The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-03-10
SPORTS
,2&ESUz',S
N0DAKQUIN
IS PROUD OF
ITSRECORD
Credit For Teams Excellent
Showing ThiSYear Goes
to New Coach

Grand Forks, No. OAK, March TO-,
All basketball predictions were dash
cd hither and ihither by this years
university Of North Dakota five.
which won lG and lost but 4 games for
an average Of 800.
This record is all the more worth
while. considering the fact that it
was. made by the Identical team which
last year won only 1 games and lost
the appalling total Of II. playing
against the same teams which were
on this seasons schedule.
Fans here are given tho credit for
this remarkable reversal in form to
Coach G. ". Lctich. who came here
from Yankton. S. Oak. last fall. I.c-
itch had won four straight South
Dakota high school championships at
fankton. but even the most hopeful
of fans here did not expect him to
raise this seasons percentage over
the 300 mark.
Interesting Story
The story Of the way he developed
the Nodak team this campaign is one
of unusua! ntcr2st. He started last
December with only one player, Capt
Ed. Boo, a forward, who was unus-
ualy good. Bat Boo could not go a
1uii EIlut ~ lVI' sptcd DcCuuSC Ilc
lacked stamina, so Lctich shifted
him to lack guard. Here he was
given a chance to rest occasionally.
and the same time use his clever
floor work and passing to the best
interests Of his team.
Then he developed George Hammc-
rickson Of kennlarc, who had been cut
from the squad the season before,
INT l,l rI FIR nd
a new star in Albert Wild of Egcland
at center. He experimental with vari-
Gus lincups all through the month Of
December and the first half Of Janu-
airy, using as high af Il men game.
This process gave him practically
two full teams. players Of which were
equal in ability.
He found two strong defensive for
wards in Bill Edwards and Harold
Goldberg. and to pep up the offensc
he had Fred Yodcr. Eugene LavOy.
and Merton jacobson. three clever
shots. Another center appeared in
Don Thompson. and the defense was
further strengthened in January by
the return to form of Lester Ncigel.
lcttcrman, who seemed unable TO
crawl from the grasp Of an early
season slump during December.
Lc' his System
Lctich discovered early that what
strength he had was on the defense.
so he initiated Il man-to-man game.
which kept North Dakotas opponents
baffled on the offcnse, while the
Nodaks were potting basket here
and there themselves. This was the
system which Yankton used in gaining
second place in the National prep
tournament at Chicago two years ago.
One Of the high points in North
Dakota's season was ~ TO IL win
over the University Of South Dakota.
short time after the Coyotes licked
the University Of Nebraska. 20 to 10.
This game. played on South Dakotas
own floor. gave them only one field
goal, SC. fierce was the Flicker guard
game. Another bright spot in the
season was the 20 to 10 verdict over
Creighton, which had defeated Iowa
State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas
State and others.
Every victory. however. was side
tracked by the two wins over the
North Dakota Bison of Fargo. which
gave the Nodak a tie for the state
championship. These came after the
Bison had won - straight contests
without "A defeat.
1927 Prospects Good
Next years prospects could not be
improved upon. Only Edwards, Jacob
son and Wild of the varsity squad of
10 men will graduate, and on top Of
this Coach Lctich will have the scrv-
ices Of six freshmen, every one of
whom is strictly first-team material.
These include Afford Letich. who was
an all-American forward at Yankton;
Paul Boyd. who was an all-statc for
ward at Boulder. Colo. Levy Lee, all
state center, and Harold Ebcrly, all
state guard, from Valley City; Law
renee kim, all-state forward from
Nahpeton, and Orville Lindell, all
district guard from Crookston, MINI.