Cliff Davis - coach
CLIFF DAVIS WATCHES WITH CAREFUL EYE
Source: Unknown found in a scrapbook of Bob Harbison, 1953 graduate of Waveland HS – no newspaper or author given. The ads on the back are from Darlington and Linden “North Chargers” so assume the Crawfordsville Journal Review but not sure!
Earlham College Coach Del Harris wants to know what to expect when his Quakers go on the floor against an opponent. Coach Dick Baumgartner of Richmond likes to know what he’s up against. Southmont’s Pat Rady also depends on scouting reports.
Who supplies the information for them? Cliff Davis of Rt 3, Crawfordsville is responsible for most of it and from the looks of the records of the aforementioned teams, he knows what he is doing.
Davis is a member of the South School Board, does a lot of scouting for Rady and the Mountie mentor, had this to say about Davis: “If you want to know anything about any team, he can tell you. He is the foremost scout in this area,” Richmond Baumgartner has been relying on Davis’ information since he coached at Crawfordsville.
Davis points out that he used to do a lot of scouting for Harris of Earlham, but that has dwindled because the Quakers are playing in the newly formed Hoosier-Buckeye Conference, involving quite a few Ohio schools, and he doesn’t get over that way much.
“I liked sports when I was born, I think,” Davis says. “I kept fooling around and finally got into the coaching ranks.” He was well known for his coaching ability. In 1935, he went from Roachdale to Linden. He coached there for seven years, followed by a nine-year stint at Waveland. He finished his mentorship with a five-year career at Waynetown.
Davis, a 1925 graduate of Wabash College, has been out scouting several times this season. He says, “The first thing I look for is the style of defense and I try to keep up with the changes the teams make. I also watch their offensive pattern and who does the shooting.”
An Alamo HS graduate, Davis has four sheets he does his scouting and note making on. These pieces of paper include a scoresheet, a diagram for plays, the position of players and a general information sheet.
Davis feels basketball has not been especially outstanding this season. He says Kokomo has looked good on occasion, but highly regarded Indianapolis Shortridge, “doesn’t look impressive” when he saw it play.
What has been the best high school team Davis has ever seen? “I would have to rate Crispus Attucks of the Oscar Robertson era as superior. East Chicago Washington of last year was good, but I don’t think they could match Attucks.”
Davis sees about 150 games a season and, in addition to the ones he scouts, he buys season tickets at Purdue and Illinois. After graduating from Wabash he worked on his “extra education” at Purdue.
But Davis doesn’t watch only basketball. He says, “I’m a football goer. I followed Southmont’s football team last season and I have an Illinois season ticket.”
Since Davis sees so many of the area teams play, the same question was fired at him that everyone else is asking this week. Who is going to win the North Montgomery Section?
“I don’t think Southmont is out of it yet. I would say, on the basis of record, North Montgomery has the best chance, but I’m not saying they will win.”
So, from now on, coaches forget trying to hide anything when you suspect Cliff Davis is in the stands. With his trained basketball eye, he will probably see it anyway.
BIG CROWDS – Basketball has always been the chief sport in Indiana. Fans really flock to gyms to see their favorite team play. Last year, 1,308,955 people watched the state tournament through its four stages.
HIGHEST TOTAL – Crispus Attucks, led by famed Oscar Robertson who is now with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association scored the highest total of points in a state championship game, when they scored 97 in 1955.
COULDN’T PLAY – Parochial schools couldn’t compete in the IHSAA until 1943 when the state athletic association made all high schools in Indiana eligible for sanctioned competition.
ABOVE THE TAVERN – Basketball was first introduced in Crawfordsville in a small gym above the old Terminal Tavern by Rev. Nicolas McKay in the spring of 1893.
BLOOMINGTON IS HOST – The finals of the Indiana basketball tournament will return to Bloomington this year and will be played in Indiana University’s spacious new Assembly Hall. Previously, state finals had been played at West Lafayette before moving to Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University in Indianapolis for a long stay. The finals were originally played in Bloomington
LAST FORFORFEIT – The last forfeit in the tournament occurred in 1917 when Attica was forced to give a 2-0 victory (standard score for forfeits) to Veedersburg, now part of Fountain Central, when the Red Ramblers were placed under quarantine because of smallpox.