apparent ball was more difficult to handle and dribble than present day ball. Keep in mind, much of earliest era (before 1900 through near 1920 in Iowa) basketball was played outside on dirt ground. The country schools had only outside limited playground equipment and most of small rural towns had similar to very little more equipment. Consolidation of country schools with nearby town schools began near 1912 with many consolidations through mid-20’s – Collins 1920 – with the new high school building completed December 1921 that included a gymnasium for basketball, similar date as other nearby communities and likely throughout the state.
In 1892, Naismith’s classmate, Kallenberg, came west to Iowa and became YMCA Director at the University of Iowa. Kallenberg promptly taught students the new basketball game. On April 26, 1893, the Cedar Rapids YMCA and Iowa City YMCA played the first basketball game in Iowa in Close Hall (Housed YMCA and YMCA) gymnasium: Admission=15 cents. Score: Iowa City – 12; Cedar Rapids – 2. The rules of the game: Center Jump after each basket – this continued to 1934 for girls rules and to 1937 for boys rules, designated player shot all free throws and only one substitute player for each team. Basketball generally started in larger towns with YMCA’s. The earliest communities with boys’ basketball teams were Ft Dodge (1897), West Waterloo (1898), Ottumwa (1899), Boone, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Mt. Pleasant, Oskaloosa by 1903. The earliest communities with girls’ basketball were Dubuque (1898), Muscatine (1904), Washington (1904), Ottumwa (1906), Albia (1909) and Mystic 1909).
February 7, 1921 Colo Won Two Games from Collins. Friday night the two basketball teams from Collins came to Colo to play. The girls’ game was quite close during the first half. The boys ran good race nearly all thru the game. The lineups were as follows:
Girls’ Lineup: Lois Witmer (24), F; Iona Crabb (23), F; Catherine Ozman (23), JC; Ila Crabb (22) SC; Thelma Oswalt (23) G; Leola Stratton (22), G. Substitutes: Velma Jones for Iona Crabb. Halftime score Colo 5, Collins 4. Final 13 – 8. Baskets: Whitmer 3-2, 1-1 = 5 points; Crabb 1 –1 = 1. Jones (?).
Boys’ Lineup: Jim King (F); Lowel Halterman (F); Harold Gearhart (24) (C; Lowell Carver (22) (G); Chambers (G). Halftime score Colo 12, Collins 11. Final Colo 28, Collins 17. Baskets: King 5; Halterman 2, Free throws Carver 3. Before the game with Collins, eight boys, dressed in clown suits of blue and whete, gave several stunts to amuse the people. They played leap frog, football and basketball. Then the high school boys quartette made its first appearance and sang “I Ain’t Nobody’s Darlin’ ” and “On, Oh, Colo!”