Untried Basketball Team to Face Amherst Five in Season Opener

The untried Crimson basketball team will open its season at Amherst tonight in a contest at whose outcome not even the rival coaches will venture a guess. Both squads suffered heavy losses by graduation, and tonight's encounter will thus be the first indication of their relative strengths.

Varsity coach Floyd Wilson said yesterday that he had no idea of what to expect from the Lord Jeffs, but that his team would use a double pivot offense and a man-to-man defense. This represents a change from last year's defensive strategy when Wilson relied mainly on a 2-1-2 zone. Such a change is favorable, he explained, since this year's is not so tall a team as last season's quintet.

From Amherst coach Richard Wilson comes word that 'things haven't been going too well." The Lord Jeffs are "much weaker than they have been in previous years," he commented mournfully, nothing that his squad was especially hurt by the graduation of Bill Warren.

Crimson Last Year's Victors

Last year, the Crimson defeated Amherst twice, the first time in the finals of the New Hampshire Invitation Tournment, 55 to 49, and later at the I.A.B, 64 to 45. And despite the fact that both teams have made considerable changes in personnel, the varsity nonetheless appars to have retained the edge it held last season.

Starting tonight for the Crimson will be George Harrington and Mike Donohue at guard, Griff McClellan at center, and Captain Bob Repetto and Bob Bowditch at forward. The squad was strengthened this week where it needed it most when 6 ft., 5 in. John Foker joined the team. Because he has had little practice to date, however, he will probably see limited action in the first few games.

Amherst will open with Lee Lindeman, Dick Gernold, Bob Magic, and two as yet unnamed men