Mens Basketball Should Stay A Winter Sport

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30302, 30 November 1963, Page 9

Mens Basketball Should Stay A Winter Sport

p pHE surprising proposal by 1 Mr N. A. Adams, the manager of the New Zealand men’s basketball team which toured South-east Asia in 1962. that consideration should be given to changing the playing season from winter to summer is a little too revolutionary to do the game much good and the national council should reject it. Such a change could prove disastrous to a sport which is only now coming into its own. Many regular players would be lost to the more suitable summer sports of swimming, surfing, water polo, cricket and tennis and any gains from Rugby, as suggested by Mr Adams would be infinitesimal compared with the loss of knowledgeable players. Obviously, with the season being held in the winter, there must be some leases to Rugby but they are not great. In fact, many Rugby players use basket bail as part of their training programme. Played basically as a mid-week evening game,

basketball cannot possibly interfere with Rugby tuilese the playing night clashes with training. Summer sports such as water polo also use besketbaH to keep up handling in the offseason. liwt season a team of water polo players won the D grade e. mpetuion in Canterbury. A team of hockey players, using the game to develop team work and physical fitness, was placed second in the same competition. Surely t'hts is an excellent example of the potential of basketball for other sports, botti winter and summer Indoor basketball is very definitely a winter sport and although it is certainly possible to play it on a hot summer day. it would be uncomfortable and very tiring. Mr Adams's statement that the New Zealand touring team had managed quite well in the heat of South-east Asia may be correct but surely, given the choice, the players would prefer cooler

temperatures. The argument that spectators are far more likely, to attend matches on a, warm night is sound. However. no matter how much* associations rely on reve-« nue from spectators to run« their sport, the fact that the J game is for the players - must not be forgotten. If* the players are lost, the - sport ceases to exist

Nevertheless. Mr Adams s ' suggestions are well COn-a ceived and contain some* interesting revelations. The’’ many outside courts avail-', able during the summer at* next to no expense. men-* tioned by Mr Adams, are worthy of consideration. J Without detracting inany way from the impor-* tance of the winter compe-J titions, a summer league* could be held This would.* be an admirable com-* promise which would cater* for those players without* other summer sporting in-* terests and provide a per-' feet testing ground for Mr«, Adams’s theories. If the* response from players andj spectators was really en-» couraging, the national as-J sociation could seriously* consider a change of sea-« son; not before. *