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