BASKETBALL AS MAJOR SPORT

Basketball as a major sport at least within two years, if not next year, is the hope of the Physical Training Department of the University. It is natural to expect that the 25 Freshmen who are now reporting for the 1923 team will be anxious to form a University five next year; in addition to these, there are many men in the University who have played basketball on their school teams, but have not had the opportunity here at College. Such men as these the Department plans to accommodate by means of informal games throughout the winter. The Freshmen meanwhile will be working through a regular schedule, which will include games with Andover, Exeter, Dean Academy, Worcester Academy, and Yale 1923.

As soon as the squad has been fairly accurately scanned the less promising men will be divided into dormitory teams. These will compete in a series of games soon after the Christmas vacation, lasting until the end of March. Meanwhile the best players of the squad will be formed into a regular Freshman team, but at all times men may either be moved up from the dormitory team or down from the class team. The dormitory teams will contest among themselves for the dormitory basketball title, to count in the All-Around Interdormitory series, and may also play teams made up of upperclassmen.

It is hoped that among the number of men from the three upper classes and the various graduate schools who now play voluntarily at odd times, club, class, and graduate school teams may be formed. These aggregations will play regular schedules among themselves, arranged by the Physical Training Department. At present about 30 men, sometimes more, turn up on afternoons when the Hemenway Gymnasium is not in use and pick teams from their number. The department hopes that when the Freshmen have to a large degree moved down to their Athletic Building that many more men from the University at large will report, and thereby make it possible to put the plan described into operation.