INDEPENDENTS

EAST—Rating independent teams is simply impossible; we will therefore begin with possibly best coach and teacher in college ball today—Dudey Moore of DUQUESNE—and proceed in no particular order of strength. It is always a pleasure to see what Moore does with the talent available and this year Duquesne has real cause for optimism. Four starters return: Jack Sauer, Bill Ryan, Bob DePalma and Bernie Matthews, plus veterans George Henry and Fritz Binder in reserve. The fifth starter is sure to be rugged (6 feet 4, 215 pounds) Sophomore George Brown. Tough defense, as usual, will be Duquesne's forte. PITTSBURGH has Don Hennon back, but almost no support for him this time. Hennon, only 5 feet 9 but a solid 185 pounds, scored 573 points in his first varsity season last year with a variety of spectacular shots and great driving speed. This season he has no height around him, little experience—and a tough row to hoe. ST. BONAVENTURE has three starters and four other veterans back, an almost certain starting sophomore in Sam Stith, no real height but a crew well adapted to the give-and-go style Coach Donovan teaches. In other words, they're fast and good ball handlers, ARMY has some medium height for a change, the most promising sophomores in 10 years but a schedule still over its head. Returning starters are 6-foot-3 Forward Don DeJardin and 6-foot-2 Guard Charles Darby. The bench is deep but green, HOLY CROSS returns to power with four excellent veteran starters, Art Andreoli, Joseph Hughes, Tom Ryan and Dennis Noschese—plus a big man, finally, in 6-foot-6 Sophomore Center Ralph Brandt, high scorer for the frosh last year. No Heinsohns here yet, but he had to develop too. In his 35th year at NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, Coach Cann has All-America caliber Cal Ramsey, seventh in the nation in rebounds, and three other veterans. Two sophomores will likely start: 6-foot-6 Tom Sanders and little backcourt man Russ Cunningham, top freshman team scorers. NIAGARA'S Taps Gallagher has four of his five best back, led by "Boo" Ellis, who was second in rebounding and fifth in field-goal shooting in the nation last season. The others: Bob Sawyer, Tom Mulroy and Jim Maloney. Back after a year of ineligibility is Tom Truesdale. Taps is satisfied with everything but depth. Three of last year's top scorers return at PENN STATE: Ron Rainey, Bob Edwards and Steve Baidy. Reserves Tom Hancock and Ted Kubista, both 6 feet 4, will help again, and three sophomores are sure squadmen. A solid bunch of Lions, but they play 12 of 19 games on the road, VILLANOVA will have its tallest first five in years, built around 6-foot-8 Sophomore John Scott, a fine corner shot and rebounder. A senior who never tried for the varsity before—6-foot-3 Bill Brennan—will make it, and so will Ken Harrison and Joe Ryan, and 6-foot-7 Tom Brennan. Height, yes; speed, fair; experience, uh-huh; verdict, so-so. Graduation murdered a fine CANISIUS team. Coach Curran only has Greg Britz, an all-round floorman, and Jim Springer—and hope in some upcoming sophomores led by John Rauh and Frank Rojek. The Griffins face a rugged schedule, starting with Kansas. Too bad. In the same boat is Coach Guley at SYRACUSE. The team is lone returnee Jon Cincebox, 6 feet 7 and strong enough, perhaps, to carry five men but not a basketball team. BOSTON COLLEGE may be the surprise of New England. Four starters return: George Giersch, Jack Harrington, Barry McGrath and Bob Latkany. And the bench is solid. At ST. JOHN'S, Coach Lapchick has eight lettermen back, but only Alan Seiden and Bernie Pascal are set in jobs as front-rank players. Reserve Gus Alfieri is another probable starter. The other spots are up for grabs, and the hopefuls lack size and experience. Most of MANHATTAN'S sharpshooters (first in accuracy in the nation last year) are gone, but Coach Norton has some size for a change. Bob Mealy, Pete Brunone and Jim Woop are all 6 feet 6 and all sophomores. They'll team with veterans John Powers, Mickey Burkowski and Dan McGorty, with all the old hands starting as regulars. Every member of the squad is back at IONA and three tall sophomores—Jim Raysor, Joe Tighe and Tom Fitzgerald—will join it. Best of the old hands: Stan Hill, Joe Bernardi, George Carter and Ralph Savarese. Coach McDermott has speed, a flock of fine set shooters and good balance, SETON HALL'S Coach Russell welcomes Tom Cross back among the scholastically eligible. Around Cross's 6-foot-8 frame he'll try to build a new club after losing many of the old. Lettermen Phil Samuels, Paul Szczech and Ron Berthasavage are a start, and Sophomores Seth Hicks and Connie Egan are next in line. COLGATE can't hope to produce another winning season. Only Phil Bisselle returns as a starter and the sophomores, led by 6-foot-5 Jim Elson, can't shoulder the load, FORDHAM'S fine front line is back: Center Will McCadney, 6 feet 6, and Forwards Jim Cunningham and Johnny Brady, both 6 feet 3. Cunningham's great drive has carried him to a three-year average of 24-plus points per game. The backcourt is the problem, probably to be solved by sophomores. ST. FRANCIS (Loretto) should leapfrog upward in the standings. Four tall starters return and the height and quality of the sophomores may be even greater. The veterans: 6-foot-6½ Jim McClellan, 6-foot-5 Rip Nixon, 6-foot-2½ Jack O'Malley, 6-foot-6 Don Falenski. BOSTON U. will be shooting for its fourth straight Greater Boston title, with five veterans: Dick Armstrong, Jack Leaman and Don Vanderstreet (all were starters last year) and Nate Koppel and Bob Cumings. Coach Zunic has no height but doesn't need it; the squad has speed, depth and savvy. New York's ST. FRANCIS has its 6-foot-7 rebounder, Al Inniss, back for a last chance to realize his potential. The backcourt will be held down by veterans Tony D'Elia and Les Yellin, but the forwards will likely be sophomores. Coach Lynch sees good scoring possibilities but a shallow bench.

SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST—A 7-foot sophomore, Marvin Seat, and a 6-foot-9 junior, Kent Bryan, are the least of MEMPHIS STATE'S assets, which is a fair sign of the strength here. The three veteran starters, Bob Swander, Ron Ragan and Orby Arnold, are 6 feet 2, 6 feet 4 and 6 feet 6, and double-figure scorers. Two junior college transfers, Joe Gummersbach and 6-foot-5 Tim Buff also help, and there is much more talent and height. This is first-10-ranking material. Coach Carnevale is beginning to see results of NAVY'S new height limit of 6 feet 6 inches. Exactly that size is Sophomore Jay Metzler, who will likely start with veterans Al Swanson, Dick Johnson and Frank Petinos. There are two 6-foot-4 reserves, lots more newcomers from an unbeaten freshman crew of last year. The future looks good. There's bound to be a letdown at LOUISVILLE, where only two of the top eight return. Veteran Red Goldstein, 6 feet 6, is All-America caliber and old hand Hal Andrews will help. Reserve 6-foot-10 Jerry DuPont also starts, but the rest may be sophomores. Next year. Only Ken Pichette is back at GEORGETOWN, the reserves are green and the sophomores greener. At least two years to go. Nearly everyone is back at MIAMI (Fla.) to surround 7-foot Sophomore Marty Berghoff, who will put the school on the basketball map for good. Enough talent here to take a pretty weak schedule in stride—maybe without a loss. There are no athletic scholarships at WASHINGTON of St. Louis, but the Bears are good, year after year. This season's crew features three small reserve veterans and a crop of tall sophomores—good shooters who need seasoning. A pair of tall junior college graduates, Dan Boltz and Burt Deckel, join fine playmaker Hugh Durham and two other veterans at FLORIDA STATE, to give the Seminoles their best potential in 10 years. OKLAHOMA CITY lost four of their best but get back the great hook shooter, 6-foot-10 Hub Reed, and the fine re-bounder, 6-foot-5 Leon Griffin. Despite lack of experience, the Chiefs should rate another NCAA bid.

WEST—DAYTON has a unique brother act in Arlen, Terry and Harold Bock-horn, but only Arlen will start, with Dick Bogenrife, Jack McCarthy, Paul Shaker and the great Don Lane. Two 6-foot-8 newcomers may oust McCarthy at center: Sophomore Joe Kennelly and transferee Mike Allen. The only possible flaw is lack of seasoning. Jumping jack Tom Hawkins leads three other returning starters at NOTRE DAME: Bob Devine, John McCarthy and Gene Duffy. Unfortunately there is no strong replacement for Johnny Smyth at center, XAVIER'S new Coach McCafferty is 6 feet 8 and, appropriately enough, his squad is loaded with height. Joe Viviano, Hank Stein, Frank Tartaron and the fine rebounder Corny Freeman return. There is speed, depth and experience to carry on a winning tradition, MARQUETTE'S three starters—6-foot-8 hooker Mike Moran, John Glaser, Jim McCoy—will be bolstered by Sophomore Walt Mangham, high school high jump record holder at 6 feet 9¾ inches. Additional new, though green, talent may help reverse last year's losing record, LOYOLA of Chicago is on the upswing, with four regulars back: Art McZier, Jim DeWulf, Al Norville and Paul Sheedy. The essential big man moves up in highly touted 6-foot-7 Jim Gorman, and another sophomore, Tom O'Connor, may start in the backcourt. BUTLER has three high-scoring sure starters in Ted Guzek, Bob Plump and Keith Greve, who have hit 531, 470 and 427 points respectively in a single season. With a little height to go along with these three, the Bulldogs would be tough indeed...but they don't have it. One of the best sophomore squads in De-PAUL'S history moves up, led by MacKinley Cowsen, Bill Coglianese and Paul Ruddy. The future is bright—for next year. DETROIT has little size in its veteran crew of Don Haase, Mike Walsh, Ralph Uchison and John Belohlavek, or in reserve, but four freshmen stand 7 feet, 6 feet 8, 6 feet 7 and 6 feet 5. Coach Calihan's been recruiting.

FAR WEST—Possibly the best independent in the nation is SEATTLE, with college ball's No. 1 rebounder, Elgin Baylor, and Thornton Humphries, Francis Saunders and Jim Harney also back as starters. There is great height and speed in reserve, and two newcomers, transferee Charlie Brown and Sophomore Don Ogorek add scoring power. The early schedule is tough but the Chieftains should be ready. MONTANA STATE'S first year as an independent finds the Bobcats strong up front with regulars Ted Carter and Jim Kelly, both 6 feet 7, and veterans Harold Gausted and Al Harris. This is a running team that breaks well. A veteran club returns at GONZAGA, but the story here is 7-foot-3 Jean Claude Lefebvre, tallest college player anywhere, but very green. If he learns fast, anything can happen. Speedy, goodshooting small men who fit into Coach Negratti's give-and-go style help PORTLAND overcome a weakness in size. They're Jim Armstrong, Wally Panel, Dick Jolley and Frank Rector. The upcoming height is welcome, but needs seasoning.

[originallink:10480256:42782]

PHOTO

PITT'S DON HENNON

PHOTO

ELGIN BAYLOR

PHOTO

HUB REED

PHOTO

Man to watch: XAVIER'S CORNY FREEMAN

PHOTO

DON LANE

PHOTO

ORBY ARNOLD