1929-30 Men’s Basketball Team

Team
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989

The 1929-30 men’s basketball team, consisting of Coach Terry Osborne, Louie Davison, Bill Matthews, Trax Trask, Dunc MacKenzie, Vern Eville, “Bud” Harlow, Banny Davis, Fred Galbraith and Bob Fraser, served our university and province proud as they became the very first representatives at a national basketball final.

In Nova Scotia senior playoff finals, the boys lost their opening game to Dalhousie. In the final game of the series, however, the Valleyites won their fourth consecutive provincial senior crown, defeating the Tigers, 31-17.

In the opening game of the Maritime Championship play, Acadia dropped the Saint John Trojans, 39-28, at the Memorial Gym, Trask, Mat thews, and MacKenzie were the offensive stars in this contest. The locals edged the New Brunswickers in the concluding tilt.

Then, in the opening game of the Eastern Canada finals, Acadia defeated Windsor Collegiate Alumni, 24-18. In the second game Windsor won, 26-24, but lost the series by four points. MacKenzie and Trask were key players in the series.

For the first time ever, a Canadian title was battled for in the Maritime Provinces and for the first time, too, a provincial team reached the finals. Acadia hosted the New Westminster Adanacs, in a two-game total- point series.

Fittingly, the final words regarding that occasion are left to Coach Osborne who said:

After losing, 26-23, to our guests in the opening game, we lost a key person for the greater part of the concluding contest. Bill Matthews who, incidentally, had the “quickest start” on the floor of any man I ever saw, came down with the flu and was lost to us for the last half. We had, and have, no alibis, however. It was a wonderful series -despite losing the final game, 34-19.

It is indeed a pleasure to welcome for induction to Acadia’s Sports Hall of Fame the surviving members of that historic team.