| Show By S Tommie Porter While Frank K Baker Balter Telegram sports editor is s in California Cali Call fornia this column is being conducted by members of the sports staff The challenge of a year old Indiana farm hand who would match ability with any and all comers in a basketball throwing free-throwing contest brings sharply to mind the importance of free pitches which pitches which were unheard of when the cage game was originated originated to to any hoop teamS team S 'S The Indianan boasts of having caged of OO free tries on one occasion and of having pitched 21 5 without a amiss amiss amiss miss another time Su Such h acc accuracy racy would do much to toS S e team atop almost any race S 5 v Of course this farm hands hand's free pitching was not under tinder game conditions The was not winded nor tired nor harassed by a shouting crowd or thoughts that his success successor or failure might decide the tile issue None the less it is a re remarkable remarkable re- re feat In Iii the excitement of close games few players would be kely to approximate th the accuracy of the Indiana oldster But certainly many coaches would spend more time trying to to perfect their players in free pitching did they stop to think how important the so-called so charity throws often are For example in preseason high school play t to date 18 games Barnes have been won by free throws when the rival teams had ed basket for basket from the field Seven of those games yere ere vere decided by a single point the others by from three to nine i joints as in the case of Spanish Fork caging nine of f 17 free ree tries while Davis was missing its 11 each having 16 field goals In five games the team with the fewest field goals won be because because because be- be cause of better free pitching as in the case of Davis scoring nine goals to Bear Rivers River's 10 but converting five of eight free tosses to two of six Three games of last seasons season's state prep tournament tournament tournament ment were were won by free throws and several high scho school l state titles have been decided by one or two points when accurate free pitching might have turned the tide The same thing us true in the college games Brigham Young won its first game game although although outscored 27 goals to 26 by bythe bythe bythe i the Y ICy alumni alumni by by converting seven of 11 free tries to three of 11 by the alums I Free throws are awarded for 11 different technical technical- fouls and eight personal infractions The average average coll college ge season season finds each player attempting from 12 to 50 of these charity tosses I and in in high ig school competition a player has many more tries A few minutes of regular drill by each player in the cage age sport at each of his workouts with a few pointers from his coach to make the tossing more rhythmic and natural would doubtless change the outcome of many games Such time and effort would be well spent for certainly if a team found its opponents vere were exceptionally accurate at free throwing it would try to reduce the number of those tosses by being more careful about fouling to the general betterment of the sport Joe Falcaro one of the nations nation's leading bowlers says his favorite sport has a aT more amore general appeal and draws its followers from a wider range with fewer restrictions as to class or financial financial financial finan finan- cial status than any other athletic endeavor He points out that bowling draws no line between the stars who who might be professionals in other sports sports and and the lesser lights and attracts the highest quality of participation of all ages and both sexes skill sexes skill being vastly more important in the pin game than strength Falcaro who is 42 and weighs only has been bowling 32 years He has scored 41 perfect games and has averaged for 23 in American years Bowling Congress sanctioned com corn petition He started as a pin boy as aa did his father |
