California State University Chico - Record Yearbook (Chico, CA)

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VARSITY BASKET BALL NOTHER tough-luck basket ball year for Chico State. In the six years that . Coach Acker has been at Chico, the Wildcat has always placed second in the California Coast Conference-never first, never third: and always losing the championship series by one to three points. To always produce a well- coached, well-trained basket ball machine, praised by sport writers the state over and feared by every team in the conference, and yet never to win a championship, can be laid to nothing but downright tough luck. Perhaps a rabbit's foot oria horseshoe would help. Acker has tried everything else. The call sent out in November for aspirants to basket ball fame was an- swered by a wealth of material seldom found in a small college. Captain Chauncey Wilson, this year unanimously elected as All-Conference forward, was ready and eager to take his position as leader of the most promising basket ball team in Chico's history. 'iChink is beyond a doubt the classiest casaba artist ever to wear the Chico Cardinal. Hailing from Live Oak High, he made the Varsity his first year in College, which in itself, is an accomplishment to be proud of. As the running mate to John Colledge he showed the promise that he has since fullilled even beyond the dreams of the most speculative and enthusi- astic prophets. As a point getter Chauncey has no superiors. Opponents fear- fully refer to him as Dead-Eye Wilson and every time he winds up and sets one loose basketward. the opposition trembles with fear lest two more counters be credited to the Wildcat. As a running mate in the forward position Captain Wilson had a newcomer in College, who in his prep days was a star for the Stockton High. Ambrose Garrigan tips the beam at about one hundred and thirty. but he makes up any dehciency in size by speed and clever footwork. Lacking Wilson's experience. Garry can't equal the captain yet in distance shooting but is sure fire in set-up shots anywhere near the basket. Like Chauncey, Ambrose should develop under Acker's tutorage into a star of the court. For substitutes in the forward positions, Acker had Blondin and Elfendahl, both of whom have no little ability as basketeers as they proved without a doubt in the Sacramento games. Finishing up the forward wall were Nixon and Greiner, the former an outstanding player of last year's frosh team and the latter a Freshman entering from Corning. The center position was well taken care of by Palmer, a veteran from last year. The lanky lad from Oroville would rate a berth on the Varsity if for nothing more than his ability to follow up shots and score baskets off the board. Farmer, Squier and Vugrenecz, modern Horatios, took care of the guarding end. Farmer is undoubtedly the cream of the crop in the back guard position. Wherever the team went he was acclaimed and praised for his ability in getting the ball off the backboard. For a man of his size and avoirdupois Dan has a sur- prising amount of speed, and along with it an accuracy which enabled him many times to make sucker shots from under the basket, Farmer, like Wilson, was the unanimous choice for the All-Conference team. Were one to ask who played floor guard, two names would have to be given. for Cliff Squier and Steve Vugrenecz were both regulars in that position. It would be difficult to say which of these two boys was the better and undoubt- edly Acker thinks the same thing, for he uses one no more than the other. The -'-H61

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main difference between the two is that Steve is a faster man on the floor, while Cliff is a better shot at the basket. The Wildcats pulled the first surprise of the year by defeating the highly touted Auburn Cubs in a series of two games. The Cubs have long rated as one of the leading teams in the state and Chico's victories over them sent the Wildcats off to a, flying start. During the Christmas vacation Coach Acker and the team invaded the south- ern part of the state and cleaned out everything that came in the way including Santa Barbara State for one game and California for two. It began to look as though the Wildcat was off on a rampage and would finish the season unde- feated, but Reno and the Nevada quintet proved a little too much and the Wol- verine staved off the Wildcat in both encounters of the series. Chico easily defeated the California Aggies but split a two-game series with College of the Pacific. Nevada, Aggies, and Pacific were all non-conference games. In the conference games Chico played fifteen, winning fourteen and losing one to San Jose, At the close of the regular season Chico rated first with a higher percentage than San Jose and according to conference rules the two teams with the highest percentage must play a post-season series of two out of three games for the championship. In this series, which Chico always gets into but never wins, San Jose won the Hrst game by a margin of two points and the second game by one point. Both were tie games necessitating extra five minute periods. With every Varsity man but Vugrenecz returning next year there should be a hot time given all opposition in the Far Western Conference and perhaps Dame Fortune will be so kind as to give that overlapping point or two to Chico so that the championship which has repeatedly been so near and yet so far, may rest for once within the portals of Chico State College. Letter winners for the season are: Captain Chauncey Wilson ..,.......,..... Ambrose Garrigan ............ James Elfendahl --- Rockwell Blondin ,... Kenneth Palmer .... Dan Farmer .... Cliff Squier ........, Steve Vugrenecz ..r. -....,gf 6 2 lk-- Forward Forward Forward Forward R ,,,,,r,c ..,... , .Center ,-...GU3fd ,---,,,,C1uard ,,-,,.,-.Guard