American Basketballers Not Complacent

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31110, 13 July 1966, Page 19

American Basketballers Not Complacent

The overwhelming victories in the three matches in New Zealand have not made the San Jose State College basketball team complacent.

“We are treating this match very seriously”, the team’s coach (Mr S. K. Inman) said on his return to Christchurch yesterday when asked how he was approaching the fixture against New Zealand Universities to be played in Cowles Stadium this evening.

“We take all our games seriously and have been particularly looking forward to this one,” he said. As a college side they had much in common with the universities team.

With only the match against Nelson - Marlborough - Wellington before the first test on July 18, the team could not afford to let up. Mr Inman said that he was very pleased with the way the team was shaping. It had been disappointing in the first half against Canterbury-Otago-Southland on Monday but had come back well in the second half to win, 76-22. The team arrived in Christchurch yesterday jaded after three matches in as many days. It was decided to give the team a free day to recuperate and several visits planned to schools were cancelled.

A light practice will be held at Cowles Stadium at noon today. The poor defence the tourists have had to contend with in their games so far has surprised them. “People have asked my why we do not take any long shots. The truth is that the defence has been

so weak that we have not needed to,” said the 6ft 6in centre, F. Tarrants. “Defence is 50 per cent of the game and they do not seem to realise it,” Tarrants said. The time to rest was on offence, not on defence. “Possession of the ball does not seem as dear to New Zealanders, or even to Australians, as it does to us,” he said. Bad passing w'as another very obvious fault. New Zealanders played more as individuals than was the case in America, said W. Clegg, a 6ft sin forward. “They do not help one another as much as they should.”

One of the most impressive features of the teams they had met was the great determination. “They never give up. They could be 50 points behind and would be playing as if they were just starting,” Tarrants and Clegg agreed. Tonight’s game against New Zealand Universities may be the toughest so far. It is unlikely that the Americans will be greatly troubled. The universities players have not played together as a team this season. The selector-coach (Mr B. Bowden) was criticised for his choice and it would be unfair to expect too much of the team. It has to face a team with an average height of 6ft 4in when its own average height is about 6ft. The teams are:—

SAN JOSE SPARTAN’S.— R. Carpenter, W. Clegg, C.

Denzer, R. Durand, J. Gleason. J. Keating, D. McConnell, P. Newell, S. T. Saffold, S. Schlink, F. Tarrants.

N.Z. UNIVERSITIES.—W. Ward-Holmes, T. Griffin, P. Stannard, D. Roche, J. Rapson (all Wellington), C. Morris, W. E. Smith, J. Stead (Canterbury), I. Day, M. Orbell (Otago). Reserves: G. Williams, M. Askew (Canterbury).