Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-01
BASKET BALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Omaha Association Team Has Better
Than n TX for West
ern HOnors.

With one month Of the basket ball sea-
son gone, the Young Mems Christian asso-
citation team here finds itself involved
as a ~favorite in the race for the western
championship honors. This is a result
little anticipated by Manager N. H. Nelson
of the team when he first started framing
up its schedule. In fact, the idea was to
compete in but a small way this season,
and play but a few games. IS soon as
the team was actively in the field, Mana
ger Nelson was fairly swamped with appli-
cations for games, Omaha being a favorite
center for basket ball contests. Next his
team proved itself one of the very best in
this part OF the west, and the business
finally resolved itself into a fight for cham
pionship honors, with the Omaha team,
that Of Kansas University and the Fitch
team Of the Denver Young Mems Chris
tian association as rivals for top honors.
Paving already laid the Lincoln Young
Mems Christian association and the Haskell
Indians under the sod, the local team will
have a chance to try on the Kansas Uni
versity men here next Tuesday, when they
play In the gymnasium. The Omaha play
ers are confident Of winning, as they have
everything to their advantage, being still
on their home grounds. They defeated
Haskell here, considered till then the
strongest team in the transmissouri coun-
try. Though the Kansans were victorious
over them two years ago, they feel conf
dent OF redeeming that defeat next Tues
day. All that then remains will be to
settle the championship problem with the
Fitch team. For this purpose the season
will be wound up with two games. one in
Denver and one here. Both will be played
in March. This is quite an undertaking,
as il is a financial risk to try bringing
basket ball teams such a distance. II has
not been done before in Omaha since the
Young Mems Christian association team
OF Chicago was out here five years ago.
The local men have won every game
so far this season, and that Is cause for
Generalization and confidence, yet they
have TO remember that they have not yet
played of their own floor. It will be a
very different proposition to go onto a
strange hoor. This Is what they must
/ soon begin 10 do. The foreign games OF
the schedule are coming on in the near
future. They begin after the Kansas
game. On Thursday, February T. the
Young Mems Christian association goes TO
Sioux City TO meet the association team
there. The business mems team will also
| go along 20 play the business mems team
Of the low city. Later comes a game
with the Lincoln Young Mems Christian
association at Lincoln. and one with the
University OF Nebraska there, probably In
the same trip. After the return home the
Sioux City team and probably the Me-
braska varsity team will be entertained
here at return games. Stll later in Feb
ruary the local team goes down in Kansas.
II plays a return game with the Haskell
Indians at Lawrence, and one with the team
OF William Jewell college at Liberty, No.
On the same trip II is barely possible that
the team will go to Kansas City and play
the shmelzer Arms company team. This
is classed as a professional aggregation. and
Manager Nelson is not very DESTROYS OF
taking It on. The team asked for a date
here for February 3. but could not be
obliged. 1t will take q trip up this way
early in February. Il offers a silver cup
worth $40 for the team that scores the
most points against IL this season.
So the Young Mems Christian assOcia-
ton boys have much playing before them
~ -aaNN