View From the Attic

Come midnight this Saturday, the hills of Kentucky will once again bristle and stir with the sound of founding. The mountain madness of the Hatfields and the McCoys may be half a century or more dormant, but feuding over nothing-yet-everything remains the Commonwealth's peculiar pasttime.

Taking potshots at enemies of kin is no longer civil, but a little bloodletting over basketball maintains the feudin' image the citizenry couldn't live without.

The whizzing bullets, may be verbal in the modern era, and the scores of orphans and widows may be only the one-night creations of color TV sets and Curt Gowdy, but the internecine struggle in the hollows and west into the flatlands will nonetheless maintain its fiery pitch.

What we're talking about, of course, are the NCAA finals this weekend in San Diego, Calif., which will, of course, rip delirious Kentuckians into warring camps when both the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville walk over their semifinal opponents (Syracuse and UCLA, respectively) Saturday night, barefooted.

Fortunately, the UK-UL feud fought out in fantasies and endless speculations rather than in the hardwood since 1959, the last time the two met (with UL the easy winner) will resolve itself quickly after Saturday's semis.

The finals are Monday night, and surely three-million Kentuckians can't annihilate themselves in the space of 48 hours. Then again, they will try.

Either way, the 1974-75 college basketball crown will belong once more to its rightful owners--bluegrass hoop fanatics.

To put the matter simply, the NCAA crown has been collecting rust on the East and West coasts for too damn long. The Atlantic Coast Conference fluked its way to national attention last March behind the improbable coaching of Norm Sloane and the big-city talents in-his North Carolina State roster. The Wolfpack, with their Tarheel and Terrapin brethren from Chapel Hill and College Park, returned to more plausible post-season performances this go round; they all lost.

Prior to 1974's historic anomaly, the West Coast warriors of John Wooden won seven titles in a row. Deservedly, yes. Imperially, invincibly, resoundingly, yes, yes, yes.

But ask you this: who in LaJolla or Orange County or Pasadena plays hoop on a makeshift. peach-basket-and-dirt court behind a shotgun house? Who in sunny California dribbles his digits numb in snow, rain, gravel and mud, day in, day out, religiously, every day of the year?

Well, they do such things--and more--in Harlan County and Anderson County and the West End of Louisville. And when leapin Wesley Cox and savvied Jimmy Dan Conner take it on the tube Saturday and Monday nights, it should become abundantly clear why it's just morally wrong for Wooden and Co.--superb as they are--to win the NCAAs.

Kentucky is the world's basketball palace royal. Check through the rosters of the pro ranks, and see the empirical evidence for yourself: the state produces more professionals per capita than Indiana (that nefarious pretender to the throne), New York City, Philly, or even the Western Promised Land.

It took all of those elements combined to usurp Adolph Rupp's hegemony on national titles at UK. It will definitely take more than Wooden and Syracuse coach Roy Danforth (who incidentally, applied for Bob Harrison's job here two years ago) can muster to deter the squads Rupp's successor Joe B. Hall and UL's Denny Crum (Wooden's former assistant) take to San Diego.

Calling the all-Kentucky final Monday night has me schizoid, divided in allegiances and generally torn asunder (I hail from Louisville, but grew up a UK fan). I rounded up all the local soothsayers I could find on the subject, if only for objectivity's sake, and they produced these predictions:

WHO WILL WIN THE NCAAs?

Tom Sanders, former Celtic star and coach of a minor sport at Harvard: "The finals! That's too far above my head. Normally speaking, I go with the team that's had the experience, the players that believe they belong there, you know, the ones with the winning habit. So, I'll go with UCLA. Winning championships is an attitude, you know. When you're in the habit of taking 'em, you get that attitude, believe me."

James M. Jones, assistant professor of Psychology and Social Relations and teacher of Psych and Soc Rel 1860, "Sport, Play and Society": "I see Kentucky and UCLA in the finals, and I have a feeling that Kentucky will go all the way, though I prefer UCLA. Mainly because my respect for Wooden. But I'm very, very impressed with the enthusiasm and court pressure Kentucky combines. Do I wish we had big-time college basketball around here? Sure, it's unfortunate that we don't. It's healthy to get excited about the performance, the skill involved, the competition, the crowds, all those things are good."

Barney Daly, equipment manager for the Athletic Department: "UCLA and Kentucky. Kentucky could beat them in the finals. Now, I really think that Princeton did the best job of anybody around by winning the NIT. That's cause I'm an Ivy League fan, you know."

Charles U. Daly, vice president for government and community affairs: "Who's that now, Kentucky, UCLA, Louisville, Syracuse? Well, there's no use my looking at those four teams, since I'm not interested in professional sports. Now, what I really care about is the all-Ireland hurling final this fall, I'm confident Cork will win."

John Harvey, assistant director of General Education and former freshman coach: "UCLA. The crucial game is UL-UCLA in the West. Kentucky did its job getting past Indiana last week and I just can't see them getting by the Bruins."

Daniel Steiner '54, former benchwarmer for Floyd Wilson's '51 Yardling squad: "UCLA and Kentucky in the finals. Kentucky has all the enthusiasm of the country boys but not all of the finesse needed."

Joe Hurley, deskman at the IAB: "Either UCLA or Kentucky."

Baaron Pittinger, assistant director of athletics: "Kentucky over Syracuse, though Syracuse is playing very good ball now...In the West, I go for the upset--Louisville. This is not a vintage UCLA team...And who knows what could happen in an all-Kentucky final? UK on tradition."

Dan Clift, head sectionman for John Finley and an alumnus of North Carolina: "Kentucky and UCLA, and I'll go with Kentucky on momentum. Still, the best ball in the country is ACC--they just kill each other before the NCAAs, though. Come to think of it, Louisville's strong. They beat Maryland. Maybe I should go with them..."

Alexander L. Theroux, Briggs-Copeland Lecturer on English: "I haven't been following it very closely. Is Providence out it yet? I'll say this: I'm against UCLA. You could say I'm disinclined to see anything from California be successful. That's where I hear funeral parlors stay open all night."