22 February

## 1920

**Syracuse Herald**- All-Syracuse Loses

All-Syracuse Is Defeated By One Point; Crisp’s Men Drop Game To Ogdensburg By 13 To 12 Count; Finish Is Exciting; Locals Unable To Score Field Goal In First Half

The All-Syracuse basketball team tonight went down to defeat before Company I by a score of 13 to 12 in one of the best basketball games ever witnessed in this section. The game was hard fought throughout, the visiting aggregation making a whirlwind finish that came within a point of winning the game. The score at the end of the first half was 7 to 2 in favor of the home team. Billy Rafter, the diminutive forward of the visitors, and Jim Tormey, center of the Syracuse club, rivaled with McNally and Farren of Ogdensburg for the individual honors of the game. The game was played before a crowd of 1,500 people, completely filling the Armory and was the roughest seen here in many years. Ladoceur was injured and was compelled to retire in the second half. Gallagher, a student of St. Mary’s Academy, finished the game. During the first half Syracuse was unable to score a field basket and was content with two fouls. Syracuse scored five field baskets and Company I scored three during the second half. The summary follows:

ALL-SYRACUSE: Rafter, lf (1-0-2), Martin, rf (1-0-2), Tormey, c (2-0-4), Crisp, rg (0-2-2), Casey, lg (1-0-2) TOTALS (5-2-12). OGDENSBURG: Farrand, rf (3-0-6), McNally, lf (2-1-5), Ladoceur, c (1-0-2), Gallagher, c, (0-0-0), Cody, rg (1-0-2), Clouthier, lg (2-0-4) TOTALS (6-1-13).

Rules- intercollegiate. Time of halves- 20 minutes; score at halftime- Ogdensburg 7, All-Syracuse 3; referee- Brown of Colgate.

**Syracuse Post Standard**- All-Syracuse Five Defeated In Hard Game

Company I Of Ogdensburg Victorious After Stirring Struggle; Tormey Proves Star; Effort To Arrange Deciding Contest Halted By Injury To Ladoceur

Ogdensburg- In one of the roughest games ever played in this city the Company I team of this city defeated the All-Syracuse quintet 13 to 12 at the State Armory tonight. A crowd of more than 1,000 spectators packed the armory and gave vent to unlimited enthusiasm throughout the contest, which at times became so rough that Referee Brown with difficulty maintained control of the situation. Farrand played brilliantly for Ogdensburg caging three field baskets. He was ably assisted by McNally, who hurled the ball through the iron rim twice from the field and added a point from the foul line. Captain Jim Tormey was the star of the visitors. He sent the ball spinning through the net on two occasions from difficult angles. Martin and Rafter played a clever passing game, but they were closely watched by Cody and Clouthier and had few chances to shoot at the basket. All-Syracuse staged a wonderful rally in the last five minutes of play and had the Company I team on the run when the final whistle blew. Ladoceur, pivot of the Ogdensburg five, suffered an injury to his chest in the second half and was forced to withdraw from the game. A third game between the two teams has been arranged and will probably be played at Syracuse within the next two weeks. The injury to Ladoceur prevented a return game next week. The summary:

ALL-SYRACUSE: Rafter, lf (1-0-2), Martin, rf (1-0-2), Tormey, c (2-0-4), Crisp, rg (0-2-2), Casey, lg (1-0-2) TOTALS (5-2-12). OGDENSBURG: Farrand, rf (3-0-6), McNally, lf (2-1-5), Ladoceur, c (1-0-2), Gallagher, c, (0-0-0), Cody, rg (1-0-2), Clouthier, lg (2-0-4) TOTALS (6-1-13).

## 1947

**Syracuse Herald Journal**- From Skidding The Sports Field

Big Mike Novak should Have Clinic

Prof. Michael Novak, the cool, calm man of the Syracuse Nationals, should arrange a clinic for young basketball players of Syracuse and the vicinity, appointing himself a one-man faculty. If you haven’t been watching the pros play of late, you’ll have to take my word for it that Prof. Mike is the snappiest specimen of center Syracuse basketball has ever known. He’s 6-foot-10, and one of the best team players ever to hit the court. He had a particularly “hot night” Thursday, featuring a romp victory for his team over Youngstown. If Michael hadn’t been there, at his best, it could have been a close game but he looped in 24 points, set up about 24 more and poor Youngstown never had a chance. It is to be hoped that every high school basketball player in town, and every basketball player, was there for the occasion. And each should have had a notebook in hand, because Sir Michael of Loyola was giving the greatest demonstration of how basketball should be played they ever will see. Mike missed his first shot at the basket. He made good on the second. Then he tried a foul and shot it. Then he tried three more field shots, sinking each of them. He shot another foul, then another, and then he dropped in three more field goals. For seven straight shots from the field, he accounted for seven baskets. Just before the half ended he tried another shot. He missed that one. Novak left the floor for the between half rest with a record of 17 points on seven field goals and three fouls. He had made good on seven of nine shots. Between the halves his mates told he was “hot” and wanted to know how he felt about being “fed” and making a “real night of it” in the second half. The Nats were leading 39 to 18, a 21-point margin, and Novak said they were playing the best ball of the entire year and that Youngstown wasn’t a bad club. “We’re clicking because everybody is trying and everybody is getting a piece of that ball all the time,” he said. “We’re jockeying some man loose for a good shot and he’s making it. To the deuce with good nights for anybody. Let’s show this crowd some basketball that will send them out of here happy and ready to fight to get in the next time we play.” To all of which Benny Borgmann said “Amen.” Starting the next half, nevertheless, the Nats all were Novak shot minded, except Mike himself. They’d mill the ball around, trying to jockey him into position. He just wouldn’t take shots, always passing off. The result was that three minutes and 40 seconds, a long time in basketball, passed before Youngstown scored the first basket of the half. Then Mike netted one, giving him eight for 10 for the night, and a moment later he waved to Borgmann on the beach and asked to be taken out. He did go out and had five minutes rest. When he came back, he picked up five points more. He could have 30, if he wanted them. Instead of going point mad himself, Novak directed play throughout the game, shooting nice passes to Meehan, Rizzo, Nelmark and others, taking part in pass plays that were unusually pretty. Refusing to go mad about the individual point total of his own, he helped his club far more, and he kept the 2,000 or more who attended the game, alive and enthusiastic, despite the one-sided score, by his bat passes, his jump tips and his all around effectiveness. Slowly but surely big Mike is becoming Syracuse’s most popular athlete. Keep your eye on him. He’ll be here a long time and he’ll be the toast of the city. And his spirit, as he rushes around in the limelight, will have fine influence on the younger basketeers. Boys from 12 to 16 years are the greatest of all mimics. Boys of all ages love basketball and they pick out their idols among the better players and copy after them. Teaching boys that the sacrifice plays have a part in basketball as well as in baseball, Mike is doing a great job. Watch the Boys’ club basketball game and the Y.M.C.A. boys’ game, and the grammar school and C.Y.O. junior games and you’ll see the reflection of Mike’s play. The tall guy really deserves a great big hand. He is class on the basketball court in every move he makes. He is the club’s student player and yet with the players he is by far the most popular man. A star who draws big pay and who can make his fellow players fond of him is quite a fellow. Novak is all of that. If you haven’t seen him play yet, take a trip to the Armory and look him over. Monday night is the next home date.

## 1955

**Syracuse Herald Journal**- Nats-Celtics Collide At N.Y.C. Garden

Knicks Play Warriors In Second Tilt; Rochester Has Lost 9 Games In Row

The Minneapolis Lakers ran their winning streak to five games today and cut Fort Wayne’s once imposing seven-length lead in the Western Division to a mere three games. With 6-foot, 9-inch Clyde Lovellette scoring 26 points, the Lakers beat Rochester, 112-110, at Spencer, Iowa, last night, handing the Royals their ninth straight loss. It was also the Royals’ second loss in as many nights to the Lakers.  The Royals seek to snap their long losing streak tonight when they play the Milwaukee Hawks on the latter’s court. In other games tonight Boston plays Syracuse and Philadelphia meets the Knicks in a twin bill at Madison Square Garden, New York. Rochester coach Les Harrison, however, protested the game to league president Maurice Podoloff. Harrison claimed Jim Holstein of Minneapolis passed the ball in beyond the 10-second stripe when the Lakers had it out of bounds with two seconds left to play. Vern Mikkelsen and Slater Martin aided Lovellette with 16 points each for the Lakers while Bob Davies tallied 20 for Rochester. Defending champion Neil Johnston of the Philadelphia Warriors has solidified his hold on first place in the National Basketball Association’s scoring race. In addition, the stringbean center has moved further ahead in the rebound department. Johnston tallied 160 points in his last six games for 1,282 points in 57 contests. This gave him a comfortable lead over teammate and runnerup Paul Arizin, who has scored 1,199. Frank Selvy of the Milwaukee Hawks, who has led the league for 11 weeks, slipped to fifth place with 1,168. Sandwiched between are Boston’s Bob Cousy with 1,179 and Milwaukee’s Bob Pettit with 1,177. Johnston snared 75 rebounds last week to put him well ahead of defending champion Harry Gallatin of New York, 862-813.

From Highlighting Sports By Jack Slattery

Nats In Best Condition In Years

The Syracuse Nats are in better physical condition than they have been for more than two years. The emergence of the three rookies, Dick Farley, John Kerr and Jim Tucker, the rounding into shape of Wally Osterkorn gives Coach Al Cervi a bench to play with. Strong reserve is a luxury Al hasn’t been able to enjoy all season. After Sunday’s game Osterkorn sat steaming in a far corner of the locker room. “Little tired?” Wally was asked. The big guy wearily shook his head. “Funny thing, I didn’t gain any weight while I was laid off. It just moved around a bit. I’m sort of a displaced person. Out there today the top part of me wanted to go, but the bottom part just wouldn’t move.” Coming out of the War Memorial Danny Biasone beamed his pleasure. The strength displayed by the Nats encouraged Danny as he hasn’t been encouraged in some time. The thought of a first place finish and a day or two rest while the second and third place teams battled for the right to play the divisional leader was a happy one.