Basketball Squad Shows Mixed Pre-season Talent

The fate of the 1959 edition of the Crimson basketball team depends on several variable and extremely elusive factors; even the starting lineup is an amalgamation of uncertainities. The squad could be very, very good. Then again, it could be very, very bad indeed.

Coach Floyd Wilson, although predicting that "we'll improve over last year," admits that this season's unit is "farther behind in progress as a team than any other squad I've ever had." Only one member of the starting five returns at the same position he played last winter, although four are tested competitors. Of the tenman varsity squad, three are seniors, two juniors, and the rest sophomores, giving Wilson one of the youngest teams in the East.

The lone returnee, captain Mike Donohue, will be back at guard, where he averaged nine points a game in 1958-9. Donohue is a fine playmaker, and the team's floor leader. Quick and aggressive, he should stand out on defense as well.

Teaming with the 6 ft. Donohue at guard will be Bob Bowditch, a forward last winter. Wilson calls Bowditch "the best shooter on the squad," and the 6 ft., 1 in. marksman possesses a deadly jump shot which helped him hit for an average of 10 points per contest as a sophomore last year.

A rugged transfer student, Ed Cuff, who terrorized the House league last winter, will fill one of the forward posts. Formerly a student at Holy Cross, Cuff has served a term in the Army, where he picked up the rough, driving style of play that is his forte. Wilson has smoothed our Cuff's brawling methods, and he feels that the 6 ft., 3 in. junior will be the team's offensive mainstay. Cuff is particularly effective with his back to the basket.

Bryant Danner returns after a year's absence to assume forward duties. Gifted with extraordinary jumping ability, Danner should be a big asset in the rebounding department. For a man of 6 ft., 4 in., he moves very well, and he can score with the best. Danner is chiefly remembered for his 30-point outburst against Yale two seasons ago.

Danner's younger brother Bill, a 6ft., 5 in., 200 lb. sophomore, will open at center if his sprained ankle is sufficiently healed. Bill Danner is the squad's strongest rebounder, using his bulk authoritatively, and he has improved his scoring touch considerably.

If the younger Danner is unable to go, Gary Borchard will play forward, with the elder Danner moving to center. Borchard is a big (6 ft., 4 in.), strong operative who is particularly effective around the pivot.

The other varsity players are Dave Grayer (6ft.), Marc Kolden (6ft., 4 in.), Greg Loser (5 ft., 10 in.), and Pete Hart (6 ft., 2 in.).

What may hurt the team severely is a lack of cohesiveness. Cuff may be rusty after a two-year layoff from organized competition, and Bry Danner is, after all, only a sophomore, and it will take a while for him to accustom himself to the faster varsity brand of basketball. Bowditch, at guard, must learn the nuances of a new position, and Donohue will not have the complementary services of George Harrington this winter.

In a vivid demonstration of its unsettled situation, the varsity dropped a scrimmage to the Providence Friars, 84 to 54, last Saturday. Of course, the Friars, led by the meteoric Johnny Egan, were ninth in the nation in pre-season ratings, but the 30-point margin was still ominous. Two bright lights for the Crimson, however, were Loser and Cuff.

The Crimson opens against Bowdoin Saturday evening at the I.A.B. Bowdoin is a predominantly sophomore squad, and thus will be an even match for the varsity. Although the team's opening contest may be easy, the first half of the season promises to be rough going. But Wilson could have a championship five by mid-February