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The National Basketball Report: February 14, 1957

NBR Top Twenty
1. Kansas State (19-1, LW 1)
2. Indiana (20-1, 2)
3. Kentucky (18-2, 3)
4. Washington (20-3, 4)
5. Kansas (18-4, 5)
6. NC State (17-6, 6)
7. North Carolina (19-4, 8)
8. Seattle (26-3, 7)
9. Duke (17-5, 10)
10. San Francisco (21-3, 14)
11. Bradley (16-4, 13)
12. Southern California (16-5, 9)
13. Duquesne (22-5, 15)
14. Arkansas (18-5, 14)
15. West Virginia (20-4, 15)
16. Dayton (20-5, 18)
17. OKlahoma A&M (17-3, 16)
18. La Salle (22-5, NR)
19. California (15-6, 20)
20. UCLA (16-5, NR)
Dropped Out: Oregon State (17), Oregon (19)




The Season Inside
Taking the road least traveled to find rivalry and revelry


Throughout the season, conference races get heated. Except in this season. The ACC, Big 7, Big Ten, PCC, and SEC races have all but fizzled out. You already know who is getting in, who is vying for a top seed...there is incredibly little drama in those conferences.


What about a conference where there is only one postseason bid? What about a conference where the foes are so heated, police are often on standby in case the fans get rowdy? What about a conference involving a bunch of players few outside its jurisdiction have ever heard of, but within that perimeter, they are heroes?


This is life in the Mountan State Athletic Conference...the conference nobody wants to concede.


The conference which gives no quarter.


The conference, which resides in the Rocky Mountain range, includes teams from Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The conference has some notable players, primarily Utah's sterling guard, Robert Peeler, and the Utah State duo, Benjamin Doolittle and Fran Upshaw. Outside of that, little is known by the common fan. What should be known is this: As UNC, Duke, and the like travel on luxurious buses in fine weather, these schools are traveling around on rented buses in snowy conditions through treacherous trails.


"We had an accident heading to Provo, about a year back," said Peeler, discussing a trip to BYU last year. "A car spun out of control, and hit us. We ended up in a ditch alongside the road. They didn't have another bus for four hours, and it was snowing. The officers brought a paddy wagon for us.


"Unfortunately, that slipped on an ice patch, and ended up about a quarter-mile down the road in another ditch."


The life of the Mountain Stater is not glamorous. Your story, outside of local papers and this publication, will most likely go untold. The time zone is not conducive to East Coast reporters, and the West Coast already has the PCC to worry about. Only four players over three seasons have been in the national recruiting top 150, which is considered the upper echelon of recruit. Those are:


1953: C Hal Myers, Utah State (110th)
1954: PF Dave Baptist, Utah (104th)
1955: C David Long, BYU (103rd) and PG Rudy Grimmett, Colorado A&M (106th)


The most highly-ranked class is the 1954 Utah team, which ranked 48th. Last year's overall haul, in which half the conference ranked from 52nd to 89th, is considered the best yet.


"Our kids see opportunity here," said Utah coach Lacy Hutchens. "We see the true value of the player's hard work and dedication. We aren't always going to land Captain Hotshot, but we will land Hustle Russell."


This year has seen a culmination of years of Hustle Russells. The conference race is heated, more heated than any race in the country.


And nobody knows about it...until now.


Conference play began on January 21st. Going into conference play, Utah had the conference's best record, at 8-5. What has happened since has been nothing short of chaos.


January 21st
New Mexico 69, Utah 67 (OT): A wonderful primer for Mountain State play; the two teams combine for 46 fouls, and the Lobos' Dean Burroughs hit a fading shot from the corner at the buzzer to send it to overtime. With 1:33 left, he found Michael Weiland for a score, giving New Mexico a 69-67 lead. New Mexico forced a Utah miss, but Weiland traveled with :35 left. Gene Theisen had an open look, but missed. Fritz Owens got the rebound, and threw up a wild shot, hoping to get a foul. He missed. Robert Peeler fouled Hobert Chastain, fouling out of the game with :05 left. Chastain missed both free throws, giving Utah one more shot. Theisen got the rebound, took two dribbles, and launched a ball 75 feet. It hit the rim, but did not fall. The Lobos welcomed Utah to the season inside with a loss.


"We call it the season inside because it is simply more important to us than the season out there," said New Mexico head coach Tony Fuller. "We know this conference isn't getting more than one bid yet. We get our games outside of here, we take a few licks, and we get ready. Then we get inside our real season, the one inside our conference. The season inside, that's our goal. Anything out of it is gravy."


Denver beat Wyoming, 63-55, getting the Pioneers to 8-7. The aptly-named Marco Winner scores 19. They are one of two teams over .500 at this stage. They also own the league's best outside wins this year, beating Michigan State, Saint Mary's, Stanford, and Colorado on the road. They may be the best-tested for the season inside.


"Oh, that's a bunch of malarkey," said Pioneer coach, James Dao about Fuller's talk of the season inside. "That's the talk of a man who does not have a complete program. Look, you want to be the best? Go play somebody. Get better. You get better by learning from other teams, by finding what works for your team. These schools that want to play half the season, fine. Games are games. Play your best, be your best, and your best gets better as you become more experienced."


Make no mistake, however: the Mountain State is not like the ACC. When a school from a "big" conference gets taken down, the coaching staff usually gets congratulatory phone calls or telegrams about it the next day. Of course, that is after a call is placed to the advance men who were at the game, taking notes about who did what, and what was run. Despite the weather, these men conduct their thankless jobs with incredible detail.


January 26: The first full day of conference games. Denver takes out Utah, 79-70, sending a message across the conference. The Utes are 0-2, and Denver 2-0. Utah State, the preseason favorite, opens things up with a handy win over BYU. The Cougars, the program many thought would become kings of the conference, are an afterthought after three directionless seasons.


January 28: Utah gets in the win column with a 30-point win over Colorado A&M. That was not a surprise. What was a major surprise was BYU's 55-39 win over Denver. Denver was held to 29% shooting. Though, to hear Dao say it, BYU had little to do with it.


"Sometimes you don't shoot well," said Dao. "Sure, defense has something to do with it. But we missed twelve layups. We were not ready to play today. Sometimes, you tip your cap to the other team. And sometimes, you look in the mirror. Today was a day to look in the mirror."


February 2: Montana shocked Utah, 90-81, while Denver rebounded with a big, 66-55 win over Utah State. Their lead in the conference is conditional, though; BYU beat New Mexico, 66-59, has played one less game, and would hold a tiebreaker over Denver if the two were to tie (at least, for now). BYU is 6-13 on the year, but 2-1 on the season inside.


"We talked to our kids before the conference season started," BYU coach Maxwell Scudder said. "We had an honest talk with them. We played an amibitious schedule before the season started. We took some hard falls, but we made some progress, too. I told them I thought we were a better team than we were at the beginning of the season, and if they stayed mentally tough, and saw through it all, we were really 0-0. And we liked our chances. Our kids never lost focus."


BYU played NC State, Arkansas, Temple, Cal, Syracuse, Southern Cal, Illinois, Duke, Washington State, Saint Mary's, and Oregon before their conference slate took hold. During one stretch, they lost ten of eleven games. Since then, they are 6-3.


February 4: Denver and New Mexico took a break from the conference, registering non-conference wins. But BYU took the conference lead, blasting Colorado A&M, 73-57. Utah State beat up on Jekyll-and-Hyde Montana, 78-48, while Utah took out Wyoming, 64-59. The Cowboys are the one program that has had difficulty finding their footing in the conference. They are 0-5.


"We are a young team," said Wyoming head man Israel Schneider. "We're going to take our lumps. We play two seniors, and start three juniors. I think we're showing progress. This league is tight, from top to bottom. All we can do is ask our kids to learn and get better every day. If we do that, the chips will fall where they may."


Montana, meanwhile, seems to be the wild card in this whole mix. They beat Utah, in Salt Lake City no less, then turn around and lose by thirty at home to a similarly up-and-down Utah State team. They're 7-13, and in searching for answers, have found more questions.


"It's like a leaky ship," said Ellsworth Rainbolt, who is in his first year as the head coach at Montana after spending the last three years as the assistant coach at Kansas State. "You find one hole, plug it up, and another hole springs up. You're slowly going under, but you're going to prolong it as much as possible. We had that one five-game losing streak to start, then got a win...then had Syracuse and Seattle. Fine. We beat Idaho, but then had another losing streak. After the Utah win, I thought we may have turned a corner. I think we walked into one."


Montana, for the moment, is 2-2 in the conference.


February 9: Montana would fall again, this time 60-58 to Brigham Young. The loss came despite forcing 21 turnovers out of the Cougars. A 36-26 rebounding edge got BYU to 4-1 in the conference. Perhaps the turnaround is complete. At least, in these circles, they are an afterthought no more.


"We are eight and thirteen," said Scudder. "It is not time to sit back and rest on our laurels. Our laurels are thorns. Sit back, get pricked. This team should not feel comfortable and headstrong at this point."


The Cougars had let a nine-point halftime lead slip, and fell behind 52-51 with 3:35 left. They stretched it back to 59-54 with :14 left. Many who were at the game, though, say that if the Grizzlies had one more possession, that game may have gone into overtime.


"BYU was tired," said one scout afterwards. "Montana closed on them hard. They just ran out of time. Give them two more minutes of gametime, and Montana wins that."


Denver stayed with BYU, getting a key 63-61 win over New Mexico. Hubert Steffens led the Pioneers with 17. In many ways, Steffens embodies the Mountain State player.


"He's a heads up player," said Dao of Steffens. "He isn't flashy. Good jump shot. Hits his free throws, especially big ones. He rebounds well for his size (5.8 rebounds, 6'1 guard). He has gotten better every year he's been in the program. He's a kid who came in, knew his job, and does his job. He's just gotten better at doing it. He has his abilities. I wouldn't say he's outplayed them, like Winner. But he knows his strengths, and plays to them."


Marco Winner, meanwhile, started out of necessity on last year's 10-19 team. In many ways, he is the face of the program.


"He struggled early on," said Dao. "He's a guy who worked hard, and got into games, but he pushed too hard. He rushed his game. He had to learn. Now, he's near a thousand points. I don't know that anyone could have predicted that when he was a freshman. He didn't start until last year. He is not the fastest player, nor the biggest, nor the strongest. But you will have a hard time finding anyone who plays harder."


Utah State, meanwhile, cannot find their rhythm. They lose, handedly, to Colorado A&M. The 6'10, 245-pound behemoth for A&M, Josh Bernal, led the way with 20, adding to his conference record of career points (as of this writing, he is at 1,402). His nickname in the conference is "Sasquatch." This, despite the fact that hal Myers, Bernal's direct opponent in this game, is twenty pounds bigger.


"We call him the Yeti," said Bernal.


February 11: Utah gains some revenge, beating Brigham Young, 85-73. Robert Peeler, the star of the conference, scored 12 and dished 16 assists.


"I look at the things he does, and wonder why he chose Utah," said one scout.


Peeler is the conference's second-all-time scorer, behind Bernal. He is the Mountain State's all-time assist man, with 658 going into publication. He has 315 more than second place. And he's humble about it.


"I get to pass to guys who score," said Peeler. "It isn't rocket science. Do you see what those guys are doing? They're putting spaceships up there. All I do is throw a ball. The other guy has to score it."


If Utah (11-8, 3-3) is to pull this conference out, it will be because Peeler has willed them to it. On this day, he willed Jack Gallagaher to a career-high 22 in a must-win game against a conference leader. He has nutured forward Ernest Pedro into a consistent scorer. He makes the plays in front of him, and doesn't leave any plays on the floor.


BYU, meanwhile, never felt in sync. The old doubt returns, at least for a night. Players were hesitant. The Cougars commited 22 turnovers.


"We weren't us," said Scudder. "We were what we've been."


Colorado A&M, meanwhile, pulled even with the tops of the conference, beating Denver on the road, 80-69. Sasquatch scored just 11, but he had help. Pedro Duran had 15 with eight boards. John Waldman scored 12, Joe Bethune put up 11 off the bench.


"We have, perhaps, more experience than anyone here," said Aggie coach Ralph Musselman. "Seven guys have started many games for us. It seems like everyone on our roster has at least ten games in. Seven of our guys have been in the program for three years, at least. When you're around each other that long, you're bound to gain chemistry. They know where they are. It starts with 'Quatch, but everyone knows who is going to be where.


"With this outfit, it's a matter of hitting shots. That is not something we're particularly good at."


The Aggies are 122nd in field goal percentage. They've relied on the defense, which is among the worst in points allowed, but fourth in the conference in field goal percentage against. A lot of that comes from the thirty-point loss to Utah. Aside from that, they've been stingy.


Meanwhile, Utah State, for all of their stutters and failures to sustain success, find themselves tied atop the conference, after holding on in the final minute to beat Wyoming, 50-49. The loss kept the Cowboys winless, at 0-6. The win makes this a whole new conference.


Going into publication, this is the outlook:


On Saturday (2.16), Utah travels to Utah State in the key game. On Monday, Denver travels to Utah. It is possible that the fate of the Utes will be determined in these two games. Or, it will be determined that nothing will be determined. Look at how the first go-round of games went.


There is a lot of basketball to be played in the season inside. With just one place at the table, these teams will do what it takes to get in the chair. On the final day of the season, when Utah State travels to Utah, BYU plays Wyoming, Denver goes to Montana, and New Mexico heads to Coloraod A&M, chances are that nothing will be settled.


We'll have to wait for the snow to melt, and the dust to clear.


---


The List
Finalizing the list for major awards


There is a month to go before the tournaments get announced, and plenty of action between now and mid-March. However, the major awards should begin to be investigated.


Let's take a look.


National Player of the Year


Elijah Davis, SG, Clemson. Davis is the frontrunner for the award, in part for his play, and in part for leading a Clemson team expected to go nowhere towards a NCAA berth, while generally finding defenses geared towards stopping him every single night. He is averaging a nation-high 23.3 points a game, a full two points higher than Harvard's Matthew Cordoba. He's also averaging 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He's shooting 52% from the field, 81% from the line, despite facing those defense that are geared to stop him. He has scored 2145 points in his career, heading into publication. This is not just purely a Player of the Year award, but a Career Achievement Award. Davis is one of the finest collegiate players ever, and will be fifty years from now.


John Hildebrand, PG, West Virginia. The senior star is averaging 14.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 4.7 rebounds a game. He is the top point man in the nation, and has taken on more of an offensive burden as the Mountaineers require his shoulders to carry them. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.28 is the third-best mark for anyone averaging over an assist a game; out of those two, Chet Terrazas has a bit of a poor man's Hildebrand going on. Normand Herbert of Kansas State doesn't have the numbers. Hildebrand should find himself a spot on the All-American team. And he could win this award yet, especially if Clemson collapses yet.


Sonny Freeman, SF, Dartmouth. You know about Freeman if you read an earlier issue of the Review. He is averaging 18.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists a game. He is also leading a young Dartmouth team to the top of the Ivy League. He has a solid counterpart in Charles Smith (16.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists), but it is Freeman who makes the Indians go. He deserves the acclaim that goes with this list.


Dennis Sawicki, SF, North Carolina. One of the nation's most talented players, Sawicki is averaging 19.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists a game. Sawicki has a talented roster around him, but he is still the leader of a Tar Heels team that has championship aspirations.


JC Quiles, PF, Southern California. Quiles is averaging a double-double, 11.0 points and 11.7 rebounds a game, helping Southern Cal take the next step to the national stage. Quiles is shooting 55% from the field.


National Freshman of the Year


Charles Witten, SG, Idaho. Witten is averaging a frosh-best 17.5 points a game, along with 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Witten is the only Vandal averaging over 8.5 points a game.


Mario Poe, C, Columbia. Poe, who was considered the favorite early on, is averaging 13.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks a game. Columbia has struggled, but Poe has gotten better as the season goes on.


Joshua Azure, PG, Oregon. Azure is putting up 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists a game. He leads all freshman in the latter, and is the only player averaging at least ten points, three rebounds, and three assists a game.


Brent Burchell, PG, Michigan State. Burchell is putting up numbers somewhat similar to Azure. He's scoring more (13.1 ppg), but not quite as productive with rebounds (2.4) or assists (3.0). He is, however, averaging 1.4 steals per a gams, which is tied for third among freshman.


Kelley Kuehl, SG, San Francisco. Kuehl is putting up 12.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game, along with a freshman-leading 1.8 steals for the Dons. He can fill up a stat sheet, and is doing so for a team that has the largest profile on this list.


Coach of the Year


Saul Bray, Seattle. The Chieftains are 26-3 under Bray, who is in his first year after being Washington's top assistant. His defensive approach has paid dividends, as the Chieftains, who start four juniors and one sophomore, are second in the nation in defense.


Shawn Rankins, Syracuse. No matter what you think of Syracuse and their flaky schedule (2-1 vs the top 50), you cannot deny Rankins' ability to motivate and to teach. Syracuse has the seventh-best defense, is first in the nation in field goal percentage against, and has a top-thirty offense.


Romeo Woods, Oklahoma A&M. Woods has led a resurgence in Stillwater, getting the Cowboys off to their best start ever. He has had to juggle many things, including a mostly offensive roster. While his specialty is in defense, he has put together a great offense, one that ranks near the top twenty in many categories.


Duane Lear, Georgia Tech. It isn't quite how you succeed, but what you do once you do so. The Yellow Jackets are 15-6 after a 25-win season with a veteran group. Not many thought they would be terribly good, but here they are.


Dave Johnson, Clemson. The Tigers are 17-6, when many thought they'd be .500, at best. He's doing it with one of the nation's best players, but what else? Johnson's ability to keep Clemson focused, and away from media criticisms, is one of the more outstanding jobs done this season.

NBR NCAA Tournament Projection



1 Indiana Kentucky 1
8 Dartmouth Murray State 8

5 California UCLA 5
4 Duquesne Arkansas 4
East South
3 Duke West Virginia 3
6 Michigan State Georgia Tech 6

7 Connecticut Niagara 7
2 Kansas NC State 2

1 Kansas State Washington 1
8 Toledo Texas Western 8

5 Dayton La Salle 5
4 Southern Cal Oklahoma A&M 4
Midwest West
3 Bradley San Francisco 3
6 Clemson Oregon State 6

7 St. John's Utah State 7
2 North Carolina Seattle 2