Hide Article Text (OCR)
PRO BASKETBALL * MAY GET START HERE THIS YEARProfessional basketball will make its debut in Massillon thL winter if the present plans of L. A. Merillat and Jim Kinney, backers of the Canton pro team, materialize. They are planning, provided a suitable gymnasium with adequate seating facilities can be secured, to bring their Canton team to Massillon for several exhibition contests with some of the best professional clubs in the state.Of course the only available gymnasium in the city that has also sufficient seating capacity to handle a crowd of spectators is the new Washington high school gym, one of the best scholastic indoor athletic centers in the state. Merillat and Kinney are now. negotiating with the board of education in an effort to rent the Washington high gym and if successful they plan to stage their contest here in about two weeks, bringing as opponents for their Canton club the strong Lorain Lions who have not been defeated this season and recently outscorcd the Cantomans in a fast gamein Lorain.. The object of Merillat and Kinney in bringing their strong Canton •earn here for exhibition games is not for any financial return for the sport is drawing well in Canton and paying the backers a neat sum but simply to introduce professional basketball in Massillon anil if possible stimulate interest in the indoor sport which admittedly mvo is at a low ebb in this city because of lack of good contests during the last few years.The Canton team this year is operating as a free lance in professional ranks but it has been able to bring some high class ami worthy attractionsLo Canton. Merillat and Kinney are planning to secure a franchise for Canton in the national professional basketball league next winter anti would like if possible to have Massillon also in such a circuit or at least have a professional team, thus giving birth to an inter-city rivalry that won I help along the pro sport now gaining a strong foothold throughout tb 201! n try.Merillat has long been interested In athletics, both amateur and professional, and he is firm in the belief that professional basketball is due to flourish for some time to conya. He will be remembered for his great football record with the Army at West Point. He played four yeai's with the Army and in »10lS was picked as an All-American end and gained the. reputation of being one of the greatest wingmen the autumnal sport ever produced. In addition he also distinguished himself during the World War as a major In the regular army, twice being wounded in the Argonne.Professional basketball is attracting the sport fans because it is the best type of basketball they can see,” says Merillat. “1 don’t mean to detract from the amateur sport which will always thrive no matter botv strong the professional game grows. Hut. a professional basketball team is made up of the stars from several teams and necessarily must .be stronger and better than any amateur team because it is composed ofexperts.Our Canton team right today is one of the strongest in the country.Every man on the club is a star in his respective position. He knows how to play basketball and as a result the team is one of experts and not one made up of one or two stars and the balance only ordinary performers. And ail of them are high class men.1'The cost of putting a first class professional team in the field is not(Continued on Page ll, Column 2)
Newspaper Details
, ,
Mon, Jan 01, 0001
Page 0
Full Page
Clipped by
Nick N.
