The 1908–09 IAAUS men's basketball season began in December 1908, progressed through the regular season, and concluded in March 1909.
Rule changes
A dribbler was allowed to shoot. Previously, a player could not shoot immediately after dribbling the ball. The double dribble became illegal, with the dribble defined as "continuous passage of the ball." A second official was added to games in an attempt to reduce rough play.
Season headlines Chicago finished with a 12–0 record and won the Western Conference championship for a second straight season. The Maroons attempted to schedule a postseason competition for the mythical national championship with Columbia (15–1) or Pennsylvania (19–6) — both former members of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League, which had collapsed after the previous season and would not resume conference play until the 1910–11 season — but without success. In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected Chicago as its national champion for the 1908–09 season. In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Chicago as its top-ranked team for the 1908–09 season.
Conference membership changes SchoolFormer ConferenceNew Conference Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Independent Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League Independent
Regular season
Conferences
Conference winners ConferenceRegular Season WinnerConference Player of the YearConference TournamentTournament Venue (City)Tournament WinnerMissouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association ; None selected No Tournament;Kansas was conference championWestern Conference Chicago None selected No Tournament
Conference standings
Independents A total of 113 college teams played as major independents. Among independents that played at least 10 games, (10–0), New York University (13–0), (12–0), and (14–0) were undefeated, and (33–7) finished with the most wins.
Awards
Helms College Basketball All-Americans
The practice of selecting a Consensus All-American Team did not begin until the 1928–29 season. The Helms Athletic Foundation later retroactively selected a list of All-Americans for the 1908–09 season.
Player Team Biaggio Cerussi Columbia Julian Hayward Wesleyan (Conn.) Tommy Johnson Kansas Charles Keinath Penn Ted Kiendl Columbia Pat Page Chicago John Ryan Columbia Raymond Scanlon Notre Dame John Schommer Chicago Helmer Swenholt Wisconsin
Major player of the year awards
Helms Player of the Year: John Schommer, Chicago (retroactive selection in 1944)
Coaching changes A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended. TeamFormerCoachInterimCoachNewCoachReason Akron Dwight Bradley Clarence Weed Brown J. Donald Pryor Walter White Butler Jack McKay Walter Gipe Canisius John Mahoney Charles McCabe Cincinnati Amos Foster C. A. Shroetter Cornell Walter Haggerty David Coogan Drake Charles Pell John L. Griffith Fordham Chris Mahoney Edward Siskind Indiana Robert Harris John Georgen Indiana State Eddy Conners John Kimmell Kansas Phog Allen W. O. Hamilton Manhattan John O'Donnell Edward Hanrahan Nebraska R. G. Clapp T. J. Hewitt New Mexico A&M V. Kays George Lain Niagara Robert Yates Claude Allen North Dakota Agricultural Paul Magoffin Arthur Rueber Penn R. B. Smith Charles Keinath Purdue E. J. Stewart Ralph Jones St. John's P. Joseph Kersey Harry A. Fisher Seton Hall William Caffrey Dick McDonough South Carolina J. H. Brown F. E. Schofield TCU Jesse R. Langley Oscar Wise Utah Erastus Milne Robert Richardson Vanderbilt Ed Hamilton R. B. McGehee Hamilton left to coach the baseball team. Virginia Tech R. M. Brown Branch Bocock VMI Pete Krebs F. J. Pratt Wyoming Elmer Hoefer Harold I. Dean
References