Basketball Arrives in Cuba City

On this day in 1892, James Naismith published thirteen rules for a new game he called "basket ball." It would take a few years for the sport to reach Cuba City, but when the basketball equipment arrived at the high school in the fall of 1914, both male and female students were intrigued. 

Pharmacist Stanley M. Sorley* is credited with introducing the game to Cuba City, as well as serving as coach, trainer, and referee for the first team, which was organized and playing games by February 1915. The squad pictured below is Cuba City High School's second basketball team, competing during the 1915-16 season, and coached by Frank "John" Rochek. The early uniforms were said to feature black jerseys with a wide gold band across the middle and olive drab and tan shorts.

Cuba City High School basketball team photo, 1916. Back row: Herbert Fiedler, coach Frank "John" Rochek, Richard Nankivil. Middle row: Harold Fiedler, George Hauser, Merle Jackson. Front row: Francis Cornelisen, Dwight Stephens, Norris Schuh. Imaged published in Cuba City's centennial history.

Tragically, the above photograph captured John Rochek's first and last complete season of coaching. In January 1917, at the age of 25, he died unexpectedly of a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite the sad start, Cuba City basketball carried on into the following decades and is still going strong over one hundred years later.

 

*A February 24, 1937 Telegraph Herald article credits "Charles" Sorley with introducing basketball to Cuba City. The article almost certainly is referring to Stanley M. Sorley, a native of Weyauwega, Wisconsin. Sorley was in town only briefly, working at the Barker Bros. drugstore, but he was very active in the community and also helped establish a Boy Scout troop and served as its Scoutmaster.