Bob Cousy, 1944-45

[luckyshow]

The following is not complete, I haven't looked at February, March and most of April, 1945.

First up, December 1944, Cousy was not on his Andrew Jackson High School team. He was playing for a couple of other clubs. In the Christian Youth Organization, the Queens CYO, Senior Division, Gold Section. The team was St. Pascal Baylon of Hollis.
Here he scores 56.


He would lead this team to the Queens County CYO championship, then win the Long island title as well against a squad from Brooklyn. This was even after he did join the high school team, he would play for both. Actually, as we will see, for three teams.

He was playing in the (Long Island) Press-Kiwanis Basketball League, Junior Division, Red Section for the St. Albans Lindens (Linden Boulevard is a main drag through the area, it opened this far east in late 1930s). Here is announcement of his joining the Jackson varsity team




He was not a high scorer with the high school team, they finished 3rd place, winning the consolation game in the Queens P.S.A.L. (Publc School Athletic League). Following the season, the high school players (not just the seniors) formed a team called the East Enders (St. Albans is bordering Nassau County)


La Salle Military Academy is in Oakdale out on Long Island, a prep school, still there today.

[MCT]

I like the "Holy Cross wins" column at the bottom of the first clipping. Was this referring to a local CYO or Cathlolic high school team, or to Cousy's future college alma mater?

[luckyshow]

Holy Cross was a local team, maybe CYO.

A mention in Mike Lee's column. Did Cousy get better with "Rs"?:


On the varsity:


Scoring 17:


Before they began the PSAL tournament the next afternoon at Madison Square Garden, a win over Long Island City


The Andrew Jackson High School Hickories. left to right: Bob Cousy, Wes Field. Captain Don Johnson, Dick Wrase and Chris Werner.

Cousy, turns out was on 4 teams this season. By the way, some 20 years later I lived in Laurelton, but a new school had opened which I attended. Those north of Merrick Road in Laurelton went to Jackson. I lived south and went to the new school, Springfield Gardens High School.

[luckyshow]

[rlee]

Here is what Cooz predicted for Oscar as a rookie in a national pre-season mag story entitled "Big O may be a Royal letdown; West may be the best:
"From what I've seen, I think West might be a better rookie than Oscar. He played backcourt for W Va and he'll be playing backcourt for L.A. He won't have to adjust to a new position. That's going to be Oscar's problem. Hde never really played the backcourt. But, at -5, that's where he'll have to lay w/ the Royals. He was a bucketman in college. He's certainly not big enough for that in the pros. And I don't think he can hold his own as a cornerman. He's got to be in the backcourt and it is going to take time for him to adjust. I'm sure he'll have a good year but how many points he scores will depend on how much of the offense revolves around him. He's not going to be the whole show like he was in college. The Royals have some good shooters, especially Twyman & Oscar can't take most of the shots like he did in college. I think he'll average 15 or 16 ppg unless the Royals are again a last place team. Then he may get more of an opportunity to garbage up his average. He won't make the same difference in the Royals that Wilt did for Philly though."

His more accurate prediction/description of Celts' choice Satch Sanders is interesting for how it relates to a discussion that has taken place elsewhere on this board recently:
"With our scorers, we can afford a guy like Satch, the way we used Loscutoff before he hurt his back. Sanders can rebound and play good defense and score a few points when Russ is taking a breather."

I'm summoning all my resistance to commenting on this observation and will take the high road of letting Cooz's Sanders observation/comment speak for itself.

[Keith Ellis]

Great stuff, Ray. Cousy had it almost exactly backwards re West/Oscar. It was West who looked like a struggling 'tweener when he rookied, soaring to some 600 Rebbies but scoring in the mid-teens. It's amazing how sharp little comments can set the tone for a decade-long attitude. Cousy obviously had a 'tude about Big O, right down to Oscar's being told he would have to take another number instead of 14 in the AllStar Game.

Re Satch Sanders -- thanks for the restraint. Satch was expected to "take a few shots" in Cousy's words. Rambo was not expected to do this at all, & as we've seen was the shyest-shooting starter of all time for an NBA champ prior to 1982 (apologies to Kim Hughes, an ABA champ who also presumably merits comparison to Satch).

[rlee]

A new high (?)/ low (?) in hair-splitting!!

Who cares? Doing what is called for and needed & the assigned role of concentrating on team play, rebounding, defense & toughness (while sacrificing one's offense) doesn't & cannot make one a stiff. In fact , it is to be celebrated. Interesting also to note Rambis' shooting success when asked to fulfill a different role w/ Charlotte. ( I can only hope that following the coach's instructions doesn't now get characterized as passivity or wimpism; I prefer to view it as team-oriented acceptance of one's appropriate role.)

And he didn't say what you quote him as saying; he said "score a few points when Russ" was resting - very different point than the misquote.

[Keith Ellis]

Don't be so stuck (or stiff) about the word stiff. We all agree Rambis "did what he was supposed to do" & the Lakers responded by winning titles -- altho they won titles both before and after his good-glove, no-hit persona came along. LA even won a championship w/ starting forward Spencer Haywood asleep in the locker room, & nobody noticed.

The point is that the pro bkb mindset didn't idealize such inactivity until the Rambis model appeared on the scene. Sanders, Loscutoff, Luke Jackson, & Clyde Lee all got their shots. Post-Rambis we have a slew of players, some of whom played for fine or even championship teams (Rodman, BBowen, BWallace), who didn't get -- or even want to take -- theirs.

[rlee]

A "Stiff" is and always has been generally considered to be the most pejorative term that can be applied to a player due to his lack of basketball ability It has always been intended/taken to mean the lack of any talent until somehow "we" decided to define it differently.

So, yes, it matters that Championship Kurt is referred to s a stiff ( i.e. a Chuck Nevitt-type.)