54 - Right Down The Line

RIGHT DOWN THE LINE
With Art Cicconetti, Sports Editor
Tuesday, March 2, 1954
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio


AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BALLOT for the Associated Press All-Ohio Baskeball selections were 2 questions.  One asked..."Do you like basketball as it is played today?...and the other queried..."What changes would you suggest be made?"  To the 1st question we answered a flat "Yes."  The 2nd question was of course answered "None."

The reason for this, even though we think the the one-and-one foul rule should be repealed, is that we believe basketball should be left alone for a few years in order that players, fans and officials can become accustomed to the game without worrying about what changes are going on today.  An incident in the Strasburg Tigers-Port Washington Purple Riders game recently could have caused a lot of confusion had it occurred later in the game.  As it was, many fans left the gym still believing that referee Paul Whyte just had a lapse of memory and forgot what he had called.

IN THIS SITUATION, Junior center Jerry (Moose) Von Kaenel went in for a basket.  The goal was scored, but Von Kaenel was fouled after the ball had left his hands.  The 2 teams called time out and after the rest period, Von Kaenel attempted his free throw try and missed.  Port Washington players grabbed the ball and were on their way down the floor when the referees interceded and explained that Von Kaenel had another free throw try coming.  The Tiger center made this attempt whle the fans booed loudly, thinking Whyte didn't know what he was talking about.

Strasburg won by one point and we heard comments after the game that the referee's lapse of memory resulted in the defeat of the Purple Riders.  But Whyte called a one-and-one foul and not a shooting foul.  According to the rules interpretation this year, the man is no longer considered a shooter after the ball leaves his hand.  That means if he is fouled then it is a one-and-one.

FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS there has been something new each season.  It has been said that the game is increasingly moving over to favor the offense and since this is the department of the game that pleases the fans most, it is a logical conclusion.  If the rule makers would leave the game alone for several years and let the players and officials get used to the same situation, the game might settle down into a pattern instead of becoming faster almost every year.

There are many new ideas as to how the game could be improved.  We ran across one offered by Head Coach Ed Gottieb of the Philadelphia Warriors and thought perhaps it might be worth passing on.

GOTTLIEB SUGGESTS that the game be converted from 4 quarters to 12 two-minute innings.  Each team would have possession of the ball until the time limit expired, regardless of how many times it scored or whether it lost the ball out of bounds.  Under this plan, the visiting team would get 1st crack at possession just as a traveling baseball team geets "first bats."  The home team would have the ball in the last 2 minutes unless it was leading at that point.

Gottlieb admited it was a radical idea, but he based his argument for the plan on the idea that it would speed up the game and eliminate a lot of time wasted on jump balls and battles for possession.  Have you got any ideas on how the game can be improved?