15 February

## 1920

**Syracuse Herald**- Rafter And Crisp Tied In Scoring

Lead Syracuse Basketball Point Getters With 112 Each; Team Claims Title; Is After Independent Club Championship Of State

With a record of 16 games won and only one lost the All-Syracuse basketball team is preparing to lay claim to the independent court championship of the state. Only the Centrals of Rochester and the Orioles of Buffalo stand in the path of Syracuse’s road to the championship and Syracuse now has the edge over the Orioles. That team caused Syracuse’s only defeat of the season, but that was atoned for with a clean-cut victory over the Buffalonians. The Centrals of Rochester have not yet been conquered, but it is understood games with that club will be played here soon. Play of the Syracuse team in its climb toward high rank among independent teams has been marked by the clever shooting of Billy Rafter from the field, and the consistent throwing of Wilbur Crisp from the foul line and a splendid sprint of team play. Rafter and Crisp are tied for leadership in the matter of points scored, each having tallied 112. The team total for 17 games is 402. Rafter has scored his 112 points by looping the ball into the net from field play on 56 occasions. Crisp has scored only 22 goals from the field, but his total is brought up to the same figure as Rafter’s by the 68 one-point markers which he scored from the foul line. Joe Schwarzer, who has not been with the team for the last few weeks, but who had the foul pitching assignment early in the season, is next with 52 points scored, 40 of which were tallied with 20 baskets from the field and 12 of which came from foul throws. Captain Tormey, who missed a few games and played only a part of others, ranks just a point below Schwarzer with 51, these coming of 23 field baskets and five foul shots. Casey ranks next with 40 points, each coming from field baskets. Martin, who has played since Schwarzer left the team and who also was on duty during Crisp’s inability to play, has scored 14 baskets for a total of 28 points. Sweltzer, Dolley and Simons, serving as substitutes, have contributed 10 points to the team total. The number of field baskets scored by Casey, Crisp and Tormey is practically the same and speaks much for the team work displayed. These players have shot comparatively few times, feeding the ball to Rafter whenever possible.

Syracuse May Enter League Next Season

Basketball Move Depends On Fans Attitude, Crisp Says; Place Is Open Now; Local Team Appears Able To Compete With Present Lineup

Syracuse may enter a team in the New York State Basketball League next season. Wilbur Crisp, one of three men directing the fortunes of the professional team now playing independently here, is authority for the statement that the plan is under consideration. If Syracuse fandom shows a sentiment for league basketball, application for a league franchise will be made next season, according to Crisp. There is now a vacancy in the league. Ten clubs started in the pennant race but Hudson has withdrawn. Syracuse would probably be welcomed if it applied, but such a step will not be taken this year under any circumstances, Mr. Crisp says. The Syracuse team could enter State League company with its present team, or at least with four members of it, and be fairly certain of finishing in the first division. An aggressive center on the team whose presence would permit Tormey to return to his old position at forward with Billy Rafter would be the only change needed in the team. Crisp and Casey pairing as guards appear able to hold their own and no team in the league has a better pair of forwards, both in point scoring and general floor covering ability, than Rafter and Tormey. These four men would not be handicapped by professional rules, which would have to be adopted if the team enters the league. Tormey and Rafter know the rules well, having played them often and Crisp and Casey have each had some experience with the rules. The Syracuse team would suffer by the new rules only in the fact that Crisp would not be allowed to shoot all foul throws on the team. In professional basketball the man on whom a personal foul is committed, or the man whose individual opponent makes a technical foul, must make the free try for a goal. Two more ways in which professional ball differs with the intercollegiate style of play are as to dribbles and tip-off. In professional basketball a player is allowed to dribble the ball, pick it up, and dribble again. In intercollegiate ball the dribble must be continuous. On the tip-off at center or during the course of play when the ball is declared held, professional rules do not permit a player to catch the ball after jumping for it. This is permissible in intercollegiate play, as staged now in the Armory. Professional ball is not a more rough game than collegiate, both styles of play being decidedly clean if the contesting players have a desire to be real sportsmen. The cleanliness of the professional rule game, if the players so desire, was demonstrated in the game played here recently by the Glens Falls basketball team. In the first half playi8ng on a foreign court in a nip and tuck battle the visiting team had only one foul called against it. This was one of the closest games of the year, as is known from the fact that the score at the end of this half, in which only the one foul was called on the visitors, was 7 to 6 against Syracuse. This period was under professional rules. In the second half of that game intercollegiate rules were played. The game continued close, Syracuse winning by a score of 17 to 9, and result being in doubt until the final five minutes of play, four of them being for violations of intercollegiate rules by use of the professional rule dribble. To play fast teams from cities to the east of Syracuse or from the middle west, the Syracuse management is forced to book clubs that play professional rules. It has been securing teams from the western section of this state and Ohio of late that play intercollegiate rules, but the clubs have been outclassed here. Even the highly advertised Buffalo Orioles failed to give the Syracusans an even contest after the first five minutes of play. The Buckeyes of Dayton, the Tuscarora Indians, the Goodyears of Akron, the Kodaks of Rochester and the Owasco club of Auburn have all proved easy foes. The only teams that gave Syracuse a real battle were Glens Falls and Mohawk, the latter playing under the guise of Canajoharie, both professional rule playing clubs and both of which led Syracuse at the end of the first half and the Ogdensburg club which also plays professional rule ball.

## 1955

**Syracuse Herald Journal**- Nats Gather 7 Triumphs In 8 Starts

Syracusans Down Hawks By Point

Winners of four straight and seven of their last eight games, the first place Syracuse Nationals hit the banquet trail tonight while awaiting a game with Boston here Thursday. The Nats nipped Milwaukee 82-81 in Toledo last night, but failed to gain ground on the on the second place New York Knicks who made it five in a row downing Fort Wayne 92-88 at Miami, Fla. Team members will be in attendance at the Elmwood Fish and Game Club gathering. Manager Al Cervi will join club president Dan Biasone in attending the Syracuse Athlete-of-the-Year dinner honoring Merton “Mid” O’Hare. Syracuse rallied in the final three minutes to beat the Hawks. Milwaukee led 75-73 when the Nats inserted four big men into the lineup along with George King. Earl Lloyd’s jump shot with 2:40 to play tied the count and Dolph Schayes sank a pair of free throws to give the Nats an edge they never again relinquished. Quickly the Nats sped ahead 82-77 but two late baskets by the Hawks cut into the margin. George King was high man for Syracuse with 17 points. Bill Kenville was sidelined by illness. The Nationals will be guests of the Park Club, an organization at General Electric plant, at a meeting tomorrow night at 8 o’clock in the Electronics Park auditorium. Earle Harvey, club president, announced the Nats would be introduced by Bob Sexton, general manager of the Nationals. Movies of the team in action will be shown.

SYRACUSE: Rocha (3-7-13), Schayes (4-6-14), Lloyd (6-2-14), Kerr (6-2-14), King (8-1-17), Seymour (2-2-6), Farley (2-0-4) TOTALS (31-20-82). MILWAUKEE: Pettit (3-6-12), Calhoun (0-1-1), Cooper (6-6-18), Hannum (2-2-6), Share (6-7-19), Hitch (1-0-2), Selvy (5-4-14), Harrison (3-2-8), Saul (0-1-1) TOTALS (26-29-81).

Score at halftime- Syracuse 45, Milwaukee 43.