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In 1975–76 I was a freshman and did not expect to play basketball. I had not made the basketball team in junior high, so I focused on soccer when I arrived at East. We were a unique class, as we were the first 9th grade class. The Salt Lake school district had previously had 9th grade in junior high. I did not consider that there would be a separate freshman basketball team, as in junior high there was only one team. So I did play basketball after all, and caught Coach Dick Milne's eye. His support began early and lasted through high school. During my freshman year I also played on the sophomore team, then junior varsity. Suddenly basketball was my focus in high school. My breakout year did not happen until I was a sophomore.
I have a memory of suiting up for a varsity game, but that may be incorrect. The Lumberjack, Tom Hansen, led the 1975–76 team. Despite the age difference, we later were teammates at Dixie College for a year in purgatory in 1979–80.
Only photos are available for this year. Photos by Matt Rowley and Alan Davison. Click on the photo to enlarge.
