Five to Face Holy Cross Tonight

"Holy Cross," mused Crimson basketball coach Floyd Wilson, "is very much like Boston College, only much better."

That judgment clearly defines the problems the Harvard quintet will face tonight; the Crimson lost to Boston College 57-45 last week.

The Crusaders are rather small for a team that, likes to think of itself as a basketball power: the tallest man on the starting five is only 6' 3". According to scouts, however, they have some other strengths, mainly accuracy and swiftness.

Opponent Has Speed

Wilson's main worry is his opponent's speed. Harvard has no sprinters, and the team play thus far has occasionally been sluggish. While Holy Cross apparently likes to run a lot and break downcourt in breathtaking fashion, Wilson does not plan to either run with them or deliberately slow them down.

"We will play our own style of ball," he indicated, "and make adjustments as they seem necessary."

With the slaughter of Tufts behind them, the Crimson should have added confidence in its abilities. The Jumbo game was more than Harvard's first win--it was also the first time the team jelled into a coordinated machine. Offensive patterns were worked through to their logical conclusion, and both the zone and the man-to-man defense held.

Perhaps the biggest adversity the Crimson now faces is injuries. Team captain Gene Augustine is still not able to run at full speed, and must be spelled. The loss of forward Bob Inman until January hasn't helped either. These injuries, plus the inexperience of the many sophomores on the squad, have hindered team coordination.

Crimson rebounders had the back-beards pretty much to themselves Saturday against Tufts, but tonight may be different. HC center Bob Foley (no relation to Jack "the shot") is a strong backboard man, and forward Pete O'Conner effectively assists him.

The Crusader scoring attack is based on the shooting abilities of forward Pat Gallagher and guard John Wendelker, and both can be deadly. Tiny (5-10) play-maker Joe Kelly completes the starting unit, and behind these five, coach Frank Oftring apparently does not have great strength.

Harvard's starting unit will again consist of Augustine, and Leo Scully at guard, Vera Strand at the post, and Pete Kelley and Denny Lynch is the forward slots.