Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-22
C. j. FIVE NOT IN
BEST CONDITION
Players Were Not in Shape
to Go Into Series of Hard
Games SO Early.
COMBINATION COACHING
TO BE TRIED AT YALE
Crew Will Have English and Amer
clan Instructors, the Best of Both
Systems to Be Taught.
BY h. c. BYRD.

Georgetown basket ball team so far
should not discourage its supporters
! w nile four out Of the five game:
played have been lost, with the chances
| good that apother will be dropped to-
night, 1T seems that the Blue and Gray
mas got on to u very poor start Such
Is true SO FAR as the games won and
lost are concerned. but in reality the
team has been playing very good ball
hiucn better than it did at this time
last season. That games are being lost
now Is more the fault of conditions
than 1t is. due to any lack Of ability
on the part of players
: Georgetown started its season with
practically it's whole team back, and it
was generally thought that 1t ought to
! WIN all its early games. 1t would have
done SO had. it been able to go against
qulnts OF less caliber until the players
got IN condition The first game, that
against Mount st. Joseph's, proved an
easy victory. but then had to be met
| Iuliy conditioned teams, teams which had
! already played seven or eight games
/ AGAINST strong opponents. They had been
put to the test and had had their strength
developed thereby, while the Blue and
Gray had not been through single prac-
| Ilce sufflciently hard to make them put
forth their best efforts.
Right after having had to meet the
New York University, after having prac-
| tically no real workouts. the team was
compelled to play four quints of excep-
| tional caliber on foreign floors and on
successive evenings. That is a difficult
enough proposition when in the best con-
dition, but it is almost impossible for a
quint to make the right kind Of show
ing under such disadyantageous circum-
stances. And. to make matters worse
the coach was not able to get his men
out early III the fall to develop his system
OF play thoroughly, because two regula rs.
| one OF them the captain, We're members
OF the foot ball squad
Georgetown has not appare made
mulch OF a success so far, but it NAV be
predicted that the team Is going to show
splendid form before long. and from the
time that it takes up its schedule again
after the holidays victories may be look ed
TOT, and not without a great deal of GER
tainty that they will be secured
Georgetown is scheduled to play its last
game of the northern trip tonight IT is
70 meet the New York University quint,
which won in the first big game of the
season on the local floor last week. 1t ap-
pears that the Blue and Gray is in for
another defeat, but it may turn the tide.
The showing made against st. Johns
! Saturday night is Indicative of inn
prosement which may result in a win
over the New York University, but it is
going to be very difficult to get away
with the game, especially as it will be
played on the latter's floor. At that,
though, Georgetown is apt to make a
| better showing up there than 1t did here
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Georgetown team was not in the best
condition for the games it has played in
the north, 1t would have won two out Of
the three had ii not been that one of its
best men was not In the lineup. The
fact that Wetzen was not along made a
greater difference in the play of the team
than one would ordinarily imagine. His
absence detracted from its capabilities
on the offense and defense as well. and Z
is certain he would have been a big
enough factor to overcome the very small
margins by which the Hilltoppers lost
two contests.
. So much of an effort has been made to
improve Yale's crews that many conn
ments have been made by experts who
have followed the different tactics of the
Dark Blue in the last few years. One
of the most interesting talks relative to
the possible development of d winning
eight was given recently by a New York
man. which was as follows:
'Yale'S rowing methods in the last
three or four years have been the target
for the shafts of those graduates and
undergraduates who judge largely by inn
mediate results. Victory over Harvard
is the end of all Yale rowing, and when
years in a row somebody or something
must stand the consequences.
AN earnest effort has been made for
two wears TO teach rowing as 1t Is
taught In England. but results Were
not satisfactory, as could hardly be eX-
pected in so short time, more par
ticularly as much Of the coaching was
done from observation rather than
from practical experience, 1t might
have worked out with little more
time, but patience was too quickly ex-
hausted. and the demand for winning
crew was too loud to be silenced. Now
"a sort of combination policy will be
tried. with a captain who has been in
structSd along English ideas. with a
head coach OF the old school, when
Yale crews were more than holding
their own on the water: with an Eng
lish coach, who is quoted as saying
that he does not believe English row
ing methods are adaptable to American
college crews, and with an American
coach who long has been Identified with
the New York Athletic Club Just how
the ideas of these four men can be
welded into a winning crew Is hard to
foresee. but. as said before the expert
mont VIII prove interesting"
This same critic. though, after practi-
cally stating outright that he thinks that
there will be too great a diversity of
ideas to insure much success, goes on to
speak some words of real praise for the
Ensi.shman who will lend his aid. He
will make an attempt to instill the best
of the British ideas of rowing into Yale
men and refrain from giving them a line
Of work which 1t takes a lifetime to as
simulate:
Guy Nickalls. a brother of Vivian
Nickalls., who has been coaching In this
country Tor several years, and only last
fall took charge of the oarsmen AZ the
University of Pennsylvania. is considered
one of the best rowing instructors In
England. He was great oarsman in his
day. a member of live Oxford AMI
Leander crews, and is man whose
knowledge OF rowing and ability to m
part ii are second to none. At least fhet
is the opinion of men well ouaIifiad 70
Judge. If he can adapt himself and his
methods to conditions on this side Of the
Atlantic. no doubt the most can be- ma II.
Of the broad experience and keen under
standing acquired in the best school of
sweep swinging"
There has been such unstinted nr.,ea
handed out to one of Gallaudet's really
brilliant pair of ends Of last seasons fnnt
ball team that the other seems N have
been almost entirely overlooked in the
majority of cases. Foltz. by reason ~
his ground gaining ability. has been NO.
ticed and his work commented fayorahly
upon more so than has that of Marshall
but the last mentioned is not one Whit
less capable than the former. Marshall is
not as snowy a player as 'Foltz. but i'm all
essentials which go to make I'D a very
capable end he Is just as valuable To his
team Foltz is the better carrying the
ball, but Marshall has q margin on him in
defensive play. Marshall also does one