FREAD None SF ant

“Seems: tome Ive heard that: song ‘before, - “E - oo

It’s from an old. familar s score ...”.-

Those. opening lyrics to a
onetime hit parade song date.
back to the 1930’s.. Russian .

‘basketball dates. ‘back. to.
1954. Comments on how to.
handle the threat it
to American basketball date
-back to last Sunday.-

a And if you happened to be
watching, on your TV sets,
. the Russians’ rather easy 91-

75 win over Louisville
University, one of the top 10
powers in the Anierican -
collegiate game, you'll know
you've heard that. ‘Song
before..

‘
cee eg ee

GOLD MEDAL HOPES ~

It was sung,
fashion, by a lineup of some
of the top coaches in the
game during a halftime
interview session. The
question: how can the
United States best meet the
Soviets’ growing basketball
prowess and. win the gold
medal at the 1980 Olympics
in Moscow? ae

The answers "and com-
ments were carbon copies of ©

“ everything that was said in -

‘Canada during the 1960's |

- when Canadian. amateur

hockey was still trying to
find a formula that. would
retumm world tournament
and Olympic hockey
supremacy to this country.

It will be of no comfort to.
the Americans to know that
the amateurs never were
able to find the formula; and
that now, more than a
decade later, the pros
haven't found it, cither.

And it may be of interest
to you to know that this same
Russian national team will

wind up its current North .

American tour at the Pacific
Coliseum, Saturday evening.

The opposition will be
Athletes in Action, the
Christianity-through-sports
team established in the
lower mainland last fall.

Its players. are all former
American collegians, whose
mission is to help spread the
gospel through sport. They

after a

“ also play apget eed bend

of, ‘basketball.
_NUDGED OUT CANADA"

Indeed, : ‘an: “Athletes in

Action team. represented: the:
United States at ‘the: “World

fifth, just one notch ahead of ~
Canada, by the grace of a
basket in’ the final . five .

‘seconds of play: It | destroyed

a one-point: Canadian lead.

‘The * Russian team
currently on tour; or at least

a large portion of it, finished.
second to Yugoslavia, losing .
82-81 in overtime :in the
championship game before
25,000 customers.

So, for some of the
Athletes in Action and some
of the Russians, this will be a
_second meeting in less than
on months. It doesn't figure

‘be the ultimate con-
frontation

be quite a good game.

Russian... progress in,

basketball. hasn't been quite ~

as spectacular as in hockey.

But then they didn’t get _

-Stafted on the until
eight years after they took
up hockey. So, who knows,
eight years from now they .
may be ready to challenge
the National Basketball
“Association pros..

But they'll find that a
tougher job than trying on
the NHL for size. The NBA
keeps getting better and
better because. the brand of
collegiate ball, from which it
draws its players, also keeps
getting better.

BEST COACHING

The Russians are well

- aware of this. A few years

ago Russian’ sports
authorities stated publicly
that the most progressive,
innovative coaching in any
sport anywhere in the world
can be found in U.S.
collegiate basketball. That's
why they like to play the

International Basketball

SOVIET UNION NATIONAL TEAM

VS.
ATHLETES In ACTION CANADA

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 - 8:00 P.M.
PACIFIC COLISEUM
Proliminary: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

8.C. LIONS

VANCOUVER TKGALY CENTRAL

TICKETS AT:
RATOWS

7:00 P.M.

DAKEN AUTO SALES (fecnenondd

e7nQg 890 400

GAMPUS CAVIAR OFDICE (Agbutsonh

between;
. _ Christianity and communist ~~

‘American - collegians and

have- their coaches visit
Russia to lecture and teach.

"Nobody has ever made
that claim on behalf of its
northern. equivalent,
Canadian junior hockey.
And nobody would because

it would be patently fatuous.

Whatever the coaching is,

‘it’s neither progressive nor

innovative. Most of the
products it produces for the
NFL are the obvious proof.

2 ae

a

_ suggest

PAY TO:
THE SUMOF......

Or. “maybe ‘you'd care to

“view the. difference from the -

followin,

- perspective.
Basketbs

" authorities seem

Cousy-led Boston * Celtics
champions of the late 1950's
and. early. 60s would finish

. Somewhere in. the bottom

third of today’s NBA. That's

- ‘how much the Product has
improved.

“Now, is there anyone out
‘there who would dare
that the great,
Montreal | Canadians
champions of the same era —:
the teams of Jacques Plante,
Doug: Harvey, Rocket
Richard, Jean Beliveau,
Bernie Geoffrion, Dickie

‘Moore’. and. company —
would finish in the bottom

third of today’s NHL? _
' GETTING THERE

Ridiculous? Exactly. And
that’s the reason the
Russians aren’t yet ready to
tackle Jabbar, Dr. J and
company. Indeed, they (and
the Yugoslavs) aren't yet at

wWEW WESTMINSTER

The Six Greater Vancouver Suzuk: Dealers Who Go the Distance!

~

. the stage where they can
handle a properly assembled
_ and: prepared; team” of ‘the. oe
- best’. American: ‘collegians. |.- . °*:

-agreed that the great Bob

_best

.
Sa
A

awa rod ds10%1 - ever .3¢ qianids re | eget

Page 19, February 28, 1979

But they're getting there.

North Shore News

"And that’s. what all the

‘halftime television talk was
about Sunday morning... ;

Should the U.S. send its _
team, §

colle giate -
bolstered by five or'six of the
best players from other
teams, to. Moscow in 1980?

‘Or should. it send an all-star
team?

prospective team be put .

Should

together this year and do a
European tour to get used to
conditions over. there? How

_can the best graduating

players be kept from turning
pro.until the Olympics are
over? And oh, it’s so. tough,

’ said one coach, because all.

the best players in the States
are professionals.

Doesn’t that bring’ ‘back
memories? Almost word for .

word -— only substituting
basketball for hockey — it
sounds like a written-in-
Canada script from the
1960's. a

Sloe

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the.

: ‘The new. GS-850 shatt drive | from .
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In fact, if you purchase any
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_See your participating Vancouver

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SUZUKI GOES
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