Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States of America in which its fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I, with its football teams competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest levels for athletic competition in US-based collegiate sports. The ACC sponsors competition in twenty-five sports with many of its member institutions' athletic programs held in high regard nationally. Current members of the conference are Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Florida State University, North Carolina State University, Syracuse University, the University of Louisville, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Wake Forest University. ACC teams and athletes have claimed dozens of national championships in multiple sports throughout the conference's history.
The ACC's top athletes and teams in any particular sport in a given year are considered to be among the top collegiate competitors in the nation. The conference enjoys extensive media coverage; the ACC was one of the five collegiate power conferences, which had automatic qualifying for their football champion into the Bowl Championship Series. With the advent of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the ACC is one of five conferences with a contractual tie-in to a New Year's Six bowl game, the successors to the BCS; the ACC was founded on May 8, 1953 by seven universities located in the South Atlantic States, with the University of Virginia joining in early December 1953 to bring the membership to eight. The loss of South Carolina in 1971 dropped membership to seven, while the addition of Georgia Tech in 1979 for non-football sports and 1983 for football brought it back to eight, Florida State's arrival in 1991 for non-football sports and 1992 for football increased the membership to nine. Since 2000, with the widespread reorganization of the NCAA, seven additional schools have joined, one original member has left to bring it to the current membership of 15 schools.
The additions in recent years extended the conference's footprint into the Midwest. ACC member universities represent a range of well-regarded private and public universities of various enrollment sizes, all of which participate in the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Consortium whose purpose is to "enrich the educational missions the undergraduate student experiences, of member universities"; the ACC has 15 member institutions located within the borders of 10 states. Listed in alphabetical order, these 10 states within the ACC's geographical footprint are Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia; the geographic domain of the conference is predominantly within the Southern and Northeastern United States along the US Atlantic coast and stretches from Florida in the south to New York in the North and from Indiana in the west to Massachusetts farthest east. In two sports and baseball, the ACC is divided into two non-geographic divisions of seven teams each, labeled the "Atlantic" and "Coastal" divisions.
Notre Dame does not participate in ACC football and Syracuse does not participate in ACC baseball, leaving 14 total ACC schools for each of those sports. For all other sports, the ACC operates as a single unified league with no divisions; when Notre Dame joined the ACC, it chose to remain a football independent. However, its football team established a special scheduling arrangement with the ACC to play a rotating selection of five ACC football teams per season. Since July 1, 2014, the 15 members of the ACC are: On July 1, 2014, The University of Maryland departed for The Big Ten Conference as The University of Louisville joined from The American Athletic Conference. In 1971, The University of South Carolina left The ACC to become an independent joining The Metro Conference in 1983 and moving to its current home, The Southeastern Conference, in 1991. Full members Non-football members The ACC was established on June 14, 1953, when seven members of the Southern Conference left to form their own conference.
These seven universities became charter members of the ACC: Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Wake Forest. They left due to that league's ban on post-season football play. After drafting a set of bylaws for the creation of a new league, the seven withdrew from the Southern Conference at the spring meeting on the morning of May 8, 1953 at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina; the bylaws were ratified on June 14, 1953, the ACC was created, becoming the second conference formed by schools collectively withdrawing from the SoCon, after the Southeastern Conference. On December 4, 1953, officials convened in Greensboro, North Carolina, admitted Virginia, a SoCon charter member, independent since 1937, into the conference. In 1960, the ACC implemented a minimum SAT score for incoming student-athletes of 750, the first conference to do so; this minimum was raised to 800 in 1964, but was struck down by a federal court in 1972. On July 1, 1971, South Carolina left the ACC to become an independent.
The ACC operated with seven members until the addition of Georgia Tech from the Metro Conference, announced on April 3, 1978 and taking effect on July 1, 1979 except in football, in which Tech would remain an independent until joining ACC football in 1983. The total number of member schools reached nine with the addition of Florida State formerl
Gleb Savchenko
Gleb Savchenko is a Russian dancer and choreographer, a professional dancer on the U. S. version of Dancing with the Stars. He appeared on the UK, Russian versions of the show. In 2016, Savchenko took. In August 2018, Savchenko took part in Celebs on the Farm, he became the first winner of the series. Savchenko was born in Moscow, he began dancing at 8 years old. Savchenko is married to professional dancer, Elena Samodanova, they have a daughter, Olivia. In March 2017, the couple announced, their second daughter, was born on August 1, 2017. In 2012, Savchenko appeared as a professional on the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars, he was partnered with model Erin McNaught. They were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition, finishing in 11th place. In 2013, Savchenko appeared as a professional on season 16 of Dancing with the Stars, he was partnered with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump. They were the second couple to be eliminated from the competition, he performed as a member of the Troupe in season 17.
Savchenko returned as a professional for season 23, where he was partnered with singer and actress Jana Kramer. They finished in fourth place. For season 24, Savchenko was partnered with singer and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, they were the fourth couple to be eliminated from the competition, finishing in 9th place. For season 25, Savchenko was partnered with Pretty Little Liars actress Sasha Pieterse, they were the fourth couple to be eliminated from the competition. For season 26, Savchenko was partnered with Notre Dame women's basketball player Arike Ogunbowale, they were eliminated in the second week of competition, tying in 7th place with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lindsay Arnold. For season 27, Savchenko was paired with comedian Nikki Glaser, they were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition. Scores out of 40 are adjusted to be out of 30. Season 16 – with Lisa Vanderpump Season 23 – with Jana Kramer 1 Score given by guest judge Pitbull.2 Score given by guest judge Idina Menzel Season 24 – with Erika Jayne Season 25 – with Sasha Pieterse Season 26 – with Arike Ogunbowale 1 Score given by guest judge Rashad Jennings.
Season 27 – with Nikki Glaser In 2015, Savchenko appeared as a professional on the ninth season of Танцы со звёздами. He was partnered with figure skater Adelina Sotnikova, they finished in second place. In 2015, Savchenko became a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing for its thirteenth series, he was partnered with Anita Rani. They were eliminated during the semi-finals of the competition. Savchenko announced he will not be returning to Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, saying he wants to spend more time with his wife and daughter
WNBA draft
The WNBA draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997; the WNBA "requires players to be at least 22, to have completed their college eligibility, to have graduated from a four-year college or to be four years removed from high school". Since the WNBA draft is held in April, before most U. S. colleges and universities have ended their academic years, the league considers anyone scheduled to graduate in the 3 months after the draft to be a "graduate" for draft purposes. The specifics of this rule differ in several ways from those used by the NBA for its draft. Both drafts make a distinction between U. S. and "international" players. However, the definition of "international player" differs between the two drafts; the NBA defines an "international player" as an individual who has permanently resided outside the U. S. for the three years preceding the draft while playing basketball, did not complete high school education in the U.
S. and has never enrolled in a U. S. college or university. A prospective NBA player's birthplace or citizenship is not relevant to his status as an "international player". On the other hand, the WNBA defines an "international player" as "any person born and residing outside the United States who participates in the game of basketball as an amateur or professional", who has never "exercised intercollegiate basketball eligibility" in the U. S; this means that a prospective WNBA player, born in the United States is treated as a U. S. player, regardless of where she was trained in basketball. The association defines as an "international player" a prospect with non-U. S. Nationality if one of her parents is a natural-born American; the current age limit for NBA draft eligibility is 19, measured on December 31 of the calendar year of the draft. The WNBA's age limit is 20 for "international players" and 22 for U. S. players, both being measured as of December 31 of the calendar year of the draft. A WNBA prospect who graduates from college while under the age limit can be eligible, but only if the calendar year of her college graduation is no earlier than the fourth after her high school graduation.
In both drafts, players subject to the rules for U. S. players can declare early eligibility. For those players who are eligible to declare early, the timing of the declaration process is different. NBA prospects must notify the league office of their intent to enter the draft no than 60 days prior to the draft, held in June. Current rules allow prospects to withdraw from the draft and retain college eligibility, as long as they comply with NCAA rules regarding relationships with agents, do not sign a professional contract, notify the league office of their withdrawal no than 10 days after the end of the NBA Draft Combine. WNBA prospects must notify the league office no than 10 days before the draft, must renounce any remaining college eligibility to enter the draft. However, because postseason national tournaments are still ongoing during the 10 days prior to the draft, certain players who would otherwise be eligible to declare cannot do so before the standard deadline. A prospect whose team is still playing during the 10-day window must make her declaration within the 24 hours following her team's final game of the season, but no less than 3 hours before the scheduled start of the draft.
The 1997 WNBA draft was divided into three parts. The first part was the initial allocation of 16 players into individual teams. Players such as Cynthia Cooper and Michelle Timms were assigned to different teams; the second part was the WNBA Elite draft, composed of professional women's basketball players who had competed in other leagues. The last part would be the 4 rounds of the regular draft; the next three seasons to follow 1998, 1999 and 2000 would all have expansion drafts. There would not be another expansion draft until the 2006 season. All seasons before 2002 had 4 rounds. Since 2003, all drafts are 3 rounds. In 2003 and 2004, there would be dispersal drafts due to the folding of the Cleveland Rockers, Miami Sol and Portland Fire; the players were reallocated to existing teams. There were dispersal drafts in 2007 with the folding of the Charlotte Sting, 2009 with the shuttering of the Houston Comets, in 2010 when the Maloofs cast off the Sacramento Monarchs to focus their resources on the Kings franchise in the NBA.
There are no restrictions. However, college sports governing bodies, most notably the NCAA, prohibit players from competing in professional leagues with their college eligibility. Once the player has joined the WNBA, she is eligible to participate in overseas leagues during the WNBA offseason. Dena Head is the oldest #1 draft pick, having graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1992 and the first player drafted to the WNBA. Lauren Jackson is the youngest #1 draft pick, being drafted at the age of 19; as of 2012, six first picks have gone on to win WNBA Championships, with 12 rings amongst them. In the seventeen seasons that the WNBA has been in existence, eight #1 draft picks have helped lead their teams to a playoff berth in their rookie year. Notes WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
Louisville Cardinals football
The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in the sport of American football. The Cardinals compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference; the University of Louisville began playing football in 1912 where the Cardinals went 3–1. Louisville had played several years at club level and teams were composed with medical students. Beginning in 1914 the Cardinals joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and they would participate in Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Due to financial difficulty Louisville did not participate in the 1917–1921 seasons; when the Cardinals did rejoin football they came back into the SIAA, going through reorganization losing most major state schools and thus became a small college conference. The Cardinals would face Kentucky state schools such as Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Western Kentucky, Morehead State, along with private state schools like Centre, Kentucky Wesleyan, Georgetown College.
Tom King was the first coach to attempt to build a program at Louisville. King played college football at Notre Dame under Knute Rockne. King was known for his athleticism and speed. Before he came to the football team for punt returns he was on the track team and basketball team, where he was named captain in 1916, his experience at Notre Dame gave him ideas on developing a spread wing offense so his undersized players could be better utilized. He recruited players like him, that had the ability to outrun their opponent, his first standout was Fred Koster. Koster drew national attention to Louisville in 1926 by racking up 68 points in his first 2 games of the season. In six games, Koster scored 18 touchdowns, 10 extra points, 2 field goals and went on to finish second in scoring in college football with 124 points. Koster was an all-around athlete and was a letterman 16 times, 4 times in each baseball, basketball and track. Koster was a standout forward for the basketball team, leading the team in scoring two years.
In baseball, Koster played professionally for 10 years for the Philadelphia Phillies as well as the minor league teams Louisville Colonels and St. Paul Saints in the American Association. Tom King had the program going in the right direction until he decided to play Detroit for $10,000. Rockne, head coach at Notre Dame, a fellow graduate called King and asked if he would take the Detroit game because Rockne felt his team was not up to it; when King asked what was in it for Louisville Rockne replied $10,000, a substantial sum of money in 1928 for an athletics department. Louisville started the season with a 72–0 win over Eastern Kentucky but when they traveled to Detroit they were hammered with injuries and did not win another game or score for the rest of the season, as Detroit went undefeated and claimed a share of the national title. King served as head football coach for two more years but he served as track, baseball and athletic director during his tenure at Louisville. Louisville athletics took a step back when Dr. Raymond Kent was announced as the new president of Louisville.
Dr. Kemt began reducing the budget in the altheics department,making it difficult for teams to travel and outfit themseleves. King on the advice of his friend Rockne moved on and in 1933 became assistant coach at Michigan State. Louisville Athletics took a step back across all sports and in football posted one winning season until World War II. With the onset of World War II, like many college athletic programs around the country, was put on suspension until 1946. During that time Louisville played within KIAC and posted a 73–118–8 record with a.378 winning percentage. Frank Camp revived the Cardinal Program in 1946. Camp was collegiate player at Transylvania University in both football and basketball went on to accumulate a 102–35–04 record as a high school coach before he was tabbed for the head job at Louisville. Camp was responsible for moving away from the traditional KIAC competition and moving towards a more competitive schedule including match ups against some powerhouse traditional teams.
Camp would see success early after going 7–0–1 in his second year and was accredited for being able to gel current players with the new recruits return from war. Camp, like King, would see another President pull resources and scholarships in the early 1950s would see both Knop, who at the time was being recruited by Bear Bryant of Kentucky, Johnny Unitas, being recruited by Indiana, elect to stay at Louisville and play for Camp. Louisville did see a lot of talent leave and they went into a slump from 1950 to 1954. Camp would only suffer 2 losing seasons for the rest of his career; the loss of the scholarships saw a loss talent on the team. So when scholarships were again available Camp would start to recruit black players and start integration in the sports program in at Louisville. Camp's legacy is tied to three players he brought to Louisville Johnny Unitas, Lenny Lyles, Otto Knop; the most enduring legacy Camp left behind was pioneering integration in the southern athletics. Camp's first African-American player was Lawrence "Bumpy" Simmons, a local product from Central High School.
He only left the team on good terms. Camp would bring in Andy Walker, George Cain and Lenny Lyles in 1954 and they would become the first scholarship players at Louisville. Once the university was integrated in 1951, Camp and his assistant coach, sought out potential recruits. Coach Wood would be
Muffet McGraw
Ann O'Brien "Muffet" McGraw is an American basketball coach the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame, where she has compiled a 905–272 record over 32 seasons. She has led her team to nine Final Fours and seven championship game appearances, won the National Championship in 2001 and 2018. McGraw was born in Pennsylvania, she graduated from Saint Joseph's University and played professionally for the California Dreams of the Women's Professional Basketball League. She coached at Archbishop Carroll HS from 1977 to 1979, worked as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's from 1980 to 1982. From 1982 to 1987 she was head coach at Lehigh, she became head coach at Notre Dame in 1987. Since McGraw has led the Irish to 24 NCAA tournament appearances including a current streak of 22 straight. In the current streak, Notre Dame made it to the second round in all but one of the appearances. McGraw has compiled 50 wins including 40 over the last 8 seasons, her teams appeared in the AP poll 139 times during her tenure.
Notre Dame finished in the Top 3 of the Big East in 9 out of the 11 seasons they were in the league and finished in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference in all 4 seasons since they entered the conference. McGraw was awarded the US Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year award, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year and the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2001, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2016, the John R Wooden award committee recognized McGraw with the 2017 Legends of Coaching Award, she is the 27th coach in NCAA history to win over 500 career games, is tied as the eighth head coach in NCAA Division I basketball history to reach 800 career wins. On April 1, 2018, McGraw achieved her 800th career victory at Notre Dame with a win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the National Championship game, her second national title with the Fighting Irish.
On December 30, 2018, she notched her 900th career win against Lehigh, the team at which she began her collegiate coaching career in 1982. 1983 — East Coast Conference Coach of the Year 1988 — North Star Conference Coach of the Year 1991 — Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year 2001 — Naismith Coach of the Year 2001 — AP College Basketball Coach of the Year 2001 — Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year 2001 — Big East Conference Coach of the Year 2009 — Carol Eckman Award 2011 — Women's Basketball Hall of Fame 2013 — Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year 2013 — AP College Basketball Coach of the Year 2013 — Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division I Coach of the Year 2013 — Big East Conference Coach of the Year 2014 — espnW Coach of the Year 2014 — AP College Basketball Coach of the Year 2014 — USBWA Coach of the Year 2014 — Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year 2014 — ACC Coach of the Year 2016 — Legends of Coaching Award 2016 — ACC Coach of the Year 2017 — Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2018 — AP College Basketball Coach of the Year List of college women's basketball coaches with 600 wins "Muffet McGraw – University of Notre Dame Official Athletics Site".
University of Notre Dame. Retrieved April 5, 2011
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers football team is a division I college football program. The Badgers have competed in the Big Ten Conference since its formation in 1896, they play their home games at the fourth-oldest stadium in college football. Wisconsin is one of 26 College football programs to win 700 or more games. Wisconsin has had two Heisman Trophy winners, Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, have had Eleven former players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame; as of December 27, 2018, the Badgers have an all-time record of 705–495–53. The team's nickname originates in the early history of Wisconsin. In the 1820s and 1830s, prospectors came to the state looking for minerals lead. Without shelter in the winter, the miners had to "live like badgers" in tunnels burrowed into hillsides; the first Badger football team took the field in 1889, losing the only two games it played that season. In 1890, Wisconsin earned its first victory with a 106–0 drubbing of Whitewater Normal School, still the most lopsided win in school history.
However, the next week the Badgers suffered what remains their most lopsided defeat, a humiliating 63–0 loss at the hands of the University of Minnesota. Since the Badgers and Gophers have met 127 times, making Wisconsin vs Minnesota the most-played rivalry in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Upon the formation of the Big Ten conference in 1896, Wisconsin became the first-ever conference champion with a 7–1–1 record. Over the next ten years, the Badgers won or shared the conference title three more times, recorded their first undefeated season, going 9–0–0. With the exception of their second undefeated season in 1912, in which they won their fifth Big Ten title; the 1912 season would be their last conference title until 1952. The team posted winning seasons over the next several seasons however. 1942 was an important year for Wisconsin football. On October 24, the #6 ranked Badgers defeated the #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall, catapulting Wisconsin to the #2 spot in the AP poll. For the Badgers, their national championship hopes were dashed in a 6–0 defeat by the Iowa Hawkeyes the following week.
Wisconsin won the remainder of its games, finishing the season 8–1–1 and #3 in the AP, while garnering the Helms Athletic Foundation vote for National Champion, giving the program its only National Championship to date. Afterwards, the Badgers struggled to regain their momentum, with their efforts hampered by many of their star players leaving as a result of World War II. In the late 1940s, fans began insisting that head coach Harry Stuhldreher resign, many times chanting "Goodbye Harry" during 1948, where the Badgers finished 2-7. Stuhldreher stepped down while keeping his duties as athletic director. Stuhldreher named Ivy Williamson as head coach The Badgers experienced great success during the 1950s under Williamson, finishing in the AP Top 25 eight times that decade. In one stretch, from 1950-1954, the Badgers went 26-8-3; the Badgers' success during those seasons was defined by a stout defense, dubbed "The Hard Rocks", which finished in the top 5 of the nation in overall defense, including leading the nation in 1951.
In 1952, the team received its first #1 ranking by the Associated Press. That season, the Badgers again claimed the Big Ten title and earned their first trip to the Rose Bowl. There they were defeated 7–0 by the Southern California, would finish the season ranked #11 in the AP. In 1954 after a 7-2 season, Wisconsin's Alan Ameche became the first Badger to win the Heisman Trophy. Ivy Williamson stepped down as head coach in 1955 to become athletic director, was replaced by his former assistant coach, Milt Bruhn. Bruhn would continue Wisconsin's success, after an initial setback with a 1-5-3 record in 1956. Wisconsin returned to the Rose Bowl as Big Ten Champions in 1959, but fell to the Washington Huskies, 44-8. Continuing under the direction of Bruhn in 1962, the Badgers had another landmark season, spearheaded by the passing combination of Ron Vander Kelen to All-American Pat Richter; the Badgers standout victory was an upset of #1-ranked Northwestern, who were coached by the legendary Ara Parseghian.
The Badgers finished 8-1, earned their eighth Big Ten title, faced the top-ranked USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl. Despite a narrow 42–37 defeat, the Badgers still ended the season ranked #2 in both the AP and Coaches polls. Following the successful 1962 campaign, Wisconsin football scuffled, Milt Bruhn resigned in 1966 after three straight losing seasons. Wisconsin chose former assistant coach John Coatta; the Badgers finished worse under Coatta, going winless for 23 straight games from 1967-1969, winning only 3 games overall during Coatta's short reign, each of the wins occurring during the 1969 season. What stung worse for Badger fans during the three season, was the coach that Wisconsin turned down for the head coaching role, Bo Schembechler, who would become a coaching legend at Michigan. In 1970, new athletic director Elroy Hirsch named John Jardine as head coach. While the Badgers weren't a consistent winner under Jardine, the program regained stability, brought excitement in running backs Rufus "Roadrunner" Ferguson and Billy Marek.
The Badgers went 37-47-3 under Jardine, who stepped down in 1977. After more subpar seasons from 1978-1980, the team had a string of seven-win seasons from 1981–84 under Dave McClain. During that time the Badgers played in the Garden State Bowl, Independence Bowl, Hall of Fame Classic Bo
Basketball positions
The five basketball positions employed by organized basketball teams are the point guard, the shooting guard, the small forward, the power forward, the center. The point guard is the leader of the team on the court; this position requires substantial ball handling skills and the ability to facilitate the team during a play. The shooting guard, as the name implies, is the best shooter; as well as being capable of shooting from longer distances, this position tends to be the best defender on the team. The small forward has an aggressive approach to the basket when handling the ball; the small forward is known to make cuts to the basket in efforts to get open for shots. The power forward and the center are called the "frontcourt" acting as their team's primary rebounders or shot blockers, or receiving passes to take inside shots; the center is the larger of the two. Only three positions were recognized based on where they played on the court: Guards played outside and away from the hoop and forwards played outside and near the baseline, with the center positioned in the key.
During the 1980s, as team strategy evolved. More specialized roles developed. Team strategy and available personnel, still dictate the positions used by a particular team. For example, the dribble-drive motion offense and the Princeton offense use four interchangeable guards and one center; this set is known as a "four-in and one-out" play scheme. Other combinations are prevalent. Besides the five basic positions, some teams use non-standard or hybrid positions, such as the point forward, a hybrid small forward/point guard; the point guard known as the one, is the team's best ball handler and passer. Therefore, they lead their team in assists and are able to create shots for themselves and their teammates, they are quick and are able to hit shots either outside the three-point line or "in the paint" depending on the player's skill level. Point guards are looked upon as the "floor general" or the "coach on the floor", they should study the game and game film to be able to recognize the weaknesses of the defense, the strengths of their own offense.
They are responsible for directing plays, making the position equivalent to that of quarterback in American football, playmaker in association football, center in ice hockey, or setter in volleyball. Good point guards increase team efficiency and have a high number of assists, they are referred to as dribblers or play-makers. In the NBA, point guards are the shortest players on the team and are 6 feet 4 inches or shorter; the shooting guard is known as the two or the off guard. Along with the small forward, a shooting guard is referred to as a wing because of its use in common positioning tactics; as the name suggests, most shooting guards are prolific from the three-point range. Besides being able to shoot the ball, shooting guards tend to be the best defender on the team, as well as being able to move without the ball to create open looks for themselves; some shooting guards have good ball handling skills creating their own shots off the dribble. A versatile shooting guard will have good passing skills, allowing them to assume point guard responsibilities known as combo guards.
Bigger shooting guards tend to play as small forwards. In the NBA, shooting guards range from 6 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 8 inches; the small forward known as the three, is considered to be the most versatile of the main five basketball positions. Versatility is key for small forwards because of the nature of their role, which resembles that of a shooting guard more than that of a power forward; this is why the small forward and shooting guard positions are interchangeable and referred to as wings. Small forwards have a variety such as quickness and strength inside. One common thread among all kinds of small forwards is an ability to "get to the line" and draw fouls by aggressively attempting plays, lay-ups, or slam dunks; as such, accurate foul shooting is a common skill for small forwards, many of whom record a large portion of their points from the foul line. Besides being able to drive to the basket, they are good shooters from long range; some small forwards have good passing skills, allowing them to assume point guard responsibilities as point forwards.
Small forwards should be able to do a little bit of everything on the court playing roles such as swingmen and defensive specialists. In the NBA, small forwards range from 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 9 inches; the power forward known as the four plays a role similar to that of the center, down in the "post" or "low blocks". The power forward is the team's most versatile scorer, being able to score close to the basket while being able to shoot mid-range jump shots from 12 to 18 feet from the basket; some power forwards have become known as stretch fours, since extending their shooting range to three-pointers. On defense, they are required to have the strength to guard bigger players close to the basket and to have the athleticism to guard quick players away from the basket. Most power forwards tend to be more versatile than centers since they can be part of plays and are not always in the low block. In the
