1.
Center (basketball)
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The center, also known as the five or the big man, is one of the five positions in a regular basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a deal of strength. The tallest player to ever be drafted in the NBA was the 78 Yasutaka Okayama from Japan, the tallest players to ever play in the NBA, at 77, are centers Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol. Standing at 72, Margo Dydek is the tallest player to have played in the WNBA. The center is considered a component for a successful team. But recently, the NBA has turned into a point guard league, great centers have been the foundation for most of the dynasties in both the NBA and NCAA. In the 1960s, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain further transformed basketball by combining height with a level of athleticism than previous centers. Following the retirement of George Mikan, the rivalry of the two big men came to dominate the NBA, many of the records set by these two players have endured today. Most notably, Chamberlain and Russell hold the top eighteen season averages for rebounds, Bill Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA Championships. He joined the Boston Celtics and helped make them one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, Russell revolutionized defensive strategy with his shot-blocking, rebounding and physical man-to-man defense. His principal rival, Wilt Chamberlain, listed at 71,275 pounds, Chamberlain played college ball for the Kansas Jayhawks, leading them to the 1957 title game against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Although the Jayhawks lost by one point in overtime, Chamberlain was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. He also won seven scoring titles, eleven rebounding titles, and four regular season Most Valuable Player awards, including the distinction, in 1960, stronger than any player of his era, he was usually capable of scoring and rebounding at will. Most notably, Chamberlain is the player in NBA history to average more than 50 points in a season. He also holds the NBAs all-time records for rebounding average, rebounds in a single game, in contrast to the Celtics dynasty of the 1960s, the 1970s were a decade of parity in the NBA, with eight different champions and no back-to-back winners. At the college level, the UCLA Bruins, under Coach John Wooden, built the greatest dynasty in NCAA basketball history, UCLA had already won two consecutive titles in 1964 and 1965 with teams that pressed and emphasized guard play. After not winning in 1966, Woodens teams changed their style when Lew Alcindor became eligible and he led UCLA to three championships-in 1967,68 and 69-while winning the first Naismith College Player of the Year Award. During his college career, the NCAA enacted a ban on dunking primarily because of Alcindors dominant use of the shot
2.
Power forward (basketball)
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The power forward, also known as the four, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. It has also referred to as the post position. Power forwards play a similar to that of center in what is called the post or low blocks. They typically play offensively with their backs towards the basket and position themselves defensively under the basket in a defense or against the opposing power forward in man-to-man defense. The power forward position entails a variety of responsibilities, one of which is rebounding, many power forwards are noted for their mid-range jump-shot, and several players have become very accurate from 12 to 18 feet. Earlier, these skills were more typically exhibited in the European style of play, some power forwards, known as stretch fours, have since extended their shooting range to three-point field goals. In the NBA, power forwards usually range from 68 to 611, despite the averages, a variety of players fit tweener roles which finds them in the small forward and/or center position depending upon matchups and coaching decisions. Some natural power forwards often play the position and have the skills
3.
Houston
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Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
4.
Bellaire High School (Texas)
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Bellaire High School is a secondary school of the Houston Independent School District, and its campus is located in Bellaire, Texas in Greater Houston. The high school serves the city of Bellaire and the Houston community of Meyerland. It has a racially and socioeconomically diverse student body and it was originally an all-White high school. Because of the number of Jewish students, the school had the nickname Hebrew High. Bellaire introduced International Baccalaureate programs in 1980, in the mid-to-late 1980s families began moving into Bellaire and Meyerland. They would tear down older houses and build new ones. This gave Bellaire High School a population of wealthier students, at the same time apartments formerly housing White singles began to house low income immigrants. Bellaire added Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs to encourage White parents to send their children to Bellaire, parents strove to get their children into the classes. In January 1987, Bellaire was offering the Arabic language for the second year, in 1987 the school also offered Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. In September 1991 Bellaire was one of 32 HISD schools that had capped enrollments, in words the school was filled to capacity. By the 2000s Bellaire placed on the lists of the top performing schools in the United States. Athletic and academic programs won national and international awards, many graduates headed for prestigious American universities. At the same time, disciplinary infractions increased, Swartz said The case could be made that the school has triumphed despite being under enormous social pressures. But success has not come without pain, from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2003-2004 school year, the total number of disciplinary actions increased from 441 to 1,082 and the number of in-school suspensions increased from 336 to 855. In February 2006, a stabbing involving two male freshmen occurred in a school stairwell, the victim survived the stabbing while the perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted. During the same year Todd Spivak of the Houston Press reported about the magazines feature These Kids Go to the Best Public High School in Houston. Spivak said that Bellaire High School had strong, consistent leadership, Spivak said that the survey indicated that Bellaire graduated two thirds of its students. Dr. Robert Sanborn, president and CEO of the Children at Risk organization, in 200713 percent of high school-aged children zoned to Bellaire chose to attend a different Houston ISD school
5.
Bellaire, Texas
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Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U. S. Census, the city population was 16,855 and is surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place. Bellaire is known as the City of Homes, owing to its residential character, however. Bellaire was founded in 1908 by William Wright Baldwin, who was the president of the South End Land Company, Baldwin, a native of Iowa, was well known as the vice president of the Burlington Railroad. Bellaire was founded on what was part of William Marsh Rices 9,449 acres ranch, Baldwin surveyed the eastern 1,000 acres of the ranch into small truck farms. He named those farms Westmoreland Farms, Baldwin started Bellaire in the middle of Westmoreland Farms to serve as a residential neighborhood and an agricultural trading center. South End Land Company advertised to farmers in the Midwestern United States, Baldwin stated that the town was named Bellaire, or Good Air for its breezes. Bellaire may have named after Bellaire, Ohio, a town served by one of Baldwins rail lines. Six miles of prairie was a zone between Houston and Bellaire. Originally the town was bounded by Palmetto, First, Jessamine, in 1910 Edward Teas, a horticulturist, moved his nursery to Bellaire from Missouri so Teas could implement Sid Hares landscaping plans. Bellaire was incorporated as a city with a charter in 1918. Bellaire had a population of 200 at the time, because of the 1918 incorporation, Houston did not incorporate Bellaires territory into its city limits, while Houston annexed surrounding areas that were unincorporated. Bellaires population had reached 1,124 in 1940, after 1940, Bellaire had a rapid population explosion in the post-World War II building boom. On December 31,1948, the city of Houston had annexed the land around the city of Bellaire, Bellaire remained independent of Houston, Bellaire adopted a home rule charter with a council-manager government in April 1949. By 1950 the citys residents had numbered 10,173, however each subsequent year for the next two years, an additional 600 to 700 new houses opened. In the 1960s 250 houses in Bellaire were demolished to make way for the right of way of the 610 Loop, according to a Bellaire resident quoted in the Houston Post, prior to 1992, the tax base of the city of Bellaire had been decreasing. After neighbor West University Place eased restrictions on developers, new houses were constructed in West University Place, Bellaire decided to also liberalize its development restrictions to allow for new development by streamlining its no-growth building permit process. Michael Blum, president of Blum & Associates Realty, said Bellaire is a bargain, Blum added that Bellaire was affordable compared to similar American neighborhoods and that Bellaire had proximity to business districts, excellent municipal services, and superior schools
6.
Connecticut Huskies men's basketball
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The Connecticut Huskies mens basketball program is the intercollegiate mens basketball team of the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut. They currently play in the American Athletic Conference and are coached by Kevin Ollie, the Huskies are one of the most successful mens college basketball programs of all time. The Huskies have won 4 NCAA Tournament Championships, which puts the program at sixth-most all-time, the Huskies have also won seven Big East Tournament Championships, ten Big East regular season titles and one American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. The Huskies have participated in 5 NCAA Final Fours and appeared in the NCAA tournament 33 times, the team has been a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament 5 times, most recently in 2009. Mens basketball at UConn began in 1901 with a game played by Connecticut Agricultural College against Windham High School in January of that year. The college team won, and by 1903 basketball was a varsity sport, after graduating from the Connecticut Agricultural College, former player Hugh Greer returned to his alma mater as a freshman coach. He was later named coach of the Huskies six games into the 1946–47 season. Greer led Connecticut to a perfect 12–0 mark for the remainder of his first season, posting a record of 16–2, this was the best single season finish in school history to that point. UConn won twelve Yankee Conference titles under Greer in 16 completed seasons, Greer also led UConn to its first seven NCAA berths and one NIT appearance while compiling an overall head coaching record of 286–112. Greer died of an attack in 1963, ten games into the 1962–63 season. He was replaced by George Wigton who led them to the NCAA tournament, throughout the 1960s and 70s, Connecticut remained a regional power and earned multiple NCAA tournament berths. In 1979, UConn became one of the seven founding schools of the Big East Conference, prior to the 1986–87 season UConn hired Northeastern head coach Jim Calhoun to take over the program. Calhouns first team finished the season with a record of 9–19, in 1988, the team showed significant improvement and gained a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. UConn went on a run in the tournament and defeated Ohio State 72–67 at Madison Square Garden to win the NIT, the 1990 Dream Season would bring UConn basketball back to the national stage. 1990 also marked the opening of Gampel Pavilion, the programs new on-campus home, in the NCAA Tournament the Huskies garnered a #1 seed in the East Region, but trailed Clemson 70–69 with 1 second remaining in the Sweet 16. Burrells full-court pass found Tate George on the far baseline, George spun, fired, and hit a buzzer-beater that is known in Connecticut simply as The Shot. They would be eliminated on a buzzer-beater 2 days later by Duke, the Final Four still eluded Calhoun and the program until the 1999 NCAA Tournament. With Richard Rip Hamilton leading the way, they claimed the programs first national title that same year, Calhouns teams would go on to win two more national championships during his tenure at UConn
7.
2004 NBA draft
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The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24,2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7,00 pm. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting college basketball players. The NBA announced that 56 college and high school players and 38 international players had filed as candidates for the 2004 draft. On May 26, the NBA draft lottery was conducted for the teams that did not make the NBA Playoffs in the 2003–04 NBA season. The Orlando Magic, who had a 25 percent chance of obtaining the first selection, won the lottery, while the Los Angeles Clippers, as an expansion team, the Charlotte Bobcats had been assigned the fourth selection in the draft and did not participate in the lottery. The Minnesota Timberwolves forfeited their first-round pick due to salary cap violations, by the end of the draft, around 40% of the players selected in it were born from countries outside of the United States of America. S. A. While Okafor and Gordon each have had solid NBA careers, Dwight Howard became a seven-time All-Star and All-NBA selection and he also had the distinction as the only NBA player straight out of high school to start all 82 games as a rookie. In addition to Howard, there are four other players would be named All-Stars at one point in their careers. The draft is notable for many high schoolers being drafted within a few picks from each other. These players not selected in the draft have played at least one game in the NBA, archived from the original on April 20,2007. Player profiles with their career transaction information, archived from the original on April 19,2007
8.
Charlotte Hornets
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The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team is owned by former NBA player Michael Jordan. The Hornets play their games at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte. The original Hornets franchise was established in 1988 as an expansion team, in 2002, Shinns franchise relocated to New Orleans and became the New Orleans Hornets. In 2004 the NBA established the Charlotte Bobcats, which was regarded as a new team at the time. In 2013, the New Orleans franchise announced it would rebrand itself the New Orleans Pelicans, ultimately returning the Hornets name, records, the Bobcats were officially renamed the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014–15 NBA season. In 1985, the NBA was planning to expand by four teams by the 1988–1989 season, the Charlotte area had long been a hotbed for college basketball. On April 5,1987, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern called Shinn to tell him his group had been awarded the 24th NBA franchise, franchises were also granted to Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and Orlando. Originally, the new team was going to be called the Charlotte Spirit, the team received further attention when it chose teal as its primary color, setting off a sports fashion craze in the late 80s and early 90s. The teams uniforms, designed by designer and North Carolina native Alexander Julian. Similar designs by other teams followed, as became a hit. Shinn hired Carl Scheer as the teams first President and General Manager, Scheer preferred a roster of veteran players, hoping to put together a competitive team as soon as possible. Former college coach and veteran NBA assistant Dick Harter was hired as the teams first head coach, in 1988, the Hornets and the Miami Heat were part of the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft. The team also had three draft picks at the 1988 NBA draft, the Hornets first NBA game took place on November 4,1988, at the Charlotte Coliseum, losing 133–93 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Four days later, the team notched its first-ever victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, on December 23,1988, the Hornets really gave their fans something to cheer about, beating Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 103–101 in Jordans first return to North Carolina as a professional. The Hornets finished their season with a record of 20-62. Scheer left prior to the 1989–90 season, despite initial concerns that the Coliseum was too big, the Hornets were a runaway hit, leading the NBA in attendance, a feat they would achieve seven more times in Charlotte
9.
New Orleans Pelicans
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The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays their games in the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans were established as the New Orleans Hornets in the 2002–03 season when then-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, George Shinn, relocated the franchise to New Orleans. Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City. The team returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season, on January 24,2013, the franchise announced it would rename itself the Pelicans, effective after the conclusion of the 2012–13 season. Their achievements include one playoff victory and one division title. While the Charlotte Hornets put a team on the court throughout the 1990s. Many attributed this lapse in popularity to the owner, George Shinn. In 1997, a Charlotte woman claimed that Shinn had raped her, the consensus was that while Charlotte was as basketball-crazy as ever, fans took out their anger at Shinn on the team. On March 26,2001, both the Hornets and the Vancouver Grizzlies applied for relocation to Memphis, Tennessee, which was won by the Grizzlies. Shinn issued an ultimatum, unless the city built a new arena at no cost to him, the city initially refused, leading Shinn to consider moving the team to either Norfolk, Louisville, or St. Louis. Polls showed the referendum on its way to passage, however, just days before the referendum, Mayor Pat McCrory vetoed a living wage ordinance. The veto prompted many of the citys black ministers to oppose the referendum, while even the NBA acknowledged that Shinn had alienated fans, league officials felt such a demand would anger other owners. Before the Hornets were eliminated from the playoffs, the NBA approved the move, as part of a deal, the NBA promised that Charlotte would get a new team, which took the court two years later as the Charlotte Bobcats. He also said if he had it to do all over again. Shinn emphasized how he was making amends by committing to New Orleans saying, im not going to make one here. Were going to make this thing work, the Hornets opened their inaugural season in New Orleans on October 30,2002, against New Orleans original NBA franchise, the now-Utah Jazz
10.
Washington Wizards
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The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D. C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its games at the Verizon Center, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington. The team now known as the Wizards began playing as the Chicago Packers in 1961, as the first modern expansion team in NBA history, an expansion prompted by Abe Sapersteins American Basketball League. Rookie Walt Bellamy was the star, averaging 31.6 points per game,19.0 rebounds per game. During the All-Star game, Bellamy represented the team while scoring 23 points, Bellamy was named the league Rookie of the Year, but was the team finished with the NBAs worst record at 18-62. The teams original nickname was a nod to Chicagos meatpacking industry, their home arena, however, it was extremely unpopular since it was the same nickname used by the NFLs Green Bay Packers, bitter rivals of the Chicago Bears. After only one year, the changed its name to the Chicago Zephyrs. Their only season as the Zephyrs boasted former Purdue star Terry Dischinger, in their first year in Baltimore, the Bullets finished fourth in a five–team Western Division. Prior to the 1964–65 NBA season the Bullets pulled off a trade, sending Dischinger, Rod Thorn and Don Kojis to the Detroit Pistons for Bailey Howell, Don Ohl, Bob Ferry. The trade worked out well, Howell proved to be a hustling, in the 1965 NBA Playoffs, the Bullets stunned the St. Louis Hawks 3–1, and advanced to the Western Conference finals. In the finals, Baltimore managed to split the first four games with the Los Angeles Lakers before losing the series 4–2. In the late 1960s, the Bullets drafted two future Hall of Fame members, Earl Monroe, in the 1967 draft, number two overall, and Wes Unseld, in the 1968 draft, also number two overall. The team improved dramatically, from 36 wins the season to 57 in the 1968–69 season. The Bullets reached the playoffs with high expectations to go far, the next season the two teams met again in the first round, and although this one went to seven games, the Knicks emerged victorious again. In the 1970–71 season, the 42–40 Bullets again met the 1970–71 Knicks and they were swept in four games by the powerful Milwaukee Bucks led by future Hall of Fame members Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. Even after the trades of Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson, the Bullets remained a playoff contender throughout the 1970s. Following a less than spectacular 1971–72 season, Baltimore acquired Elvin Hayes from the Houston Rockets and drafted Kevin Porter in the third round, out of St. Francis in Pennsylvania
11.
Delaware 87ers
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The Delaware 87ers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA Development League. It is an affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association, the home games are played at the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. The team was founded in 2007 as the Utah Flash and served as an affiliate to the Utah Jazz, in April 2013, the 76ers acquired the team and relocated it to Delaware. In 2004, Utah entrepreneur Brandt Andersen heard the NBA was expanding operations to include a development league, eventually Andersen got a new team to start play in 2007, based in Orem, Utah, playing at the McKay Events Center. The Flash nickname was chosen by a name-the-team contest, in which over 21,000 votes were cast, also as an NBA affiliate were the Boston Celtics.6 points a game. In July 2008, Fredman was called back by the Jazz to work as a scout, in 2009, the Celtics changed affiliations to the new team Maine Red Claws, leading the Atlanta Hawks to join forces with the Flash. On December 8,2009, the Flash hosted a sold out crowd that hoped Michael Jordan was going to appear to play in a charity exhibition at halftime against former Utah Jazz guard Bryon Russell. However, Jordan did not appear, and a Jordan lookalike was introduced in what turned out to be a hoax, brad Jones retired as head coach of the Utah Flash on September 7,2010 and Kevin Young was named as his replacement. The team suspended operations following the 2011 season, as Andersen was forced to sell his interest in the Flash, on April 27,2013, after two years of hiatus, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired the team, and renamed it the Delaware 87ers. The nickname, a play on the 76ers own, was inspired by the fact that Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution in 1787, the team plays its games at the University of Delaware campus. Former Ripken Baseball Inc. assistant vice president of sales/marketing Aaron Moszer was named team president, in September 2013, Brandon Williams was named the teams first general manager. Rod Baker was named the head coach for their inaugural season in Delaware. The 87ers finished their first season with a 12–38 record, over the summer, the 87ers introduced their mascot, Caesar, on August 22,2014. Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Baker was called up by the Sixers to serve as a scout in the front office. Hired as his replacement was Kevin Young, who led the team to an improved 20–30 record, the 87ers improved upon their offensive play from the previous season, with four different players scoring at least 45 points in a game in 2015–16. McRae and Kilpatrick were selected as All-Stars, and both along with Wood received NBA call-ups, with three of their top four players now in the NBA, the 87ers went through a rough stretch from a 17–13 start to finish 21–29. They were however aided by former NBA All-Star Baron Davis, who played six games with the team to conclude the season, all NBA D-League prospects — players whose rights are not owned by NBA teams — are free agents and are eligible to be called up to the NBA. Point guard Kendall Marshall was signed to a contract by the Los Angeles Lakers on December 20,2013 after playing in seven games with Delaware
12.
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
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The National Basketball Associations Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given to the top rookie of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, the winner is selected by a panel of United States and Canadian sportswriters and broadcasters, each casting first, second, and third place votes. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, the most recent Rookie of the Year winner is Karl-Anthony Towns. Twenty-one winners were drafted first overall, fourteen winners have also won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in their careers, Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld earning both honors the same season. Nineteen of the forty two non-active winners have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Three seasons had joint winners—Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie in the 1970–71 season, Grant Hill and Jason Kidd in the 1994–95 season, five players won the award unanimously – Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Prior to the 1952–53 season, the Rookie of the Year was selected by newspaper writers, however, National Basketball Association portal NBA Development League Rookie of the Year Award NBA Rookie of the Month Award General Specific
13.
NBA All-Rookie Team
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The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team, the All-Rookie Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups, a first team and a second team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, in the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six due to a tie. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2012, when Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, no respect is given to positions. For example, the first team had four forwards, and one guard in 2008, while the first team had four centers, nine All-Rookie Team members have won both the Rookie of the Year Award and the Most Valuable Player Award during their careers. Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld are the players to accomplish this feat in the same season. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
14.
2004 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
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The 2004 NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16,2004, and ended with the game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. A total of 64 games were played, the NCAA named, for the first time, the four tournament regions after regional site host cities instead of the East, Midwest, South, and West designations. It was also the first year that the matchups for the semifinals were determined at least in part by the overall seeding of the top team in each regional. The top four teams in the tournament were Kentucky, Duke, Stanford, had all of those teams advanced to the Final Four, Kentucky would have played Saint Josephs and Duke would have played Stanford in the semifinal games. Of those teams, only Duke advanced to the Final Four, Connecticut defeated Georgia Tech 82-73 to win their second national championship in as many tries. Emeka Okafor of Connecticut was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player, as they had in 1999, Connecticut won their regional championship in Phoenix, Arizona. Two of the top seeds failed to make it past the opening weekend. Kentucky, number one seed of the St. Louis region, incidentally, both teams were defeated by schools from Alabama, as Kentucky fell to UAB while Stanford lost to Alabama. Due to their strong 2003-04 season, Gonzaga achieved its highest NCAA tournament seed until 2013 by receiving the #2 seed in the St. Louis region, Gonzaga would receive a #1 seed in the 2013 tournament. The team failed to advance beyond the first weekend of the tournament, Louis Regional, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri April 3 and 5 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas *Florida A&M University won the Opening Round game. The America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, CAA, Horizon League, Mid-Continent, Ivy, MAC, MEAC, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, SoCon, Southland, SWAC, and Sun Belt conferences all went 0–1. The columns R32, S16, E8, F4, and CG respectively stand for the Round of 32, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and Championship Game. By contrast, all three of Dukes centers fouled out, including Shelden Williams, who committed his fifth foul with 3,04 to play, in addition, Duke went without a field goal for the last 4½ minutes until Chris Duhons meaningless three-pointer at the buzzer. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was denied his 65th NCAA Tournament victory which would have tied him with Dean Smith for the all-time record, Georgia Tech led for most of the game including a seven-point edge at halftime. However, Oklahoma State was able to tie the game on John Lucass three-pointer with 26.3 seconds left, Georgia Tech then milked the clock which set up Bynums game-winner. Georgia Tech advanced to their first ever National Championship appearance, Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton was denied yet another chance at an elusive national title. April 5,2004 Connecticut 82, Georgia Tech 73 The 2004 National Championship Game proved to be a coronation for the Connecticut Huskies as they handled Paul Hewitts Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
15.
NABC Player of the Year
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The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to recognize the top player in mens college basketball. The award has given since the 1974–75 season to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball players. The association added awards for Division II and Division III players in 1983, the awards are sponsored by State Farm Insurance. In Division I, Duke has the most all-time winners with five and their rival, North Carolina, is second with four winners. There have been three ties for NABC Player of the Year, and only two players have won the award multiple times, in Division II, Virginia Union has four winners, the most all-time, and is followed by Kentucky Wesleyan which has three. Only one tie has occurred, while three players have won the more than once. In Division III, Potsdam State has the most all-time winners with three, while six other schools are tied for second with two winners apiece, there have been two ties and three repeat winners. At the NAIA level, there is a distinction between NAIA Division I and NAIA Division II winners, since the awards began in 2008, no school or individual player has received the award multiple times. In junior college, every winner has been a sophomore and has gone on to play at an NCAA Division I school after their community college careers have ended. For the 2007–08 season, Ryan Fiegi, a point guard at Oregon Tech, was named the player of the year. Beginning in 2008–09, the NAIA began awarding players of the year for Divisions I, since community college players only attend for two years, these players are only either freshmen or sophomores. Afterwards, they move on to a four year university to finish their last two seasons of NCAA eligibility, the University column reflects which team these players would play for following their JuCo careers. List of U. S. mens college basketball player of the year awards NABC Player of the Year Awards
16.
NABC Defensive Player of the Year
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The NABC Defensive Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches to recognize the top defensive player in United States college basketball. The award has given since 1987 and was previously known as the Henry Iba Corinthian Award, named after Hall of Fame coach Henry Iba. Duke University has dominated the award with six recipients who have won a total of nine awards. The only other schools with more than one recipient are Connecticut, three players have been named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions—Stacey Augmon of UNLV, Tim Duncan of Wake Forest, and Shane Battier of Duke. Greg Oden and Anthony Davis are the freshmen to have won the award. Two winners of this award were born outside the territory of the United States. Duncan was born in the United States Virgin Islands, an area of the U. S. by U. S. law. Hasheem Thabeet, the 2008 and 2009 winner, is a native of Tanzania, NABC Player of the Year NABC Coach of the Year
17.
Pete Newell Big Man Award
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The Pete Newell Big Man Award has been awarded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 2000. It is presented to the top low-post player each season, the award is named after Pete Newell, the coach who ran the Pete Newell Big Man Camp for low-post players from 1976 until his death in 2008. So far, no player has won the more than once. Only three schools, Duke, Utah, and Purdue have produced more than one winner, with each school claiming two, utahs winners are the only two to have been born outside the U. S. —Andrew Bogut in Australia and Jakob Pöltl in Austria
18.
Big East Conference
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The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in all sports except football, which is not sponsored. The conference has officially recognized as a Division I multi-sport conference. Butler University, Creighton University, and Xavier University also joined the conference on its July 1,2013 launch date. The football-playing members of the old Big East, along several other schools, formed the American Athletic Conference. However, both conferences claim 1979 as their founding date, as part of the separation agreement, the basketball schools were able to retain the basketball records while the football schools retained the football records respectively. Val Ackerman, former WNBA president, has been commissioner since June 26,2013, on the same day Ackerman was named as commissioner, it announced that it will be headquartered in New York City. None of the schools sponsor varsity football in the top-level Division I FBS. Georgetown, Villanova, and Butler do operate football programs in the second-level Division I FCS, the core of the Big East formed when Providence, St. Johns, Georgetown, and Syracuse invited Seton Hall, Connecticut, Holy Cross, Rutgers, and Boston College. Holy Cross turned down the invitation, as did Rutgers initially, while BC, Seton Hall, gavitt became the Big Easts first commissioner, and Villanova and Pittsburgh joined the conference shortly thereafter. PR firm Duffy & Shanley is credited with the branding and naming work for the conference. The conference remained largely unchanged until 1991, when it began to sponsor football, adding Miami as a member, and Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech. Rutgers and West Virginia upgraded to full Big East membership in 1995, Notre Dame also joined as a non-football member effective in 1995. Temple football was kicked out after the 2004 season, but rejoined in 2012, the unusual structure of the Big East, with the football and non-football schools, led to instability in the conference. The conference reorganized following the period of realignment that hobbled the Big East between 2010 and 2013. The Big East was one of the most severely impacted conferences during the most recent conference realignment period, in all,14 member schools announced their departure for other conferences, and 15 other schools announced plans to join the conference. Three of the group later backed out of their plans to join. On March 14,2013, it was reported that the Big East would be adding members in the seven to ten days. At a news conference in New York City on March 20,2013, the league was formally introduced with Butler, Xavier
19.
2004 Summer Olympics
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10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries. There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports, Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance. 2004 marked the return of the games to the city where they began, a new medal obverse was introduced at these Games, replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since the 1928 Games. This rectified the long lasting mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue, the new design features the Panathenaic Stadium. The cost of the 2004 Athens Summer Games has been cited as a contributor to the Greek government-debt crisis, some of the venues lie vacant and rotting, while others are in use, the Independent newspaper reports as many as 21 out of 22 are unused. The final medal tally was led by the United States, followed by China, several World and Olympics records were broken during the games. Several concerns were raised over the preparations of the Games and these included excessive budget overruns, infrastructural compromise, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst nations across the world. Athens was chosen as the host city during the 106th IOC Session held in Lausanne on 5 September 1997, Athens had lost its bid to organize the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta nearly seven years before on 18 September 1990, during the 96th IOC Session in Tokyo. 1996 coincided with the 100th Anniversary of the first modern Olympics, under the direction of Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Athens pursued another bid, this time for the right to host the Summer Olympics in 2004. After leading all voting rounds, Athens easily defeated Rome in the 5th, cape Town, Stockholm, and Buenos Aires, the three other cities that made the IOC shortlist, were eliminated in prior rounds of voting. Six other cities submitted applications, but their bids were dropped by the IOC in 1996 and these cities were Istanbul, Lille, Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Seville, Saint Petersburg and Cali. The 2004 Summer Olympic Games cost the Government of Greece €8.954 billion to stage, the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee, responsible for the preparation and organisation of the games, concluded its operations as a company in 2005 with a surplus of €130.6 million. ATHOC contributed €123.6 million of the surplus to the Greek State to cover other related expenditures of the Greek State in organizing of the games, as a result, ATHOC reported in its official published accounts a net profit of €7 million. The State’s contribution to the total ATHOC budget was 8% of its expenditure against an originally anticipated 14%, the overall revenue of ATHOC, including income from tickets, sponsors, broadcasting rights, merchandise sales etc. totalled €2,098.4 million. The largest percentage of income came from broadcasting rights. The overall expenditure of ATHOC was €1,967.8 million. e, the large projects required for the upgrade of the country’s infrastructure, including sports infrastructure, roads, airports, hospitals, power grid etc. This cost, however, is not directly attributable to the organisation of the Games. Such infrastructure projects are considered by all standards as fixed asset investments that stay with the hosting country for decades after the Games
20.
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
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The tournament was notable for Argentinas upset victory of the heavily-favored United States mens team. In Olympic basketball tournaments,12 teams take part, the host nation automatically receives a berth in the tournament. By winning the two World Championship tournaments in 2002, Yugoslavia, now named Serbia and Montenegro, also put a team into the mens tournament, the remaining 10 spots in each tournament were allocated by the five Olympic zones. Each of these zones held its own tournaments to select its entries in the Olympic tournament, africa was allocated one spot in each of these, Oceania was allocated two apiece, and Europe was allocated three. A National Olympic Committee may enter just one team with 12 players. For the womens tournament, the teams consisted of the runner-up and third place teams from Asia and Europe. Twelve teams are split into two preliminary round groups of six teams each, the top four teams from both groups qualify for the knockout stage. Fifth-placed teams from both groups compete for 9th place in an additional match, sixth-placed teams from both groups compete for 11th place in an additional match. In the quarterfinals, the matchups are as follows, A1 vs. B4, A2 vs. B3, A3 vs. B2 and A4 vs. B1. From the eliminated teams at the quarterfinals, the loser from A1 vs. B4 competes against the loser from B1 vs. A4 for 7th place in an additional match, the remaining two loser teams compete for 5th place in an additional match. The winning teams from the meet in the semifinals as follows, A1/B4 vs. A3/B2. The winning teams from the semifinals contest the gold medal, the losing teams contest the bronze. The womens event involved 12 teams split in two groups, the four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round. The four best teams from each advanced to the quarterfinal round. Olympics, Mens Basketball Tournament 2004 Olympics, Womens Basketball Tournament 2004 FIBA Olympic basketball website 2004 Olympic Games, Tournament for Men,2004 Olympic Games, Tournament for Women, FIBA Archive
21.
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
22.
National Basketball Association
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The National Basketball Association is the major mens professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier mens professional basketball league in the world. It has 30 teams, and is a member of USA Basketball. The NBA is one of the four professional sports leagues in the United States. NBA players are the worlds best paid athletes by average annual salary per player, the league was founded in New York City on June 6,1946, as the Basketball Association of America. The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3,1949, the leagues several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, the Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1,1946, in Toronto, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, the first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers. During its early years, the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the Harlem Globetrotters. For instance, the 1948 ABL finalist Baltimore Bullets moved to the BAA and won that leagues 1948 title, Following the 1948–49 season, the BAA took in the remainder of the NBL, Syracuse, Anderson, Tri-Cities, Sheboygan, Denver, and Waterloo. The new league had seventeen franchises located in a mix of large and small cities, as well as arenas and smaller gymnasiums. The process of contraction saw the leagues smaller-city franchises move to larger cities, the Hawks shifted from the Tri-Cities to Milwaukee in 1951, and then to St. Louis in 1955. The Rochester Royals moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati in 1957, japanese-American Wataru Misaka broke the NBA color barrier in the 1947–48 season when he played for the New York Knicks. He remained the only player in league history prior to the first African-American, Harold Hunter. During this period, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan, won five NBA Championships, to encourage shooting and discourage stalling, the league introduced the 24-second shot clock in 1954. If a team does not attempt to score a goal within 24 seconds of obtaining the ball, play is stopped. In 1957, rookie center Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics, who already featured guard Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, and went on to lead the club to eleven NBA titles in thirteen seasons. Center Wilt Chamberlain entered the league with the Warriors in 1959 and became a dominant individual star of the 1960s, russells rivalry with Chamberlain became one of the greatest rivalries in the history of American team sports. The 1960s were dominated by the Celtics, led by Russell, Bob Cousy and coach Red Auerbach, Boston won eight straight championships in the NBA from 1959 to 1966
23.
University of Connecticut
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The University of Connecticut is a land grant public research university in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881, and is also a sea-grant university, the university serves more than 32,000 students on its five campuses, including more than 8,000 graduate students in multiple programs. UConn is one of the institutions of the Hartford, Connecticut/Springfield, Massachusetts regional economic. UConn is a member of Universitas 21, a network of 24 research-intensive universities. UConn is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, UConn was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two brothers who donated the land for the school. In 1893, the became a land grant college. In 1939, the name was changed to the University of Connecticut, over the next decade, social work, nursing, and graduate programs were established, and the schools of law and pharmacy were absorbed into the university. During the 1960s, UConn Health was established for new medical and dental schools, John Dempsey Hospital opened in Farmington in 1975. Competing in the American Athletic Conference as the Huskies, UConn has been successful in their mens and womens basketball programs. The Huskies have won 21 NCAA championships, UConn was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School. It was named after Charles and Augustus Storrs, brothers who donated the land for the school as well as initial funding. Women began attending classes in 1891 and were admitted in 1893. In 1899, the name changed again to Connecticut Agricultural College, in 1933, to Connecticut State College, in 1940, the school was first divided into individual colleges and schools, reflecting its new university status. This was also the year the School of Social Work and School of Nursing were established, the graduate program was also started at this time, and the schools of law and pharmacy were absorbed into the university. Ph. D. s have been awarded since 1949, during the 1960s, UConn Health was established in Farmington as a home for the new School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine. John Dempsey Hospital opened in Farmington in 1975 and has operated by UConn ever since. In 1995, a program called UConn 2000 was passed by the Connecticut General Assembly. This 10-year program set aside $1 billion to upgrade facilities, add faculty
24.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
25.
Nigeria
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Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Nigeria is officially a democratic secular country. Modern-day Nigeria has been the site of numerous kingdoms and tribal states over the millennia, the modern state originated from British colonial rule beginning in the 19th century, and the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1914. The British set up administrative and legal structures whilst practising indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms, Nigeria became a formally independent federation in 1960, and plunged into a civil war from 1967 to 1970. Nigeria is often referred to as the Giant of Africa, owing to its large population, with approximately 184 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Nigeria has one of the largest populations of youth in the world, Nigeria is divided roughly in half between Christians, who live mostly in the southern part of the country, and Muslims in the northern part. A minority of the population practise religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as native to the Igbo. As of 2015, Nigeria is the worlds 20th largest economy, worth more than $500 billion and $1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and it overtook South Africa to become Africas largest economy in 2014. The 2013 debt-to-GDP ratio was 11 percent, Nigeria is a member of the MINT group of countries, which are widely seen as the globes next BRIC-like economies. It is also listed among the Next Eleven economies set to become among the biggest in the world, Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many other international organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and OPEC. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country and this name was coined in the late 19th century by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Lord Lugard, a British colonial administrator. The origin of the name Niger, which applied only to the middle reaches of the Niger River, is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of the Tuareg name egerew n-igerewen used by inhabitants along the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu prior to 19th-century European colonialism. The Nok civilisation of Northern Nigeria flourished between 500 BC and AD200, producing life-sized terracotta figures which are some of the earliest known sculptures in Sub-Saharan Africa, further north, the cities Kano and Katsina have a recorded history dating to around 999 AD. Hausa kingdoms and the Kanem-Bornu Empire prospered as trade posts between North and West Africa, the Kingdom of Nri of the Igbo people consolidated in the 10th century and continued until it lost its sovereignty to the British in 1911. Nri was ruled by the Eze Nri, and the city of Nri is considered to be the foundation of Igbo culture, Nri and Aguleri, where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umeuri clan. Members of the clan trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure Eri, in West Africa, the oldest bronzes made using the lost-wax process were from Igbo Ukwu, a city under Nri influence. The Yoruba kingdoms of Ife and Oyo in southwestern Nigeria became prominent in the 12th and 14th centuries, the oldest signs of human settlement at Ifes current site date back to the 9th century, and its material culture includes terracotta and bronze figures
26.
Igbo people
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The Igbo people, also erroneously known as the Ibo people, are an indigenous linguistic and cultural people of southern Nigeria. Geographically, the Igbo homeland is divided into two sections by the Niger River – an eastern and a western section. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects, the Igbo homeland is almost surrounded on all sides by other ethnic peoples of southern and central Nigeria namely, the Ijaw, Edo, Isoko, Ogoni, Igala, Tiv, Yako, Idoma and Ibibio. The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, in rural Nigeria, Igbo people work mostly as craftsmen, farmers and traders. The most important crop is the yam, celebrations take place annually to celebrate its harvesting, other staple crops include cassava and taro. Before British colonial rule, the Igbo were a politically fragmented group, there were variations in culture such as in art styles, attire and religious practices. Various subgroups were organized by clan, lineage, village affiliation, there were not many centralized chiefdoms, hereditary aristocracy, or kingship customs except in kingdoms such as those of the Nri, Arochukwu, Agbor and Onitsha. This political system changed significantly under British colonialism in the early 20th century, the Igbo became overwhelmingly Christian under colonization. Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart is one of the most popular novels to depict Igbo culture, by the mid-20th century, the Igbo people developed a strong sense of ethnic identity. Certain conflicts with other Nigerian ethnicities led to Igbo-densely populated Eastern Nigeria seceding to create the independent state of Biafra, the Nigerian Civil War or the Nigerian-Biafran War broke out shortly after. With their defeat, the Republic of Biafra once again was part of Nigeria, MASSOB, a sectarian organization formed in 1999, continues a non-violent struggle for an independent Igbo state. Due to the effects of migration and the Atlantic slave trade, there are descendant ethnic Igbo populations in such as Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Their exact population outside Africa is unknown, but today many African Americans, according to Liberian historians the fifth president of Liberia Edward James Roye was of Igbo descent. The Igbo people have had fragmented and politically independent communities, before knowledge of Europeans and full exposure to other neighbouring ethnic groups, the Igbo did not have a strong identity as one people. As in the case of most ethnic groups, the British, Chinua Achebe, among other scholars, challenged this because of its negative connotations and possible wrong definition. He suggested defining the Igbo people as a nation although the Igbo do not have an officially recognized state of their own. The most common name for the Igbo in English was formerly Ibo and they have also been known as the Iboe, Ebo, Eboe, Eboans, or Heebo. Their territory and main settlement have also been known by their name
27.
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
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Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County in the U. S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 35,750 at the 2010 census, with a 2015 estimate of 36,595 according to the US Census Bureau, Bartlesville is 47 miles north of Tulsa and 18 miles from Oklahomas northern border with Kansas. It is the county seat of Washington County, the Caney River runs through Bartlesville. Bartlesville is the city of the Bartlesville Micropolitan area, which consists of Washington County and has a population of 52,021 as of 2015. Bartlesville Micropolitan area is part of the Tulsa Combined Statistical Area with a population of 1,151,172 as of 2015. Bartlesville is notable as the home of Phillips Petroleum Company. The company merged with Conoco as ConocoPhillips and later split into the two independent companies Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips, both companies have retained some operations in Bartlesville, however, they have moved their corporate headquarters to Houston. Frank Phillips founded Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville in 1905 when the area was still Indian Territory and it is one of two places in Oklahoma where a Lenape Native American tribe lives, the other being Anadarko. Jacob Bartles, son-in-law of Delaware chief Charles Journeycake, moved from Wyandotte County and he settled first at Silver Lake, a natural lake south of the present city of Bartlesville. In 1874, he opened a trading post and post office on Turkey Creek, in the following year, he bought a grist mill on the Caney River and modified it to produce flour. Bartles then built a general store and residence, and added a rooming house, a blacksmith shop. Other settlers soon moved into the area, which was then called Bartles Town. In 1880, Bartles moved his Turkey Creek post office to this town, Bartles then provided the community with electricity, a telephone system and a water distribution system. Development of the present city began after William Johnstone and George B. Keeler opened a store on the south side of the Caney River in 1884. The first newspaper, The Weekly Magnet, began publication in March 1895, the town was incorporated in Indian Territory in January 1897. The town was surveyed and platted in 1898, and eighty acres were offered to the Atchison, Topeka, the railroad reached the town in 1899. The post office was moved from North Bartlesville in 1899, bypassed by the railroad, Jacob Bartles moved his store to Dewey, Oklahoma. In 1957, Bartlesville was the test site for the first experiment in pay cable television, the Bartlesville Telemovie System debuted with The Pajama Game, starring Doris Day, and aired it to an audience of 300 homes
28.
Phillips Petroleum Company
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Phillips Petroleum Co. was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. On August 30,2002, Conoco Inc. merged with Phillips Petroleum to form ConocoPhillips, becoming the third largest integrated energy company, the company moved its headquarters to Houston. In 2012, ConocoPhillips split into two separate companies, the legacy company kept its name, and spun off the midstream and downstream portions of its business. It was incorporated 13 June 1917 by brothers Lee Eldas L. E. and Frank Phillips, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma and their younger brother, Waite Phillips, was the benefactor of Philmont Scout Ranch. The company was headquartered in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Phillips Petroleum rapidly became a fully integrated oil company that included oil and gas production, crude oil pipelines and refineries, and marketing of petroleum products. Phillips Petroleum became heavily involved in the gas industry immediately after the discovery of the Panhandle gas field of Texas. By 1925, it was the largest producer of gas liquids in the United States. In 1927, Phillips started up its first petroleum refinery in Borger, Texas, the refinery also produced other petroleum fractions. It opened its first service station, to sell gasoline, in Wichita, all while driving on U. S. Highway 66 in Oklahoma near Tulsa, resulting in the number 66 superimposed on the U. S. Highway symbol for Route 66. Frank Phillips served as president of the company until 1938 and he then turned over the presidency to Kenneth S. Boots Adams, but continued as chairman of the board until 1949, in 1942, the company bought more than 250,000 acres in the Hugoton-Panhandle gas fields and a 25 percent interest in the Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Co. In 1954, the U. S. Supreme Court decided the case of Phillips Petroleum vs. State of Wisconsin which held that under the Natural Gas Act, Phillips then divested itself of the Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Interest, but remained a major supplier of natural gas. World War II greatly stimulated the demand for products, especially high-octane aviation fuel. Phillips turned to technology to increase the rating of fuels for use in advanced engines. The company invented an HF alkylation process in 1940, the American petrochemical industry took off, first making such as styrene, ethylene, propylene and butadiene. After the war, it formed a subsidiary, Phillips Chemical Co. which entered the business by producing anhydrous ammonia from natural gas. The company then built a complex on the Houston Ship Channel devoted to making petrochemicals, during the 1960s, Phillips expanded its international operations, particularly with exploration in Canada, Venezuela, and Colombia
29.
John Lucas III
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John Harding Lucas III is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Baylor and Oklahoma State, born in Washington, D. C. to former NBA player and coach John Lucas II and his wife DeEdgra, Lucas lived in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania for a time as a youth. Lucas was the point guard on the Bellaire High School basketball team and played alongside fellow future NBA players Emeka Okafor. Lucas has a brother, Jai. He originally played collegiately at Baylor University, but transferred from there to Oklahoma State University in the wake of the 2003 Baylor basketball scandal, Lucas is noted for his winning shot against the Saint Josephs University team that sent the 2004 Oklahoma State Cowboys to the NCAA Final Four. After going undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft, Lucas joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2005 NBA Summer League, the Timberwolves also signed him to their training camp roster. During the 2005–06 NBA season, Lucas was called up by the Houston Rockets from the Tulsa 66ers in December 2005 and he played 13 games for the Rockets between December and February. Lucass call-up made him the first Tulsa 66ers player to be called up from the NBA Development League and he averaged 16.6 points in 33.2 mins per game with the 66ers. On May 10,2006, Lucas signed with Snaidero Udine of the Italian League, to fill the gap left by Jerome Allen, on July 28,2006, Lucas signed with the Rockets to a three-year contract. In the 2006–07 season, Lucas and the Rockets made it to the playoffs, on October 30,2007, Lucas was one of four players cut from the Rockets roster, prior to the commencement of the 2007–08 season. He subsequently returned to Italian basketball, joining Benetton Treviso in January 2008 and he was then later released by Treviso in March. Lucas was signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder in September 2008 but was released by them in November before playing in any NBA games for them, in February 2009, he signed with the Colorado 14ers and helped them go on to win the 2008–09 D-League championship. On April 27,2009, Lucas signed with TAU Cerámica of the Spanish ACB League for the remainder of the season, on September 2,2009, Lucas was drafted by the Maine Red Claws in the NBA Development League expansion draft. Lucas played in the 2009 NBA preseason for the Miami Heat and he played four games and averaged 7.0 points,2.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. On October 23,2009, Lucas was waived by the Heat, Lucas then spent the 2009–10 season with the Shanghai Sharks of the CBA. Lucas spent the 2010 NBA preseason with the Chicago Bulls but was waived on October 21, the Bulls re-signed him on November 26. In his debut for the Bulls, Lucas missed two free throws in the final seconds of a 98–97 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He was waived on January 4,2011, and signed with the Shanghai Sharks in China, after his 2-month China stint, he returned to America and re-signed with the Bulls on March 20,2011
30.
University Interscholastic League
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It is the largest organization of its type in the world. Activities range from American football and cross-examination debate to mathematics and marching competitions, however. The UIL is under the governance of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. Although the Texas Education Agency governs the activities of schools and school districts in Texas, the UIL does not report to TEA, the UIL was originally created by UT in 1910 as two different entities, the Debating League of Texas High Schools and the Interscholastic Athletic Association. The two entities merged in 1913 and adopted the UIL name, at the time, UIL only governed white schools in Texas. In 1965, the UIL agreed to admit PVIL member schools for competition, black schools began UIL competitions beginning in the 1967-68 school year. After the 1969–70 school year, the UIL fully absorbed all PVIL member schools, beginning with the 2003–2004 academic year, two large all-male private schools, Dallas Jesuit and Houston Strake Jesuit, were granted UIL membership. This came after extensive court battles and negotiations from both the UILs lawyers and the schools joint lawyers, the Texas Legislature rewrote titles 1 and 2 of the Texas Education Code and greatly restricted the functions to be performed by the Texas Education Agency and the UIL. The changes made Texas an equal access state, the law now requires the public schools to allow all students that reside within the schools boundary equal access to all activities. The UIL no longer has the authority to determine the eligibility of Charter/Home/Private school students, all students must abide by the state No-Pass No-Play law. Only students that are enrolled in a school must abide by UIL eligibility rules. Charter/Home/Private school students may now participate in all public school extra-curricular activities, note, In 2008 two non-public school students won UIL wrestling championships. On October 10,2010, the Third District Court of Appeals in Austin ruled that the UIL operates as a public organization, the ruling clarified that the UIL is legally considered a state agency and must comply with the prerequisites and duties that all other state agencies have. As a state agent the UIL must treat individuals equally and show the purpose/need as well as a basis for eligibility restrictions. The UIL governs only public schools and 2 private high schools, activities for most Texas private schools are governed by separate bodies, the largest of which is TAPPS. Furthermore, private schools must compete at one classification higher than their enrollment would otherwise dictate, UIL schools are permitted to schedule contests with private schools and/or home school groups. Schools are arranged by classification to ensure that schools compete on a basis with other schools in the geographic area of a similar size. The classifications are A, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAA and AAAAAA, the corresponding alphanumeric designations are used in everyday conversation, but officially UIL only uses the alphabetic designations.0 between the largest and smallest school in each class
31.
Texas Longhorns men's basketball
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The Texas Longhorns mens basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I intercollegiate mens basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference, the University of Texas began varsity intercollegiate competition in mens basketball in 1906. Among Big 12 Conference mens basketball programs, Texas is second only to Kansas in both wins and all-time win percentage. The Texas basketball program experienced substantial success during the decades of its existence. Since 1977, the team has played its games in the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. The team is led by second-year head coach Shaka Smart. Mainland had been a nationally known basketball player as a student at Wheaton College prior to coming to UT. His Wheaton team placed out of the three competing college basketball teams in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, the first Olympic Games featuring the young sport. The Longhorns took the court for the first time on March 10,1906, Texas traveled to Waco two weeks later for a three-game series with the Bears and won all three games behind the play of Mainland. The Longhorns ultimately won seven of the eight games scheduled in the programs inaugural season. Due to inadequate funding, the UT Athletic Council canceled the program after two seasons, leaving Texas without a basketball team for the 1908 season. The Athletics Council revived the program in 1909, owing in part to the efforts of Longhorn player Morgan Vining. Metzenthin finished with an record of 13–14, not until 1959 would another UT basketball coach leave with a losing overall record. Taylor, also the Texas track coach, assumed head coaching responsibilities for the 1913 season. Taylor came to UT with a reputation for basketball expertise. At the conclusion of the 1912–13 academic year, the UTs Cactus yearbook declared and it always has been so considered until this year Prof. Carl Taylor took charge of the work and infused new life into it, L. Bellmonts teams contributed 25 victories to a winning streak that would ultimately grow to 44 games. Hendersons team recorded Texas third consecutive undefeated season in 1916 to extend the total to 40 consecutive victories. S, Attorney General under Woodrow Wilson in 1914
32.
T. J. Ford
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Terrance Jerod T. J. Ford is an American retired professional basketball player. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in school and college. Fords recurring back injuries resulted in him missing many games in his three seasons with the Bucks, but in 2005, it was announced that he was fit to play basketball again. Ford was traded to the Raptors prior to the 2006–07 NBA season, following an injury sustained in the 2007–08 NBA season, however, Ford had difficulties reclaiming the starting spot and was traded to the Indiana Pacers. He signed with KK Zagreb of Croatia during the 2011 NBA lockout where he appeared in one game, playing 17 minutes, on December 9,2011, Ford signed a contract with the San Antonio Spurs. Off the court, Ford set up the T. J. Ford Foundation in 2004 to help achieve their academic, personal. Born in Houston, Texas to Leo and Mary Ford, Terrance Jerod Ford was nicknamed T. J. at birth by his mother. From a young age, Ford dreamed of being a basketball player, subsequently, Ford was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, but he went on to play basketball for the Texas Longhorns for the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons. In his first season at Texas, Ford not only led the team in steals and minutes per game, Fords play ensured that Texas made it to the Sweet Sixteen, while he recorded 15 double-digit assist games, and was named a consensus Big 12 Freshman of the Year. In 2003, the sophomore was third in the nation in assists, Ford was also the South Regional MVP while leading Texas to its first Final Four since 1947. com and CBS SportsLine. Ford was picked eighth in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks in a strong draft class. In his first season, he led the Bucks in assists with 6.5 assists per game, Ford was also selected to the NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team. However, he played in only 55 games that season before an injury forced him to miss the final 26 games of the regular season and the 2004 NBA Playoffs. The injury occurred on February 24,2004, during a game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves where he fell on his tail bone after being fouled by center Mark Madsen. He suffered a contusion of the cord, a career-threatening injury. Ford sat out the entire 2004–05 season due to his spinal cord injury, in June 2005, a statement was released by Dr. Robert Watkins of the Los Angeles Spine Surgery Institute that said Ford had made a complete recovery. The point guard had trained intensively for months in his hometown of Houston under the supervision of former NBA player John Lucas, together they worked on Fords shooting, stamina, and strength. As the season progressed Ford showed almost no effects from his injury, playing with the same intensity and he ended the regular season with 12.2 ppg and 6.6 apg, but found that the Bucks had abandoned a fast-paced style of offense
33.
Daniel Ewing
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George Daniel Ewing Jr is an American professional basketball player for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga. A6 ft 3 in and 185 pounds guard from Duke University, prior to Duke, he played for Willowridge High School in Missouri City, Texas along with T. J. Ford and Ivan McFarlin. He was selected as a McDonalds All-American in 2001, Ewing was selected by the NBAs Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He played with the club during two seasons, as a backup, in 127 regular season contests, he averaged 3 points, one rebound and one assist per game. On June 29,2007, he was waived by the Clippers, on July 23,2007, Ewing signed a two-year contract with the Russian League club BC Khimki. After one year in Russia with Khimki, Ewing joined Polish Leagues Asseco Prokom Sopot for the 2008-09 season, in July 2011, he signed a one-year contract with Azovmash Mariupol of Ukraine. In December 2012, he signed with Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball League for the rest of the season, in July 2013, he signed with a one-year deal Paris-Levallois Basket of the French LNB Pro A. On October 1,2014, Ewing signed a contract with Le Mans Sarthe. On October 29,2014, his contract with the team was extended for the rest of the season, on August 15,2015, Ewing signed a one-year deal with the Lithuanian club Neptūnas Klaipėda. On August 18,2016, Ewing signed with Israeli club Maccabi Ashdod, on February 22,2017, he returned to Neptūnas
34.
University of Arkansas
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The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university in Fayetteville, in the U. S. state of Arkansas. More than 26,000 students are enrolled in over 188 undergraduate, graduate and it is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with highest research activity. Founded as Arkansas Industrial University in 1871, its present name was adopted in 1899 and it is noted for its strong architecture, agriculture, business, communication disorders, creative writing, history, law, and Middle Eastern studies programs. Enrollment for the semester of 2014 was 26,237. Academic programs are in excess of 200, the ratio of students to faculty is approximately 19,1. The University of Arkansas was founded in 1871 on the site of a farm that overlooked the Ozark Mountains. The university was established under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862, the universitys founding also satisfied the provision in the Arkansas Constitution of 1868 that the General Assembly was to establish and maintain a State University. Bids from state towns and counties determined the universitys location, the citizens of Fayetteville and Washington County. Pledged $130,000 toward securing the university, a sum that proved to be more than other offers, classes started on January 22,1872. Completed in 1875, Old Main, a brick building designed in the Second Empire style, was the primary instructional. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and its design was based on the plans for the main academic building at the University of Illinois, which has since been demolished. However, the clock and bell towers were switched at Arkansas, the northern taller tower is the bell tower, and the southern shorter tower is the clock tower. One legend for the switch is that the taller tower was put to the north as a reminder of the Union victory during the Civil War. A second legend is that the contractor accidentally swapped the tower drawings after having had too much to drink, although the southern tower was designed with clock faces, it never held a working clock until October 2005. The bell tower has always had some type of chime, initially a bell that was rung on the hour by student volunteers, electronic chimes were installed in 1959. In addition to the chimes of the clock, the universitys Alma Mater plays at 5 pm every day. Old Main housed many of the earliest classes at the university, the lawn at Old Main serves as an arboretum, with many of the trees native to the state of Arkansas found on the lawn. Sitting at the edge of the lawn is Spoofers Stone, a place for couples to meet, students play soccer, cricket and touch football on the lawns open green
35.
Vanderbilt University
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Vanderbilt University is a private research university founded in 1873 and located in Nashville, Tennessee. It was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt hoped that his gift and the greater work of the university would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the Civil War. Today, Vanderbilt enrolls approximately 12,000 students from all 50 U. S. states and over 90 foreign countries in four undergraduate and six graduate, despite its urban surroundings, the campus itself is a national arboretum and features over 300 different species of trees and shrubs. Vanderbilt is ranked as one of the top universities for its teaching, research opportunities. It is ranked 15th on the list of best national universities generated by U. S. News & World Report, however, lack of funds and the ravaged state of the Reconstruction Era South delayed the opening of the college. Indeed, the McTyeires had met at St. Francis Street Methodist Church in Mobile, Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was the wealthiest man in the United States at the time, was considering philanthropy as he was at an advanced age. He had been planning to establish a university on Staten Island, New York, however, McTyeire convinced him to donate $500,000 to endow Central University in order to contribute to strengthening the ties which should exist between all sections of our common country. The endowment was increased to $1 million and would be only one of two philanthropic causes financially supported by Vanderbilt. Though he never expressed any desire that the university be named after himself, McTyeire, Vanderbilt died in 1877 without seeing the school named after him. One of the trustees, Hezekiah William Foote, was a Confederate veteran. The Treasurer of the Board of Trust from 1872 to 1875, Alexander Little Page Green, whose portrait hangs in Kirkland Hall, was a Methodist preacher and a former slave owner. His son-in-law, Robert A. Young, was a Methodist minister who served as the Financial Secretary on the Board of Trust from 1874 to 1882, retiring from the board in 1902. The first building, Main Building, later known as Kirkland Hall, was designed by William Crawford Smith, in the fall of 1875, about 200 students enrolled at Vanderbilt, and in October the university was dedicated. Bishop McTyeire was named Chairman of the Board of Trust for life by Vanderbilt as a stipulation of his endowment, McTyeire named Landon Garland, his mentor from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia and then-Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, as chancellor. Garland shaped the structure and hired the schools faculty, many of whom were renowned scholars in their respective fields. However, most of this faculty left after disputes with Bishop McTyeire, when the first fraternity chapter, Phi Delta Theta, was established on campus in 1876, it was shut down by the faculty, only to be reestablished as a secret society in 1877. Meanwhile, Old Gym, designed by Dutch-born architect Peter J. Williamson, was built in 1879–1880, by 1883, the Board of Trust passed a resolution allowing fraternities on campus, and more chapters were established in 1884. During the first 40 years, the Board of Trust, and therefore the university, was under the control of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, conflicts escalated after James H. Kirkland was appointed chancellor in 1893
