In further researching New Britain star player Bernardotte "Bert" Loomis as being the originator of the dribble (Loomis is holding the basketball in the above photo and also noted in the scorebook), I found some interesting information online, one of which says: "
Bernardotte Loomis, a timekeeper at Stanley and later the city tax collector, bounced the ball in the title game that was witnessed by James Naismith, who approved the move - and dribbling was born".
Also, this excerpt gives a good idea of the impact of Loomis:
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In addition, a newspaper article dated March 23, 1896, when New Britain beat the powerhouse Central YMCA team of Brooklyn, says: "
The style of play of the two teams was entirely different. The Brooklyn boys played a high game entirely with much passing and many free throws. In the latter they were weak, however, not being able to reach the basket. The New Britain team played a low game exclusively, seldom passing the ball, and depending entirely upon bounding [dribbling] and eluding in preference to reach the goal. Loomis was particularly expert in this style of play, and landed the ball safely, time after time." This new way to move the ball, dribbling, was done to circumvent the rule of not walking with the ball.
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