George “Red” Wolfe attended DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City. He went on to college at nearby St. John’s where he played basketball on the 1927-28  squad that posted an outstanding 18-4 record. After just one varsity season, Wolfe dropped out of school to play professional basketball. In 1929, he joined the Philadelphia SPHAS. Wolfe quickly became an important cog on a squad  that would soon transform into  one of the best teams of the era. Wolfe was never flashy. His  strength  was his dependability and versatility. He was consistent scorer  and talented defender who was comfortable playing at either the guard or forward position. During his 15-year career with  the Sphas, he played on nine championship teams.

Dutch Wohlfarth  was widely renowned as one of the best ball handlers of his day. Like all players of the time, he dribbled with two hands because dribbling the ball at all was a torturous task. The ball was larger and heavier than the modem basketball and frequently become lopsided during the course of a game. The lacing on the side of the ball was an additional obstacle. Wohlfarth was also a fine defender and was always assigned to guard the opposition’s best scorer. On offense, Wohlfarth was a streaky player whose scoreless nights were offset by occasional outbursts of scoring.In 1906-07, just out of high school, Wohlfarth played a few games during the Central BasketballLeague’s inaugural season. During the next four seasons, he blossomed as a player with his hometown Homestead, club and was an important part of the team’s 1908-09 CBL championship. When Homestead dropped out of the league after the 1910-11 season, he was quickly signed by the rival Johnstown team. He enjoyed one of his best seasons with his new team. He led the club in field goals and combined with Winnie Kinkaide to provide Johnstown with the strong defense that helped the Johnnies capture the 1911-12 CBL title. In the fall of 1912, after the collapse of the CBL, Wohlfarth played for  the Jasper team in the Eastern Basketball League for the next two seasons. He was a key member of their 1913-14 EBL championship team. Just 26 years old, Wohlfarth retired at end of the season.

Herm Witasek was a star player  at the University of North Dakota. After graduation in 1935, he signed to play professional basketball with a strong independent team in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Two years later, in the fall of 1937,  Oshkosh joined the newly-formed, National Basketball League. Oshkosh appeared in the NBL finals five consecutive years (1938-1942), winning twice, in 1938 and 1942. Witasek, along with Hall of Fame center, Leroy Edwards, were the only players to appear in all five seasons. Witasek was a showman, a fan’s delight. They liked to say J stood for jackrabbit because of his jumping ability. He was also an attention grabber because of his physique and his flamboyant, reckless, drive to the basket style of play. At six-feet, three inches and 230 pounds, he look more like a linebacker than a basketball player. Witasek was never among Oshkosh’s top scorers, but he was the team’s  best defender and was the was an inspirational floor-leader. Service in the army during World War II ended Witasek’s basketball career.