The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-29
VANDERBILT BOYS
 COMING SATURDAY I've Fastest Teams In The South Will Meet GLANCE AT COMMODORES Return of McGeehee, Martin, Brown and WeakIey Insures a Steady
 Front and the Years Great
 est Basketball Game.
GLANCE AT COMM MOD0RES

Vanderbilt university has at last de- cided to play the Birmingham Athletic club and on Saturday night the basket ball loving public will enjoy the rare treat of clash between the two teams now judged most likely to win the southern championship.
 The Vanderbilt boys had almost decided to make the southern trip without visit ing Birmingham. but telegram was re- ceived last night closing the game. and Tennessee's fastest team will appear on the local floor.
 There is no question but that the game will be wonder for lightning speed and scientific basketball. Vanderbilt had the best southern team visiting in Bir- mingham last year with the exception of Mobile, and the squad Is improved 50 per cent this year. according to re- ports. In discussing the merits of the players the Nashville American says:
 Most of the boys on the Commodore team are in the same class and there fore are thrown together a great deal. This will prove one of the greatest aids to the work of the bunch possible. Mc- Geehee, who will lead the Vanderbilt five. played brilliant game at center last year. and will be in better form this year than he was last. He played a consistent game at tackle for the football team and his training on the gridiron will go a long way toward helping him put it over any of his op- ponents. McGeehee is very tall, active and heavy. He can jump for the ball with any man in the south, and this, added to his unusual ability to pitch goals and pass, makes him an ideal center. which is one of the most important points in the game, has been reduced to a science by McGeehee and he will certainly make good at this part of the play.
 Allen Brown played on the team last year at guard and will be back at his old stand this year Like McGeehee, he was one of the stars of the football team. He is heavy, stockily built and very fast on his feet. Allen has one habit which is essential to the success of a good guard and that is that he stays right with his forward all of the time. He is not the kind to run off down the court and try at a goal when his man is lurking under his own basket. Of course he leaves his man when the team is as the ball gets under the basket he goes back after his man and sticks right with him, rarely giving him clear shot for the goal.
 Sorrels, who will probably be stationed as the running mate of Brown, is the fastest man on the team. He is good at every department of the game. He is a good man to handle the ball from the back position, he pitches with great accuracy. and sticks by his man at the same time Sorrels played in most of the games last year and before coming to Wander bile he played side by side with Allen Brown on the B. G. A. team. He will be valuable asset to the teap
 Zeke Martin who will hold town one of the forward positions, Is probably the most experienced player on the team. He has played every position and can hold any one of them down in splendid style. Martin played a jam-up game at guard last season, but this year. in the absence of Neely, he will be shifted to the for ward position. He is a very accurate goal throWer and negotiates d basket from the most seemingly impossible positions. His accuracy, combined with his speed and strength. make him equal to any man in the south a basketball scoring machine. Martin played on the reserve football team during the past season and was used quite a good deal both in the line and at fullback in the varsity games
 Waa klaV who will Ha piU try-out at forward. has mad long bas- ketball experience. He was sub on the team last year, but despite this fact the difference between his playing and that Of the other men was very slight indeed. Weakley is not very heavy, but he is light on his feet. passing superbly. and pitches goals with disconcerting ease. Weakley played on Fogg High school team before his entrance to Vanderbilt, and his play ing in the prep school was of a very high grade order.
 Freeland who will be carried on the squad as a sub back has not had very much experience, but he has picked up a great deal during the east year, and during the few weeks practicing which the team has done since tho close of the football season, Freeland now weighs about 1Ss pounds in his basketball clothes, and will be able to hold down any for WAIQ dkdlhSi WDOil ue VIII pc plLted. Freeland is hard trainer, and has not gotten out of the habit since the foot ball season closed Although not an adept at pitching goals, he will no doubt develop into one of the best guards on the Commodore squad.
 Pentecost has been in the university for three years, but he has never before tried for the team. This year he started out early and Is in fine shape. He has had a good deal of experience on the class teams, and will be quite a help on the long, trip whi h the Commodores are about to take.
 Oscar Nelson is very small man. but he moro than makes up for this defi- ciency Dy his great speed. He played last year on the scrubs, and took several trips with his class team He has been playing the game for several years, and is thoroughly on to all the fine points of the game. Nelson will probably be used in several of the southern games at forward
 The team has been practicing hard ev- cry day, trying to get in the best shape possible for the coming trip, and Mana ger Gilmore thinks that they will be able to land most of the games which they win play away from home, and that they will not lose any of the games in Nash ville or the colleges fin this vicinity.
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