House Basketball: Spontaneous Combustion

Back in the spring of 1931 the Harvard Student Council became interested in the amount of exercise the undergraduate body was receiving. It issued a report laying the foundations of an inter-House athletic organization, specifying that athletics between the Houses be allowed to develop "in as spontaneous a manner as possible."

Shortly afterwards, basketball teams evolved in Lowell and Dunster; the first inter-House contest went on the courts: and the Bellboys took a slow 27-14 game. It didn't take long for the "spontaneity" to spread, and soon an eight-team House league took the place of the old inter-Class setup. They weren't giants in those days and the scores were usually low.

It's Kirkland again this year. The tall, fast Deacon quintet meets Yale's Berkeley College champions at the Blockhouse Saturday at 3 p.m. The combination of big men who can move particularly forwards Fred Wagner, high-scorer John Pankey, and 6 foot, 6 inch center John Lombard--have carried Kirkland to 12 wins in 13 contests. The guards are George Barkley and playmaker Chan Cushman.

Pankey won the first Lowell game in the final seconds with a 20-foot basket, and Lombard's performances have gained him a reputation as one of the best defensive players in the league. The Deacons use an offensive double-pivot and pull back into a tight 2-3 zone defense.

Dudley's second-place quintet is loaded with good guards. Andy Redman, Bob Hoffman, Herb Waite, and Bill Maytum stand out in the effective close man-to-man defensive tactics and are all good ball-handlers, and towering Carl Marshall protects the keyhole for the Commuters. Herb Lewis is somewhat smaller, but is a fast floor man and center Brad Ryan is usually the smoothest player on the court. Dudley also uses a double-pivot, and is the only team that has knocked off the Deacons.

Hook-shot artist Dave Warden and Chuck Brynteson, a set-shot specialist, are high-scorers for the Dunster five. Six foot, four inch sophomore Pete Walker and Hugh Raphael, who started for the freshman team last year, are strong on defense. Forward Don Drummond is the playmaker for the squad.

Former Champions Slipping

Lowell just doesn't have it this year. The whole first team of last year's title squad is gone. The present group pushes its offensive game, often letting the defense slip, and suffers from a lack of height. Red Barry and Archie Southgate are over-eager and inclined to outside shooting. The offense hinges on playmaker Al Turvitz, pivot-man Paul Korpeter, and Chris May, who sparkles under the basket.

Leverett boasts another one of the big men of the league in 6 foot, 5 inch Dave Belcher, who shines on tap-ins and hand-offs and plays a respectable defense. Up with Belcher, key man in the center pick-off offensive, are aggressive forward Joe Shaw and high-scorer Dave Reynolds, who tossed in the winning basket in a recent overtime game against Eliot. Julie Garelich is one of the better guards in the league, but counterpart Jim Ross is on the hot-and-cold side.

Eliot is looking toward the future, starting sophomores Charlie Cabot, Dick Gotshalk, Ralph Robinson, and Major Close. Gotshalk is high-scorer and the most consistently good player, while Robinson has been boosting his scoring in recent games. Fifth man is Charlie Hugo, a good ball-handler who has played for the Elephants for three years.

Adams has been up and down all season. The low-scoring Gold Coaster offense revolves around the screening of guards and playmakers Walt Lubkeman and Rog Davis. Fred Crafts is pivot-man and Dean Phypers is the key player in the pass-and-cut offense. Forward Dick Lawrence has an effective left-hand shot and is usually up under the rebounds. The Gold Coasters switched away from the man-to-man defense early in the season after Kirkland held them to 13 points using the zone.

Winthrop, with erratic play and spotty foul shooting, currently brings up the rear. Jim Gervey and Bob Parker are steady competitors, but John Walsh, Willie Letson, and Dick Hyde seldom sparkle.