Big Town's Comeback

This weekend should prove a whole new kettle of fish for Harvard's hoopsters, as they open their home season against invading quintets from City College of New York and Fordham. For fifteen years college basketball in New York City has consisted of minnows in the NCAA ocean, but this weekend the Crimson cagers may get more than they can swallow of a new dish: the resurgence of college hoop in the Big Town.

The trend started in Madison Square Garden last season and has grown to tidal wave proportions. Last year, Tom Young's Rutgers squad went 31-0, advancing to the NCAA Final Four before losing to Michigan and UCLA. St. John's, Hofstra and Princeton were all part of the post-season hoopla, while St. Peter's went to the NIT.

St. John's almost snatched a win from Indiana in the finals of the Holiday Festival, a game which nonetheless paled before the spectacle of Rutgers and the Redmen playing for the Metropolitan championship before 20,000 raving fans who made 33rd Street sound like a calvary charge over a tin bridge.

A large part of the resurgimento of Big Apple ball can be attributed to a new school of coaches: young, ruthless recruiters like rebuilding specialist Tom Penders at Columbia, Jack Powers at Manhattan, Jimmy Valvano at Iona, Billy Raftery, first year Fordham mentor Dick Stewart, and CCNY's Floyd Layne.

Stewart, who formerly coached at Oregon, takes over the helm from an axed Hal Wissel, now serving a tour of duty as an Atlanta Hawks scout.

Layne is beginning his second season at 135th St. and Broadway after starring at CCNY in the late '40's. In 1950, City was the collegiate kingpin, winning both the NCAA and the NIT crowns. But Layne and his teammates were later implicated in a major point-shaving scandal. The subsequent investigation sent shock waves through college basketball, and Layne eventually pleaded guilty to the charges.

Basketball was downplayed at City since then, until Layne worked his way back into good grace and led his charges to the semi-finals of the NCAA Division Three championships last year. The squad's mainsprings are 6 ft. 6 in. center Hugo Bonar and spunky guard Rich Silvera. Silvera, a De Witt Clinton grad, is just one of a talented batch of homebreds playing in the Met area.

Each team in the New Jersey-New York Seven conference of Fordham, Manhattan, Rutgers, St. John's, Seton Hall, Columbia, and LIU seems stronger than the next. The picture wouldn't be complete unless one adds Hofstra, Iona, and St. Francis to the list.

Basketball at Fordham hasn't been the same since the glory days of Ken Charles, Charlie Yelverton, and coach Digger Phelps. Ever since "the Digger" departed for South Bend and the Fighting Irish, the Rams have shown about as much espegliere as a halibut on a slab.

All that's changed, though, as the Rose Hill gang's only defeat to date came in a 78-57 loss to number one ranked Michigan in a rag tag run-and-gun doubleheader at the Garden. The Rams are paced by guard Stan Frankowski and a three-forward lineup of Rich Dunphy, John O'Neill, and Kevin Fallon.

Lou Carnesecca's St. John's squad has the inside track at taking the conference with guard Glen Williams averaging 23 points a game and 6 ft. 7 in. George Johnson good for 19 rebounds a game.

Rutgers, despite the loss of Phil Sellers to the Detroit Pistons, is still a powerhouse with Hollis Copeland, Eddie Jordan, and Abdel Anderson all averaging in double figures.

Seton Hall's Glenn Mosely leads the ECAC in scoring while the Manhattan Jaspers boast. Ricky Marsh and Steve Grant. Bob Fazio at St. Peter's is yet another all-American candidate. The polls tag Hofstra as the best in the East, as the Flying Dutchmen feature Richie Laurel, Bernard Tomlin, and John Irving.

The weak link in City Basketball for the past few years has been Columbia. Ever since Jim McMillian graduated to find his place in life as the quintessential team player on the Knicks and Heyward Dotson accepted a Rhodes Scholarship, Columbia fans have shown about as much enthusiasm as a vegetarian fishing a caterpillar from his salad.

With four sophomores in the starting linup, Columbia has already plunked Rutgers in the mulligatawney, 85-75, as Juan Mitchell pumped through 26 points. The back court tandem of Ricky Free and Alton Byrd has been clicking for 20.3 and 10 points a game respectively.

A lot of city kids are sticking close to home and jumping on the New York City basketball bandwagon. Just a few of the converts from playground macadam will tread the hardwood of the IAB this weekend.