PAGE SIX DRIVES CAGERS: Sophomore guard Bob Weiss has been a driving force in Penn Slate's sur prising 9-3 record. The 6-2 Weiss is the second Capacity Crowd Is Expected As Nittanies Eye Tourney Bid By DEAN BILLfCK Sports Editor With an eye toward a pos sible post-season tournament bid, Penn State’s young, but scrappy basketballers lace a must win tonight in Rec Hall against hot and cold Bucknell. The Niltanies, winners of four of (heir last five games and proud owners of a 9-3 chart, will put all their iiopes on the court tonight at 8 before an expected capacity crowd. The Lions need victories in six of- their eight games to stay in contention for an NIT or NCAA bid, and the Bisons must figure to be one of the victims. STATE KNOWS this full well and is expected to ‘‘shoot the works” to add to their prestige. Bucknell won’t be any pushover, though. Coach John Egli’s quintet topped the Bisons, 88-83, in over time at Lewislown earlier this month, but it took a 30-point per formance by Earl Hoffman and some clutch foul shooting in the overtime period by Bobby Do nato to gain the win. The Bisons are 5-6, but in sophomore Lorry Hathaway have one of the leading rebounders in the country and one of the top scorers in the state, Hathaway, who canned 34 points against State at Bucknell, is averaging 19 points a game and ranks 16th in the nation in rebounding with 163 snags in.II games. HIS PERFORMANCES to date are the best for any sophomore in Bucknell history. State will counter with its own star—Hoffman. The Lion co-cap yHJWjTjffISRrBl 1 The Fall 1962 Pledge Class of laiiiiMij DELTA CHI FRATERNITY Varsity "S" Clob l Announces Their Pled 9 e Formal MEETING "ORIENTAL HOLIDAY" \ Sunday, Jan. 27 TONIGHT 8 P <M. JANUARY 26, 1963 Della Upsilon Fraternity 5:30 until 1:00 CLOSED Refreshments.-and Film ' THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, .UNIVERSITY PARK. PENNSYLVANIA leading scorer with 169 points for a 14.1 average. Stale seeks its tenth win at 8 tonight in Rec Hall against Bucknell. tain and jump shot artist is the No. 2 major college scorer in the state with 240 points. Hoffman has hit on 47.5 per cent of his shots and is the second leading rebounder on the team with 97. Hoffman and Hathaway both favor the long one-handed jump shot, but both will drive if the occasion itself. In 1 h first game Hat' away scored ‘ r peated on lon, shots from th< corner and Hoff man hit on li footers to th left and right the key. Egli isn’t saj ing so, but thi Lions . are ex pected to lhro\v a surprise de- Mniincimk fense at the Bisons in an attempt to stop Hathaway. “I think we can stop him this time,” Egli said during a practice session this week. “We’ve im proved a lot since we played down there and I think we’re Meeting of the American Institute of Physics Help plan your physics society going to surprise them.” . • State will be bolstered by the return of co-captain John Mit chell who has played just seven minutes this season due to a knee injury. Mitchell- has worked out all this week and says the knee is strong enough to stand game pressure. THE SENIOR GUARD is the leading returning scorer from last year, but has netted just two field goals and two i foul shots this year. Egli is expected to stick with the same lineup that dropped a 16-point decision to West Vir ginia. Teaming with Hoffman at forward will be 6-5 sophomore Ron Avillion, who is State’s lead ing rebounder with 110 grabs. - The Nittanies’ second leading scorer, sophomore Bob Weiss (169) and junior Bobby Donato ,(137) will handle the guard spots. Fast improving (6-6) Tom Malinchak will be the center. Coach Gene Evans, in his first year at Bucknell, is expected to start Sam Penrose, Don Hester, Tom Johnson, John Matthews and Hathaway. Monday - 7:30 105 Osmondlab t Everyone Invited It was late May of last Spring and Earl Hoffman and John Mitchell had just been elected to co-captain the 1962-63 Lion basketball team. The occasion was the annual basket ball picnic at Whipples and .most of the Nittany cagers were clowning around, enjoying the juicy steaks and other trim mings. , _ Hoffman and Mitchell filled their plates and then walked over to a nearby tree stump and sat down. They began to talk about the team’s chances for next year and the talk wasn’t frivolous, it was serious. “We have a lot of potential and it will be up to the boys to develop it," Mitchell said care fully. “If, everyone works hard, we have the potential to go a long way.” HOFFMAN NODDED in agree ment, but voiced an even stronger opinion. “Considering our schedule and the boys that we’ll have on the team, there isn’t any reason why we couldn’t make the NIT,” the new co-captain said firmly. They talked of the sophomores and they talked' of new plays, ideas and the schedule. But some how the talk always got back to the possibility of a post-season tournament bid. At the time, the talk sounded just that talk. With only two seniors on the squad, how could they expect to do well enough to play in the NCAA or NIT. I wrote it off as wishful thinking and high hopes. NOW I WOULD like to “write it back in” if such a thing is possible. State is definitely in the funning for a post-season basket ball ..tournament bid. It is no longer fancy talk and wishful thinking. been called everything from the “Cinderella Team of the East" to “surprising” and “up starts,” but nothing speaks any louder than their. 9-3 record. To night against Bucknell at Rec Hall they'll be s' ooting for their tenth win and you can be sure the selection committees of the NIT and NCAA will be keeping a wary eye on the outcome. Even usually reserved coach John Egli is optimistic. "There has been some talk of post season tournaments and there / SIGMA PI presents / not The Kingston Trio but The Scotsboro Singers “Penn State’s Original ✓ Folksinging Foursome.’ 1 ON Saturday, Jan. 26 from 10:30-12:00 FORMAL , 1 / RUSHEES WELCOME SATURDAY. JANUARY 26. 1963 10 th a dean's view I $ i NIT, NCAA Cage Possible for Nittnnies , ' By DEAN BIELICK Sports Editor should be with our record,” Egli said earlier this week. “I told the boys there’s only one way to make it though, and that’s to go out there and win. We’re going to play them one at a time, and by golly we could just make that tourna ment.” FOR THE LIONS to get a bid, they would have to win at least six of their final eight games, giving them a 15-5 chart. Of these victories, one must be over either West Virginia or Pitt, the two prestige team's left on the cagers’ schedule. State lost to the Moun taineers just last week at Morgan town, but the feeling is that the Lions learned enough that a win win at Rec Hall is a definite pos sibility. Lion athletic director Ernie McCoy is a member of the NCAA selection committee and he strongly hinted this week that State is being considered. “It all depends on their record, so it is a possibility,” McCoy said. “I might even get on the phone and invite them myself, if we do get the bid." STATE’S BEST chance for a post-season tournament bid, how ever, apepars to lie in the NIT. Here 12 at-large teams are select ed for the tourney in Madison Square Garden.. This is the one the Lions would like to receive and the one they would be best equipped to compete in. The Nittanies last appearance in a tourney was in 1955 when they were in the regionals of the NCAA, losing twice and winning once. In 1954 they reached the NCAA semi-finals and finished third by winning four of five games. It’s beeff a long time since 1955 and Nittany fans are “aching” for a bid. There’s only one way to get it and that is to win. A victory over Bucknell tonight is a* must. Bid
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