WES FESLER'S CAGERS

When head basketball mentor Wes Fesler assembled his Varsity courtmen for their initial practice, he faced a squad riddled by the graduation of several of the key men who led the Crimson into a second place tie in the League last year, but strong in two positions by virtue of the return of two outstanding stars, Captain Lupe Lupien and Charley Lutz at guard and forward respectively.

Short and Green

Lettermen Fred Heckel and Bill Humes cleared up some of Wes Fesler's worries, but he had to experiment extensively to find another guard. When a starting five was finally placed together, it was woefully weak in experience, but worse than that it turned out to be one of the shortest quintets to wear the Crimson in many a year. The Sophomores' one and only seasoned contribution was Homer Peabody, hard-working and aggressive center, who quickly ousted Bill Humes from his first-string pivot post.

Rough Spots

There were plenty of rough spots left to be smoothed over, and M.I.T. jumped from one to another as they upset the Crimson 29 to 24 in Hangar Gym. Northeastern's Huskies fell before a late Harvard rally, but Brown's Bruins rolled over the Feslermen 53 to 31. The result of this game sent Fred Heckel from guard up to his old forward position in place of Dick Sullivan, and big Sam White moved into one of the back court spots. The combination of Lutz, Heckel, Peabody, Lupien and MacLeod played the best 20 minutes of basketball shown by the Feslermen this year as they trounced Boston University 50 to 37.

The Cardinals of Wesleyan fell before the Crimson in the last practice tilt before vacation, but the Fesler five's defense collapsed against a Tufts attack which was as old as the hills. The Jumbos set up scoring plays under the baskets just as the Feslermen had attempted to do earlier in the year, only to abandon this attack in favor of a faster-breaking one.

Lutz and Lupien

In these six practice tilts Charley Lutz proved that only one word is applicable to him--inimitable. He is by all odds the cleverest ball handler to wear the Crimson spangles since the start of Wes Fesler's coaching regime here. In Captain Lupien the Varsity quintet has a dependable defensive player and a sterling competitor. He gave B.U's Solly Nechtem a tough fight, never allowing him to get a shot within the free-throw area, and Lupe held his Wesleyan foe scoreless.

Doug MacLeod did not win a starting berth until the Terrier tilt, but he has proved himself to be a steady ball player. Fred Heckel is much more at home at forward than at guard, and he showed what he really could do in the Boston University game by amassing 17 points. Homer Peabody has improved steadily, and Bill Humes is ready to work in the relief role.

Reserve Strength

Sam White graduated from the ranks of the Jayvees and has seen plenty of service thus far. He is certain to see more too, for he and Tread Ruml are the first line guard replacements. Chet Legg, the diminutive but sharp-shooting forward, and Rick Rabenold are two other men who will prove their worth soon. Dick Sullivan won a starting forward berth for the first few games, but the work in practice which he missed while in Ohio competing for a Rhodes scholarship has pushed him back temporarily to the role of a substitute. Franny Simpson, another Sophomore to be retained on the Varsity squad, got his baptism against Tufts and will be heard from before long. Bill McSweeney and Lee Bird have shown flashes of form, but as yet they have been switched back and forth between the Varsity and the Jayvees.