Geneva Daily Times- Syracuse Nats To Show Wares In Geneva Tomorrow Night
Cervi, Gabor, Peterson Lead National Leaguers In Armory Cage Feature
Al Cervi—Billy "The Bullet" Gabor—Ed "Stretch" Peterson—Dolph Schayes—Jim Homer—Johnny Chaney—Hank O'Keeffe—These are the headliners who have suddenly taken Syracuse Coliseum basketball fans by storm with their flashy ballhandling in the revamped National League. The Syracuse Nationals, coached by the shifty Cervi, will be in Geneva's Armory tomorrow night at 8:45 to meet Ted Thoren's College All Stars in the court highlight of the season. Dollar-fifty seats in the reserved section and dollar general admission ducats are available at three locations before the game—Harman's, Michael's Esso and the Armory office. The rest will go on sale at the door tomorrow night. By rights this dazzler should be a sell-out but Geneva's sports fans so far have not shown overexertion in scrambling into the Armory for professional basketball, so there should be plenty of seats for all. The classy Nationals have been waging a tense duel with the Anderson Packers for first place in the Eastern Division of the NBL. They are currently in second place just a short skip behind the powerful Packers. With such nationally-known sharpshooters as Cervi, Schayes, Gabor, Peterson, Homer, Chaney, Johnny Macknowski and O'Keeffe, the Nats pack power, height and speed. Peterson, former Cornell pivot, tops the tall boys at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, followed closely by Schayes at 6-foot-7 and 210. Schayes was a former All-American at NYU and like Peterson is playing his first year of pro ball. Homer at 6-5, O'Keeffe at 6-3 and Chaney at 6-3 are far from midgets themselves. Homer is a product of Alabama University, O'Keeffe starred for Canisius and Chaney mover into the pro ranks from Louisiana State. This will mark the second trip to Geneva for most of the Nationals, who blistered the Utica Pics of the State League one night last winter. For Peterson, Gabor and Schayes it will be their first invasion of the Finger Lakes. Gabor in four years of college ball at Syracuse University set a new all-time Orange scoring record with 1,334 points, breaking the previous mark held by Bob Shaddock, now of the Geneva All-Stars. The All-Stars, tripped up in their last two outings in the Armory, will be bolstered by the return of Big Bob Wurtenberg, the hefty ex-Seton Hall mastodon who caught the fancy of Geneva fans during the holidays. Wurtenberg stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 220 pounds, and is remarkably light on his feet. He has rammed in double-bracket scoring totals from his deadly pivot hook shots, and should give Schayes and Peterson a busy evening. Backing up Wurtenberg will be popular Jim Hercinger, plus Dick Ferguson, Shaddock, Lou Vastola, Mike McKillop, Jim Coleman and those two ex-Cornall backcourt stalwarts, Ed Hodapp and Billy Arrison. The Geneva Brooks will play the Cornell Sportsmen, a quintet drawn from the Big Red's 1948 Ivy League football champions, in the preliminary at 7:30.