SMITH ELECTED 1926 BASKETBALL CAPTAIN

William Thompson Smith '26 of East Ely, Nev., was elected captain of the University basketball team for next year when the letter-men met at Notman's Studio yesterday. Smith has been a regular forward for two seasons, and was the high scorer on this year's team.

Smith is one of the few University captains who was never a preparatory school star. He entered the University from Phillips Exeter Academy, where he was manager of the school basketball team. Upon entering college, he decided to transfer his activities from the managing to the playing end of the game, and he made good from the start. He was the star of his Freshman team, and he made the University five as a Sophomore.

Next Year's Outlook Rosy

He will lead a strong combination next year if this year's Freshman five live up to expectations and the returning members of the University squad make the improvement naturally to be expected. With himself and Slocum, 1928 star, or Jones at forwards, Leekley or Rauh at center, and Malick and probably Barbee of the Freshmen at the guards positions, Coach Wachter will start the coming season with a much rosier outlook than he faced last fall.

The success of the Crimson team this year is looked upon by sport followers as very much of a personal triumph for Coach Wachter. The material at the outset was unpromising, and the departure of two of the greatest players Harvard has ever had, Gordon and Rudofsky, left gaping holes in the line-up.

The result was a succession of experiments and shifts throughout the season before the most effective combination was settled. Despite the frequent changes in the line-up Coach Wachter perfected a degree of teamwork which completely made up for the absence of individual stars.

The record of the team was the best that a Harvard team has made in four years. The high light of the season was the victory over Yale, in which the Blue was completely outplayed. The Crimson team was consistent throughout the year. however, and won 11 games in 13 starts. The defeats, at the hands of two Inter-collegiate League teams, Dartmouth and Columbia, were lost by narrow margins. In the Dartmouth contest on the Green's home court, the Crimson team showed some of its best basketball of the year before losing by a six-point margin.