Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Friday, December 15, 1961.

Events on the Washburn campus during the past week concerning basketball haven’t exactly followed pre-season predictions (that is-my predictions).

However, I am not conceding a single thing. My forecasting was centralized in the CIC race itself and if my schedule doesn’t differ from that of others we haven’t entered league play.

Efforts of the Ichabod basketball forces in non-conference affairs have left a great deal to be desired. In three contests, Washburn has dropped two and copped one – the opening game of the year.

Tuesday’s encounter with Warrensburg could be classified as a major disappointment. What happened Wednesday morning was even more of a disappointment, actually it was a shame.

Head Coach Norman Short was hanged in effigy by a group of so-called “grandstand coaches.” Whether this action is warranted or not, the act was a serious move on the part of the “coaches” who wish they could play basketball and can’t and who wish someone else was playing, their personal selections no doubt.

Playing the roundball sport and observing it are two widely divergent operations. People coaching from the stands displaying their personal whims and instituting their “second-guessed” offenses and defenses so that Washburn can win more games is commonplace. What happens when they are wrong?

Tuesday night, Washburn had a substantial lead over Central Missouri State. Kim Lugar, two year senior letterman had led the early splurge by scoring 11 of 22 Washburn points. With an 11 point lead, a 30-foot corner shot by Lugar with men open closer to the bucket could have been called for, but apparently Coach Short didn’t call for it. Consequently, Lugar was summoned to the bench and didn’t return to action until just before intermission.

“When are you going to blow another one!” – the sign displayed with the half-hearted excuse for a dummy read Wednesday morning. It hardly merited more attention than simply cutting it down, because of the obstruction of student movement and the illegal trespassing of climbing the well-kept trees around Morgan Hall to put it in the place.

In defense of Short (I too feel disappointed – I am a sore loser) let me say this, compare the students that took part in the effigy episode to the member of T.N.E. – after all, showing disrespect is a manifestation of cowardliness.

Let me offer a solution. To the students who have personal gripes, go to Mr. Short – get the load off your shoulders. Let him in on the secrets of college basketball coaching. I am certain that he will be appreciative of all suggestions, then too, wouldn’t your conscience rest easier if you talked to him in person rather than to write notes and stuff dummies behind his back?