GOOD RECORDS FROM GOOD COACHING

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Comments were solicited by the letter which appeared in the February 10 Crime concerning the basketball situation here at Harvard. We are tired of being the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball punching-bag, but would like to take issue with several of the author's suggestions.

We do not think that the solution lies in withdrawing from Ivy League competition. The situation cannot be rectified by refusing to face the problem squarely. Besides Harvard is an integral part of the Ivy League, and student interest lies mainly in our games with traditional rivals.

As for the suggestion that Harvard recruit better basketball material, the recent "fixing" scandals manifest the inherent evils in this system. Besides, the records compiled by Harvard freshmen basketball teams during the past four or five years would not indicate that a dearth of talent is the basis for our present difficulties.

Allow us to draw an analogy with other sports. Year after year, Harvard fields representative teams in almost every sport--track, swimming, crew, squash, etc. The reason for this is not that Harvard has imported "superstars," nor that Harvard has compiled their records by playing non-Ivy schools. We feel that the primary reason for Harvard's consistently good records in these sports lies in the fact that the coaching is excellent.

Is it too much to ask for a 50-50 season in basketball too? --Joseph J. Cacciotti '54   Carl S. Leventhal '54   Henry Parish '55