Evening star., 1951-02-14
LITTLE SPORT
Gu Dead Shots First Long One
Apparently Gave Him the Idea

mark an K on. the floor and
that boy could stand there all
night and make 'em," remarked an
admiring fan after watching
scotty Cranston sink five consecu-
tive long set shots for Catholic
University against Western Mary
land recently. It was a fairly
accurate statement.
The first time Scotty ever picked
up a basketball he sent q long
set shot swishing through the
cords. He's beeh doing it ever
since, although with more flnesse
and from wider variety Of angles.
He can whip in drive-in shots. too,
as his current record of 223 points
in Is Gu games this season shows.
He got 20 points last night in
Gus losing battle against Mount
st. Mary's.
Arthur Scott Cranston, jr., took
the second part Of the handle be-
cause his dad was the best known
Artie Cranston in town, a star
halfback with the old Rex A. C..
football team 80 years ago. Scotty's
mother, Marie Rice Cranston, was
good enough at golf to win some
trophies, so her 6 foot uninhibited
son comes by his athletic ability
honestly enough.
Sure, He Likes to Shoot.
Some grandstand wolves have
accused Scotty of being hungry"
the trade term for a player who
shoots every time he gets a paw
on the ball. Cranston isn't both
cred by such charges.
II like to shoot" he acknowl-
edged. who doesn't? But none
of my teammates ever said I was
hungry or wasn't a team player"
Coach Abe Rosenf1eld says
Scotty doesn't shoot often enough
to suit him.
"He's perfectionist," the coach
says. "He can score from any
angle and he's got one Of the best
Ifadeaway shots I've ever SEEN"
One could get arrn-weary shak-
ing a stick at all the teams Scotty
has played on. many Of which he
helped organize. Catholic US
present eligibility rules permit
students to play on amateur
teams outside school and he has
taken full advantage Of it.
44-to-0 Shutout.
At Sacred Heart Grade School.
where Bob Dwyer first taught
him the rudiments Of the game,
Cranston remembers helping shut
out st. Stephens School. 44-0.
A few years later, after Fred Rice,
jr., son Of the old Gu coach.
showed him how to make hook
shot. Scotty scored 43 points in
an independent game at Rock
vile. He was on the Gonzaga
High School team Of 1945 that
won a Christmas tournament for
150-pound teams at the Wash
ington Boys Club, Eastern
Branch; won the ST. Johns tour
nament, defeated Loyola of Bal
timore in an inter-city Catholic
title game and lost by one point
to Tech in The Evening Star
tournament.
The best SHOEMAKER he ever
played against was Jim Lacy Of
Loyola, but for all-around court
ability Scotty chooses Acky Viana.
a sandlot player. Cranston thinks
Viana, who never played high
school ball, would have been a
great schoolboy and college star.
A pitcher of no mean ability in
baseball, although he depends on
a "blooper" to squeeze by tight
situations. Cranston pitched and
won a double-header for the
Mount Pleasant A. c. against the
Friendship A. C. He beat Gene
Gould, former Western All-High
hurler, on a three-hitter, 40, and
topped Herb henson, 10, on a
one-hitter. He later duplicated
the oneshit, 10 victory over Ben
son in high school game.
Bowls 1870 in Only Game.
Cranston's natural athletic abil-
ity probably is best illustrated by
the story of his only attempt at
duckpin bowling. He and some
high school cronies were sitting
around on the Powell Playground
rtrn ro