Benjamin Davis demonstrating basketball skills (1965)
Description:
A photograph of Benjamin Davis, a Springfield College basketball player, demonstrating basketball skills to a group in India during the 1965 World Tour. He is standing holding the ball up before him, like he is taking a shooting or he is showing them how to grip the ball. A line of players stand in shorts before him. Spectators or other players are seated at the end of the court. Buildings can be seen beyond the court. The Springfield College men’s basketball team was selected to embark on a 62-day, around-the-world goodwill tour sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The individuals on the trip included Head coach Ed Steitz, trainer-manager Tony Scolnick, and public information director George Wood, along with 10 varsity players: Ralph Arietta, Larry Buell, Jim Champlin, Ben Davis, Leon Drury, Rick Janes, Bill Scanlon, Reed Schultz, Bob Sisson, and Paul Wagner. The tour was designed to teach fundamentals of the game to youth, and play demonstration games, mostly against local competition. The tour included 111 clinics conducted by the team, which included 80,000 people in attendance. The team also played 26 games, winning all of them, in front a crowd of 65,000 fans.
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