Dirty Defensive Players Harass Barry Willams At Basketball High Post

Anyone who still clings to the often-refuted doctrine that basketball is a noncontact sport should spend an evening in the IAB watching the Harvard varsity, and pay particular attention to Barry Williams.

Williams, who plays the high post position in Harvard's three-guard offense, has to endure a barrage of pushing, shoving, hooking, and grabbing that would send any believer in the graceful ballet of basketball home shaking his head.

Even such a shining demigod as Bill Bradley tarnishes his splendor when he guards Williams. Bradley proved that he could scuffle with the best of them before an overflow crowd here two weeks ago. "He's one of the roughest players around," Williams said flatly in an interview yesterday.

Guards Use Him

"Most people look at the high post the wrong way," Williams continued. "Most teams try to get the ball into the high post. I'm more of a pick for the guards." In a standard Harvard play, a guard will dribble in close to Williams, who stands at the foul line with his back to the basket. The guard will then either take a shot, using Williams as a screen, or out for the basket, using him as a pick to scrape the defender off.

"Most teams know I don't get too many shots off the foul line, so they don't put a real tough man on me," Williams said. "They start to push when we get a few baskets on picks."

Why do teams indulge in this sort of mayhem? "To bother me," Williams said simply. A defender will hold Williams to keep him from getting in to rebound, elbow around him to get at a guard about to shoot, or grab him for balance when a player cuts behind the high post. Some teams are rough for roughness' sake. "B.C. was trying to push me off the line--period," Williams said. "The ref kept saying, 'Take it easy, take it easy.' I kept saying, 'Don't take it easy, call a foul.'"

Roughness Goes Unpunished

Surprisingly, rough tactics often escape unpunished. "The refs won't call a foul unless I've got the ball," Williams said. "Players have heard about that, and that's why they do it.

"Bradley's a real good player, but he's getting an awful lot of publicity," Williams said. "The reason I don't think he's the greatest player in the United States is that the referee lets him get away with a lot. The refs really protect him. He doesn't really need that."

The Harvard offense, with Williams at the high post and Merle McClung under the basket at the low post, has not worked very effectively this year. Neither is in good rebounding position and, at 6-5 they both give away height to many of the teams Harvard plays. Also, the guards rarely use Williams for a pick.

With 6-4 Carl Kendrick the tallest starter on the Harvard freshman team, no additional rebounders are likely for the varsity--at least for next season. Since McClung graduates this year, Coach Floyd Wilson may be forced to modify his offense, compensating for the lack of height with a fast break and a pressing defense. In any case Williams, the team's leading rebounder, will be around for one more year, but he may escape from the snakepit out at the high post.