University of British Columbia - Totem Yearbook (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada)

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aff i UBC Thunderbird hoopsters went through the Evergreen league with only one conference win to their credit. However, towards the end of the season, they had the makings of a great ball eluh. With only four returning letter- men, Phillips, Louie, Southcott and Hudson, 'Birds had to relie on in- coming freshmen and members of last year's Chiefs. liig uplift to the team was the entry of Ron liisset and Maury Mul- hern. WN i Birds were loaded with freshmen but Coach Jack Promfert promised a winning ball club next season. Above part of the crowd watching the 'Birds in action on the new maples. Jbgaakeibalf in ew gm E Q 'kAbove Seattle Pacific tries to stop Freshman hoopster Ron Bisset from scoring basket. UBC lost all four games to the visiting United States squad. i'Thunderbird Basketballer tried hard to win their game at the unofficial opening of the War Memorial Gymnasium. 104

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season. Being outscored by at least three touchdowns became the rule rather than the exception. Linfield held UBC to no score while mark- ing up forty-six points on the score- board, and Western Washington ended their game with a forty-seven to seven score. At least UBC had a new score- board this year on which to record the major tallies of the visiting teams. A gift of the 1949 graduating class, it was unyielded and used for the first time at the Homecoming game. The football season ended in sad state, but with the instigation of a new athletic plan, things began to look up. At least next year, the campus thought, things would be better. Then came the unwelcome news that head coach Burke would not be back to coach the team in the 1951-52 term. He had been working under a two-year contract which had expired, and the press of his work did not allow him the time neces- sary to coach a team. Visitors UBC St. Martins-UBC ...... 21 6 Whiteman Callege -L BC ............,.. .- 21 6 Western Wash.- UBC ...r............ -- 47 7 Linfield College- UBC ................... -- 46 O Northern Idaho- UBC ...................... 33 18 Eastern Washington- UBC ........................ 34 O Whiteworth-UBC Defaulted to UBC Western Washington- UBC ..rr......r......,...... 27 9 Totals ..... ...r................ 2 29 47 Total Wins O Total Defeats 7 One game defaulted i'Games were always action packed even if it was the other team calling all the plays and leading the game from the starting whistle. Standouts on the team were Gil Steer, Cec Taylor, Dave MacFarlane and George Puil. A big uplift to the team was the rally that preceded the starting of the Ostrum plan. At least the team could be sure of one thing, that next year there will be a training table, better equipment, and most important a full squad.

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. , . ., y . Q 32 ' -1- 6, i X Q ,7. Z 2 .: -,eg 'kOne of the few players to make the 'Bird in their first year on the campus was Ron Bissett. Last year he led his High School team to the Lower Mainland High School Championship. Coach Jack Promfret has hopes of making him one of the top basket- ball players on the west coast. From the showing that he made this year prospects look good. Bisset hails from Britannia High where he led school squad to the Lower Mainland High School Bas- ketball Championship. Despite the fact that this was his first year on the campus his ability as a player gave him a first string slot. Mulhern, another freshman on the campus won nine big blocks in football, basketball and baseball while attending Vancouver College. Other new additions to the squad were Upson, Yorke, Desaul- nier, Stuart, Craig and Hindmarch. At the start of the season 'Birds looked as if they might have been able to overcome their lack of ex- perience when they beat Seattle Pacific 61-56. However, the squad running up against Seattle University, a better calibre of team, was down 94-72 and 94-61. The only conference game that they won was against Central Washington in the early part of December. After that 'Birds won only one non-conference game. Promfret re- turned for his third season as head basketball coach. Promfret is an all-round athletic in Vancouver. During the last 10 years he has played on rugby. Cana- dian football, hockey, lacrosse, bas- ketball and he set some Canadian swimming records which still stand. He attended University of Washiiigtoii where he won letters for basketball and swimming. In his third year he was President of the Big 'W' club. His experience has gone a long way in developing this year's basket- ball team and by next year they should have the conference play to end up in the top three. 'A' Outstanding centre on the squad was Art Phillips, one of the few returning men from last years team. 105