After the traditional time lag, basketball's nation-wide growth the popularity are finally being reflected at Harvard. The latest in a series of moves designed to build New England's own game into the College's third-ranking major sport came last week with Coach Bill Barclay's announcement that basketball's first spring practice would begin shortly after the season's close. These sessions will be by invitation only, to compete as little as possible with the spring talent search conducted by Harlow and the spring sports. None the less, they were hailed by Barclay as a welcome opportunity to drill up-and-coming Freshman, Jayvee, and Varsity players in fundamentals, laying the groundwork for a consistently superior brand of basketball in years to come.

The initial rush that started the basketball rolling to its present position of prominence was given by last year's Navy quintet, which gained an N.C.A.A. bid for the Crimson. Gathered together by commander Mundorff of the college Navy unit, former Bowling Green star Wyndol Gray, Lou Decsi, John Gantt, and Don Swegan, flanked by Paul Champion and Saul Marlaschin, threw, a nation-wide spotlight on Crimson basketball. Overwhelming students response and box-office success showed a bright future for Crimson basketball if the high standards set by the Navy performers could be maintained.

The expected return of Mariaschin, Page, Davis, and Clark, plus the coming of center George Hauptfuhrer, predicted a capable club for 1946-47, whole the intense interest in basketball showed by New England high schools in recent years pointed toward an increasing influx of local hoop talent into the College halls. Raw material would not be lacking, but raw material alone does not make a ball club. The search for a good coach began.

Athletic director Bill Bingham, the man behind the drive for better basketball, scoured the country, and came up with William L. Barclay, assistant coach at the University of Michigan. Soft-spoken in manner, energetic, Iron-willed Barclay took effective command of the situation. Building around a nucleus of only two superior players, Barclay squeezed every possible ounce of talent out of his small squad and came up with a quintet that has been a credit to crimson colors, handing the championship Columbia five its only loss in Ivy League play, as well as downing Yale and complling a 16 and 9 record in overall competition.

Big-time basketball is here to stay. Next year's crowded schedule puts all but one Ivy League game, plus the army and two other contests, in the Boston Garden or Arena, to the relief of harassed fans who stormed the Blockhouse for some of this year's main attractions. In addition, practice in the spring and early fall will give Barclay the time he needs to shape his potential talent into a consistent, winning quintet.