The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1923-03-13
i, TEAM GOES
WELL AND SETS
GREAT RECORDS
Season Just Past Is Best
In Vandals' History;
AL. Fox Is Real Hoop
Star.

March lZ.-Many seasons may pas
before western basketball fans will
have the opportunity to follow more
thrilling and colorful titular race thar
the one which came to close at Mos
COW last Tuesday night when the pow
erful University of Idaho five gave
the University of California team its
second defeat and repeated as coas;
conference champion. Idaho had pre-
viously won the northwest conference
title for the second consecutive year
by defeating the University of Wash
ington in a post-season game at Spo-
kane. necessitated when the two teams
tied for the northwest title and the
right to meet the Golden Bears. win
ners in the southern division.
Taking two conference titles in two
consecutive years happens so seldom
that team making such a showing
can be rated among the best in the
country. The showing OF this years
Idaho team is sufficiently significant to
loom above the achievements of prev
ious silver and gold machines. which
is important when one considers that
Idaho has always produced formid-
able fives.
The Vandal record this season puts
to rest forever the intimation that Ida
hos two-conference championship OF
last year was a "fluke." Idaho may
have made poor start at the first OF
the season but the comeback battle
more than compensated for it. When
mid-season found the Idaho team
three times defeated no time was lost
in removing it from the list of title
contenders, which gave rise to the re-
port that Idaho had had no legitimate
right to the high honors gained the
year before.
The thrilling part of the seasons
story and the part which will live the
longest in Idaho history starts with
the opening of the second semester.
In counting out" the Vandals the rest
of the conference was a little hasty
and the possible power of the team
which David Macmillan was re-shap-
ing for the last half of the season was
underestimate. Now that it is all |
over rival teams and their coaches are
willing to recognize this years Vandal
outfit as measuring up to champion
ship specifications in every respect and
pay tribute to the superiority of the
Idaho passing attack.
The comeback fight started with
The opening of the second semester
and the arrival of Bonnie Keane on the
scene of action. Keane had been in
eligible to participate the first semes-
Ter and he entered the team as Mac
Millan's ACE in the hole" and in the
aome game against Washington he
performed in such a manner that he
;inched guard position which en-
sbled Macmillan to make the other
changes in position.
From that game to the very end the
'ame basic combination was used and
he pace was terrific. Had MacMi-
an been able to use Keane at the first
II the season and placed his men as
he did on the eve of the comeback
light the whole story might have been
lifferent; but the thrill OF the scrap
would have been weakened, for in all
Idaho would never have
lropped TO a position which necessi-
ated such an uphill fight
Idaho did not win this year because
II individual stars or luck, for she had
o fight every step of the way. The
Iandal style was lacking in the shoot
shen-you-get-the-ball method used by
many of the other teams. Idaho
'layed a game OF strategy which
allied for genuine basketball ability
nd perfect physical condition. The
daho men passed carefully, working |
ack and forth across the floor until !
hey could get short, open shot at
he basket II that situation did not
resent itself on the first advance they /
eturned the ball to mid-hoor and ma
euvered around until another oppcr- !
unity presented itself. Only when I
hecked exceptionally close did the
'andals chance long shots, for the
cam was mighty strong on defensive
hat Idaho could not bcwilder By her
assing. Toward the end. when the
iruggle became intensive, rival teams
yolved a super-hve-man defense tina, :
dopied one which has rot the author :
y TO do drainage other thar by as
essing all the costs against the lands !
FINALLY drained