Iowa Wesleyan College - Croaker Yearbook (Mount Pleasant, IA)

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SPORTS [35] )u y

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Boys Basketball, 1943-44 Iowa may boast of its “Iron Men but Wesleyan produced six “Men of Steel” for the basketball season of 1943-44. Three of these men were 17 years of age and one was 16 but they played against the strongest teams in the Mid-West and ended the season with 9 wins and 8 losses, scoring 297 field goals and 103 free throws to their opponents 293 field goals and 130 free throws, for the best local record in several years. Nine of the teams on the schedule were manned by service men much older and with much more college ex-pcricncc. Two of the civilian games were against Burlington “Y” which was composed exclusively of former college players. The Wesleyan Tigers were victorious in three of these games and lost to but one college civilian team during the season. The one defeat was to Simpson in the first game before Holly Wagner of Danville joined the team. Wagner joined the team late after considering not playing because of a bad knee, but in the 16 remaining games continued his previous years scoring ability to run up 262 points and second place scoring honors in the Iowa conference. Wagner ended the season only slightly behind first place in scoring and without any doubt would have been first had he been left in the game on several occasions when his team was far in the lead. The splendid ball handling and cooperation between every man on the team and the fixed determination to win made this one of the most successful seasons in Wcsleyans history. The climax of local interest was perhaps in the two victories over Parsons, 56-31 here and 65-17 there, and in the victory at the end of the season, over the Air Corps team of former major college players. The Dunkel rating system, based on the cumulative correlation of scoring differentials with rating of opposition and considered as the most authoritative rating in the U. S. ranks only three civilian teams in Iowa above them and places Wesleyan well above many other well-known teams. (RECORD) The Seasons record: I W C Opp. 26 Simpson .............. 49 56 Parsons .............. 31 34 Penn ................. 30 67 Alumni ............... 12 27 Burlington “Y ....... 47 26 Monmouth Navy ...... 75 65 Parsons.............. 17 36 Mayo Army Hospital... 35 I W C Opp. 39 Central Navy ......... 50 50 Penn .................. 32 34 Burlington “Y” ........ 54 3 5 Loras Navy ............ 66 30 Dubuque Navy .......... 51 38 Mayo Army Hospital .... 36 43 Central Navy .......... 62 46 82nd C. T. D........... 32 49 Crawfordsville ....... 37 (LETTER WINNERS) The following men were awarded letters: Holly Wagner, Danville, Forward. Dale Burket, Mt. Pleasant. Guard. Verne Smutz, Stockport, Center. Don Finney, Eldon, Forward. John McDowell, Kinross, Guard. “Chuck Fellers, Fremont, Forward. “Bud Rcdlingcr of Richland was awarded a letter for service as manager to both the boys and girls teams. [36]