Jim Krebs

[Arkpony]

Jim Krebs played at SMU when I was there in the 50's. He had the greatest hook shot...unstoppable as proven when Chamberlain couldnt in the NCAA regionals in 1957 at Moody. I think that year Chamberlain was 1st team All American and Krebs was Second team. Krebs was the first SW Conf basketbal player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

I saw Krebs score 50 points in the old natatorium where now the band practices (That was the basketbal arena when I arrived at SMU..seated about 2500)
Krebs was drafted by the LA LAkers but was unfortunately killed when cutting a tree in his backyard..the tree fell on him.
A wonderfully gifted basketball player with a smooth touch on the ball.

[No Quarter]

Arkpony,

We were in school at the same time and I saw the game that featured Krebs and Chamberlain. My memories are a little different though we are fully in agreement about Kreb's greatness.

A sidebar: Some friends of mine went to watch Kansas practice the afternoon before the game and sat near the SMU team. They told me that Krebs was overheard to say that he did not like the way Chamberlain smiled.

My memories of the game are a series of vignettes: Krebs first attempt to make his pretty hook shot rejected by Chamberlain, Krebs slowly raising his hand after the fifth foul was called (after which the tallest SMU player was 6-5 Bob McGregor), SMU tied at the end of the game and trying for the last shot, which did nt go, and loosing in OT.

Chamberlain was quoted in one of the Dallas papers the next day as saying that Krebs no more fouled him than he did Krebs but at a critical point in the game he was not about to set the official straight. There had been some contact on the part of both - I guess today it would be called a ticky tack foul that could have gone either way. One of my SMU instructors later argued cogently that the official who called it was very biased.

The annual that year was critical of Chamberlain. I think the SMU beef, if any, was more with the officiating.

Krebs did have a brief NBA career before his accident. I remember a Sports Illustrated report once that Krebs and Chamberlain got into a fight during a game and Krebs got knocked out. I suppose the problem started at Moody.

A replacement for Krebs? There has not been one. Highly touted local player A.C. Black came in one year, and lasted one semester, lots and lots of people trying to help him with his studies, but he flunked. SFAIK, he never enrolled in another college. And then John Engleman was recruited, said to have the same potential as a freshman as Krebs, but he never developed and transferred. And SMU just missed on Sandy Pomeratz, another U-City Missouri product who ended up at Ohio State.

I wonder how many others on this board saw that game?

[Arkpony]

I had a class with A.C. Black..and he was dumb as a sack of hammers! I wondered then how on earther he could make it at SMU.

[EastStang]

Ira Terrell was probably the biggest recruit we landed after that. He was one of the most highly recruited players in the Country and despite having to take a year off due to an NCAA eligibility ruling, he had a very successful career at SMU. We've never had a Jim Krebs since he graduated though.

[Arkpony]

ONe sidelight on that SMU/Krebs team. I rememebr we swept the SW conf as I recall Krebs senior year except for a loss to Texas down in Austin. The SMU team was so up set that when Texas came to Dallas to play SMU killed them..if I'm not mistaken we led by 50 at the half. Thatw a sa fantastic run we had in those days and I am glad I was there to see it. We will never see that kind of thing again at SMU unfortunately.

[PK]

Never say never...OK, I'm a sunshiner...so shoot me.