Elstun of Kansas and Rex Ekwall of Nebraska, today were added to the West roster for the annual East-West Shrine basketball game here Monday.
Four more players still are to be named to the West squad. Those already named are Gary Thompson of Iowa State, Curt Jenson of Utah, Cal Grosscup of Tulane, and Larry Friend of the University of California.
follow a regular Tuesday, Wednesday. Thursday, and Saturday sequence.
Volleyball Team Last In Tourney
As expected, the host team swept all competition to take first place. Last year's runner-up, Topeka Y, again trailed the Wichita club to gain second while the Tula YMCA edged past the Jayhawkers.
The Set-Ups finished last among the four teams in the Wichita YMCA Invitational Volleyball Tournament Saturday.
In the duel for last place, Tulsa and the Set-Ups split the four games. The final game standings were Wichita 11-1, Topeka 8-4, Tulsa 3-9, and Set-Ups 2-10.
The form chart was only broken twice, both times by the Topeka team, as the teams played each other four games. The Trojans slumped to lose one 'game to Tulsa and then reached a peak when they won a deuce game from Wichita.
Outstanding performers in the tournament were all-American Maurice Martin and Washburn cage star John Darr.