Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-12-15
Clair Bee Lauds
|Hoyas, Predicts
They Il Be Great
Long Island y. Coach
Says Blackboard Work
Of Felix Turned Tide
By MerreIl WhittIesey
Sfar Sfoff Correspondent

Sfor Sfoff correspondent
NEW YORK, Dec. 15.-George-
towns sophomore basketballers
were leading Long Island Univer-
sity by 10 points for the fourth
time in the first half last night
when Clair Bee, the Blackbirds'
veteran coach, turned to his g.
foot-l1 Negro sub center, Ray
Felix. and said:
kid, you're a. sophomore and
so are all those guys out there.
Go get EN-"
Felix had made only token ap-
pearances against Kansas State
and Denver, but he was just as
much responsible for Long
Islands 1856 triumph over the
Hoyas as the Negro high scorers
Of the Blackhirds, Sherman
White and Leroy Smith. The g.
foot-7 White made Is points,
most Of them under the basket.
WAA4AO 0i44Ae1A SO1 14s
"Going to Be Great"
Georgetown has a good team
now, and it's going to be great, !"
Bee said. Those youngsters have
lot of drive and a lot of cour-
age. They run better than we
do and shoot better. But they
made us mad by dominating the
backboards and that's when Felix
went in and made a different bali
game of it."
Felix didn't have much finesse
but he had height. and after he
came in past the midway point of
the first half the Hoyas' 1922
margin shrunk to nothing. From
that point until the end, Long
Island beat them by 10 points
Long Island not only was bigger,
but, as was expected against such
a young team, 1t was smarter,
much smarter. The teen-age
Hoyas were not stage-struck in
Madison Square Garden, they
just didn't have the court savvy of
the wiser BlackbirdS, who play
once or twice week in the Garden
against top opposition.
When Georgetown had it's big
gest margin, 10 points. the Long
Island veterans knew what to do
with the ball when Felix re-
trieved it for them. And when
everybody thought the Blackbirds
went into their freeze too early
leading by only a point with S
minutes and 20 seconds to got
proved to be the appropriate time.
At least, Georgetown couldn't do
anything about it and Long
Island finally had a 9-point
margin. which was not indicative
of the previous pace of the game.
Small Consolation for Hoyas.
Bee said afterward in the LIU
dressing room that Georgetown
was by far the best team his club
had played. But that was small
consolation to the Hoyas, who
wanted to win this one more than
any game on their schedule.
Twelve of the 16 squad members
and Coach Buddy O'Grady are
New York area boys, and they
were playing before the home
folks.
O'Grady obviously was disap-
pointed. He said Georgetown
didn't play its game. I'VE were
working well when we were 10
points ahead, so what happens?"
Buddy said. They're all kids,
they want to put the clincher on
too early and they start shooting
carelessly."
Buddy was pleased with
Georgetown's defensive play. On
the other hand, even though the
Hoyas were supposed to be better
conditioned and deeper than Long
Island, the Hoya players on the
floor at the finish were just as
tired, and most of them had lost
their effectiveness.
Georgetown hoped to outrun the
Blackbirds with its fast break, but
half the time somebody missed a
signal and the fast break was in
effective. Bob Makatura, who
seemed to shoot too often, gave
way in the playmaking role to
several others, but the Hoyas
seemed weakest in the playmaking
department. Maybe Makatura is
just too fast for the rest of them,
he's that swift.
rs Points for Sullivan.
Barry Sullivan had a good night
and made most of his Is points on
set shots. Bill Bolger, prime favor
lite of most of the coaches who
have seen Georgetown play, made
IA points but it, was not good
night for him. Next best for the
(See HOYAS, Page Cay