1919–20 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team

The 1919–20 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate basketball during the 1919–20 season. The team compiled a record of 10–13,[1] and 3–9 against Big Ten Conference opponents. The University of Chicago won the Big Ten championship with a 10–2 record in conference play. Michigan finished in seventh place out of ten teams.[2] E. J. Mather was in his first year as the team's coach, and Ralph O. Rychener was the team captain.[3]

1919–20 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
1919–20 record10–13 (3–9 Big Ten)
Head coach
CaptainRalph O. Rychener
Home arenaWaterman Gymnasium
1919–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Chicago10–2 .833  14–4  .778
Purdue8–2 .800  16–4  .800
Illinois8–4 .667  9–4  .692
Indiana6–4 .600  13–8  .619
Wisconsin7–5 .583  15–5  .750
Iowa6–6 .500  9–10  .474
Ohio State3–9 .250  17–10  .630
Minnesota3–9 .250  7–9  .438
Michigan3–9 .250  10–13  .435
Northwestern2–6 .250  3–7  .300
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1920 Michiganensian wrote that Jack Williams was "the outstanding individual player of the 1920 season" and noted that he led a late season rally.[4] Arthur Karpus was the team's leading scorer with 75 points in eight conference games on 22 field goals and 31 free throws. R. Jerome Dunne was the second leading scorer with 54 points in 12 games on 27 field goals and zero free throws. Walter B. Rea scored 47 points in 12 conference games on 18 field goals and 11 free throws. Benjamin Weiss ranked fourth in scoring with 18 points on seven field goals and four free throws in seven conference games.[5]

In November 1919, The Michigan Alumnus announced the hiring of E. J. Mather as the new head basketball coach and assistant coach in football and baseball. Mather had been a three-sport athlete at Lake Forest College in Illinois and thereafter became the athletic director at Kalamazoo College. His basketball teams won the M.I.A.A. championship in all five seasons that Mather was there.[6] With the hiring of Mather, Elmer Mitchell became Michigan's director of intramural athletics and athletic editor of The Michigan Alumnus. Mitchell published an article titled, "The Game of Basketball" in the January 1920 issue of the Alumnus. Mitchell wrote that basketball was Michigan's newest varsity sport and ranked fourth in popularity behind football, baseball, and track. He noted that basketball at Michigan was "fighting an uphill game to strengthen its prestige" and had features that were "practically unknown to the Michigan following."[7] Mather began pre-season workouts in November with a squad of approximately 35 candidates.[8]

Schedule
DateOpponentScoreResultLocation
December 13, 1919Kalamazoo College22–12WinWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI
December 18, 1919St. Mary's34–22WinWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI[9]
December 19, 1919Western State Normal27–14LossWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI[10]
December 31, 1919Oakland Motor Co.20–9WinPontiac, MI
January 1, 1920Champion Ignition34–15WinFlint, MI
January 3, 1920Detroit Rayls19–14LossDetroit, MI[11]
January 4, 1920Detroit Athletic Club36–17WinDetroit, MI
January 11, 1920Hillsdale College22–18WinWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI
January 16, 1920Western Reserve33–13WinWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI
January 17, 1920Indiana22–9LossWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI
January 24, 1920Chicago40–33LossBartlett Gymnasium,
Chicago, IL
January 26, 1920Illinois41–14LossKenney Gym,
Urbana, IL
January 30, 1920Michigan Agricultural College23–13LossWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI
January 31, 1920Ohio State30–18LossWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI
February 14, 1920Wisconsin40–13LossUniversity of Wisconsin Armory and Gymnasium,
Madison, WI
February 16, 1920Minnesota21–20WinUniversity of Minnesota Armory,
Minneapolis, MN
February 21, 1920Chicago31–19LossWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI
February 28, 1920Michigan Agricultural College34–27LossMichigan State University Armory,
East Lansing, MI
March 1, 1920Illinois28–21LossWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI[12]
March 6, 1920Wisconsin23–19WinWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI[13]
March 8, 1920Minnesota30–16WinWaterman Gymnasium,
Ann Arbor, MI[14]
March 13, 1920Ohio State34–20LossOhio Expo Center Coliseum,
Columbus, OH.[15]
March 16, 1920Indiana19–18LossMen's Gymnasium,
Bloomington, IN[16]

Players
1920 Michigan men's basketball team
Back row (left to right): Clayton Shoemaker (manager), Jack Williams, E. J. Mather (coach), R. Jerome Dunne, and Philip Barthelme (athletic director)
Middle row (left right): Benjamin Weiss, William Henderson, Ralph O. Rychener (captain), Wilford Wilson, Arthur Karpus
Front row (seated on floor): Robert Peare, Walter B. Rea
  • Borinstein - aMa letter winner[17]
  • Hugh Cook, Grand Rapids, Michigan - forward and aMa letter winner[17]
  • R. Jerome Dunne, Chicago, Illinois - center and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Milton B. Gevirtz (sometimes Gervirtz), Whiting, Indiana - forward and aMa letter winner[17]
  • William P. Henderson, Detroit, Michigan - forward and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Arthur Karpus, Grayling, Michigan - forward and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Mason
  • Charles C. Merkel, Ann Arbor, Michigan - guard
  • Robert S. Peare, Rockville, Indiana - guard and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Charles L. Pearman, Verona, New York - forward and aMa letter winner[17]
  • Walter B. Rea - forward and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Edward E. Ruzicka, Chicago, Illinois - scored two points on one field goal in a conference game.[5]
  • Ralph O. Rychener, Archbold, Ohio - guard and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Benjamin Weiss,[18] Newark, New Jersey - guard and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Jack G. Williams - guard and varsity letter winner[17]
  • Wilford C. Wilson - guard and varsity letter winner[17]

Scoring statistics
PlayerGamesField goalsFree throwsPointsPoints per game[19]
Walter B. Rea164013935.8
R. Jerome Dunne17380764.5
William Henderson112523736.6
Arthur Karpus514235110.2
Benjamin Weiss1384201.5
Ralph O. Rychener1173171.5
Milton Gevirtz653132.2
Peare, Robert124080.7
Wilford Wilson152040.3
Mason41020.5
Jack Williams60000.0
Hugh Cook60000.0
Charles Pearman40000.0
Total171446935721.0
  • The scoring statistics do not include games against Oakland Motor (12/31/1919), Champion Ignition (1/1/1920), Illinois (1/26/1920), Michigan Agricultural (2/28/1920), Ohio State (3/13/1920), and Indiana (3/16/1920).[19]

Coaching staff

References
  1. "Michigan Wolverines". sports-reference.com.
  2. "Basketball: Final Conference Basketball Records". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 395.
  3. 1920 Michiganensian, page 363.
  4. 1920 Michiganensian, page 365.
  5. "Basketball Statistics - 1920". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 393.
  6. "E.J. Mather Is New Basketball Coach". The Michigan Alumnus. November 1919. p. 98.
  7. Elmer D. Mitchell (January 1920). "The Game of Basketball". The Michigan Alumnus. pp. 208–209.
  8. "Court Practice Starts". The Michigan Alumnus. December 1919. p. 157.
  9. Some source indicate that the opponent on this date was the "Polish Seminary" team.
  10. "Basketball Schedule". The Michigan Alumnus. January 1920. pp. 206–207.
  11. The Rayl's were "considered one of the country's strongest" and had defeated Chicago 33-21.
  12. "Illinois, 28; Michigan, 21". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 395.
  13. "Michigan, 23; Wisconsin, 19". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 395.
  14. "Michigan, 30; Wisconsin, 16". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 396.
  15. "O.S.U., 34; Michigan, 20". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 396.
  16. "Indiana, 19; Michigan, 18". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 396.
  17. "Basketball Captain Elected". The Michigan Alumnus. April 1920. p. 397.
  18. Benjamin Weiss, born February 26, 1898, in New York City. Educated in the Newark, New Jersey public schools. Graduated from Michigan in 1921. Engaged in private practice as an orthodontist. Died February 12, 1963, at Tucson, Arizona.
  19. "University of Michigan Basketball Record Book" (PDF). University of Michigan. p. 22.(Statistics do not include games against Oakland Motor (12/31/1919), Champion Ignition (1/1/1920), Illinois (1/26/1920), Michigan Agricultural (2/28/1920), Ohio State (3/13/1920), and Indiana (3/16/1920).)
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