The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-11-23

Coach coggins Has IS Can
didates Working Out for
Basketball Team
By ROSS CONKLIN

By ROSS CONkLIN
AS BELTS a champion, Central
High Schools basketball squad is
no whit larger than q fat mans
stomach. Irving Coggins, whose
name is not "Bert" and who
rather resents the inference that
Il ever was, has a small squad Of
some eighty-five athletes, near
and far, working out in firenen
shifts in the spacious Central
High School gym.
In the first place, many of the
four score and five have had
basketball experience. They have
toyed with one sandlot team or
allotler, and they have the bene-
fit Of daily workouts in the Gem
trail gymnasium. A brief inscec-
ton of the gym between the hours
of 2 o'clock and o'clock any
afternoon would show the observer
ab ut twenty basketballs in the
air all the time.
The ceiling seems to rain balls.
Everywhere one looks there Is a
basketball shooting toward q
basket and then sitting through.
The repetition is monotonolis. It's
q sea Of balls. The place Is reek-
ing with them.
On his valiant quint last year
Coggins had three men who are
now missing. Captain Dean finally
completed his music course and
was graduated. Dezendorf, a skinny
lad with fairly good natural quail
6cations for center, has also flown
the coop. Hale. a COOL SEQ. g
forward, has departed, leaving a
vacancy hard to I'LL.
But left from the five regulars
1oser.
CentraPs speed and foOtwOrIx
won the championship for the
Blue and White School in q last
minute drive against Eastern and
Western. The members Of tht
1iIst team were small fellows with
plenty Of speed and Q knack Of
running around the heavier and
s.Ower opponents from Western
and EaStern.
The same style of play win be
year. Blackie Banta, a slender and
very light youngster, Is tapping the
ball from center In the practice
games with the Palace club,
BiaclKie has been going up against
Horse Haggerty, and while, OF
course, Haggerty has been getting
the tap, Banta has not been leav.
Ing such a poor impression by com.
parison.
If he can do as well against his
high school rivals as he is against
Haggerty the Blue and White win
get the jump at center all the time.
Mickey Macdonald, captain, and
Pete Nee, formerly of Gonzaga. are
the forwards. Earle Moser and
Bin Simmons are the guards.
Irving COggins himself does not
know his varsity lineup. at
least he pretends that he doesn't.
He says he has any number Of
athletes Of about the same CALLER.
He just shuts his eyes. PAGES his
finger on q payer, and thai one
goes into the game. With u fi st
string squad Of twenty five he
can do thai.
The art of passing is not a lost
one with Central The scrimmages
with the Palace team have shown
the boys just how to flip the bal.
so that it can not be intercepted.
They have been ordered not to
take long pot shots at the basket.
Instead, they work the ball to a
spo; under the netting. Shooting
at long range is at best gesture.
The passing game Il the Palar G
five has been better than Central $,
but the high scnoolers have beer
able to frequently break ~ the
masses nv ser ii
None Of the other high schools
have their court teams in action
yet. That means that while Central
has now a team that can step the
full game time. none OF the others
even has started training. Centrars
coach says he can save his men
from getting stale because OF the
large number of substitutes that
he can throw into the game.
Eastern can be counted on for
some strong oppos t on. The East
ern ties have big gym and plen y
Of material. Last year they fur
nished an uncomfortable angle for
the leaders, and many of the regu-
lars are still in the class rooms
Eastern has lost heavily through
graz alton. as has Business. But
Technical has three clever men
back. They have no gym and for
that reason, are at a handicap.