# | Name | Pos | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown (School) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#25 | Leroy Edwards (L) | C | So. | 6-4 | 215 | Indianapolis, IN (Arsenal Tech) | National Player of the Year [Helms]; All-American [Consensus (1st), Helms, Converse (2nd)]; All-SEC [First Team]; |
#26 | Dave Lawrence (L) | F | Sr. | 6-1 | - | Corinth, KY (High) | All-SEC [First Team]; |
#22 | Garland Lewis (L) | C | Jr. | 6-3 | 170 | Jeffersonville, IN (High) | - |
- | Jack Tucker (L) | F | Sr. | 6-0 | - | Cynthiana, KY (High) | (Broke hand against Michigan State); |
#7 | Ralph Carlisle (L) | F | So. | 6-2 | - | Lawrenceburg, KY (Kavanaugh) | - |
#6 | Warfield Donohue (L) | G | So. | 6-2 | - | Louisville, KY (St. Xavier) | - |
#17 | Harry Bliss (L) | F | So. | 6-3 | - | Caldwell, NJ (High) | - |
#25 | Russell Ellington (L) | G | So. | 5-11 | - | Louisville, KY (Manual) | - |
- | Bert Johnson | G | So. | 6-0 | - | Ashland, KY (High) | - |
#9 | James Goforth (L) | G | So. | 6-0 | 200 | Louisville, KY (Male) | - |
#11 | Milerd Anderson (L) | G | Jr. | 5-11 | - | Covington, KY (Holmes) | - |
#16 | Bob Taylor (L) | F | Jr. | 6-2 | - | Covington, KY (High) | - |
#10 | Sam Potter | G | Jr. | 6-1 | - | Kona, KY (Whitesburg) | - |
- | Sam Gates | F | - | 5-11 | - | Covington, KY | - |
#5 | Edward Tierney (L) | G | Sr. | 6-0 | - | Ashland, KY (Holy Family) | - |
#23 | Bruce Davis | F | Jr. | - | - | Lexington, KY (Henry Clay) | - |
#5 | John McIntosh | F | So. | - | - | Hazard, KY | - |
- | Charles Heinrich | F | So. | - | - | Mount Sterling, KY (High) | - |
| Schedule | Player Statistics | Game Statistics |
1934-35 Squad |
On Floor (l to r): Russell Ellington, Bruce Davis, Charles Heinrich, Unidentified #15, Bob Taylor, Edward Tierney |
Season Review - Varsity Basketball by Norman "Moon" Garling (Kentuckian)
COACH ADOLPH RUPP, Kentucky's affable basketball mentor, soared to greater heights of fame last season when he piloted the Wildcats-recognized as one of the best teams in the nation -- through an overwhelmingly successful year. Scheduling 22 games for his boys, he had the exhilarating experience of seeing them win 20 of these games; losing one to a strong Eastern team and the other to a powerful Northern quintet.
Last year was the sixth in Coach Rupp's regime, and during that sextet his Kentucky cage teams have won 89 games, and have lost only 11. Six of these eleven encounters have been lost by one-point margins. Kentucky became a member of the Southeastern Conference when it was organized four years ago, and in that time the Wildcats have never lost a game to a Conference opponent. Last season they had to divide Conference championship honors with Louisiana State University, because they, too, came through the Conference undefeated.
In the 1933-34 season the Wildcats set a world's record among university teams when they won 24 consecutive games before losing in a post-season encounter during the Southern Conference tournament. They had high hopes of breaking that record last year, but their luck was against them and they failed after winning six consecutive tilts.
Coach Rupp, the founder of Kentucky's great cage teams, is a native of Kansas and starred as a guard on the University of Kansas quintet under Phog Allen, who is recognized as one of the most outstanding men in basketball today. After Coach Rupp graduated from Kansas he attended Columbia University, and now holds three degrees.
Negotiations for the Wildcats' 1934-35 schedule were begun at the end of the 1933-34 season, and Coach Rupp picked on some of the toughest teams in the country. When the card was finally completed New York University, Michigan State, Creighton, and Xavier appeared on it.
With this suicide assignment in front of him. Coach Rupp laid his plans of attack and built a team that scored more than 1,000 points, and from which two All-Americans were chosen -- Dave Lawrence, forward, and "Big Ed" Edwards, center. This great quintet was built around a nucleus of Lawrence and Tucker, co-captains and two forwards who were playing their last season of college competition. The three other men he gathered into the regular fold were Warfield Donahue, sophomore guard, Millard "Andy" Anderson, junior guard, and, of course, the 6-feet 4-inch LeRoy Edwards, for the pivot position.
The Builder of Champions |
The next tilt was with Chattanooga -- this being scheduled at the last minute to fill in between the 13th and 20th of December. Chattanooga came to Lexington with predictions of defeating the Wildcats, but they evidently got their reports mixed, because Kentucky came out of the fray on the long end of a 66 to 19 score.
After these two elevating victories over teams who had been reported to be good, the Wildcats donned their traveling togs and journeyed to New Orleans where they met Tulane's Green Wave in a two game series during the first part of the Christmas holidays. The usual predictions were out -- Tulane had their best team in many years, but to Kentucky this was just so much water off a duck's back, and the Wildcats proceeded to administer a thrashing to Coach Dauber's Green Wave, defeating them on two consecutive nights, by scores of 34 to 9 and 54 to 12.
Upon their return to Lexington the Wildcats began to get into condition for their game with the University of Chicago, who was supposed to have one of the best teams in the Big Ten, and who also had Bill Harlow, an All-American forward. Kentucky defeated the Maroons 42 to 16. thereby giving them the worst beating they received all the year. This game turned out to be a rough-and-tumble affair, both teams fouling freely, and the Chicago boys took profound delight in arguing with the referee about his decisions.
Then came the Wildcat's downfall -- the New York University game' in Madison Square Garden. This game was a forward step in commercializing college basketball, and the result was that 16,568 persons witnessed the Kentucky - N. Y. U. tilt, which the Violent Violets stole from the Wildcats by a score of 23 to 22. It was this game that writers described as being the one to decide the National Basketball Championship, but they were wrong, because the Wildcats did not receive a square deal from the officials. However, this was blamed on misinterpretation of the rules -- the eastern officials looking at them from a different light than that of the western and southern officials.
The 16,568 fans who saw this game, the largest crowd to ever witness a college basketball game, voiced their disapproval of the officiating with loud boos and catcalls. Offers were made for Kentucky to meet New York on a neutral floor, but the Violets would not agree. Later in the season N. V. U. played Yale at New Haven and were defeated -- it being the first time in two and one-half years that the Violets had not played on their home court.
The defeat at the hands of N. Y. U. was bitter medicine for the Wildcats, who had high hopes of going through another undefeated season. On their return home Coach Rupp gave them a few days' rest, and then primed them for another two-game series with Tulane. This second set of tilts was a duplicate of the first set, in that the Wildcats again swamped the Green Wave on two successive nights -- 63 to 26 and 53 to 12.
The next night the Wildcats played Vanderbilt at Nashville. At the beginning of the season the Commodores were slated to have the class of the Conference, but Kentucky changed this idea in a hurry when they defeated Josh Cody's quintet 58 to 22. The Wildcats then crossed the river and played Cincinnati's Xavier and defeated them 40 to 27. The newspaper forecast for this game was in favor of Xavier, and their coach said that his team could whip Kentucky with ease.
Georgia Tech was the next victim and the Big Blue team handed them a 57 to 32 defeat. Then came the second game with Alabama's Crimson Tide, and Coach Crisp was out for blood, being a bit peeved over the outcome of the first Kentucky-Alabama tilt in Birmingham. His ranting and raging were of no avail, because the Wildcats duplicated their former performance and defeated the Tide 25 to 16.
Following their victory over Tech and Alabama the Ruppmen again took to the road, this time going to Lansing, Michigan and Knoxville, Tennessee. The trip north of the Mason and Dixon line proved fatal for the Wildcats and they went down to their second defeat of the season at the hands of Michigan State, the team who had been defeating all the Big Ten teams. However, the northern boys had a tough time in putting the Wildcats down, and it was only after they had used every trick they knew, that they finally defeated Kentucky 32 to 26.
With two black marks against their credit, the Wildcats moved on to Knoxville, and there, by the skin of their teeth, they defeated Tennessee's Volunteers for the second time 38 to 36. This was the closest game that Kentucky played all season. The score was tied in the last minute of play, and Garland Lewis, substituting forward for Jack Tucker, who was out because of a broken hand received in the Michigan State game, dropped a long shot through the net which gave the Wildcats a two-point margin. With fifteen seconds of play left, a Tennessee player was fouled, and given one free throw. He missed it, and then the referee tried to give him another shot, but the final gun cracked and the Wildcats left the floor.
Starting down the home stretch the Wildcats encountered Creighton University on two successive nights, and defeated them 63 to 43 and 23 to 17, respectively. The first tilt of this two-game series was the most spectacular and thrilling game that Kentucky played all season, It was in this game that Edwards set a new floor record when he scored 34 points, and he did not play the entire game. At half time the score was 10 to 9, the Wildcats holding a one-point margin, but when they came out for the second period they started a barrage of shots that carried them into a lead that was too big for the Nebraskans to overtake.
The second game of this series was very different from the first encounter, in that Creighton entirely changed their style of play. In the first tilt they used an open offense and played man to man defense, coming out past the center line for the ball. In game number two they played a waiting game, and "froze" the ball on offense. This change of tactics confused the Wildcats, and before they knew what was happening the first half was over, and Creighton had a 11 to 9 lead. The Nebraskans continued their "freezing" tactics in the second period, but Kentucky managed to get hold of the ball long enough to put them back into the lead. This game was quite a let-down after the performance of the two teams on the preceding night.
To bring down the curtain on the 1934-35 season the Wildcats encountered two teams they had met earlier in the season -- Vanderbilt and Xavier. The story was the same as before, and Kentucky won both of these games with ease.
Next season Coach Rupp will have the same team with the exception of Lawrence and Tucker, but he will have to be a miracle man to find two forwards that will even come close to the two co-captains. However, his second string team is just a little bit short of being as good as the varsity, and so with all this material Kentucky is slated for another successful basketball season.
Two All-Americans, 20 victories, more than 1,000 points, and a new southern scoring record are the honors that go to this greater than great University of Kentucky Wildcat basketball team for the 1934-35 season.
DAVE LAWRENCE, co-captain of the 1934-35 Wildcats, was one of the key men in Coach Rupp's successful cage combination. Dave was chosen as an All-American forward by a well known basketball official last season, but being an All-American basketball player is nothing new to him, because he was twice chosen on the All-American scholastic net team when he was playing on the Corinth, Kentucky, high school quintet. Besides being an excellent goal shot and a phenomenal ball handler, Lawrence is deadly on defense, and but few goals have been made by his man in the many collegiate games he has played. Dave has been a member of the Wildcat varsity for three years, and during that time he has always been a star forward.
JACK TUCKER was the other forward and co-captain of the Wildcats. He was not a spectacular player, but instead heady and conservative, and always knew what to do with the ball when he got his hands on it. Jack got a tough break in the latter part of last season, when he received a broken hand in the Michigan State game that put him on the sidelines for the rest of the year. With Tucker out of the lineup, the Wildcats were never quite as steady as they were when he was in there with a guiding hand. Although not selected an All-American, Jack deserves only the highest of praise for his performances on Kentucky's hardwood court.
LEROY "BIG ED" EDWARDS is Kentucky's contribution to the All-American team of 1935. Without a doubt, he is the best basketball player to ever step on the floor of the Alumni gymnasium. His name has been lauded in sport columns all over the country, and he is only a sophomore, with two more years of college competition ahead of him. He played the pivot position and was the key man of the Wildcat's offense. His ability to make crip shots was short of miraculous. In the first Creighton game he scored 34 points to set a new floor record. Visiting teams would use two and three men to guard him, but this did not affect him, and he always came through with at least six points. While playing Freshman ball he scored more than 400 points in 17 games that the yearlings played. Last season he was high point man for the Southeastern Conference scoring a total of 130 points in 11 Conference tilts, which gave him an average of 12.3 points per game. In two more years Edwards will probably develop into the greatest basketball player the country has ever seen.
WARFIELD DONAHUE, sophomore guard, is one of Louisville's three contributions to the great Wildcat quintet. He started in every game, and very rarely had a substitute. Donohue was always cool, even when the going was tough he kept his head. His most thrilling play was when he would bring the ball down the length of the court and then make a crip shot before the opponents knew what was happening. With two more playing seasons in front of him, he promises to be one of the best guards that Coach Rupp ever had the pleasure of coaching.
MILERD "ANDY" ANDERSON was the main reason for the Wildcat's great defensive play. It was he who broke up many of the opponent's plays. He was uncanny in sensing the other team's maneuvers, and wherever the ball was, Andy was sure to be there. Andersen is also a football player of no mean ability. He is popular on the campus, and is a well-known leader of one of the campus outstanding dance bands. He is only a Junior, and next season will find him in the All-American ranks of basketball.
RALPH CARLISLE was one of Kentucky's outstanding reserve men at the forward position. He is a former Kavanaugh star, and was regular forward on the Kitten team in 1933. Ralph is only a sophomore and will probably take Dave Lawrence's place next season. He is an excellent goal shot, and a good defensive man.
JAMES BLISS is another sophomore forward, and consequently did not see much action last season. He is a long shot artist and can drop the ball through the net without it touching the rim. Coach Rupp expects Bliss to turn into an excellent forward during the next two years.
JAMES GOFORTH is another Louisville prodigy, and a guard. Jimmy did not play much last season, but next year Coach Rupp plans to place him at a forward position, for which he is more adapted. He is also a football player, and last year, his first season on the varsity squad, he turned in some very commendable performances on the gridiron.
RUSSELL "DUKE" ELLINGTON is the lad on the Wildcat basketball squad who can drop them in from back of the center line and not blink an eye. "Duke" is only a sophomore and so his chance to play in the regular lineup will come later on.
ED TIERNEY, the "Battling Irishman," is one of the few graduating seniors of Coach Rupp's powerful edition of the 1935 Wildcat basketeers. On every team there must be a supply of dependable substitutes. Tierney can rightfully be classed here. In quite a number of games Coach Rupp gave Tierney his chance and he usually came through with a good performance. Tierney's athletic accomplishments are not confined to basketball alone. His name is on the athletic records at the University of Kentucky as being 155-pound boxing champion.
BRUCE DAVIS -- During the halves of the varsity basketball games the spectators usually saw a tall cotton-topped youth out on the floor with several other substitutes. That boy was Bruce Davis. His accuracy with the ball seemed perfect. He played in a number of games during the season and on several occasions his labors were rewarded with markers on the score card. He was formerly a star with the Henry Clay High school right here in Lexington and his name joins those other stars that the local school has sent to the University of Kentucky. Davis has one more year in school and we are expecting to see quite a bit of action from this blonde athlete.
BOB TAYLOR;, the northern Kentucky lad, has been a great help to the 1935 Wildcats. He saw action in many of the games and has another year to further demonstrate his ability on the hardwood court. Taylor and "Andy" Andersen are fellow townsmen and played basketball together before they matriculated at the University of Kentucky. Coach Rupp has his eyes on Taylor and from all indications will use him much during the 1935-36 season.
GEORGE CAMPBELL, the varsity manager, has come in for very little praise as yet. While "Big Ed" and his cohorts were making All-American and All-Conference honors George was busy with the various functions that each athlete demands. No sports writers picked him for their All-Southern team: no newspaper mailed him a card of merit for winning a place on their chosen team, but Campbell was the "man behind the scene" on the Wildcat squad. In the words of several members of the Kentucky quintet we say, "Campbell is okay and a swell manager." The Kentuckian picks him as "Captain of the All- Conference managers."
What other coaches in the basketball world has produced three members of the official All- American team and two other players who were chosen on minor teams of national recognition ? This is part of Coach Rupp's accomplishments during his five years here. Once he has taken his Wildcat basketeers to the tournament at Atlanta and brought home the title of "Southeastern Champions." Another time his quintet was defeated in the finals by a very small margin. The other three times his Wildcat teams has been considered as the strongest contender. The congenial Rupp has put Kentucky's basketball on the map. If he ever decides to leave the University, lucky will be the school that gets him. But the students of the University are hoping that Coach Rupp will decide to make Lexington his permanent residence and it is an accepted fact that the Athletic Council is more than pleased with him as long as he is producing in the manner that has characterized his teams during the past five years. The 1935 Kentuckian says, "Congratulations to you, Mr. Rupp." May you be even more successful in the years to come at the University of Kentucky."
At the annual banquet held in honor of the basketball team after the close of the season, Milerd "Andy" Andersen was elected captain of the team for 1936. This wise selection was only fitting, since "Andy" was the only regular on this year's quintet who would be a senior next year. Garland Lewis will be playing his last year of varsity competition next year but he has been handicapped by the fact that he has played on the team with two of Kentucky's greatest centers -- DeMoisey and Edwards. Consequently, Lewis has been the understudy of these men throughout his career. This, however, in no way lessens Lewis' ability on the hardwood.
"Andy" was a regular on the freshman team of '33 which had a very successful season. The next year he was teamed up with "Little Bill" Davis, and proved to be one of the most consistent players on a great Blue five which bowled over all competition, and then was upset by a fighting Florida team.
This season "Andy" was still out for football when the varsity started practicing and had not hit his stride when the season opened. As a result, he was not in the starting lineup for the first few games, although he always saw action in the early stages. Then he found his old form and proved to be a sensation in the N. Y. U. game at Madison Square Garden. Eastern sport critics could not find words enough to offer their praise of "Andy's" outstanding floor work.
The remainder of the season found "Andy" back in the starting line-up, in spite of the fact that he seldom made any points. He was mentioned in several All-American selections and was given honorable mention on the official All-Southeastern five. FRANK "SKIPPER" MANN -- Every man who has participated in sports at the University of Kentucky has a warm spot in his heart for "Skipper." To those who do not know him, "Skipper" is that congenial, soft-spoken trainer who untangles those tired and aching muscles, rubs out those "charlie-horses," and daubs a little iodine on that cut or bruise when you return from a rough evening on Stoll Field or the gym. Any time during the day you can find a group of boys hanging around "Skipper's" room listening to his tales of big league baseball while the violet ray lamps heat their anatomy.
"Skipper" has been with the athletic department for a number of years and that partly accounts for his multitude of friends. He numbers them by the hundreds.
During his early days "Skipper" was with several major league baseball teams. His tales of the big time diamond artists are classic to hear. He numbers many of the more prominent stars among his personal acquaintances.
Every Kentucky athlete has a good word for their friend and trainer -- "Skipper" Mann.
Next season Coach Rupp will be handicapped in getting another outstanding schedule because the Southeastern conference tournament has been revived and will take place the second week in February. This will limit the Wildcat's schedule to 14 games, unless the schedule can be continued after the tourney is over.
This season's card which was a very representative one is expected to be duplicated next year, as only eight conference games will be played; leaving six games and possibly eight more to be played with outstanding intersectional foes.
The frosh crew, although not as strong as some of the greenie aggregations of the past, produced several men who will materially aid Coach Rupp in molding his varsity next year.
Billy Spicer, an expert ball handler and crack shot, though a trifle weak on the defense, should prove a material addition. This Lexington boy who played three years of ball for Coach John G. Heber at Henry Clay high school, and was also a member of the same team at Kavanaugh that produced the great "Buster" Berries, was twice named on the All-State five.
"Red" Craig, also twice All-State while a member of the great Ashland Tomcat teams, is a fleet, accurate shooting guard, who is one of the cleverest floormen seen on the first year team in several years. Another redhead, Joe Hagan, a former member of St. Xavier high school team at Louisville, and named as All-American forward at the National Catholic tourney in Chicago in 1933 was one of the mainstays of the greenies this season and will probably make Rupp the best man of any of the Kitten players.
Dick Robinson, a stocky guard, played fine defensive ball for the young 'Cats and should crowd the varsity hold-overs for a place on the traveling squad. But in 1937 this boy should have become polished enough to make the ball club with ease. He played for Madison high school in Richmond and for two years was a member of the K. M. I. quintet. Some of the less heralded frosh may prove valuable assets next year, as have some of the varsity stars in former years.
Coach Adolph Rupp has enjoyed great success with the stars which he has developed in his five seasons at Kentucky. Especially in 1933, when the 'Cats won the first Southeastern conference net championship and placed four of their five players on the All-star team. Aggie Sale, Frenchy DeMoisey, Bill Davis, and Ellis Johnson, being named to the team.
At the annual banquet. Coach Rupp emphasized the fact that the team had closed a very hard schedule because they played most of their games in bunches, with only short periods for rest. For instance, the Big Blue played Georgia Tech, Alabama, Michigan State, and Tennessee within an eight-day period, traveling 1,500 miles in a week's time.
With the College Humor's All-American selection yet to be made, Edwards will probably be chosen by that magazine as center and perhaps Dave Lawrence and Andy Andersen will be given places on the mythical team or at least favorable mention.