New Britain herald., 1930-01-29

When Carl I,cstelli Of the Gascos ! stepped up to the foul stripe at the Tabs hall in a recently Dusty League game and dropped in two free tries to tie up the score and send the con- test into an overtime period the stunt was regarded a feat and those who witnessed it will not forget it for a long time to come. In the wild ly enthusiastic crowd, however. were some fans who, while they did not detract one whit from the credit giN- cn the Gasco star. could not refrain from giving expression to the thought that in the days when every team that held a first class rating had a capable foul shooter, he would never be able to live down a failure under those conditions.
 Changes that have been made in basketball rules from year to year have given every player the oppor- tunity of becoming a dependable man on the foul stripe, but compar- atively few have developed the lnack 10 the extent that it was possessed by some of the stars of the earlier days. Then. one man did the foul shooting and he had to be good or he would be replaced, because there was only one free shot after a foul and in q tight game every point counted. probably more SO than in late years when there are so many more fouls called than there were under the former rules.
 i Remembered Ahcrn
 In the crowd that sat on the anX- | ious scat while Eestclli made good l both tries were fans who must have 1 pictured 10 themselves the ease with | which Danny Ahern. the referee who was standing by watching the per l formance. would have sWi5hed the | cords when he was in his prime. ! Playing with the MiddletoWn team with "Nobs" and Jake Carlson. Me 1 Conochie and other crack players of | that period. Ahern was considered as classy a court performer as there was in Connecticut. He was q guard : but he generally scored more points than the forwards because his team played a style of game which per mitted him to go up the floor and take the passes from all sides. When he stepped up for the foul tries the opposing team walked away for they 1 knew he would make nine out or ten no matter how largo the cro" | was or how many rabid fans were hanging out of the gallery behind , the blackboard waving their hats and tempting apoplcxy in their mad de- sire to disconCcrt him.
 One Of Ahcrn's fcats which is silll talked of was performed at Hanna Armory before q game between Man chester and Middletown for the state championship several years ago. New | Britain was selected as neutral ter ritory and the place vas packed with fans from all parts of the state. Just before the opening blast ot the whistle, Ahern was practiclng on the foul line and as fast as the ball was returned to him he dropped il through the cords, hardly touching the rim. something over 30 times without q miss. Even the Manchester
 rooters and some from New Britai1 and other places who wanted to sec a Manchester victory, applauded hin
 as he turned away. That night ht
 played one of the best games Of hi'
 career. tossing in baskets from al
 over the court and making good hl!
 foul tries with the deadly accuracy
 of a sharpshootcr
 Larson Also Star
 Another veteran who was Sur'
 death on the free tries was Nicto Chief" Larson. who still plays witt , the Corbin Cabinet Lock team in th
 Dusty League. His stature was (
 great asset in his floor work for he