Published in Sportfolio Magazine, February 1949, pp. 50-58.

by JIM MURPHY

No matter where he roams with his boys, Adolph Rupp comes home a smiling winner

"ONE if by land, two if by sea." Once upon a time that signal brought important military intelligence.

Nowadays it doesn't much matter whether they come in by train or plane, boat or bus-those Kentucky - Wildcats, again a scourge on the nation's collegiate courts, are coming in to give a whipping to whoever happens to step in their path.

The veteran Adolph Rupp never may have another quintet as powerful, but if the University of Kentucky does develop another such point platoon it still would have to bow to the current Wildcats in one respect.

These Blue and White basketeers driving hard toward another national collegiate championship are marvels in mileage. From their campus in the heart of the famed Blue Grass, the hard riders of the Rupp rodeo journey over almost all of the land to play the toughest rivals they can find -- but that's only, part of the story.

Kentucky's famous hoopsters have covered probably more linear feet of hardwood flooring than any other college squad in the country. No telling what the astronomical mileage figure would be if individual pedometers had been attached to the hairy legs of the Wildcats.

Already this season the basketblasting wonders have played in Boston, in New York's Madison Square qarden, in the Sugar Bowl basketball roundelay in New Orleans, and in Cleveland, as well as in many spots nearer home.

They hit several points in the Deep South and likely will wind up in a big tournament in New York for the sixth straight year. By the time their uniforms go into mothballs the travel chart for the year - journeys to and from games - will show some 9,000 miles.

Last season, while the Wildcats were winning the hoop crown in their own Southeastern Conference for the 11th time and adding a triumph in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, then playing games leading up to Olympic participation, they toured about 10,000 miles.

On top of that would have to be tabulated around 3,000 miles of travel before and after the Olympic Games in London, where they were members of Uncle Sam's all-conquering squad.

The Cats all told took part in 54 games. If there were only some way to check their ankle mileage up and down in the courts in practice and in games!

Two members of Rupp's troupe are roaring along in their fourth straight season as Kentucky regulars -- dashing, driving little Ralph Beard, everybody's all-American the last two seasons, and rangy Wallace (Wah Wah) Jones, rated one of the greatest athletes ever produced in the South.

Each has missed a few contests but only a few, since they started out together as Kentucky regulars when they were freshmen, but their game totals in collegiate basketball probably will be new highs for the sport when the current campaign comes to a close.

Big center Al Groza, not a brilliant shot from out in the court, but deadly operator under the hoops

If the Wildcats add, say, seven games in two tournaments at the end of the schedule, as they have been in the habit of doing, Kentucky's game total for the season will be 32.

That will mean a figure of 137 for the four-year span, counting 30 games played three seasons back, 37 contests the following winter, and 38 in college competition last season.

Kentucky played 29 games during the regular season last Winter, losing only two. Then came four straight wins in the annual SEC tournament, in which the Wildcats lifted their fifth consecutive hoop halo, and their 11th league championship in the Conference's 16 seasons. Their second journey of the year to New York followed, and they waltzed past Columbia, Holy Cross and Baylor in that order to annex the NCAA crown.

Remaining on in Manhattan, Rupp's rodeo bulldogged the University of Louisville, NAIB titlist, and then Baylor again in the first rounds of the Olympic trials, running the year's record to 36 wins in 38 games in college competition.

Kentucky was nosed out, 53-49, in the finals of the trials by the renowned Phillips Oilers, perennial AAU kings, but by that time had established themselves as the greatest college team of the season, if not the greatest of all time.

In the Summer, the Wildcats played the Oilers three times in exhibition games (taking one decision) as the two squads, plus alternates chosen to complete the Olympic squad, readied for their journey to London. The collegians and AAU champions combined for a series of exhibition performances in England and Scotland preceding the start of the Olympic games. In the international competition, Uncle Sam's board-blistering nephews walloped Switzerland (81-21), Czechoslovakia (53-28), Argentina (59-57), Egypt (66-28), Peru (61-33), Uruguay (6328), Mexico (71-40> and France (65-21).

From the great championship combination Kentucky lost by graduation only Capt. Kenny Rollins, now playing with the Chicago Stags in the professional Basketball Association of America.

Swift Ralph Beard is a certain all-Southeastern and all-America candidate this season

Rupp, starting his 19th season as Kentucky mentor, found back for duty the four stars who as juniors had helped put together the fanciest record in the college game-Jones, Beard, Alex Groza, the tall center designated the most valuable player in the NCAA tournament, and smooth Cliff Barker, a ball-handling expert who can spin the big sphere on one finger faster and longer than a disc jockey can whirl his platters.

Jones, a star of equal magnitude in football and baseball as well, and the swift Beard will be strong candidates for the all-Southeastern squad for the fourth straight time when the annual conference tournament is held in Louisville in March.

Beard started the current season with a total of 1,124 points to his credit in college basketball. Jones, who set a schoolboy scoring record with a total of 2,398 tallied while he was at Harlan (Ky) High School, has been starting basketball late each of his four seasons due to service as regular end on the Kentucky football team through four years, but he had contributed 837 points to the Kentucky total in three campaigns and probably will hit his highest college figure this year.

Winner of all-conference honors in football and a star right-handed pitcher on the Kentucky nine, Jones is in strong contention for all-America recognition this season.

But for the presence on the team of such standouts as Beard and Groza, and but for the late starts he has gotten in the court sport each Winter, the handsome Wah Wah probably would have taken all-America berths in previous seasons. Recognized as a great competitor, and as a cager who can collect a two-pointer or cash a foul when the pressure is on, Jones has been tabbed by many coaches as the most valuable member of the squad, particularly in the clutch.

Cliff Barker, ball disc jockey

Groza and Barker both arrived on the campus and saw varsity service with the Wildcats ahead of Jones and Beard. The big center, a brother of Lou Groza, regular tackle and place-kicking specialist of the professional Cleveland Browns, champions in the All-America Conference, stepped into the shoes of all-American Bob Brannum as a freshman, but played less than half the season before his call came for Army duty.

While in service, big Al played as a teammate of Brannum at Camp Hood (Tex), and after both completed their service and returned to the Kentucky campus it was Groza who won the job at center for the Wildcats. Brannum, relegated to reserve duty, subsequently transferred to Michigan State and played one season with the Spartans before quitting college to enter professional ranks.

Groza, not a brilliant shot from out in the court, but a deadly operator under the hoops, grabbing rebounds and dunking tip-in pokes, has led the Wildcats in scoring the last two campaigns.

He counted 393 two years ago to nose out Beard by one point, and he bagged 484 last season to take the scoring honor over Beard that trip by 31. With the 165 he picked up during limited service as a freshman, he entered his final collegiate campaign with an aggregate of 1,042.

Jim Line, one-handed expert

The big boy from Martins Ferry (0), popular on the campus and president this year of the lettermen's club at. U K, missed an all-Southeastern spot in his sophomore season because of a lame back at tournament time. However, five mates-Jones, Beard, Rollins, Joe Holland and Jack Tingle - were named to comprise the first all-star quintet at the close of the annual Conference meet.

Groza was nosed out for the center spot on the all-SEC five last Winter by big Jim Nolan of Georgia Tech, although outplaying Nolan in the finals as Kentucky whipped Tech 54-43 for the championship. The Tech center so much outshone his mates in earlier games that votes cast before the finals gave him a slim edge over Groza.

Kentucky's big pivot really came into his own in the NCAA tournament that followed at Madison Square Garden. In addition to performing brilliant rebound work and blanketing rival centers while passing and handing off in sharp fashion from the pivot, he tabbed 17 points in the 76-53 victory over Columbia, 23 in the 60-52 win over Holy Cross and 14 in the title match with Baylor, which Kentucky won 58-42.

Groza had become ill with a stomach disorder before the Baylor game, but he played anyway turning in a great job and sewing up the most-valuable-player award.

Although still somewhat off his feed, he was ready to pace the Wildcats when they entered the Olympic trials. Groza sacked 12 points as Louisville was crushed, 91-57, by the wizard from the state university. He marked up 33 as Baylor, the NCAA's Western division winner, was trimmed 77-59, the Texan's second loss in five nights at the hands of Kentucky.

Handsome 'Wah Wah' Jones mised out for all-America honors prevous seasons; not this year

When the Wildcats stepped out of collegiate competition to meet the towering Oilers in the finals of the Olympic trials, Groza was outscored by Bob (Foothills) Kurland, seven-foot former all-American of the Oklahoma Aggies. However, he limited Kurland to three field goals in the first half and, by his exhibition, gained rather than lost stature as the best all-around center in college ball.

Followers of the game had insisted that no college team, not even powerful Kentucky, could conquer the mighty AAU champions, but the Wildcats, in a dazzling contest in the climax of the trials, caused a revision of opinion, even though losing by four points after holding the Oilers even until the final minutes.

Dale Barnstable, distance marksman

The Kentucky cause suffered a big blow through the loss of Barker by injury early in the game.

The Yorktown (Ind) veteran earned a regular berth at Kentucky as a freshman, then left for military service. A turret gunner on a B-17 shot down in Europe during the war, he spent 16 months in German prison camps, but was back on the campus and eager for more basketball not long after his liberation.

Never a high scorer, Barker nevertheless has been an important cog in Kentucky's jet-propelled attack. A real ballhawk, and apparently gifted with a sixth sense, the man with the hands of a magician comes up with many loose balls, intercepted passes and clean steals, and then demoralizes defenses by charging toward the basket and feeding mates with sharp passes over his shoulder, behind his back and between his legs, but always accurate.

Extremely agile and smooth, Barker is a tough man in the front line of defense, and in the attack many baskets laid up by mates come on direct assists provided by his artful feints and amazing passing.

Rupp didn't have to do much worrying about filling Rollins' old berth and rounding out this season's strong quintet. His seasoned reserves included three juniors -- lefty Jim Line, owner of an amazingly accurate one-handed shot; steady Dale Barnstable, a lanky distance marksman who rated as No 1 relief man at both forward and guard last Winter, and bespectacled Johnny Stough; who had been a Kentucky regular as a freshman before he left the campus for military service.

Kentucky's colorful tutor selected five promising sophomores to round out a squad of 12 for the current campaign, and to get themselves ready to replace the graduating seniors next season. The sophs are Garland Townes, Walt Hirsch, Bob Henne, Roger Day and Joe Hall. Rupp will see to it that they are not short-changed in the matter of mileage, ankle or otherwise.

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