St Edwards University - Tower Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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TY ou probably can’t blame Joe Beck if he didn’t know whether he was going or coming “this spring; it was that kind of year. It was the kind of year that saw only four seniors ‘on his 15-man Hilltopper squad swelled by the phasing out of the JV team. Five of his Toppers were juniors, but only one of them, the fabulous Zeke Everett, had anything besides JV experience, and the other six Hilltoppers were all freshmen. Everett led the Big State Conference in scoring and again was a shoo-in for the All-Conference first team, but for everybody else it was a i year to learn together. The lessons came hard more often than easy. Beck’s youngsters did show remarkable poise for their age in close ball games, winning four of the nine that were decided by four points or less, but most of their games were not that close. That presented lesson master Beck with a sticky problem. | | He could let his troops run with superior ball clubs and suffer humiliating defeats, or he could risk over-disciplining their enthusiasm and stay close by stalling the ball. He knew, of course, of the criticism a stall always prompts from bored fans, and he knew as well what a stall did to Everett’s chances in the conference scoring race. So he did a little of both, while he emphasized what he knows best: defense. His Hilltoppers played slow- down without a whimper when asked, perhaps mindful of the convincing demon- stration delivered by Howard Payne. After squeaking past St. Eds’ stall 40-38 at the season’s start, they crushed a running | Topper club 103-69 three weeks later. - But Beck’s lessons on defense did eventually begin to take hold, so that his ‘running Hilltoppers were able to repay a disgraceful 95-59 whipping by South- western’s Pirates in Austin with a stunning 84-81 upset in Georgetown that knocked Southwestern out of the Big State Confer- ) ence race. However, the explanation of that South- western series and the other good things that happened to the Hilltoppers lies beyond strategy and on the broad shoulders of Zeke Everett, who bore the load of three men, the graduated John Minne, Bob Lucash, and Al Priestley. The Fabulous Frosh of 1971, after 1973 Zeke had established solid credentials for All-American consideration in 1974. Senior Rich Bohac shouldered some of the a ‘marry ae ee eee load under the boards with Everett, but it was his hustling defense that was particu- larly invaluable to a Joe Beck club. The scene stealer, however, of the 1973 Hill- toppers was freshman Greg Moore, who thrilled fans with his raw and reckless abandon all over the floor, St. Eds’ own unpolished Earl the Pearl. After his Toppers closed out the season on a high note by blasting Huston- Tillotson, 108-98, Beck announced that he was going. After seven seasons with St. Edward’s he was retiring from coaching to devote full time to his duties as director of the career planning office. That lasted just about three months, until the May announcement that he was coming. Beck would resume his coaching duties at least for a year while the search for a suitable replacement continued. It was that kind of year for the career planning office. Ui

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You say hello, say goodbye It was no song and dance that Joe Beck was playing when he traded back his gold watch for diaper pins after a season when he | ; needed both. a = ete 76

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MVP Zeke Everett Freshman Greg Moore, winner, in an under- statement, of the 1973 Hustle Award.