Maine West's varsity basketball squad will swing into action tonight, as the Warriors take the floor at Barrington in their first game of the season.

The cagers will enter a 19‑game schedule with only three returning lettermen, Bob Lorentz '62, Rick Warnicke '62, and Al Waters '63, but head coach Gaston Freeman is counting on several other returning veterans to fill in. Bill Dautel '63, Rick DeKreek '63, Drew Karkow '62, Ed Schwenke '63, Don Seagren '62, and Doug Seagren '62 will be among those returning.

Although the team may be hurt by lack of rebounding ability, much of this will be made up by strength in outshooting and backboard shots. According to Coach Freeman, the 1961‑62 squad will be "definitely improved" over last year's bucketmen, who, with only one letterman, compiled an overall record of 11 wins and 13 defeats while finishing fourth in the Interim league with a mark of six and six.

Of the team's 19 games, 16 are in conference. The Warriors will face every other team in an expanded league at least once, and will meet five of them twice, including Prospect. The teams to watch in this year's Interim race are Wheaton, which finished a surprising second last season, Prospect, Morton West, and Proviso West.

In an effort to speed up the game, several new rules have been initiated by the Illinois High School Association, including one which eliminates free throws after an offensive team has committed a foul. From the coaches' viewpoint, another change was made, allowing them to talk to players from the sidelines during a game. According to Coach Freeman, most coaches will welcome the change, since it will have a good psychological effect on the team. Of more interest to fans is the elimination of "sudden-death" overtimes, which will be replaced by additional three-minute periods.

Tonight's game will begin at 7:00 on the Barrington court, Following this contest, the cagers will host Waukegan next Wednesday in their first home game of the year. Game time Wednesday is also 7:00.