• Season: 1953-54
• Date: Tuesday, December 8, 1953
• Opponent: Holy Cross
• Start Time: 9:00 PM ET (Estimated start time. Varsity game followed the freshman game, which started at 7 PM.)
• Site: Worcester Auditorium, Worcester MA
• Special Event: Non-conference game

• Result: Holy Cross (#19) 89, Massachusetts 42
• Attendance: 1600

Redmen To Tackle Speedy Holy Cross
The Massachusetts Collegian, December 8, 1953

Coach Bobby Curran invades the campus of his alma mater tonight as the twice-beaten Redmen attempt to upset the kings of the New England hoop world, Holy Cross, in their meeting at Worcester Auditorium. The Freshman squads open the twin bills at 7 o'clock.

Paced by their high-powered Co-captains, Togo Palazzi and Ronnie Perry, the Crusaders do not have a fancy, spectacular team as in the past. Instead, Buster Sheary has a go-go quintet with sharp eyes and speed to burn.

Starting for the Cross are Palazzi and Jim Lewis, hustling Junior, at forwards; Sophomore sensation Tom Heinsohn at center; and Perry and Frank Kasprzak at guards.

Two prominent facts which stood out in the Crusader's 98-65 opening win over Tufts were the lack of set shooting and the success of the driving offense. The majority of the Purple's plays are directed at the middle of the defense with the accent on speed, fakes, and posts.

Coach Curran will stick with the same five that started the Massachusetts weekend games. That means Paul Aho and Dick Eid at forwards; Bill Stephens at center; and Jack MacLeod and Johnny Skypeck at guards.

Palazzi Racks 24; Supporting Cast Brilliant As Holy Cross Massacres Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Collegian, December 11, 1953

With Togo Palazzi at his All-American best, the Holy Cross Crusaders taught Massachusetts a basketball lesson, 89-42, at the Worcester Auditorium Tuesday before a slim crowd of 1600 crazed Togo fans.

It took the home team only eleven minutes to do what it intended - to whip Massachusetts and help Palazzi surpass two more scoring records at Holy Cross. When the big forward sank a basket in the second period, it marked his 1000th collegiate point and had given his team a 44-15 lead. Then the regulars left the lineup.

Early Leads Sub

Joe Early, an alert playmaking guard, put the Subs through their paces for the next twenty minutes, and as the third quarter came to a close, the margin was 70-30 and every member of the Crusader squad had scored.

After this lack-luster exhibition, the starting five came back in and completed the rout. Palazzi wound up with 24 points, giving him 1009 for his career, third highest in HC history.

Right Idea But . . .

At the start, the charges of Bob Curran showed that they had the right idea of how to play the Crusader offense by using a man-to-man defense that collapsed to defend the middle. The idea was right, but the winners still romped through it with fakes and bursts of speed, mixed in with a successful assortment of outside shots.

Tom Heinsohn, 6 foot 6 Soph, zipped through time and time again to register two-pointers. He finished with 19 digits followed by Ron Perry with 8.

Massachusetts used all its players in the game, and each one scored with one exception. Curt Teeter played a hustling second half, working hard off the boards. Johnny Skypeck, only consistent scorer to date, tallied nine in the hopeless cause for the Curranmen. The summary: (box score below)

Run, Shoot, Win at HC
By Jack Chevalier, The Massachusetts Collegian, December 11, 1953

Seated in his private office at Worcester Auditorium, Holy Cross coach Buster Sheary puffed on his victory cigar, thought for a moment, and said, “Yes, this is the fastest team I've ever coached.”

When asked to compare them with Holy Cross teams of the past, Sheary explained, “It's hard to compare these boys with other teams that played here because they are different. They play fast basketball and play it well, in contrast to the tricky and flashy style of the 1948 team.”

Won NCAA Crown

Sparked by Bob Cousy, the '47 Crusaders won the NCAA basketball title. The present squad is expected to sweep all New England opposition.

Just then Togo Palazzi walked by, coming from his post-game shower.

“Now there's a guy,” continued Sheary, “who could make any team in my book. He can run, shoot, pass, rebound . . . do anything on that floor. You know he broke Markey's (the Holy Cross star last year, Ed Markey¹⁾) record tonight.”

Togo tallied 24 points that night to give him 1009 for his career, putting him third in Holy Cross history. Markey scored 1002 in three years while Cousy tallied 1775 and George Kaftan 1177. The game also marked the 40th consecutive home triumph for HC.

“Maybe if we played the big one's here we could win 'em all,” laughed the popular mentor.

Union City Is The City

It's easy to figure out what town is Sheary's favorite. He always got a few words of praise for Union City, New Jersey, home of Palazzi and Tom Heinsohn, Sophomore center.

“You know, that kid Heinsohn went to the same high school that Togo did, and rewrote all the records that Togo had set. I heard that there's another kid down there now that's better than both of them. He must be some basketball player,” Sheary added.

“Two big reasons for our increased speed this year are those newcomers to our starting lineup. Juniors Jim Lewis from Lawrence and Frank Kasprzak from Brooklyn are real hustlers out there,” said the heavy-set coach.

Early Great Playmaker

“Above all, don't forget Joe Early,” chirped in Sheary. He's a topnotch playmaker that can really handle a team out on the court. Of course I don't have to mention Ron Perry, our Co-captain.“

Perry, the Somerville flash, is the mainstay of the Crusader backcourt and has an accurate long-distance eye. He has 630 points at Holy Cross in two years.

Asked about Massachusetts, the HC coach answered, “They have three young fellows in there that will get much better as the season grows. They will be a threat this season - wait.” The next start for the Redmen comes Saturday against Amherst.

“We have a tough schedule this winter. We play NYU, St. John's, Notre Dame, Connecticut, among others. Then there's the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans this month. We meet DePaul in the opening round.”

“How do you think you'll make out?” I asked.

“We should do all right,” said Buster Sheary, puffing on that victory cigar that's going to get pretty worn out this year.

• This 1953-54 Crusaders team went on to win the NIT, which in that era was considered the most prestigious post-season tournament.
• They were ranked #3 in the final AP Poll that season.²⁾
• Togo Palazzi and Tom Heinsohn went on to play in the NBA.
• This was the first time UMass played against a ranked team.