This past high school basketball season brought back memories of 50 years ago.

Many of the games this year, especially the girls games, were very lopsided with wins of 30, 40 and 50 points.

Does this mean the competition is so weak or are some of the teams that outstanding?

Altoona boys were at one time one of the best teams in the state. The last few years, they’ve been one of the worst teams in the state.

There was a time when Hollidaysburg could not compete with Altoona. That’s no longer the case.

College basketball is also being ruined.

In the past, Saint Francis would play against Georgetown, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure. These were teams that fans wanted to see, and Saint Francis was able to compete with them.

Today the Red Flash compete in a league, the Northeast Conference, with Mercyhurst, LeMoyne and Stonehill.

The glory days of Saint Francis are over. If they are lucky enough to get a diamond in the rough, that player will be offered big NIL money from a larger school and leave.

Then there is Penn State basketball, where some things never change. They hire a top winning coach from Virginia Commonwealth and commit the money.

What Penn State gets is a team that looks unorganized a lot of the time and today they are at the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

Maybe the “good old days” were better days.

Byron Lasser

Hollidaysburg