Kentucky Comeback

Adolph ("The Baron") Rupp, University of Kentucky's basketball coach, is not a modest man. When asked to explain Kentucky's court success, Rupp has a ready reply: "That's easy. It's good coaching." Though Rupp's answer may affront rival coaches, the record backs up his contention. In Rupp's 23 coaching years, Kentucky teams have won more than 85% of their games, 14 Southeastern Conference titles, three N.C.A.A. championships, one National Invitation Tournament, one Olympic title. Unhappily, some of the Olympians were caught taking bribes (TIME, May 12, 1952), and the N.C.A.A. suspended Kentucky all last season. Last week Kentucky came back with a bang. In a preseason speech, Rupp had wisecracked that his idle champions were the nation's only "undefeated" team last season. "Since we have this wonderful record to live up to, I'm just going to turn my boys loose and let them live up to it." Against Temple University's first-class opposition, Rupp's team ran wild to an 86-59 victory. Chief star of evening: All-America (1952) Co-Captain Cliff ("The Cat") Hagan, whose 51 points broke a Southeastern Conference scoring record.

Perfectionist Rupp thought his boys did "right well in their debut," then had a sudden coachly afterthought: "We didn't play nearly as well as we are capable." How good is Rupp's team? In preseason polls, U.S. basketball coaches ranked Kentucky No. 2, after Indiana, last season's N.C.A.A. champion. Main reasons for the high ranking: 1) Coach Rupp himself, 2) Spring-legged Cliff Hagan of Owensboro, Ky., one of the shortest major college (6 ft. 4 in.) centers and one of the game's most prolific scorers (21.6 points average), and 3) Co-Captain Frank Ramsey of Madisonville, Ky., a 6 ft. 3 in. guard and floor leader who specializes in intercepting passes and scoring on driving layup shots.

Next to Hagan and Ramsey in team scoring is Forward Lou Tsioropoulos of Lynn, Mass., the third senior on the squad, who made a big impression in Kentucky's intrasquad games during last year's excommunication period. (More than 35,000 loyal Kentuckians poured in to watch the four exhibitions.) The three seniors, now in their fifth year on campus, are the backbone of Rupp's new team.

Kansas-born Adolph Rupp has become a thoroughly transplanted Kentuckian, now owns four 200-acre farms where he raises Herefords and tobacco. Recently, after onetime Governor (and ex-Baseball Commissioner) Happy Chandler announced he would run for governor again in 1955, Rupp was mentioned as a possible running mate, for the office of lieutenant governor. Rupp will neither confirm nor deny. "There have been efforts to bring me into the political picture," he acknowledges. But of one thing Rupp is certain: "I'll not retire until I win another N.C.A.A. championship." Vengeful Kentuckians, still smarting (along with Rupp) from the N.C.A.A. ban, figure that this is the year.

* Two nights later, Louisiana State University's Bob Pettit, who held the old record (50 points) scored 60 against little Louisiana College (enrollment: 910), but the N.C.A.A. regards Hagan's 51 as the record in "major competition."

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