The 1938–39 Oregon Webfoots men's basketball team was a college basketball team that represented the University of Oregon. The Webfoots, coached by Howard Hobson, played in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) and compiled a 29–5 win–loss record in regular and postseason competition. After winning the PCC title, they became the champions of the inaugural NCAA basketball tournament.
Coming off a season in which the Webfoots were defeated in the PCC championship series by Stanford, the team returned all five of their starters. Known for their fast break offense, Oregon's players were nicknamed the "Tall Firs" and held a height advantage over most teams. After several early-season wins, the Webfoots went on an extended road trip to the East Coast, becoming the first West Coast team to do so. The team suffered two losses on the trip, to City College of New York (CCNY) and Bradley, but posted seven victories as well. Oregon won 10 consecutive games at one point in PCC competition, and clinched a Northern Division championship with a win in the next-to-last contest of the regular season. In the best-of-three PCC championship series, against California, the Webfoots won in two games to earn the team's first conference championship since 1919.
Oregon was invited to compete in the West Regional of the NCAA tournament, and beat Texas in their first game to reach the regional final, where the team won against Oklahoma. At the first NCAA tournament final, versus Ohio State, the Webfoots claimed a 46–33 victory behind a game-high 15 points by John H. Dick. Three players from the 1938–39 Oregon men's basketball team were selected as All-Americans, and Hobson and Lauren Gale have been honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Background The 1937–38 Webfoots posted a win–loss record of 14–6 in Pacific Coast Conference play. In the conference's North division, the Webfoots won the title by a one-game margin over Washington. The Webfoots were led by Lauren Gale, who was the PCC North division's leader in scoring with 12.5 points per game in conference play; his overall average was 12.4. Oregon advanced to the best-of-three PCC championship series, but lost two consecutive games to Stanford by margins of 52–39 and 59–51. That ended the team's hopes of being crowned PCC champions. Following the decisive game of the series, player Bobby Anet said at a team meeting, "Next year, we're going to win everything."Frei, pp. 37–40.
Roster and schedule
Oregon's entire starting lineup returned from the 1937–38 team that had lost in the conference championship playoff; it included 6'8" center Slim Wintermute, who was known for his shot-blocking ability. Forward Gale, who was 6'4", had what sportswriter Michael Russell called "enormous hands (that) allowed him to fake opponents while palming the ball with one hand"; he was the PCC points-scoring leader in 1938–39. Anet, a 5'8" guard, was "the heart of the team", according to Russell, due to his ability to dribble and run the floor quickly. He was the Webfoots' captain, and was responsible for calling timeouts and engaging in conversations with referees. Other players on the team included 6'4" forward John H. Dick and 5'11" guard Wally Johansen.ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia, p. 352. Newspaper editor L. H. Gregory called the Oregon team the "Tall Firs" due to the height of the team's players, since Oregon was taller than most other teams of the era. Eight of the eleven men on the roster came from Oregon, and the other three from neighboring Washington. Anet and Johansen, along with forwards Earl Sandness and Ted Sarpola, had played for Astoria High School; Anet and Johansen had won multiple state championships before joining Oregon. Ford Mullen, a future Major League Baseball player, was a backup guard on the team. Along with Mullen, the Webfoots' reserves included guard Matt Pavalunas and forwards Bob Hardy and Ted Sarpola. The team normally played up to nine players in a game, foregoing a regular substitute for Wintermute; when he needed a rest, Dick or Gale often changed positions to play center, allowing for a third forward to be inserted into the lineup.Wilner and Rappoport, p. 45. The Webfoots' head coach was Howard Hobson, who was in his fourth season on the job. In his previous three seasons, he had led the Webfoots to a total win–loss record of 63–28.Frei, p. 48.
Oregon's preferred offensive game plan was to play an attacking fast break style of basketball. In response, opposing teams with shorter players often played a slower-paced offense. Oregon's fast break was unique among West Coast basketball teams, who were not accustomed to facing such an offensive style.Wilner and Rappoport, p. 43. Dick said of the team's attack that "We wanted to keep the pressure on (the opponent) mentally – more so than physically. Never give them a moment's rest." When inbounding the ball, the Webfoots often restarted play quickly to maintain their fast pace. Hobson frequently tracked Oregon's attempted shots in both competition and practice sessions, and built the offense around his players' strengths. On defense, the team switched between zone and man-to-man styles depending on how its opponent played.
+1938–39 Oregon Webfoots rosterFrei, pp. 185–193. Name # Position Height Year Home town Bobby Anet 20 Guard 5–8 Senior Astoria, Oregon John Dick 18 Forward 6–4 Junior The Dalles, Oregon Lauren Gale 28 Forward 6–4 Senior Oakridge, Oregon Bob Hardy 40 Forward 6–3 Senior Ashland, Oregon Wally Johansen 32 Guard 5–11 Senior Astoria, Oregon Red McNeely 15 Guard 6–2 Sophomore Portland, Oregon Ford Mullen 13 Guard 5–8 Junior Olympia, Washington Matt Pavalunas 11 Guard 6–0 Junior Raymond, Washington Earl Sandness 36 Center 6–4 Sophomore Astoria, Oregon Ted Sarpola 25 Forward 6–2 Junior Astoria, Oregon Slim Wintermute 22 Center 6–8 Senior Longview, Washington
!colspan=12| Regular season
!colspan=12| PCC championship
!colspan=12| NCAA tournament
Regular season
The Webfoots began the 1938–39 season by defeating Portland 51–24 on November 29, 1938. Oregon's second game was also against a team based in Portland, which represented the Multnomah Athletic Club. The Webfoots won by an 83–25 final score. In a closer game with a team representing Signal Oil, Oregon stretched its winning streak to three games with a 46–34 triumph. The team then recorded a victory over Pacific Packards, by a 54–39 final score.2009–10 Oregon Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 111.
Following those games, the Webfoots embarked on a long trip through the Eastern United States; they were the first college basketball team from the West Coast to do so. Nine games were set up in as many cities, with eight held on the East Coast and one in San Francisco before the team returned home. In scheduling the extended trip away from Oregon, Hobson sought to show the team "different styles of play and officiating" and help them prepare for games later in the season. As a result of the extended travel, a University of Oregon student newspaper nickname the club the "Wandering Webfoots". The first game of the trip came in December at New York City's Madison Square Garden against City College of New York (CCNY). Oregon had a poor start to the game; according to the Sporting News, the team was "confused by officials' interpretation of legal and illegal screens to the moving picks set by City College of New York." CCNY took an early 10-point lead, but Oregon cut its deficit in half by the end of the first half, and tied the game at 30–30.Frei, pp. 65–66. Despite Oregon's comeback attempt, CCNY won 38–36 to hand the Webfoots their first loss of the season. The trip continued on December 19 with a game at Convention Hall in Philadelphia, against local team Saint Joseph's. Oregon won easily by a 54–44 margin, as Gale and Wintermute led the Webfoots with 13 points each.
Future stops included Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit, among other locations.2009–10 Oregon Men's Basketball Media Guide, pp. 95, 111. Starting with the St. Joseph's game, the Webfoots had a streak in which they played four games in five days before Christmas Eve. On December 20, Oregon routed Miami (Ohio) 74–38, as Sarpola led the team with 20 points. Wintermute suffered an ankle injury during the game. The Webfoots then defeated Canisius by a 12-point margin. In the next game, against an undefeated Wayne State team, the Webfoots entered halftime tied at 22–22 and needed a late burst of scoring, led by Gale and Johansen, to clinch an 11-point victory. After the Miami (Ohio) game, Wintermute missed three of the team's following four games. The Webfoots won without him in their next two games, but not in the game in which he returned to action against Bradley. In Peoria, Illinois, Oregon fell behind by 17 points at halftime and lost 52–39, as Bradley center Dar Hutchins tallied 17 points while defended by Wintermute, who was playing through his ankle injury.Frei, pp. 68–69. Following their loss to Bradley, Oregon traveled to the Chicago Coliseum for a game against Western Illinois State Teachers College. Despite being without the services of Wintermute again, the Webfoots posted a 60–45 victory.Frei, p. 70. Drake, the Webfoots' opponent on December 29 in Chicago, was defeated by 11 points. The final game of the road trip, held in San Francisco on New Year's Eve, saw the Webfoots lose to Stanford. The stretch proved profitable for the school, which made $4,400 off of the East Coast games, and Dick credited the trip for giving the Webfoots exposure to different styles of play than they had been accustomed to.Frei, p. 71.
Conference play The Webfoots then entered play in the PCC, with four games scheduled against each of the four other teams in the conference's Northern Division; Oregon hosted each club twice and played two games at all opposing teams' arenas.Frei, p. 72. At the beginning of 1939, the Webfoots began its PCC schedule with consecutive home games against Washington State on January 6 and 7. In the first, Oregon entered halftime with a nine-point advantage and prevailed by a 46–35 margin. They lost the second, 39–34, for their only home defeat of the season; the loss broke a 23-game winning streak at McArthur Court, the Webfoots' arena.2009–10 Oregon Men's Basketball Media Guide, p. 128.
Oregon then began a 10-game winning streak, their longest since the start of the 1937–38 season. Oregon State was the Webfoots' first opponent during the streak, on January 13; Oregon prevailed 31–26. In two higher-scoring contests at Washington State on January 17 and 18, the Webfoots claimed 56–44 and 57–31 victories, respectively. A five-game road trip concluded with games in Idaho on January 20 and 21. The contests were closer than those against Washington State, but the Webfoots won 38–30 in the first game and 35–31 in the second to improve to 6–1 in conference play. Oregon's next five games were at home, beginning with a second encounter against Oregon State, on January 27 that they won by a seven-point margin. Washington traveled to Oregon for games on January 31 and February 1, and 57–49 and 58–42 victories moved the Webfoots' winning streak to eight. They then concluded their four-game season series with Idaho, winning by 17 points in each game. On February 18, the Webfoots' streak ended with a 50–31 upset loss to Oregon State, which would be their last of the season. Six days later, Oregon posted a 48–37 win over the Beavers at home. That game was the Webfoots' last appearance for the 1938–39 regular season at McArthur Court; it was the school's 100th win at the arena since it was opened in 1927.