1.
Queens
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Queens is the easternmost and largest in area of the five boroughs of New York City. Coterminous with Queens County since 1899, the borough of Queens is the second-largest in population, with a census-estimated 2,339,150 residents in 2015, approximately 48% of them foreign-born. Queens County also is the second-most populous county in the U. S. state of New York, behind the borough of Brooklyn. Queens is the fourth-most densely populated county among New York Citys boroughs, if each of New York Citys boroughs were an independent city, Queens also would be the nations fourth most populous city, after Los Angeles, Chicago, and Brooklyn. Queens is the most ethnically diverse area in the world. Queens was established in 1683 as one of the original 12 counties of New York and it was named after the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It became a borough of New York City in 1898, and from 1683 until 1899, Queens has the most diversified economy of the five boroughs of New York City It is home to JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. These airports are among the busiest in the world, causing the airspace above Queens to be the most congested in the country, attractions in Queens include Flushing Meadows Park, Citi Field, the US Open tennis tournament, Kaufman Astoria Studios, Silvercup Studios, and Aqueduct Racetrack. European colonization brought Dutch and English settlers, as a part of the New Netherland colony, First settlements occurred in 1635 followed by early colonizations at Maspeth in 1642, and Vlissingen in 1643. Other early settlements included Newtown and Jamaica, however, these towns were mostly inhabited by English settlers from New England via eastern Long Island subject to Dutch law. After the capture of the colony by the English and its renaming as New York in 1664, the Flushing Remonstrance signed by colonists in 1657 is considered a precursor to the United States Constitutions provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights. The signers protested the Dutch colonial authorities persecution of Quakers in what is today the borough of Queens, originally, Queens County included the adjacent area now comprising Nassau County. It was a county of New York State, one of twelve created on November 1,1683. The county was named after Catherine of Braganza, since she was queen of England at the time, the county was founded alongside Kings County, and Richmond County. On October 7,1691, all counties in the Colony of New York were redefined, Queens gained North Brother Island, South Brother Island, and Huletts Island. On December 3,1768, Queens gained other islands in Long Island Sound that were not already assigned to a county, Queens played a minor role in the American Revolution, as compared to Brooklyn, where the Battle of Long Island was largely fought. Queens, like the rest of Long Island, remained under British occupation after the Battle of Long Island in 1776 and was occupied throughout most of the rest of the Revolutionary War. Under the Quartering Act, British soldiers used, as barracks, even though many local people were against unannounced quartering, sentiment throughout the county remained in favor of the British crown
2.
Yonkers, New York
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Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the U. S. state of New York, and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976. It is an suburb of New York City, directly to the north of the Bronx. Yonkerss downtown is centered on a known as Getty Square. The area also houses significant local businesses and non-profits, and serves as a retail hub for Yonkers. This grant was purchased in July 1645 by Adriaen van der Donck, van der Donck was known locally as the Jonkheer or Jonker, a word from which the name Yonkers is directly derived. Van der Donck built a saw mill near where the Nepperhan Creek met the Hudson, van der Donck was killed in the Peach War. His wife, Mary Doughty, was taken captive and ransomed later, near the site of van der Doncks mill is Philipse Manor Hall, a Colonial-era manor house which today serves as a museum and archive, offering many glimpses into life before the American Revolution. The original structure was built around 1682 by Frederick Philipse and his wife Margaret Hardenbroeck, Frederick was a wealthy Dutchman who by the time of his death had amassed an enormous estate, which encompassed the entire modern City of Yonkers, as well as several other Hudson River towns. Philipses great-grandson, Frederick Philipse III, was a prominent Loyalist during the American Revolution, all the lands that belonged to the Philipse family were confiscated and sold. For its first two hundred years, Yonkers was a farming town with an active industrial waterfront. Yonkerss later growth rested largely on developing industry, in 1853, Elisha Otis invented the first safety elevator and the Otis Elevator Company, opened the first elevator factory in the world on the banks of the Hudson near what is now Vark Street. It relocated to larger quarters in the 1880s, the community was incorporated as a village in the northern part of the Town of Yonkers in 1854 and as a city in 1872. In 1874 the southern part of Yonkers, including Kingsbridge and Riverdale, was annexed by New York City as The Bronx, in 1898, Yonkers voted on a referendum to determine if they wanted to become part of New York City. Still, some call the city the Sixth Borough referring to its location on the New York City border, its urban character. The New York City and Northern Railway Company connected Yonkers to Manhattan, a three-mile spur to Getty Square existed until 1943. Aside from being a center, Yonkers also played a key role in the development of entertainment in the United States. In 1888, Scottish-born John Reid founded the first golf course in the United States, St. Andrews Golf Club, bakelite, the first completely synthetic plastic, was invented in Yonkers circa 1906 by Leo Baekeland, and manufactured there until the late 1920s. Early in the 20th century, Yonkers also hosted a brass era automobile maker, Colt Runabout Company, despite the cars seemingly glowing performance, Yonkers was also the headquarters of the Waring Hat Company, at the time the nations largest hat manufacturer
3.
Basketball positions
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The five basketball positions normally employed by organized basketball teams are the point guard, the shooting guard, the small forward, the power forward, and the center. While these position names are used, most modern teams use a point guard. The rules of basketball do not mandate them, and they are not used. Typically, the point guard is the leader of the team when on the court and 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 often the best shooter and they are probably capable of shooting accurately from longer distances. Generally, they also have good ball-handling skills, the small forward often has an aggressive approach to the basket when handling the ball. The center is typically the larger of the two, during the 1980s, as team strategy evolved, more specialized roles developed, resulting in the five position designations utilized today. Team strategy and available personnel, however, still dictates the positions used by a particular team, for example, the Dribble drive motion offense and the Princeton offense utilize four interchangeable guards and one center. The point guard, also known as the one, is typically the teams best ball handler and passer, therefore, they often lead their team in assists and steals. They are often quick and are able to hit shots either outside the three-point line or in the paint, 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, good point guards increase team efficiency and generally have a high number of assists. They are often referred to as dribblers or play-makers, in the NBA, point guards are usually the shortest players on the team and are mostly 6 feet 5 inches or shorter. The shooting guard is known as the two or the off guard. Along with the forward, a shooting guard is often referred to as a wing because of its use in common positioning tactics. As the name suggests, most shooting guards are good shooters from three-point range, besides being able to shoot the ball, shooting guards tend to have good ball handling skills and the ability to drive the ball to the basket, often creating their own shots off the dribble. A versatile shooting guard will have good passing skills, allowing them to point guard responsibilities known as combo guards. In the NBA, shooting guards usually range from 6 feet 4 inches to 6 feet 7 inches, the small forward is considered to be perhaps the most versatile of the main five basketball positions. Versatility is key for small forwards because of the nature of their role and this is why the small forward and shooting guard positions are often interchangeable and referred to as wings
4.
Detroit Pistons
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The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division. The team plays its games at The Palace of Auburn Hills and was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1941. The Pistons joined the Basketball Association of America in 1948, in 1949, the NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA, and the Pistons became part of the merged league. Since moving to Detroit in 1957, the Pistons have won three NBA championships in 1989,1990 and 2004. The Detroit Pistons franchise was founded as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, owners Fred Zollner and his sister Janets Zollner Corporation was a foundry, manufacturing pistons, primarily for car, truck and locomotive engines. The Zollner Pistons were NBL champions in 1944 and 1945 and they also won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1944,1945 and 1946. In 1948, the became the Fort Wayne Pistons, competing in the Basketball Association of America. In 1949, Fred Zollner brokered the formation of the National Basketball Association from the BAA, there are suggestions that Pistons players conspired with gamblers to shave points and throw various games during the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons. In particular, there are accusations that the team may have intentionally lost the 1955 NBA Finals to the Syracuse Nationals, in the decisive Game 7, the Pistons led Syracuse 41–24 early in the second quarter, then the Nationals rallied to win the game. Syracuse won on a throw by George King with twelve seconds left in the game. After the 1956–57 season, Zollner decided that Fort Wayne was too small to support an NBA team, although it was the fifth largest city in the United States at the time, Detroit had not seen professional basketball in a decade. In 1947, they had lost the Detroit Gems of the NBL, Zollner decided to keep the Pistons name, believing it made sense given Detroits status as the center of the automobile industry. The new Detroit Pistons played in Olympia Stadium for their first four seasons, the franchise was a consistent disappointment, struggling both on the court and at the box office. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Pistons were characterized by strong individuals. In fact, in their first 27 years in Detroit, they only had three winning seasons, some of the superstars who played for the team included Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Jimmy Walker, and Bob Lanier. At one point DeBusschere was the youngest player-coach in the history of the NBA, DeBusschere became a key player in leading the Knicks to two NBA titles. Detroit qualified for the postseason in four seasons, but never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs
5.
Sheboygan Red Skins
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The Sheboygan Red Skins were a professional basketball team based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. They played for three different professional leagues, as well as an independent team. Their three league associations were chronologically the National Basketball League, National Basketball Association, and the National Professional Basketball League, the team has origins from 1933 in informal clubs sponsored by local businesses. By 1938, they had joined the NBL, with a syndicate owning the team, and a new name and they were undone by the 1949 merger of the NBL into the NBA. The other league that merged into the NBA, the Basketball Association of America had more money, played in larger cities, the Red Skins did not fit well, left the league, and joined the short-lived NPBL. When the NPBL folded, the team went back to its independent roots for one year of play before it, too. The team formed in Sheboygan as the Ballhorns in 1933, sponsors changed every couple of years, and the team changed its name to match each sponsor. After success against regional rivals and against touring teams from farther away, as a more consistent, full-time, professional organization, with an extensive traveling schedule, it took more than a single local business to support the team. A syndicate of Sheboygan community members took over and formally incorporated the team as the Red Skins, after some growing pains, they developed into a successful, professional team. Before joining the NBL, Sheboygan built a reputation in the Midwest, starting in the early 1930s, with successful industrial-league, first came the Ballhorns in 1933. A local cleaners, the Art Imigs, took over in 1935, by 1937, a gelatin producer had taken over the team and it became the Enzo Jels. Brothers John and Joe Scoop Posewitz, Les Kuplic, Slim Lonsdorf, Carl Roth, Pete and Dugan Norris, the 6-foot-6 Jack Mann, one of the first outstanding black players in the game, starred at center for the Art Imigs during the 1936–37 season. In 1937–38, the Enzo Jels compiled a stellar 17–3 mark against the likes of the New York Renaissance, Harlem Globetrotters, New York Celtics, the team had a friendly rivals with the Oshkosh All-Stars. The All-Stars founder and president was Lonnie Darling and he helped found the NBL in 1937, and became the leagues president in 1938. Based on the successful 1937 season, the Enzo Jels were admitted to the NBL on June 11,1938, at the meeting in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. They were soon renamed taken over by a group of business leaders. Their first coach was Edwin Doc Schutte, a local dentist, after compiling an 11–17 record in his only season, Schutte stepped down to devote more time to his practice. Then the Red Skins became a consistent winner under attorney and coach Frank Zummach from 1939 to 1942, Zummach, who had been an assistant coach at Marquette University for six seasons, formed his team around Marquette alums
6.
Atlanta Hawks
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The Atlanta Hawks are a professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association as a team of the leagues Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its games at Philips Arena. The teams origins can be traced to the establishment of the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 in Buffalo, New York, after 38 days in Buffalo, the team moved to Moline, Illinois, where they were renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. In 1949, they joined the NBA as part of the merger between the NBL and the Basketball Association of America, and had Red Auerbach as coach briefly, in 1951, Kerner moved the team to Milwaukee, where they changed their name to the Hawks. Kerner and the team moved again in 1955 to St. Louis, the Hawks played the Boston Celtics in all four of their trips to the NBA Finals. The St. Louis Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968, when Kerner sold the franchise to Thomas Cousins, the Hawks currently own the second-longest drought of not winning an NBA championship at 57 seasons. The franchises lone NBA championship, as well as all four NBA Finals appearances, meanwhile, they went 48 years without advancing past the second round of the playoffs in any format, until finally breaking through in 2015. Much of the failure theyve experienced in the postseason can be traced back to their history in the NBA draft. Since 1980, the Hawks have drafted four players who have been chosen to play in an NBA All-Star Game. Dominique Wilkins was actually selected by the Utah Jazz and traded to the Hawks a few months after the draft, the origins of the Atlanta Hawks can be traced to the Buffalo Bisons franchise, which was founded in 1946. The Bisons were a member of the National Basketball League, the club was organized by the Erie County American Legion and was coached by Nat Hickey. Their first game – a 50–39 victory over the Syracuse Nationals – was played on November 8,1946, on the team was William Pop Gates, who, along with William Dolly King, was one of the first two African-American players in the NBL. The team, which needed to draw 3,600 fans per game to break even struggled to draw 1,000 fans per game to the Auditorium. Upon relocation to Moline, the team was renamed the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and played their games at Wharton Field House. The team featured guard/forward and coach Deanglo King, and was owned by Leo Ferris, Pop Gates remained on the Blackhawks roster, and finished second on the team in scoring behind future 1948 NBL MVP Don Otten. A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, Gates helped to integrate the league and later become the first African-American coach in a sports league. In 1949 the Blackhawks became one of the National Basketball Associations 17 original teams after a merger of the 12-year-old NBL and they reached the playoffs in the NBAs inaugural year under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach
7.
National Basketball League (United States)
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The National Basketball League was a professional mens basketball league in the United States established in 1937. After the 1948–49 season, its twelfth, it merged with the Basketball Association of America to create the National Basketball Association, the predecessor of this league was the Midwest Basketball Conference in 1935. It changed its name in 1937 in an attempt to attract a larger audience, the league was created by three corporations, General Electric, Firestone and Goodyear. It was primarily made up of Great Lakes area small-market and corporate teams, scheduling was left to the discretion of each of the teams, as long as the team played at least ten games and four of them were on the road. Games played increased yearly as the popularity of basketball and the NBL grew in America. Games consisted either of four quarters or three fifteen-minute periods. The choice was made by the home team, some of the teams were independent, while others were owned by companies that also found jobs for their players. Chicago newspaper sports editor Leo Fischer acted as president of the NBL from 1940–44, in 1946, the Basketball Association of America incorporated resulting in a three-year battle with the NBL to win both players and fans. The BAA played its games in cities and venues. On August 3,1949, representatives from the 12-year-old NBL and 3 year old BAA met at the BAA offices in New Yorks Empire State Building to finalize a merger, maurice Podoloff was elected head of the new league. The new National Basketball Association was made up of 17 teams that both small towns and large cities across the country. Unlike the records and statistics of the rival BAA, NBL records and statistics are not considered valid in official NBA totals for records, the history of the NBL falls into three eras, each contributing significantly to the growth of professional basketball and the emergence of the NBA. The first dynasty centered on the Oshkosh All-Stars and their center Leroy Cowboy Edwards, the middle years saw the emergence of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, who were later instrumental in the survival of the NBA during its infancy. The final period of note during the NBLs existence centered on George Mikan, the Oshkosh All-Stars, who appeared in the championship series five consecutive years and won two titles, were led by rugged 64 center Leroy Cowboy Edwards. Edwards was a consensus NCAA All American and Helms Foundation College Player of the Year as a member of the 1934–35 University of Kentucky Wildcats. He left Kentucky after two years, only the one varsity season, to pursue a basketball career, which was unheard of at the time. He led the NBL in scoring three consecutive seasons, 1937–38 to 1939–40 and he set numerous NBL and professional basketball scoring records and is generally credited with the introduction of the 3 second rule in basketball which is still in existence today. Edwards played all 12 NBL seasons with the Oshkosh All-Stars and retired just prior to its merger with the BAA to form the NBA, the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons—so nicknamed because they were owned by Fred Zollner, whose company made pistons for engines—were led by tough veteran Bobby McDermott
8.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
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Bill McDermott
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William R. Bill McDermott is the CEO of SAP SE. He served as co-CEO of SAP alongside Jim Hagemann Snabe from February 2010 until May 20,2014, McDermott was born one of three children to Kathleen and Bill McDermott and raised in Amityville on Long Island. He became an entrepreneur as a teenager by purchasing a local delicatessen, Country Deli and this deli paid his way through Dowling College, where he studied Business Management. He is a grandson of basketball player Bobby McDermott, after Dowling College, McDermott earned his MBA from Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management, and then completed the Executive Development Program at the Wharton School of Business. After running his own business through high school and college, he began his career at Xerox. McDermott served as President of Gartner and Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and he was recruited to SAP in 2002 as the CEO of SAP America. In 2008, he was appointed to the SAP Executive Board, on May 21,2014, McDermott was promoted to CEO of the company, now known as SAP SE. He became the first American to hold that position, in 2016 McDermott earned a direct remuneration of €11.6 million, becoming the best-paid of the executives leading the companies that form the German stock index DAX. McDermott is a member of the Business Roundtable and the European Roundtable of Industrialists, McDermott wrote a memoir, Winners Dream, A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office, with Joanne Gordon. The book was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2014, the book won an Axiom Business Book Award. McDermott and his wife Julie, a breast cancer survivor, have two sons, in July 2015, McDermott suffered from a fall that cost him his left eye, but returned to SAP headquarters in October of that same year. McDermott profile, gulfbusiness. com, October 2012, accessed March 31,2015, SAP not interested in buying salesforce, says CEO McDermott, bloomberg. com, accessed March 31,2015
10.
Free throw
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In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court, and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team. Each successful free throw is one point. Free throws can normally be shot at a percentage by good players. In the NBA, most players make 70–80% of their attempts, the leagues best shooters can make roughly 90% of their attempts over a season, while notoriously poor shooters may struggle to make 50% of them. During a foul shot, a players foot must be completely behind the foul line, if a player lines up with part of his or her foot on the line, a violation is called and the shot doesnt count. Foul shots are worth one point, Rick Barry and youngest Canyon Barry, both career 90% shooters who used an unusual underhand method, believes that 80% is the minimum for a player to be considered good at the free throw. Mark Price, who broke Barrys career record, states that 75% is the minimum, tall players often shoot free throws poorly, though theoretically taller players should be better at making them. One possible explanation for this is that the release point of their shots can cause them to stand overly erect. Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain made just 51, on the other hand, there have also been big men who have been prolific scorers from free throws, who not surprisingly also have good outside shooting range. Some examples include Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki who, at 7 ft 0 in, has an average of 88% and Yao Ming who. There are many situations when free throws can be awarded, The first and most common is when a player is fouled while in the act of shooting. If the player misses the shot during the foul, the player receives two or three free throws depending on whether the shot was taken in front of or behind the three-point line. If, despite the foul, the still makes the attempted shot, the number of free throws is reduced to one. This is known as a three-point or four-point play, depending on the value of the made basket, the second is when the fouling team is in the team bonus situation. This happens when, in a period, a team commits a set number of fouls whether or not in the act of shooting. In the WNBA, the player shoots two free throws starting with the opponents fifth foul, or second team foul in the final minute if that team has committed under 5 fouls in a period. In NCAA mens basketball, beginning with the foul of the half, one free throw is awarded, if the player makes the free throw. This is called shooting a one-and-one, starting with the tenth foul of the half, two free throws are awarded
11.
Philadelphia Sphas
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The Philadelphia Sphas, also written SPHAs and SPHAS, were a team that competed in the Eastern Basketball League and then the American Basketball League. They played their games in social halls and, from 1938. After World War II they also played games in the Philadelphia Arena. The name Spha was originally an acronym, derived from South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, at times writers used more specifically Jewish stereotypes, Paul Gallico stated that they did well because the game places a premium on an alert, scheming mind. The team was doomed once the National Basketball Association was formed, essentially, the NBA destroyed the following of the entire league, which did not compete after 1953 although it did not formally cease to exist until 1955. The Sphas were organized in 1917 as a team by neighborhood friends Eddie Gottlieb, Harry Passon. From 1933 to 1946 the Sphas were among the most dominant team in the professional American Basketball League, called the Sphas because the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association bought the players uniforms, the team featured many eastern U. S. All but a few Sphas players were Jewish during the many years of amateur. Their area victories earned the team a place in the Philadelphia League, the Sphas then joined the Eastern League for 1925–26, but it went out of business that same season. The Sphas defeated the Celtics in three games, and the Rens twice, 36–33 in overtime and 40–39, within approximately six weeks, the Sphas had won 9 of 11 matches against the top teams in professional basketball. When the Eastern League reformed in 1929, the Sphas joined its ranks and this led to an invitation from the newly reorganized ABL, dormant for two Depression years, which the Sphas joined for 1933. The team captured three League championships in four years, and would win seven titles in 13 years, and were twice runners-up. In 1946, following World War II, the Basketball Association of America, forerunner of the NBA, debuted, with Gottlieb establishing the Philadelphia Warriors as his BAA franchise, his Sphas continued with the minor league ABL and as a touring opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters. Gottlieb sold the team in 1950 to former Sphas star Red Klotz
12.
George Mikan
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George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. nicknamed Mr. Mikan had a successful playing career, winning seven NBL, BAA, and NBA championships, an NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy, and three scoring titles. He was a member of the first four NBA All-Star games, after his playing career, Mikan became one of the founders of the American Basketball Association, serving as commissioner of the league. He was also vital for the forming of the Minnesota Timberwolves, in his later years, Mikan was involved in a long-standing legal battle against the NBA, fighting to increase the meager pensions for players who had retired before the league became lucrative. In 2005, Mikan died after a battle with diabetes. Since April 2001, a statue of Mikan shooting his trademark hook shot graces the entrance of the Timberwolves Target Center, George Mikan was born in Joliet, Illinois, as an American of Croatian descent. As a boy, he shattered one of his knees so badly that he was kept in bed for a year, in 1938, Mikan attended the Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and originally wanted to be a priest, but then moved back home to finish at Joliet Catholic. Mikan did not seem destined to become an athlete, when Mikan entered Chicagos DePaul University in 1942, he stood 610, weighed 245 pounds, moved awkwardly because of his frame, and wore thick glasses for his near-sightedness. However, Mikan met 28-year-old rookie DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer, who saw potential in the bright and intelligent, put into perspective, Meyers thoughts were revolutionary, because at the time it was believed that tall players were too awkward to ever play basketball well. In the following months, Meyer transformed Mikan into a confident, Meyer and Mikan worked out intensively, and Mikan learned how to make hook shots accurately with either hand. This routine would become known as the Mikan Drill. In addition, Meyer made Mikan punch a speed bag, take dancing lessons, from his first National Collegiate Athletic Association college games for DePaul on, Mikan dominated his peers. In addition, Mikan also surprised the world with his unique ability of goaltending. In todays basketball, touching the ball after it reaches its apex is a violation and we would set up a zone defense that had four men around the key and I guarded the basket, Mikan later recalled his DePaul days. When the other took a shot, Id just go up. As a consequence, the NCAA and later the NBA, outlawed goaltending, after the end of the 1945–46 college season, Mikan signed with the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League, a predecessor of the modern NBA. He played with them for 25 games at the end of the 1946–47 NBL season, Mikan led the Gears to the championship of the World Basketball Tournament, where he was elected Most Valuable Player after scoring 100 points in five games, and also voted into the All-NBL Team. However, before the start of the 1947–48 NBL season, Maurice White, the president of the American Gear Company, White planned to create a 24-team league called the Professional Basketball League of America, in which he owned all the teams and arenas. However, the folded after just a month, and the players of Whites teams were equally distributed among the 11 remaining NBL franchises
13.
Most valuable player
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In sports, a most valuable player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best-performing player in an entire league, for a particular competition, or on a specific team. Initially used in sports, the term is now also commonly used in amateur sports, as well as in other completely unrelated fields such as business. In many sports, MVP awards are presented for a specific match—in other words, the term is most common in the United States and Canada. In other cases, Player of the Year is used, in Australia, Australian rules football clubs and leagues use the term best and fairest, while those playing rugby league use Player of the Year, such as the Dally M Medal. The National Basketball League, however, uses the American-style MVP for its awards, in many cases the awards are voted on by members of the media. In others the vote is by players, coaches, or umpires, in recent years, online polls from the public decide some awards
14.
Collier's
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Colliers was an American magazine, founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was initially launched as Colliers Once a Week, then changed in 1895 to Colliers Weekly, An Illustrated Journal, and finally shortened in 1905 to simply Colliers. The magazine ceased publication with the issue dated January 4,1957, though a brief, as a result of Peter Colliers pioneering investigative journalism, Colliers established a reputation as a proponent of social reform. When attempts by various companies to sue Collier ended in failure, Peter F. Collier left Ireland for the U. S. at age 17. Although he went to a seminary to become a priest, he started work as a salesman for P. J. Kenedy. When Collier wanted to boost sales by offering books on a plan, it led to a disagreement with Kenedy. P. F. Collier & Son began in 1875, expanding into the largest subscription house in America with sales of 30 million books during the 1900–1910 decade. With the issued dated April 28,1888, Colliers Once a Week was launched as a magazine of fiction, fact, sensation, wit, humor, news. It was sold with the biweekly Colliers Library of novels and popular books at bargain rates, by 1892, with a circulation climbing past the 250,000 mark, Colliers Once a Week was one of the largest selling magazines in the United States. The name was changed to Colliers Weekly, An Illustrated Journal in 1895, with an emphasis on news, the magazine became a leading exponent of the halftone news picture. To fully exploit the new technology, Collier recruited James H. Hare, Colliers only son, Robert J. Collier, became a full partner in 1898. By 1904, the magazine was known as Colliers, The National Weekly, when Robert Collier died in 1918, he left a will that turned the magazine over to three of his friends, Samuel Dunn, Harry Payne Whitney and Francis Patrick Garvan. The magazine was sold in 1919 to the Crowell Publishing Company, in 1924 Crowell moved the printing operations from New York to Springfield, Ohio but kept the editorial and business departments in New York. After 1924, printing of the magazine was done at the Crowell-Collier printing plant on West Main Street in Springfield, Ohio. The factory complex, which is standing, was built between 1899 and 1946, and incorporates seven buildings that together have more than 846,000 square feet —20 acres —of floor space. Colliers popularized the story which was often planned to fit on a single page. Knox Burger was Colliers fiction editor from 1948 to 1951 when he left to edit books for Dell and Fawcett Publications, phillips Oppenheim, J. D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, Albert Payson Terhune and Walter Tevis. Humor writers included Parke Cummings and H. Allen Smith, serializing novels during the late 1920s, Colliers sometimes simultaneously ran two ten-part novels, and non-fiction was also serialized
15.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as the sports most complete library, in addition to promoting and preserving the history of basketball, dedicated to Canadian physician and inventor of the sport James Naismith, it was opened and inducted its first class in 1959. As of the induction of the Class of 2016 on September 9,2016, the Naismith Hall of Fame was established in 1959 by Lee Williams, a former athletic director at Colby College. In the 1960s, the Basketball Hall of Fame struggled to raise money for the construction of its first facility. The Basketball Hall of Fames Board named four inductees in its first year, in addition to honoring those who contributed to basketball, the Hall of Fame sought to make contributions of its own. In 1979, the Hall of Fame sponsored the Tip-Off Classic and this Tip-Off Classic has been the start to the college basketball season ever since, and although it does not always take place in Springfield, Massachusetts, generally it returns every few years. In the 17 years that the original Basketball Hall of Fame operated at Springfield College, the popularity of the Basketball Hall of Fame necessitated that a new facility be constructed, and in 1985, an $11 million facility was built beside the scenic Connecticut River in Springfield. As the new hall opened, it also recognized women for the first time, with such as Senda Berenson Abbott. In 2002, the Basketball Hall of Fame moved again—albeit merely 100 yards south along Springfields riverfront—into a $47 million facility designed by renowned architects Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, the buildings architecture features a metallic silver, basketball-shaped sphere flanked by two similarly symmetrical rhombuses. The dome is illuminated at night and features 80,000 square foot, including numerous restaurants, the second Basketball Hall of Fame was not torn down but rather converted into an LA Fitness health clubs. The current Basketball Hall of Fame features Center Court, a basketball court on which visitors can play. Inside the building there are a gallery, many interactive exhibits, several theaters. A large theater for ceremonies seats up to 300, the honorees inducted in 2002 included the Harlem Globetrotters and Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, three-time NBA finals MVP and Olympic gold medalist. As of 2011, the current Basketball Hall of Fame has greatly exceeded attendance expectations, despite the new facilitys success, a logistical problem remains for the Basketball Hall of Fame and the City of Springfield. Urban planners at universities such as UMass Amherst have called for the I-91 to be moved, in 2010, the Urban Land Institute announced a plan to make the walk between Springfields Metro Center and the Hall of Fame easier. Since 2011, the induction process employs a total of seven committees to both screen and elect candidates, since 2011, the Veterans and International Committees also vote to directly induct one candidate for each induction class. Contributor Direct Election Committee Note that other committees may choose to elect contributors, for example, the 2014 class included two contributors. However, each screening committee is limited as to the number of candidates it can put forth to the Honors Committee—10 from the North American Committee, any individual receiving at least 18 affirmative votes from the Honors Committee is approved for induction into the Hall of Fame
16.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
17.
Frank Zummach
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Francis E. Frank Zummach was an American basketball player and coach. He served as the coach of the Sheboygan Red Skins. In 1940–41, the Red Skins made it to the NBL Finals before losing the series 3 games to 0 to the Oshkosh All-Stars, Zummach lived to become a centenarian and died when he was 101 years old. Zummach was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was a standout athlete at Marquette University High School. He enrolled at Marquette University in 1929 but did not play basketball, his strongest sport, as a freshman. In fact, he had never planned to play in college, but when he became eligible to compete in 1930–31 as a sophomore, the team needed bodies and Zummach was given the opportunity to play. From then on he became part of the rotation. After his junior season in which Marquette finished 11–8, the team had a year in Zummachs senior season. He anchored a defense that propelled the Golden Eagles to a 14–3 record, including wins over Notre Dame, Michigan State, Detroit, although Zummach did not score much, his intangible skills greatly contributed to the teams success. Frank Zummach enrolled at the Marquette University Law School in 1933 after finishing his studies the year before. Coach Chandler insisted that Zummach become an assistant coach, and thus in 1933–34 he became Marquettes first-ever paid assistant mens basketball coach and he stayed as an assistant through the 1938–39 season. Other than the 1939–40 season, Zummach played for or coached Marquette basketball throughout the entire 1930s, on September 6,1939, Zummach was officially appointed as the new head coach of the Sheboygan Red Skins, then of the NBL. At the time, the NBL was considered the professional basketball league in the country. He moved his law firm to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and took over a franchise that had struggled to an 11–17 record the year before, in his first season as coach, the Red Skins tied the Oshkosh All-Stars for first place in the Western Division. They went on to lose to the All-Stars in the Western Division championship series two games to one, the next year, Sheboygan advanced to the championship series, again against Oshkosh, but lost in the NBL Finals three games to zero. In 1941–42, Zummachs final year as coach, the Red Skins mustered just a 10–14 record. The Red Skins, under the direction of new head coach Carl Roth, after coaching the Red Skins, Zummach concentrated on his legal career as one of the partners at Wolters & Zummach. He stayed active in the Wisconsin Bar Association, the St. Clement Catholic Parish, the Knights of Columbus, when he died on Monday, April 30, Zummach was 101 years old and the oldest living Marquette basketball alumnus
18.
Doxie Moore
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John Doxie Moore was an American basketball player and coach. He coached several professional teams, including the Sheboygan Red Skins, the Anderson Packers. Moore was hired to coach Sheboygan for the 1946–47 season, the Red Skins finished with a 26–18 record and qualified for the National Basketball League playoffs, where they were ousted in the first round. In 1947–48, Moore began the season as Sheboygans head coach, but gave up the duties when the Red Skins obtained player-coach Bobby McDermott, a Hall of Fame guard, from the Chicago American Gears. The Gears players had been distributed among the NBLs teams when Chicagos league, McDermott coached Sheboygan to a 4–5 record in one month of duty before leaving for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and handing the reins back to Moore. The Red Skins finished a disappointing 23–37 and missed the playoffs, Moore served as the commissioner of the NBL in its final season. Following the NBL-BAA merger, Moore was hired as coach of the Anderson Packers in the middle of the 1949–50 NBA season. When the Packers jumped to the National Professional Basketball League for the 1950–51 season, Moore served as coach and vice-president of the Milwaukee Hawks for 1951–52, their first season in Milwaukee. In the 1950s, he was an assistant to Indiana Governor George N. Craig. Moore was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, Doxie Moore BasketballReference. com, Doxie Moore
19.
Buddy Jeannette
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Harry Edward Buddy Jeannette was a professional basketball player and coach. Jeannette was widely regarded as the premier backcourt player between 1938 and 1948 and he was named to the First Team of the National Basketball League four times, and won titles with the NBLs Sheboygan Red Skins in 1943 and Fort Wayne Pistons in 1944 and 1945. Jeannette also won a title with the American Basketball Leagues Baltimore Bullets in 1947, in the 1948 BAA playoffs, he became the first player-coach to win a professional championship. After his playing career ended in 1950, he coached the original Bullets for one more season and he then became the head coach at Georgetown University for four seasons, leading the team to an appearance in the 1953 National Invitation Tournament. Jeannette returned to the ranks of coaching in the NBA to lead the modern Baltimore Bullets twice, once for a full season. He later would coach the American Basketball Associations Pittsburgh Pipers for part of a season, in 1994, Jeannette was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Jeannette attended Washington and Jefferson College, in Washington, Pennsylvania, sources Peterson, Robert W. Seeds of the NBA. Cages to Jump Shots, Pro Basketballs Early Years, Buddy Jeannette at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
