Keith Weekly (32) drops two points in last year's home final against Florida. Weekly was injured badly on the very next play.
I
I
AN ABSENCE OF GUARDS There are no Kaisers or for that matter no Blemkers or Randalls in this year's crop of guards, but the forwards are tough
F
OR THE FIRST SEASON in over half a
decade, Tech will be opening a basketball season without a high-scoring guard around which to build a team. Roger Kaiser, the Jackets' first all-American basketball player, has joined other great scorers, Buddy Blemker, Bobby Kimmel, and Terry Randall in the alumni ranks. Other losses from last year's squad include forward Wayne Richards and guard John Hoffman. Leading star back from the 1960-61 team that set new attendance records despite a 13-13 season is feather-touch Keith Weekly, a forward who is apparently fully recovered from a bad face injury suffered in the final game of last season. He will be joined by big center Alan Nass, still recovering from a siege of summer illness and injuries; Captain Josh Powell, a forward of experience; Mike Tomasovich, another experienced forward; Roger Casida, a performer of some potential who hasn't proven himself as yet; and guards John Gehr and Frank Landrey, both erratic players during the past season. Up from the solid freshman team of last year are center Jimmy Tumlin, and strong guards John Herbert and Bill Nigg. Also adding strength are holdout Charles Spooner, a good-shooting forward; and sophomore Bill Eidson, a nonscholarship boy who led a campus team to the Georgia AAU championships last year. Herbert and Nigg are likely to see a great deal of service and may give Tech its first pair of starting sophomore guards since Randall and Blemker. The starting forwards at this writing look like Weekly NOVEMBER, 1 9 6 1
and Tomasovich with Powell and Spooner close behind. Nass will get the call at center if he stands up physically and Powell is likely to see dual duty at center also. Coach Hyder and his staff will be hard pressed to match last year's record with this squad. But, if they can adjust to a forward-oriented offense to take advantage of Weekly's and Spooner's shooting ability they'll surprise some folks on the way. 1961-1962 Basketball Schedule Date
Opponent
Site
Southern Methodist
Dallas
Dec.
1
Dec.
2
Rice
Dee.
6
William & M a r y
Dee.
9
Georgia
Atlanta
Dee.
20
Baylor
Atlanta
Dee.
21
Missouri
Dec. 2 9
Houston Atlanta
Atlanta
Poinsettia Tourney
Greenville Greenville
Dec. 3 0
Poinsettia Tourney
Jan.
2
Navy
Jan.
6
Jan.
11
Jan.
13
'Mississippi
Atlanta
Jan.
15
'Mississippi State
Atlanta
Jan.
20
'Vanderbilt
Jan.
23
Jan.
27
'Tennessee
Jan.
29
'Kentucky
Atlanta
Feb.
3
'Alabama
Tuscaloosa
Feb.
6
'Auburn
Auburn
Feb.
10
'Louisiana State
Atlanta
Feb.
12
'Tulane
Atlanta
Feb.
17
Louisville
Atlanta
Feb.
20
'Tennessee
Atlanta
Feb.
24
'Georgia
Feb.
26
'Florida
Mar.
3
'Kentucky Georgia
Auburn
'Vanderbilt
Atlanta Lexington Atlanta
Atlanta Atlanta Knoxville
Athens Gainesville Nashville
'SEC G a m e
17