Memorable Crusade – Basketball 1936-37

Basketball 1936-37 – Part I

Sam "Monk" Zelden began his fourth year as basketball coach at St. Aloysius. The former Loyola standout also coached football and baseball.

The Panthers (as they were called for one last year) had shown improvement in 1935-6, making the four-team prep playoff after the regular season but going no further. With five returning regulars, the Crimson and White expected to make a strong bid for the prep crown that they hadn't won in 17 years.

1936-7 Returning Starters
Returning starters for 1936-37

The Aloysian assessed the starting lineup as follows.

Forwards Larry Choppin (senior) and Rene Galatoire (junior): "These boys are as good as they come. Choppin is probably the fastest man on the squad and uses his speed to his advantage. He is one of the best shots on the team, but lacks experience, for he was unable to play the majority of the games last season because of a poisoned system."
Center Jack Van (junior): "Jack towers almost 6'2" and is an excellent ball-handler. His ability to sink shots from all angles makes him a valuable asset to the team."
Guards Henry Schopfer (senior) and Pete Judlin (junior): "They saw action in all games last year. Schopfer, although playing G has an 'eye' for the basket and is a specialist in long shots. Judlin does not shoot quite as well, but ranks with the best Gs in the league."

These varsity returnees were joined by graduates of last year's "second team" coached by Brother Ralph. The status of Alvin Noullet was uncertain because he had suffered a severe blood clot in his thigh during the football season. However, "Nookie" joined the team in the pre-season.

**St. Aloysius Panthers 1936-37**
No.	Player	Position	Height	Class
3	James Thibaut	F	6-0	Jr.
5	Rene Galatoire	F	6-2	Jr.
6	Jack Van	C	6-2	Jr.
7	Lawrence Choppin	F	5-10	Sr.
8	Walter Fontaine	F	5-9	Jr.
9	John Longmire	G	5-9	Sr.
10	Henry Schopfer	G	5-10	Sr.
11	Peter Judlin	G	5-8	Jr.
12	Alvin Noullet	G	5-10	Sr.

The writer concluded: "St. Aloysius seems to be headed for the most successful basketball season in the history of the school." Then he added a motivating factor for the squad: "It is rumored that if the basketball team succeeds in capturing the prep title, they will be sent to Chicago to participate in a national tournament."

Basketball in 1937 differed in many important ways from today's high-flying sport.

The jump shot had not yet been invented. So players either took a one- or twohanded "set shot" with both feet on the floor or drove to the goal for a layup or put back a rebound.
A jump ball at midcourt followed every made basket.
There was no shot clock at any level of basketball.
Then as now, each game consisted of four eight-minute quarters. If teams were tied at the end of Q4, a three-minute OT ensued.
A player was disqualified after four fouls.
Games were low-scoring, typically in the 20s and 30s. The better teams, like the Panthers, employed a passing game with players continually moving and screening in an attempt to open up a lane to the basket or free a player for an open set shot.

With football not finishing until November 29, Zelden and several of his two-sport players (Schopfer, Judlin, and Thibaut) got a late start. With the first game set for January 6, Monk held lengthy, intensive practices during the Christmas holidays. With no gym on campus, the squad worked out at the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA) at the corner of Clio Street and St. Charles Avenue until a fire destroyed that facility. After that, they became vagabonds, skipping from one gym to another from day to day. The most frequent site was Maumus School in St. Bernard Parish. With construction scheduled to start on a gymnasium at the corner of Kerlerec Street and St. Claude Avenue as soon as school ended in June, Aloysians looked forward to enjoying their own facility in the fall of 1937.

Despite enduring a flu outbreak, the Panthers breezed through the first four games of their pre-league schedule.

Jan. 6 @Hahnville 40-28
Jan. 8 @Kenner 39-12
Jan. 10 @Destrehan 27-14
Jan. 12 @Westwego 42-18

On January 15, SA beat Gretna at 32-17 Holy Cross (where SA played its home games because it had no gym) in the first game of prep league play. Galatoire with 13 and Choppin with 12 scored over half the Panther points.

The Saints (as Aloysius had been called since the early 1920s) traveled to Bay St. Louis January 17 to take on their sister Brothers of the Sacred Heart school, St. Stanislaus. Playing without Judlin and Van, the Panthers suffered their first defeat of the season, 29-16. The visitors stayed competitive until Schopfer was put out with four fouls. After averaging 80% on FTs for the season, Zelden's boys missed 11 of 17. All the SA points were scored by two players: Choppin 9, Galatoire 7. The Rock-A-Chaws won the game in Q3 when Chichi, their high scorer, sank 3 FGs in a row.

Basketball 1936-37 Part II

The St. Aloysius Panthers began prep league play on Tuesday, January 19, 1937 with a 28-23 victory over Fortier at Behrman Gym. Monk Zelden's squad hit the road to Baton Rouge where they lost to Catholic High 26-10. The Bears held the Panthers to a mere two FG.

St. Stanislaus came to New Orleans for a rematch with the Panthers at Holy Cross Gym on Saturday, January 23. To quote The Aloysian:

Handling the ball like experts, the Panthers whipped across pass after pass with perfect accuracy until they were in position for a "two-point shot." While the crimson and white clad basketeers were sinking shot after shot, the Stanislaus team was unable to score a single point and as a result Aloysius led 11-0 after the first period. The visitors started a rally in the last quarter but fell short. Larry Choppin led all scorers with 19, followed by Seres of SSC with 10.

The victory broke a four-year losing streak to the Rock-A-Chaws.

Next up were the defending champion Jesuit Blue Jays at Holy Cross Tuesday, January 26.

Junior G Pete Judlin returned to school after a bout with the flu. However, 6'2" C Jack Vann was still sick.
The game was tightly contested throughout. Aloysian: "In spite of the fact that the game was rough, fast and that many fouls were committed, the officiating was the best the prep league has seen in a long time."
Four players were disqualified with four fouls: G Henry Schopfer of the Panthers and Stumpf, St. John Smith, and Captain Charley Gilbert of the Jays.
Despite missing six FT, the Panthers led 24-22 in Q4, but Red Silva and future major leaguer Connie Ryan scored goals to put Jesuit back in front before Walter Fontaine tied it.
The game was decided by a fluke play in the last seconds. Joe "Cotton Top" McCarron didn't enter the game for the Blue and White until the final three minutes. As he dribbled down the court, Alvin "Nookie" Noullet guarded him but "took a spill on the slippery court, leaving the Jesuit player a clear path." His basket sank the Panthers 28-26.
Schopfer led the Saints with 12 while Larry Choppin added 7. Silva tied Schopfer with 12 for the Jays.

Henry Schopfer

Larry Choppin

The Panthers bounced back the following Saturday to defeat S. J. Peters Commercial High 20-13 at Behrman.

The Wildcats were a "fast-improving quintet fresh from a 26-16 victory over Easton."
Both teams played a defensive game and missed many shots. The Panthers muffed 19 FG tries in the first half and 15 more in the second to finish at only 17%.
The Saints led 4-3 at the quarter and 7-6 at the half. They extended the lead to 11-9 after three periods and then outscored the Black and Gold 9-4 in the last stanza.
Choppin led all scorers with 10. Rene Galatoire sank 5.

The Saints tackled Warren Easton at Holy Cross on Tuesday, February 2.

Zelden has the entire squad in action for the first time since the opening of the season. But some of the sickness returnees were not yet in pink condition.
Easton played without its star C Billy Martinez.
SA jumped out 8-2 in Q1, but the Purple and Gold cut the margin to 16-11 at the half.
Near the end of Q3, the Eagles took a brief lead 18-17 but goals by Van and Galatoire put the Red and White back in front on their way to a 23-21 triumph.
Galatoire with 8 and Choppin with 6 led the scoring.

Holy Cross provided the opposition in the final game of the first round on Friday, February 5. Of course, the game was at the Tiger gym, the Panthers' home away from home.

Finally at full strength numerically and physically, the Saints rode Galatoire's 16 points to a 36-30 victory in a comparatively high-scoring contest.
Aloysian: "St. Aloysius displayed brilliant defense that gave the Tigers few opportunities to score clear shots. Galatoire was the man, faking his opponent many a time and getting sure shots under the basket."
Schopfer along with Barker of HC took the bench with four fouls apiece. The Tigers made 8 of 11 FT while SA sank 6 of 11.

Rene Galatoire

Good news traveled that night from Jesuit Gym where Fortier upset the Jays 31-22. So Jesuit and Aloysius tied for first with 6-1 records at the halfway point. However, the next week would see a victory vacated, a school drop out of the league, and a team suspended for the rest of the season.

Basketball 1936-37 Part III

The second round did not start smoothly for the New Orleans Prep League. St. Aloysius had its first two games cancelled.

The Tuesday, February 9, game vs. Gretna High bit the dust because Gretna abruptly pulled out of the league after finishing the first round 0-6.
The Friday night contest against Fortier was cancelled because that school was suspended by the LHSAA on Monday, February 8 for using an ineligible player pending a hearing by the Executive Board. It had been St. Aloysius that reported the infraction.
On Friday, February 12, the LHSAA Executive Committee held a hearing at 8 pm in Baton Rouge to render its final judgment on the issue. The player in question had played on the Fortier Junior Varsity while actually attending McDonogh 10. The committee, which included Brother Peter, S.C., principal of Catholic High in Baton Rouge, vacated Fortier's victory over Jesuit the previous Friday and suspended the Tarpons for the remainder of the basketball season.
As a result of the ruling, Jesuit finished the first round with a 6-0 mark with SA trailing at 5-1.

Another irony of the Fortier decision is that Crusader Coach Monk Zelden had turned down an invitation to participate in the prestigious Lyon High School Tournament that weekend because of the game against Fortier. Instead, Jesuit participated and captured the crown. (Lyon was the forerunner of Covington High School.)

About this time, Zelden also scrambled to find a new place to practice. According to The Aloysian:

Since the burning of the Y.M.H.A. [Young Men's Hebrew Association] Aloysius has not had a gym in which to practice steadily. They were compelled to skip from one gym to another from day to day. At present the cagers journey to Maumus where the St. Bernard school officials have kindly offered the use of their court.

Two historical notes:

The Y.M.H.A. building, known as "The Atheneaum" and called "New Orleans' original auditorium," was located at St. Charles Avenue and Clio Street (across the street from the building known as "The Jerusalem Temple").
Maumus became Chalmette High. So traveling to St. Bernard Parish took much longer than the previous trek to St. Charles Avenue.

The building at the left, called "The Atheneaum," is believed
to be the location where the 1936-37 Crusaders practiced.

The Saints finally took the court again on Sunday, February 14, against Catholic High of Baton Rouge at Holy Cross.

The Bears had thumped SA earlier in the season in Baton Rouge 26-10.
The Crusaders played much more competitively this time but still lost 23-19.
Crimson C Jack Van led all scorers with 8 while F Rene Galatoire chipped in 6.
With the victory, CHS completed a sweep of the top New Orleans teams as they also beat Jesuit home-and-home.
In the first game of the twinbill, the Saint JV beat the Holy Rosary CYO 25-8.

Next up was the all-important game with the Blue Jays on Friday, February 19 at Jesuit.

The Crusaders needed to win not only to avenge the heart-breaking 28-26 first round loss but also to have any hope of winning at least the co-championship of the prep league.
An overflow crowd jammed "the small Jesuit gymnasium" (the forerunner of the current building on Banks Street). Hundreds were turned away, many of whom milled about in the rain, eager to catch a glimpse or at least glean news of the contest.
The Saints held the defending champions to one FG in the opening frame to take a 9-4 lead. The Panthers (still the term used by The Aloysian) increased the margin to 17-9 by halftime, chiefly by feeding the ball to Galatoire who scored from close range.
Ray Mock's team staged a strong comeback after the intermission. Three FGs in rapid order and a FT tied the score at 18. A few minutes into Q4, Henry Schopfer tossed in a basket from the center of the court, and Galatoire quickly added another to give the Saints a 4-point margin. However, a basket by Stumpf and two charity throws knotted the count. Both squads fought desperately for points in the final minutes until the horn sounded with the score 24-24.
Thinking the game was over, the crowd flowed onto the floor but was pushed back to allow the OT to proceed. According to the rules in effect at that time and for several decades to come, the first team to attain a twopoint lead would win the game. Both teams muffed shots as the minutes ticked away. Schopfer intercepted a pass and tossed it to Galatoire who in turn whipped it to Larry Choppin. Larry then fired the ball back across the court to Galatoire who flipped it into the hoop to propel the Crusaders into a tie with the Jays for the top spot in the league!
The victory was the Saints' first over the Blue Jays in three years.
The final stat sheet showed Galatoire leading both squads with 13. Schopfer tied Gilbert of Jesuit with 6.

Jack Van

Rene Galatoire

Larry Choppin

Henry Schopfer

The Saints couldn't afford a letdown when they met Commy High at Jesuit on February 23.

A large Tuesday crowd saw Zelden's men jumped right on the Stenogs, leading 9-2 after one period. Peters could close only to 17-11 at the half.
SA outscored Commy 9-7 in Q3 and 6-3 in the final stanza for a 32-21 victory.
With Galatoire held to 6, in part because he fouled out (with 4 fouls), Choppin led the Saints with 10 while Schopfer added 8. No one in Black and Gold scored more than 7.
Across town, Warren Easton upset Jesuit 31-21 at Behrman Gym. That left Aloysius in sole possession of first place and in control of their own destiny.

The following Friday, those same Eagles tried to knock off the Crusaders.

The "fast and furious game" ended with the same score as the first round: 23-21 in favor of SA.
The Panthers drew first blood when Van "dropped the oval in the ring" before the game was a minute old. Then the Eagles got hot and swished three fielders to take a 6-2 lead at the end of the period.
With Van and Schopfer scoring most of the markers, SA went on an 11-2 scoring spree in Q2 to leave the court at halftime ahead 13-8.
Playing careful ball in the second half, the Crimsons tried to protect their lead but were outscored 7-5 and 6-5.
For the first time since his illness, Van played the great ball of which he is capable, leading all scorers with 10. He also showed his defensive ability by "breaking up" many shots under the basket. Judlin joined him in playing brilliant D to hold Easton star Billy Brinkman to two points.
Schopfer took second place on the scoring list with 8.
The victory clinched a spot in the state playoffs for Aloysius since the worse they could finish was second.

SA finished prep play against Holy Cross.

Another overflow crowd packed the Tiger Gym, which also served as SA's home court. Let's let The Aloysian describe the action.

"An extremely rough but very exciting game held the large crowd tense with anxiety while the score seesawed from one side to the other. Because of strict officiating, which at times was too technical and at other times failed to detect the roughness under the basket, both squads suffered the loss of their centers. Ploger and Van were extracted from the game via the 4-foul route.

"After the first two minutes of scoreless play, Galatoire sank a free toss to put the Panthers ahead. However, their lead was brief for HC forged ahead after SA missed many easy shots. The Tigers led 5-4 at the quarter and increased their lead to 9-4 before the crowd realized what had happened. FGs by Van and Choppin tied the score at 10.

"The Tigers came back strong after the half and popped three FGs to lead 18-14. Galatoire and Schopfer came through to tie the score again at 18. A minute before Q3 ended, Choppin broke the tie with a charity toss.

"Early in Q4 the Tigers went into the lead; but the Panthers staged a strong rally to gain a 5 point advantage. With seconds left to play the crowd flooded down upon the floor and time was called until order was retained.

"Peter Judlin again showed his ability as a G by holding Barker to one FG. Galatoire barely missed the prep scoring title. Before this game he needed 12 markers to win but he was able to tally only 8. His total for prep scoring is 72 points. Cellos led his Tiger teammates in scoring with 8 while Larry Choppin led the field with 11 for the Panthers.

"The '37 cage champions received a warm welcome by the entire student body at a recent meeting held in their honor."

According to the Times-Picayune, Aloysius clinched its "first prep crown in more than 17 years."

Peter Judlin

Brother Martin had promised his cagers a trip to the National Catholic Tournament in Chicago if they won prep. However, the state tournament at LSU came first.

Basketball 1936-37 Part IV

Jack Van

Henry Schopfer

The St. Aloysius Crusaders left for Baton Rouge on Friday morning, March 5, 1937, to participate with 19 other teams from the seven districts in the state tournament at LSU. As champion of the New Orleans Prep League, Monk Zelden's squad earned one of the four byes in the first round.

Aloysius would play the winner of the Marthaville-Meaux game at 5 pm that afternoon
The victor proved to be the lads from Marthaville, a town about halfway between Natchitoches and the Texas border.
The Saints defeated their country brethren 36-20. Zelden's two forwards combined for 26 markers, Larry Choppin 14 and Rene Galatoire 12.

The Saders took the court again Saturday morning against Castor, a town north of Natchitoches.

The Tigers fell 32-24 to the big city squad.
Galatoire poured in 15, nearly half the Crusaders' total. Choppin added 8, and C Jack Van, 7.
Thomas led Castor with 14.

The victory propelled Aloysius into the semifinals that afternoon against Coushatta, a school not far from Castor.

The Saints led 24-17 with five minutes left, but Coushatta scored the final 11 points.
J. R. Jowers, a full-blooded Indian, led the victors with 15 points. After being held scoreless in Q3, he tallied 5 in the last period on his way to winning the Sparky Wade MVP Trophy for the tournament.
Choppin topped the Crimson and White with 8 while Galatoire contributed 6. Van was held to only 3.
As proof that some aspects of sports haven't changed in 80 years, The Aloysian, in its subsequent report on the game, questioned the officiating.

Coushatta advanced to the finals against Pleasant Hill, another school in the same general area as the Crusaders' three foes in the tournament.

The Eagles eliminated Jesuit 28-21 Saturday morning.
Aloysius was ready to play the consolation game against Lafayette, the other semifinal loser. However, the Lions headed home, forfeiting third place to the Crusaders.
Pleasant Hill clobbered Coushatta 39-15 in the finals.

Several Crusaders earned individual honors.

G Henry Schopfer and Galatoire made the Times-Picayune All Prep team first team.
Choppin and G Peter Judlin made the second team.
Schopfer earned second team All-State which, at that time, amounted to the All-Tournament team.
The Honorable Mention All-State list included Galatoire.

Thanks to their principal's promise when they won the prep crown, the Aloysius team continued their season at the 14th Annual National Catholic Tournament in Chicago.

On March 16, Brother Martin departed with Zelden and twelve students on the train trip that lasted a day and a half.
The Crusaders stayed at the Sovereign Hotel, headquarters for tournament participants.

Sovereign Hotel, Chicago

On Thursday, March 18, the Saints began tournament play against Catholic High of Little Rock at Loyola University Gym.

Aloysius outscored the Rockets 18-4 in a scintillating Q2 to seize a commanding 24-6 halftime lead.
After a sluggish Q3, the Saders outpointed the Arkansas team 19-6 in the final period to complete the 39-21 romp.
Galatoire tallied 13 with Van adding 11.

The next afternoon, Aloysius met Marquette University High of Milwaukee.

The Hilltoppers bested Benedictine Military Academy of Richmond VA 37-30 in the opening round.
31 fouls, 16 on the Saints, marred the rugged contest. Galatoire and Judlin both fouled out.
Rene still tossed in 13 to lead all scorers in the game, but Marquette came from behind to cop the victory 34-27.
The Picayune article (not written by a local reporter) devoted most of its space to the exploits of the other Louisiana team in the tournament, Catholic High of Baton Rouge. The Bears, after drawing a bye in the first round, beat St. Stephen's Indian School of Wyoming 38-30. CHS would lose in the next round.

The Aloysius contingent went sightseeing: the Wrigley Building, WGN radio's studios, the Marshall Field's Department Store, Soldier's Field, Wrigley Field, and the Chicago Ice Skating Arena. They left the Windy City on Monday morning March 22, arriving home at 9:15 on Tuesday.

With Galatoire, Van, and Judlin returning and a new gym on the drawing board, the Crusaders looked forward to defending their prep championship in 1937-38. [They did.]

Rene Galatoire

Pete Judlin