Salem College - Dirigo Yearbook (Salem, WV)

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40 SUMMARY CONT'D Then came the most important event of the season - the conference tourney. Playing like veterans instead of the youngsters they reallywere, fonly two seniors and two juniors were on the rosterb, Christie's charges again dumped Glenville 96-92 to gain Salem's first tourney win since 1952, then bumped off West Liberty's Hilltoppers 70-59. At this point they fell before eventual champ Morris Harvey 123-96 while providing the stiffest opposition the Golden Eagles saw in the event. Bowing out in style, they then clipped the wings of Fairmont's Falcons for consolation honors. It was largely on the strength of this showing that Coach Christie was polled as Coach of the Year by his fellow mentors. Individually, Cecil Perkins averaged 17.5 points per game with Jtme Smith, Wendall Sinnett and John Gracon also in. double figures. Sinnett grabbed 322 rebounds to head up that departmentwhile Gracon and Smith were also strong on the boards. John Kaminsky, Dwain Blagg and Tom Sherwood were outstanding on defense and in relief roles. The team as a whole scored 2283 total points, an average of 78.1 per game, and gave up 2290. They shot 42.7fZ, from the field and 68.9fZ from the free throw line, hauled down 1360 rebounds C47 per contestj while committing 535 personal fouls in 29 games. With only three cag ers not returning, fKaminsky, Blaggand Jim Rockwell graduatel an outlook for the third straight year of im- provement in the Salem College basketball fortunes seems in the offering.

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BASKETBALL SUMMARY 139 It all started in the Cecil H. Underwood Armory on November 30, 1961, with an 85-64 win over Shenandoah. It ended in Charleston's Civic Center on February 24, 1962, with an 86-84 conquest of Fairmont State. Sandwiched in between were four- teen morewins and thirteen losses, a 12-11 regular season record good for ninth place in the 19-team WVIAC fthe best finish in seven years for a Salem teaml, a third place honor in the tournament of the year, the 16-team West Virginia conference affair at Charleston's Civic Center, and a Coach of the Year citation for sophomore head coach, Don Christie. This was the story for the 1961-62 cam- paign. Following the Shenandoah triumph, the men of Christie dumped Shepherd College, then ran into some trouble and fell to a 4-4 pre-holiday mark. Coming out strong in January, the Green and White capturedthree straight, then lost three in a row be- fore capturing three of four to pull out over .500 to stay. The overall slate showed 13 wins and 12 losses. Big victories were scored over Beckley, A-B, Wesleyan and Potomac State on the road while major upsets wer e recorded at home ov er contenders Glenville, Fairmont and West Liberty.

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COACH CHRISTIE Completing only his second year of college coaching, Don Christie led his team to the first winning season in several years, and saw them cop third place in the conference tournament. As a result Coach of the Year honors were bestowed on the youthful mentor by his fellow coaches. He was chosen over all other WVIAC coaches as the honor covered every major sport. Mr. Christie was a stellar guard for Salem College and a 1952 graduate. From there he entered the United States Air Force and coach- edboth squadron andbase teams to champion- ships at New Castle, Delaware AFB. He then became head coach of all sports at Salem High School for four years before he came to direct the cage fortunes of the green and white. As Coach of the Year after just two seasons, Mr. Christie has made an auspicious debut in what we hope will be a long and successful tour of duty at Salem College.