Short College Student Is
Long In Basketball Scoring
By DALE GADDY
Snow covered the sidewalk
of the new gymnasium at Appa
lachian State one day last week
a* the short college student ap
proached the glass front of the
physical education plant. The
figure paused momentarily at
one of the front doors as he
knocked moat of the snow from
his boots. He removed his
white-laden toboggan and en
tered the lobby of the building.
JACK LYTTON
He hurried through the lobby
with a business-like walk, stop
ping for ? second to exchange
Crn>U>igs with an acquantance.
The two spoke a few inaudible
words then burst into laughter
as the shorter of the two moved
away towards the stairs.
Ten minutes later he was on
the basketball court tossing in
a few set shots. He missed the
first two, then sank five
straight He went in for an oc
casional lay-up, and popped a
few jump shots. He gave the
appearance of being an athlete,
to be sure. But to say he look
ed like a basketball player ?
well, that could be something
else.
In short, he seems too short.
After all, in a sport which to
day calls a six-footer short, a
5'8" boy is a midget. But to
ASTC's Jack Lytton this is the
least of his worries. He's made
it a practice to whittle .lawn to
size the *giants of the hardwood.
And he's managed to pump in.
more than his share tk?
points in games for the Moun
taineers.
Last year the little Tenness
ean won a starting birth on the
Mountaineer squad and sealed
his position by averaging 10.7
points per game.
"Back at Surgoinsville
(Tenn.) High School the only
sport we had was basketball.
And I've always liked playing
basketball," Lytton said in easy
flowing southern drawl.
Asked what awards or honors
he had been presented in high
school, Lytton reluctantly re
plied, in an aw-shucks manner,
"Oh, I was named to the Al%
Tournament team my junior
and senior year* and to an All
Christmas-Tournament team tn
'90." It was during his senior
year that he scored 30 points in
one game; his highest tally in a
single contest to da to.
Lytton took a chance when
he came to ASTC, he confides.
He tried out for the team in the
autcmn of 1960 "without much
hopes making it." But the
ISO pound whiz gained a uni
form and even appeared in 13
of ASTC's encounters that year.
He did not letter, however,
until last year, his second rea
son. He has always played at
the guard position.
Now a junior, Lytton is ma
joring in mathematics and phy
sical education at ASTC. He
hopes to teach and coach eith
er in Noith Carolina or Tennes
see after graduation in 1964.
In addition to basketball, Lyt
ton is active in the Men's "A"
Club as chaplin.
Last year he was awarded a
part-scholarship in basketball.
And this year he is on full
scholarship.
Says Lytton of the 1962-63
Apps, "We're going to give
several teams some trouble
this year. Particularly Lenoir
Rhyne.
"We have gotten started pret
ty well (with fiye wins and one
loss) this year. With a couple
of breaks we can be right up on
top." And those are big words
for a man who is 12 inches
shorter than some of his team
mates.
But if one were not impress
ed with his physical stature, he
might well be impressed with
Lytton's ball-hawking. Fur ex
ample, Monday night of laat
week Lytton stifled an eager
Belmont Abbey team with sev
eral steals and by breaking up
a number of plays. And to make
his taller opponents even more
blushing, he pumped in 11
points to out-do seven of the
nine Abbey players.
No. he may not make an im
pressive apeparance on the
courts before a practice ses
sion. And to some he may look
like a joke when the Mountain
eers take the floor before a
game. But it's no laughing mat
ter (for the opposing team)
once the little App man gets in
motion.
Quick, agressive, and accur
ate, Lytton is a 19-ycar-old who
is driven by determination ?
determination not to be put
asunder because of his lack of
height.
While the hunting season is
now in full swing, it is just a
question which hunter will
have the distinction of being
shot for a deer..
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