1.
Southeastern Conference
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The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the Southern part of the United States. Its fourteen members include the public universities of ten states. The conference is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, the SEC participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I in sports competitions, for football, it is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A. The SEC was also the first NCAA Division I conference to hold a game for college football and was one of the founding members of the Bowl Championship Series. The current SEC commissioner is Greg Sankey, the conference sponsors team championships in nine mens sports and twelve womens sports. The SEC consists of 14 member institutions located within the borders of 11 contiguous states and these divisional groupings are applied exclusively to football and baseball as well as their scheduling and standings. The other charter members were, The University of the South left the SEC on December 13,1940 and it is currently a member of the Division III Southern Athletic Association. Georgia Institute of Technology left the SEC in 1964, in 1975, it became a founding member of the Metro Conference, one of the predecessors to todays Conference USA. Georgia Tech competed in the Metro Conference in all sports except football, in 1978, Georgia Tech joined another Southern Conference offshoot, the Atlantic Coast Conference, for all sports, where it has remained ever since. Tulane University left the SEC in 1966, along with Georgia Tech, it was a charter member of the Metro Conference. Unlike Tech, however, Tulane remained in the Metro Conference until it merged with the Great Midwest Conference in 1995 to form Conference USA, Tulane remained an independent in football until C-USA began football competition in 1996. Tulane left C-USA in 2014 for the American Athletic Conference, in 1990, the SEC expanded from ten to twelve member universities with the addition of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The two new members began SEC competition with the 1991–1992 basketball season, at the same time, the SEC organized competition for some sports into two divisions. Initially, the format was used in football, baseball. The divisional format was dropped for mens basketball following the 2011–2012 season, the 1992 and 1993 championship games were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, and all championship games from 1994 onward have been held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. On November 6,2011 the SEC commissioner announced that the University of Missouri would also join the SEC on July 1,2012, for football, Texas A&M was scheduled to compete in the Western Division, and Missouri in the Eastern Division. Texas A&M and Missouri both left the Big 12 Conference, the office of Commissioner was created in 1940. Under the leadership of Michael F, the SECU rebranded its mission to better serve as a means through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of Southeastern Conference universities would be promoted and advanced
2.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Baton Rouge is the capital of the U. S. state of Louisiana and its second-largest city. It forms the seat of East Baton Rouge Parish and is located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. As the Capital City, Baton Rouge is the hub for Louisiana. The metropolitan area surrounding the city, known as Greater Baton Rouge, is also the second-largest in Louisiana, the urban area has around 594,309 inhabitants. Baton Rouge is an industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, motion picture. The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the tenth largest in the United States in terms of tonnage shipped, the Baton Rouge area owes its historical importance to its strategic site upon the Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta. This allowed development of a business quarter safe from seasonal flooding, in addition, the city built a levee system stretching from the bluff southward to protect the riverfront and low-lying agricultural areas. The city is a rich center, with settlement by immigrants from numerous European nations. It was ruled by seven different governments, French, British, and Spanish in the era, West Floridian, United States territory and state, Confederate. Human habitation in the Baton Rouge area has been dated to 12000 –6500 BC based on evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite, earthwork mounds were built by hunter-gatherer societies in the Middle Archaic period, from roughly the 4th millennium BC. Eastern Muskogean began to diversify internally in the first half of the 1st millennium AD, at the time, the region appeared to be occupied by a collection of moderately-sized native chiefdoms interspersed with autonomous villages and tribal groups. French explorer Sieur dIberville led a party up the Mississippi River in 1699. The explorers saw a red pole marking the boundary between the Houma and Bayogoula tribal hunting grounds, see also Red Sticks for the ceremonial use of red sticks among the Muscogee. The location of the red pole was presumably at Scotts Bluff and it was reportedly a 30-foot-high painted pole adorned with fish bones. The settlement of Baton Rouge by Europeans began in 1721 when a military post was established by French colonists. Since European settlement, Baton Rouge has been governed by France, Britain, Spain, Louisiana, the Republic of West Florida, the Confederate States, and the United States. In 1755, when French-speaking settlers of Acadia in Canadas Maritime provinces were driven into exile by British forces, popularly known as Cajuns, the descendants of the Acadians maintained a separate culture. During the first half of the 19th century, the city grew steadily as the result of steamboat trade, Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1817
3.
Valparaiso High School
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Valparaiso High School is a public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana. The Institute closed by 1869 and the building was purchased that year by the city of Valparaiso for $10,000, a third story was added to the original building and an addition which doubled the available classroom space. In the first year, there were 400 students and 10 teachers, three years later in 1874, the first graduation ceremonies were held for Valparaiso High School. As the community continued to grow in population, overcrowding became a common problem, in 1903, the building was condemned and demolished and replaced with a new building on the same site. During the period before the new facility was completed, classes were held at locations in town. The new building cost around $80,000 and was designed by Charles Lembke, the school faced towards the east and to allow for more attic space, was constructed with a Mansard roof, and also featured large chimneys and a tiered fountain. Although some sources report that the school included all grades, it was most likely used only as a high school, enrollment continued to rise so that by the 1920s, a construction of a new school was necessary. A new high school opened in 1927 at 605 North Campbell Street and this building served as the high school until 1972, and continues to be used as Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The current high school building at 2727 North Campbell Street opened in 1972, in 1988 a field house was added to the west of the original building. In 1997 a roof was added and in 2004 work began on renovating the football stadium. On Wednesday, November 24,2004, at approximately 7,50 a. m. five students were attacked in a classroom by a 15-year-old student who was armed with a machete and a tree saw. None of the students involved suffered major injuries, and all, the initiative recognizes schools that are successful at providing quality education to all students. The school also promotes leadership, a model of civility, Valparaiso High School has offered the IB Diploma Program since August 1995. Students at VHS usually take IB exams in May, 2006–2007 Graduation Rate,90. 6% 2007–2008 ISTEP Test PerformanceThe ISTEP exam is a graduation requirement as well as a standard to assess students knowledge of basic subjects. Former NBA player for the New Orleans Hornets, Chicago Bulls, chris Funk – guitarist for indie folk rock band The Decemberists Robbie Hummel – current professional basketball player for the Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A. Former NBA player for the Minnesota Timberwolves, former pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs. Former University of Notre Dame football and baseball player, list of high schools in Indiana Valparaiso High School
4.
Valparaiso, Indiana
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Valparaiso is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, the site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the Potawatomi people by the U. S. Government in October 1832. Chiquas town or Chipuaw was located a mile east of the current Courthouse along the Sauk Trail, chiquas town existed from at or before 1830 until after 1832. The location is just north of the crossing on State Route 2. Located on the ancient Naive American trail from Rock Island to Detroit, the city was once called the City of Churches due to the large number of churches located here at the end of the 19th Century. The city also has a history of being a transportation hub for the region. In 1858, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad reached Valparaiso, by 1910, an interurban railway connected the city to Gary, Indiana. Today, while the city no longer has a train station, it is still very much a part of the Crossroads of America due to its proximity to I-65, I-80, I-90. Additionally, the Canadian National railroad still runs through the downtown area, until 1991, it was the terminal of Amtraks Calumet commuter service. The city is situated at the junctions of U. S. Route 30, State Road 2, and State Road 49. According to the 2010 census, Valparaiso has an area of 15.578 square miles. The city is situated on the Valparaiso Moraine, glaciation has left numerous features on the landscape here. Kettle lakes and knobs make up much of this area of Northwest Indiana. Many glacial erratics can be throughout the city. The moraine has left the city with mostly clay soil, as of the census of 2010, there were 31,730 people,12,610 households, and 7,117 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,043.1 inhabitants per square mile, there were 13,506 housing units at an average density of 869.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 89. 9% White,3. 3% African American,0. 3% Native American,2. 1% Asian,0. 1% Pacific Islander,2. 2% from other races, and 2. 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7. 1% of the population,34. 5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older
5.
Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball
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The Valparaiso Crusaders mens basketball team represents Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The basketball team competes in the Horizon League, the Crusaders play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a nominal capacity of 5,432. The record capacity 5,444 was reached on March 23,2016 in the NIT Quarterfinal, the team last played in the NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Tournament in 2015. On April 7,2016, the school promoted assistant coach Matt Lottich to the head coach position following Bryce Drew accepting the head coaching position at Vanderbilt on April 6,2016. The Crusaders first game was in 1917, under the coaching of Sidney Winters, the team lost to Chicago. The team would finish 7-2 that year, in 1988, Homer Drew took the job as head coach and remained until retiring in May 2011. He was then succeeded by his son Bryce,1988 was also the year that the Crusaders defeated 19th-ranked Notre Dame in a game that came to be known as The Lutheran Miracle. The 1944–45 team was billed as The Worlds Tallest Team and that year, they defeated Long Island University in a game played in Madison Square Garden. The Crusaders joined the Indiana Collegiate Conference for the 1950–1951 season, the Crusaders advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1961–62. In 1968–69, they hosted an NCAA tournament game for the first time, the Crusaders joined Division I before the 1978–79 season. After four years as an independent, they became members of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities. In 2007, Valparaiso became a member of the Horizon League, under coach Homer Drew, the Crusaders became a conference power. They won their first Mid-Continent championship in 1995, led by star player Bryce Drew, however, the team was not invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders won the 1996 conference championship and received their first invitation to the Division I NCAA Tournament, in the 1998 Tournament, the Crusaders won their first Tournament game, defeating the University of Mississippi on a last second shot by Bryce Drew. The Crusaders won their second game against Florida State University before losing in the Sweet 16 to the University of Rhode Island. The Crusaders won the Mid-Continent Conferences automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament every year until 2001, when Southern Utah University won the conference tournament. In Coach Scott Drews only year as coach, the team advanced to the National Invitation Tournament where, in their first game televised by ESPN. The Crusaders played in the game of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament every year between 1995 and 2004
6.
1998 NBA draft
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The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24,1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around three struggling franchises, the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, and the Toronto Raptors, the Mavericks, despite having a talented nucleus of Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson in the mid-1990s, had not had a winning season since 1989–1990. By the end of the 1997 season, all three players were traded and it was time to rebuild, with the sixth selection in 1998, they drafted Robert Traylor and quickly traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks for Dirk Nowitzki and Pat Garrity. They then traded Garrity in a package to the Phoenix Suns for Steve Nash, with Nash and Nowitzki, the Mavericks quickly went from a lottery team in the late 1990s to a perennial playoff contender throughout the 2000s. Nowitzki went on to win the 2011 NBA Finals with Dallas without Nash, meanwhile, the Raptors were a recent expansion team that had failed to win more than 30 games in its first three seasons. With the fourth pick they selected Antawn Jamison, whom they quickly dealt to the Golden State Warriors for Vince Carter, the Kings, having been a perennial lottery bound franchise, skyrocketed in popularity with the addition of Chris Webber and 7th pick Jason Williams. The Kings went to the playoffs that year and took the defending Western Conference Champions to the game of their 1st round Playoff series. First overall pick Michael Olowokandi is regarded by Sports Illustrated as one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history. Five players from the 1998 draft class have played in the NBA All-Star Game at least once in their careers, Nowitzki, Carter, Jamison, Paul Pierce, all of them have reached the 20,000 points plateau during their careers except for Lewis. Only Nowitzki currently plays for his original team and these players were not selected in the 1998 NBA Draft but have played at least one game in the NBA. Archived from the original on 2001-02-14, cS1 maint, BOT, original-url status unknown 1998 NBA Draft at Basketball-Reference. com
7.
Houston Rockets
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The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles, the team was established as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego, in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston, the Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as a franchise in 1967. In the 1968 NBA draft, the Rockets, picking first overall, selected power forward Elvin Hayes, the Rockets did not finish a season with a winning record until the 1976–77 season, when they traded for center Moses Malone. Malone went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award twice and he also led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 where they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird and future Rockets coach Kevin McHale. In 1984, the Rockets drafted center Hakeem Olajuwon, who would be paired with 7 feet 4 inches Ralph Sampson, nicknamed the Twin Towers, they led the team to the 1986 NBA Finals—the second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history—where Houston was again defeated by the Boston Celtics. The Rockets continued to reach the playoffs throughout the 1980s, Rudy Tomjanovich took over as head coach midway through the 1991–92 season, ushering in the most successful period in franchise history. Olajuwon-led Rockets went to the 1994 NBA Finals and won franchises first championship against Patrick Ewing, Houston became the lowest-seeded team in NBA history to win the title. After Yaos early retirement in 2011, the Rockets entered a period of rebuilding, the acquisition of franchise player James Harden in 2012 has launched the Rockets back into championship contention in the mid-2010s. The Rockets, under general manager Daryl Morey, are notable for popularizing the use of advanced statistical analytics in player acquisitions and style of play. The Rockets were founded in 1967 in San Diego by Robert Breitbard, Breitbard brought in Jack McMahon, then coach of the Cincinnati Royals, to serve as the Rockets coach and general manager. The Rockets lost 67 games in their season, which was an NBA record for losses in a season at the time. Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team, and in 1971, Texas Sports Investments bought the franchise for $5.6 million, and moved the team to Houston. The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas, and the nickname Rockets took on greater relevance after the move. It was also around this time that the Rockets would unveil their classic yellow and red logo, winter left soon after, being fired in January 1973 following a ten-game losing streak, and was replaced by Johnny Egan. Egan led the Rockets back to the playoffs in 1975, where the franchise also managed to win their first round against the New York Knicks, subsequently losing to the veteran Boston Celtics in 5 games
8.
Point guard
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The point guard, also called the one or point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position, point guards are expected to run the teams offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time. A point guard, like other player positions in basketball, specializes in certain skills, a point guards primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for his/her team, or sometimes for themselves. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor and this involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in the best position to score, and controlling the tempo of the game. A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break, point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. A point guard needs always to have in mind the times on the clock and the game clock, the score. Among the taller players who have enjoyed success at the position is Magic Johnson, other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Derrick Rose and two-time winners Stephen Curry and Steve Nash. In the NBA, point guards are usually about 65 or shorter, having above-average size is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed, quickness, and ball handling skills. Shorter players tend to be better dribblers since they are closer to the floor, after an opponent scores, it is typically the point guard who brings the ball down court to begin an offensive play. Passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are crucial, speed is important, a speedy point guard is better able to create separation and space off the dribble, giving him/herself room to work. Point guards are often valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring, another major evaluation factor is Assist-to-Turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Still, a point guard should also have a reasonably effective jump shot. The point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play and this is a necessity because of the point guards many leadership obligations. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers as a coach on the floor or a floor general, in the past, this was particularly true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player-coaches. This is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now solely specialized in coaching and are non-players, former Suns head coach Mike DAntoni had often allowed Steve Nash to freelance when leading the Suns offense, even letting him call his own plays at times. Even point guards who are not given this much freedom, however, are extensions of their coach on the floor. John Stockton is widely considered to be the point guard. He also used the pick and roll maneuvre with Karl Malone, along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard
