Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-19

to meeting big teams.
Possibility exists that there will be
several games in Washington next
fall between local teams. George
town and Maryland State last year
had a contract for five years and re-
sumption of that is possible. Also
Catholic University and State may
hook up, while negotiations also are
under way for a game between Cath
Ollie University and Gallaudet.
Inasmuch as it seems to be more
or less impossible to get big foot ball
teams from the north to come to
Washington for games. it seems that
some arrangement. or rather agree
ment. among local elevens is the
avenue through which foot ball must
travel to develop much real interest.
Even the year before the war there
was little of real interest in WASH
ington in the way of gridiron Strug-
giles. and before that the greatest at
tention conferred around the big local
contest on Thanksgiving day between
Georgetown and George Washington.
There is no reason why games be-
tween Georgetown and Catholic Uni
versity. or between either of those
elevens and Maryland State. should
not become just as prominent as the
former annual struggle between the
Hatchetites and Hilltoppers. Gallau-
det, about one in every three or four
years. is likely to be strong enough
to furnish whole lot more than mere
amusement for the best of the COM
binations that may be turned out.
Georgetown goes to Annapolis
q q hn Nov
quint. Something of the real strength
of the Hilltoppers will be proved
then, as the Midshipmen are about
the hardest basket ball proposition
in the east. Next Saturday night the
Blue and Gray lines up against its
former great rival-George Washing
ton.
John O'Reilly, physical director at
Georgetown. tells rather interest
ing story about the origin of basket
ball. Here are Johns own words:
Several years ago two Japanese
students at the Springfield Y NJ c. A.
, Training School at Springfield, Mass,
used to go into the gymnasium at odd
times and pitch around a medicine
ball. The two young fellows were
more or less retiring and seldom
visited the gymnasium in company
with many of the American students.
1t happened that one day somebody
left peach basket standing on the
| track at one end of the gymnasium.
The two boys Immediately began to
rival each other to try which could
| throw the ball into the basket more
often. Finally they conceived the
idea Of putting another basket at the
other end of the gymnasium and to
f, try each others mettle by attempting
to prevent each other reaching one
end of the gymnasium to make the
toss for one of the baskets. So well
did they like the competition that
| they invited four other students to
play with them. That kept up until
| the day came when DR.. Mason, head
/ of the school. CHANGED to see the
| competition. DR.. Mason then began
to develop the competition into a
! formal game for organized play in
| the gymnasium. and from that was
! evolved the present game of basket
ball. The game got it's name from
| those peach baskets, for. as you
know, there is nothing resembling a
| basket about the rings which now
are used as targets for the ball"
Charley Allen, manager of George
Washington's basket ball team, also
+, is looking after track and field in
! terests at the downtown university.
Allen stated last night that he was
trying to line things up at George
Washington University SO that the
university could % FetFeseYtea in =