The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-03-09

IDAHO'S VANDALS
complete SEASON
AL FOX BEATS OWN RECORD
WITH 27S POINTS THIS
SEASON.
(By O. A. FITZGERALD)

opportunity to follow a more thrill
ling and colorful title race than tn
one which came to close Tuesda.
night when the powerful Univers
ity of Idaho five gave the Univers
ity of California it's second defea
and repeated as coast conference,
champion. Idaho had previously VOL
the northwest conference title fol
the second consecutive year by de
feating the University of Washing
ton in post-season game at Spo
kane, necessitated when the two
teams tied for the northwest title
and the right to meet the Colder
Bears, winners in the southern di-
vision
Taking two conference titles in
two consecutive years happens sc
seldom that a team making such
showing can be rated among the
best in the country. The showing
of this years. Idaho team is suffi-
GENTLY significant to loom above
the achievements of previous silver
and gold machines, which is i'm
portant when one considers that Id
aho has always produced formida-
BILE fives.
ColorfuI Idaho Comeback
| The Vandal record puts to rest
forever the intimation that Idaho's
two-conferance championship last
year was a 'fluke." Idaho may have
made a poor start at the first of
the season, but the comeback bat
tie more than compensated for it.
When mid-winter 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 report that Idaho had
no legitimate right to the high hon
ors gained the year before.
The thrilling part of the seasons
story and the part which will live
longest in Idaho history starts with
the opening of the second semester.
In Counting out" the Vandals the
rest of the conference was little
hasty and the possible power of the
team which David Macmillan was re-
shaping for the last half of the sea-
son was underestimated. Now that
It is all over rival teams and their
coaches are willing to recognize this
years vandal outfit as measuring up
to championship specifications in ev
cry aspect and pay tribute to the SUI
periorty of the Idaho passing attack.
aAce In the Hole"
The comeback started with the OPP
ening of the second semester and |
the arrival of Benny Keane on the
scene of action. Keane had been in |
eligible to Participate the first semes- I
ter and he entered the team as Mac
"ace in the hole" and in the |
home game against Washington he |
cinched a guard position which en-
abled Macmillan to make other con-
changes in position. From
that game to the very end the same |
basic combination was used and the |
paw was oOi LIZ. LOU 1N1cASlAliA
been able to use Keane at the first of
the season and placed his men as
he did the whole story might have
been different; but the thrill of the
in all probability Idaho would never
have dopped to position which ne
cessitated such an uphill fight.
Game of Stately
Idaho did not win this year be-
cause of individual stars of luck, for
she had to fight every step of the
way. The vanday style was lacking
n the shoot-when-you-ge t-the-bal
method used by many of the other
cams Idaho played game of stra-
egg which called for genuine basket
,all ability and perfect physical con-
iition. The Idaho men passed care
ully, working back and forth across
the floor until they could get a
hort, open shot at the basket. If
hat situation did not present itself
m the first advance they returned
he ball to mid-fIoor and maneuver-
ID around until another opportunity
resented itself Only when checked
exceptionally close did the Vandals
nance long shots, for the team was
Mighty strong on defensive that Id
no could not bewilder by her pass
lg
Toward the end, when the strug-
lie became intensive, rival teams
volved a superintendent defense
-hich embarrassed the Vanda1s some
hat but as the records will show
liled to stop them. This passing
,yIe, which to Coach Macmillan is