RUPP AND READY
The Cage Outlook For 1953-54
Cagey Adolph Rupp, the Bluegrass Baron of brown suit fame who rules the basketball dynasty at University of Kentucky, puts on his best poker face but can scarcely conceal the gleam in his eye when talking about the future of his Wildcats.
The nation's winningest cage mentor hesitates to come right out and wax enthusiastic over the group of standout basketeers returning to the cage wars this season after a year's enforced layoff under discipline by the NCAA and Southeastern Conference. However, when asked about the prospects for a winning campaign in 1953-54, which most impartial observers are about willing to concede without batting an eyelash, Baron Rupp glances down his star-studded roster and admits in a carefully-chosen summation: "The University will have its usual representative team."
Never one to throw caution to the winds, but usually eloquent on the ability of the Wildcat cage crew, the veteran mentor claims that, despite the fact that "things look pretty good on the face of the matter," no one can say how good Kentucky will be. "It's hard to tell how much the layoff hurt us. After all, every team in the country will have more experience and if competition means anything we just won't have itat least not until about mid-season apparently. With the schedule we are faced with, the boys just can't afford to be staleas I am afraid they may be due to continual practice and the lack of the incentive of competition."
Ail-American Duo Returning
A veteran lineup, headed by All-Americans Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey, has been bolstered by the addition of several top-flight prospects from last year's freshman team and Rupp has already pared his squad list down to fighting trim to make way for even more classy new blood to be injected. The result could be one of the greatest outfits since the 1948 team that captured the Olympic championship.
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