As we approach the 2014 “Final Four” basketball weekend, it is interesting to look back how the game has changed over the past 100 years when our Guernsey and Anderson grandparents played basketball in Red Moon and Strong City, Oklahoma.

My father, Orren Anderson, was the Red Moon OK., girls basketball coach.  His sister Lillie Anderson, on the front row,  scratched out her face (she did not like her picture).   Coach Anderson campaigned to  his future father-in-law, Elmer Guernsey, the School Board President, to build an in-door basketball court in Strong City.  His argument was that the large sand burs punctured the basketball.   On one occasion the ball fell into a prairie dog hole.  The prairie dog mistook it for a large walnut and put up a fierce fight before relinquishing the basketball.  Both incidents brought technical fouls against the home team.  After listening to Coach Andersons arguments for the indoor court,  Elmer Guernsey denied the request.  However he did agree to buy nets for the basketball goal .

The Strong City girls basketball team included two Guernsey sisters .  .  Upper left corner Luella Guernsey and the lower right hand corner Alida Guernsey.  They did not go to the final four but did receive many complements on their uniforms.

It was a joyous occasion when Strong City bought its first school bus.  Prior to that, out-of-town games transportation must have been by horseback.  There were no KFC’s along the dirt roads to pick up meals for the team.  It was rumored that they would shoot jack rabbits, fry them for a OFR (Oklahoma Fried Rabbit) meal on the road.

Coach Anderson was fired as the girls basketball coach.  It seems he showed favoritism  towards his sister Lillie by allowing her to play the entire game while the Mayors daughter was made to sit on the bench (chewing tobacco).  However he did receive a new assignment as the schools Pom Squad coach, he committed that they were somewhat lazy.

1930 Strong City Boys Basketball Team

You can imagine the uproar when Sears and J.C. Penny lost the contract to furnish the men’s basketball team uniforms.  The contract went to Jockey Underwear Co.  Jockey would not furnish tennis shoes so the team improvised with cowboy boots and work shoes.

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The Strong City pictures and names are real, however the stories may be a little stretch.  But you have to agree the road to the final four has changed over the past 100 years.

May your favorite final four team win.

Jim Lee