The Washington times., 1936-01-29
HeadwOrk
Counts on
Floor
By FRANK BUCK" O'NEILL

By FRANK BUCK" O'NEILL
Bill Reinhart awoke this morn.
ing to find city singing his
name. This soft spoken young
man from Oregon's distant shore
is the boast Of Washington today
following the spectacular victory
of the George Washington bas-
ketball team over Ohio States
Scarlet Scourge. Bill takes his
fame with the reserve Of the de-
serving.
Bill debunked the arts of coach.
ing in a little informal chat with
this writer this morning. 1t isn't
what a coach tells the boys, he
will tell you, but it's what he can
get the boys to do. 1t isn't what
a coach pours into the ears Of the
team at great length. It's just
presenting the facts Of the case;
impressing upon the boys the
fundamentals of the sport they
play. Bill says:
DON'T LOSE BALL
every play is an offensive
play, and every player is con.
stantly on the offensive. The
only time you lose a game Of
basketball is when you lose con.
troll of the ball. For that rea.
son we move an entire team
into a planned attack from back
board to the other teams baS-
ket. We make every ball easy
to handle and try to avoid mis-.
takes. A team may make mis-
takes on the attack and win, but
the defensive plumbers beat you.
Basketball fundamentally is like
every other game.
Accuracy and common sense
in. Lack o. common sense and
haphaZard ball lose.
NOW look here" Reinhart
continued. you've got to ar
range your passing attack so
as to provide for a sound, CO.
heSive defense. You can talk
about the best defense being a
whirlwind attack, but that isn't
true. 1t must follow that a
player who is q star on the of.
fensive must know defense, and
vice versa. You've got to be
able to sense counter plays and
be ready 70 counter them.
PLAYERS MAKE SELVES
"YOu play 40 minutes Of
basketball, and the team that
drives constantly and plays
common sense basketball will
win most of the time. Suppose
you are only minded to attack.
You may lose the ball.
Consider this, too. The play
ers make themselves. I super.
wise and advise them. 1 estab-
lish my plans and give them the
game want them to play. But
there can be no irOnclad rule
individual style. Not every
boy plays alike any more than
Ruth and Gehrig hit alike, but
they were great together. We
have those combinations in baS-
ketbaIl."
I'm passing you teach that the
hands must face the basket.
That gives direction. You teach
that every shot is a pass to the
basket. That divorces the boys
from any thought that a partic-
ular technique must be devel-
Oped. Oh, to be sure, there is a
difference, but not as great as
some folks would have you think.
SERVED OVERSEAS
'Tt ali comes down to common
sense, and the team whose boys
play with the greatest sense and
play hardest for forty minutes
will win. And just this in con-
cluSiOn. Defense is important.
Mighty important. Why do foot.
ball coaches look for great
tackles, a great defensive pair in
the line SuppOrtS?
He's a fine sort Of chap this Bill
Reinhart. He was a star out there
at Oregon. He planned and built
a basketball pavilion that seats
5000 spectators. He was in France
for fifteen months, leaving college
to join the colorS. Rose Bowl? OF
course, he played against Har-
ward. He'll carry George Washing
ton teams a long. long way.