The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-12-11
GEORGE KE0GAN
MAKING RECORD
AT N0TRE DAME
Says If Opponents Make More
Than 10 Points, Outcome
Not Sure
COACHES GREAT TEAMS
Irish Were Western Champions
for Last Two Years; Lost
to Pitt
BY BOB KATHERINE

| Mr.. George Keogan, whose bust
ness it is to make Notre Dame has
ketball teams as famous as Notr,
Dame football teams, has his owl
particular pet theory about the win
ming of basketball games.
Any time you can hold your op
ponents to IS points in one game
you should put that game on the vic.
tory side of the ledger.
That is Mr.. keogan's theory and
from the manner in which his teams
at South Bend in recent years have
been winning it must be accepted
as a very sound theory and one
worth getting a slight bit of atten-
ton from some Of the institutions
whose teams don't rate as high as
those teams at Notre Dame.
1t may be news that Notre Dame
basketball teams rate just as much
in their own particular sport as Mr..
Rockne's football teams do in the
grid world. In fact, long before
Rockne made Irish football teams at
Notre Dame what they are today the
basketball tt ans of that institution
were right on top with the best.
That, to be true. was many wears
ago and the few years before George
heogan took charge were not ones
to .brag about. But in the olden
days, along about the time that
Hippo" Vaughn, later to become
famous as fullback at Harvard,
was playing for Irish cage teams.
the Irish had teams that took the
best over in basketball tussle.
The Irish basketball teams were
down, in fact way down, when Keo-
gan arrived in 1923. Only a dirt
basketball court was available for
practice. All home :ames had to be
played in tn. local Y. NJ. C. A. gym.
nasium.
Despite the handicaps and i SLIGHT
lack of interest in basketball, the
first team keogan had at Notre
Dame in 1923-1924 was better than
any in years. The team won isl
games and lost eight. His team a
year later won II while losing 10.
This success caused the university
officials to get generous and when
the third year Of Mr.. Keogan's stay
arrived his team was using a brand
new 5000 basketball court, one Of
the best in the country, built in an
addition to the gymnasium.
The Irish were western champions
IN 1925-1926. They repeated the
next year. Each club won 10 games
and lost only one, each year losing
out to Franklin, Ind. These games
were lost on a small court at Frank-
lin, and it is interesting to note that
the Irish walloped the Franklin boys
each year when they had them on
that big court at South Bend.
Last year was not quite as good a
season for keogan's team. They
lost four games. Butler, Northwest
ern, Michigan State and Pittsburgh
beat them, but every one was licked
IN return battles except Pittsburgh.
The Panthers, an undefeated elev-
en-, scored more than 10 points. They
scored 22 and all the Irish could
score was 20. Had the boys followed
heogan's theory, they would have
won.
Notre Dame teams are familiar
with and employ three general STYLES
OF play: In some games, the short
pass, pivot and dribble attack is
used; in other games, the slow.
methodical type Of play, generally
known as the delayed offense. Arain.
he uses the fast-breakinr offense
typical Of Indiana basketball.
=, heogan stresses tight defense.
That is the basic fundamental Of his
l9-point theory. If your opponent
doesn't score 10 points, you ought
to win; if they score 20 or more
points, you have only $3.50 chance
Notre Danes basketball team
looks at this stage as if it will be
one OF the best teams Of the wear.
They have Zine lettermen back. in
Guiding. every regular of last wear.
They play what were considered the
Two strongest teams in the east last
year, Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.
and the best teams in the middle
west, being in this respect somewhat
Of q rambling outfit like the Irish
team is-they play teams
from all sections, preferably the