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1926 Yearbook Home |
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Macedonia High School Yearbook
History of High School Basketball
By J. M. Henry
1926
Click photo to enlarge
Click photo to enlarge
Click photo to enlarge
Click photo to enlarge
The first Macedonia High School basketball team was
orgnanized in the fall of 1910, with the Superintendent of
Schools, T. O. Tacy, now an attorney in Council Bluffs, as
coach. The members were: - Hugh Braden, f; Howard Braden, f; Milos
Boyer, c; Ralph Smith, g; Clyde Miller, g.
The first game was with Carson, coached by E. E. Coe, now
of Mondamin. Before a basket had been made a dispute arose
over a decision by Coe, who was refereeing, and the two school[s]
have disagreed in basketball ever since. On this team, Miller
played standing, or "post" guard, a term invented because the
baskets and backstops had been fastened to posts. Hugh Braden
threw most of the baskets, everyone feeding the ball to him.
The methods then used would appear crude today. Braden threw
baskets from between his knees, giving the ball a backward
twirl, and could hardly throw any other way. The result was
that he had to maneuver into his between-the-knees position,
and often lost what could hav ebeen made into points had he
known other methods of shooting baskets.
During the winter of 1911 Miller became ill and Henry
replaced him and played out the season at "post"guard. But
two games were lost during the season, one to Carson high
school and one to the Woodbine Normal School.
The next year the team consisted of Hugh Braden, f; Adrian
Hobson, f; Miles Boyer, c; Henry Dinwiddie, g; James Henry, g;
Naason Young and Wilbur Plumb, subs. This year they won un-
official Southwestern Iowa Championshnip and lost no games.
There was no official method of determining the honors, but
Malvern beat all the larger schools in this corner of the
State, including Council Bluffs, Red Oak and Glenwood and
publicly claimed the Championship. Macedonia challenged, and
on Malvern's floor, won, 24 to 14.
In this contest, the Macedonians overcame a disadvantage
by a trick. The Macedonia boys played with ordinary tennis
shoes, and on a slick floor were helpless. (They used tennis
shoes because they were lighter than suction soles and
Macedonia was so heavy, averaging 156 pounds and needing all
the speed possible.) Malvern played on a dance floor and with
suction soled shoes. When Macedonia started practicing the
boys slipped and fell. An attempt was made to get the suction
shoes, but it was fruitless. Then Tacy tried to get Malvern
to resin the floor. They wouldn't do that, so the 'Donia
players got their own resiin, put it in their pockets, and during
the practice, did their own resining.
One of the hardest fought battles of the year was that against
Tab high school. Ellis, a forward, had an amazing overhand flip
at the board that almost defied guarding, and he had a trick of
tripping that added to the agony. The game ended 15 to 15, and
extra play was allowed. The rules then provided that there should
be play until one side made two more points. TPlay was resumed and
the referee evidently went blind. No fouls were called, and a
football game would have seemed like a sewing circle. The affray
lasted nearly ten minutes before a basket was made, and then
Boyer, never a very good basket thrower, on his knees, south of
center's circle, with a Tabor man between his legs (Miles was in-
tentionally sitting on him) threw a goal in the North basket that
didn't touch the rim! But the mess! Hugh Braden's nose was bleed-
ing a stream. Boyer's head had been cut by a slide across the
floor, Hobson had a black eye, Dinwiddie was sitting across a
chair with his arm folded across his stomach. Someone had used a
knee on his wind. Henry had been tossed bodily nto the stage,
and from there, seeing Ellis trying for a goal, reached out with
a foot and kicked the ball out of his hands, and with the other
kicked Ellis in the face. He then got back into the game and
sprained both ankles. Ellis lost a lot of blood from his nose and
mouth; Mann, the center, had his shirt and one shoe torn off by
Boyer and one forward, I forget his name, was pitched over the
front row of spectators onto the back row by Dinwiddie. When it
was all over the Tabor boys locked arms in the center of the
floor, spit blood and cheered for Macedonia.
The style of play of thoe first two teams differed from that
of today. The forwards, short men each year, passed the ball on
the floor, or within a few inches of it; while the guards and cent-
er, all tall, and jumpers, played the ball in the air. This proved
rather confusing to their opponents. Too, there was no rule
against blocking a player, or running into another man if the
runner was proceeding backwards, or in such a way as not to be
able to see the man into whom he ran.
A play was worked out in which Hobson, running forward,
dribbled the ball, and Boyer and Dinwiddie, looking back t
Hobson, ran interference. The two of them cleared a patch for
Hobson, who dribbled and passed to Hugh Braden and he sunk the
ball in the basekt. Accordingn to Tacy, during this year of the
"Championship', Hugh Braden got into the enemy's territory,
beyond the center line, but three times, and Henry left his
"post" guard position but once. henry tried for a basekt but
three times in the two years and made but one. It was Tacy's
idea that Braden should always be available at his basket and
that Henry should always threaten the enemy's goal.
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Contributed by Kimberlee Smith Johnson
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