Varsity Quintet Opens Nightly I.A.B. Practices

Coach Norm Shepard last night welcomed back 24 candidates for the varsity basketball team in this year's initial practice session in the I.A.B. Shepard, who doubles as junior varsity football coach, will hold nightly practices five times a week from now till the end of the football season, two weeks before the varsity's first game.

This year's team will be improved over the Crimson quintet which won only five games last season, Shepard feels. Six lettermen have returned, including four juniors with the important first year of varsity play behind them. Several of last year's freshmen are also expected to help the team with their height and rebounding ability.

Added Depth

The 1952-53 varsity will have considerably more depth than last year's squad. The fight for starting berths should be keen, with very few men now sure of a place on the first five. Captain Dick Lionette and high-scorer Bill Dennis seem fairly set to start, but Shepard is still far from announcing his lineup.

Behind these two, Ed Condon, Ed Krinsky, and Bob Gremp played most of the time on last year's team with Forest Hansen also seeing action. They will compete particularly with the starting five on the 1955 freshman team: Paul Shaw, Dick Manning, Roger Bulger, Harry Sachs, and Rollin Perry. Much of the team's success will depend on how quickly these players work into the faster style of varsity play.

This year's squad averages over six feet in height, a couple of inches more than last year's team. It also figures to be considerably faster, enough so to let Shepard work on a man-to-man defense and fast-breaking offense most of the time. The coach also plans to work on some set offensive plays this year.

The rest of the seven-team Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League will also be considerably improved over last year, Shepard feels. He expects Penn, Columbia, champion Princeton, and Yale to be the best teams in the circuit. House Football Standings   Won  Tied  Lost  Pts. Eliot  5  0  0  10 Leverett  4  1  0  9 Adams  4  0  1  8 Dunster  2  1  2  5 Dudley  1  0  3  2 Lowell  1  0  3  2 Winthrop  0  1  4  1 Kirkland  0  1  4  1