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
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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
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San Diego
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San Diego is a major city in California, United States. It is in San Diego County, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, approximately 120 miles south of Los Angeles and immediately adjacent to the border with Mexico. With an estimated population of 1,394,928 as of July 1,2015, San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest in California. It is part of the San Diego–Tijuana conurbation, the second-largest transborder agglomeration between the US and a country after Detroit–Windsor, with a population of 4,922,723 people. San Diego has been called the birthplace of California, historically home to the Kumeyaay people, San Diego was the first site visited by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States. Upon landing in San Diego Bay in 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the area for Spain, the Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded in 1769, formed the first European settlement in what is now California. In 1821, San Diego became part of the newly independent Mexico, in 1850, California became part of the United States following the Mexican–American War and the admission of California to the union. The city is the seat of San Diego County and is the center of the region as well as the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. San Diegos main economic engines are military and defense-related activities, tourism, international trade, the presence of the University of California, San Diego, with the affiliated UCSD Medical Center, has helped make the area a center of research in biotechnology. The original inhabitants of the region are now known as the San Dieguito, the area of San Diego has been inhabited by the Kumeyaay people. The first European to visit the region was Portuguese-born explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailing under the flag of Castile, sailing his flagship San Salvador from Navidad, New Spain, Cabrillo claimed the bay for the Spanish Empire in 1542, and named the site San Miguel. In November 1602, Sebastián Vizcaíno was sent to map the California coast, in May 1769, Gaspar de Portolà established the Fort Presidio of San Diego on a hill near the San Diego River. It was the first settlement by Europeans in what is now the state of California, in July of the same year, Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded by Franciscan friars under Junípero Serra. By 1797, the mission boasted the largest native population in Alta California, with over 1,400 neophytes living in, Mission San Diego was the southern anchor in California of the historic mission trail El Camino Real. Both the Presidio and the Mission are National Historic Landmarks, in 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, and San Diego became part of the Mexican territory of Alta California. In 1822, Mexico began attempting to extend its authority over the territory of Alta California. The fort on Presidio Hill was gradually abandoned, while the town of San Diego grew up on the land below Presidio Hill. The Mission was secularized by the Mexican government in 1833, the 432 residents of the town petitioned the governor to form a pueblo, and Juan María Osuna was elected the first alcalde, defeating Pío Pico in the vote
4.
St. Stephen's Episcopal School (Austin, Texas)
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St. Stephens Episcopal School is a private coeducational preparatory boarding and day school in Austin, Texas. Enrollment is approximately 665, with roughly 460 in Grades 9–12 and 205 in Grades 6–8 and its campus overlooking Lake Austin is spread over 370 acres of the Texas Hill Country. St. Stephens Episcopal School is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, Bishop John E. Hines of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas founded St. Stephens Episcopal School in 1950 with the support of the Episcopal Church. He was once quoted as saying that it was the duty of Christians to live on the edge of the human dilemma. The early years of the school were marked by internal and external struggles, although situated today at the western edge of the city of Austin and surrounded by affluent housing developments, for many years the school was quite isolated from the outside world. A number of the buildings at the school were constructed by local cedar choppers, with the assistance of students and staff members. This rugged environment led students to nickname themselves Spartans, which became the schools mascot, the school faced down these threats, and in 1968, following the death of Martin Luther King, the school established a scholarship in his name. St. Stephens is overseen by a board of trustees, comprising alumni, day-to-day operations of the school are overseen by a head of school, who is appointed by the board of trustees with the consent of the Bishop of Texas. The current headmaster is Robert E. Kirkpatrick, rules and policies of the school are adopted by the faculty at faculty meetings. Being an Episcopal school, chapel services are held most mornings, chapel features a traditional Christian worship service, sometimes featuring guest speakers and announcements. A weekly church service is conducted during the year on Sunday mornings. Boarding students are required to attend this service, prayers are also offered after meals and important occasions. The school is served by an Episcopal chaplain, the current chaplain is Father Todd FitzGerald. Apart from conducting chapel services, he teaches an 8th grade theology class. In the 2009-2010 school year, about 152 of the 460 upper school students were boarding students from 5 U. S. states and 18 foreign countries, every student at St. Stephens is assigned a faculty advisor during their time at the school. Additionally, the group of students assigned to a faculty member are known as an advisory, morning advisories also serve the purpose of verifying attendance. The advisor approves the course schedule and is responsible for ensuring his or her academic progress. In the middle school, the meetings are held once a week on Wednesdays, whereas in the upper school
5.
Austin, Texas
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Austin is the capital of the U. S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. It is the 11th-most populous city in the U. S. and it is the fastest growing large city in the United States and the second most populous capital city after Phoenix, Arizona. As of the U. S. Census Bureaus July 1,2015 estimate and it is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 2,056,405 as of July 1,2016. In the 1830s, pioneers began to settle the area in central Austin along the Colorado River, in 1839, the site was officially chosen to replace Houston as the new capital of the Republic of Texas and was incorporated under the name Waterloo. Shortly thereafter, the name was changed to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas and the republics first secretary of state. The city subsequently grew throughout the 19th century and became a center for government and education with the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin. After a lull in growth from the Great Depression, Austin resumed its development into a city and, by the 1980s, it emerged as a center for technology. A number of Fortune 500 companies have headquarters or regional offices in Austin, including Amazon. com, cisco, eBay, Google, IBM, Intel, Oracle Corporation, Texas Instruments, 3M, and Whole Foods Market. Dells worldwide headquarters is located in nearby Round Rock, a suburb of Austin, residents of Austin are known as Austinites. They include a mix of government employees, college students, musicians, high-tech workers, blue-collar workers. The city also adopted Silicon Hills as a nickname in the 1990s due to an influx of technology. In the late 1800s, Austin was known as the City of the Violet Crown because of the glow of light across the hills just after sunset. Even today, many Austin businesses use the term Violet Crown in their name, Austin is known as a clean-air city for its stringent no-smoking ordinances that apply to all public places and buildings, including restaurants and bars. The FBI ranked Austin as the second-safest major city in the U. S. for the year 2012, U. S. News & World Report named Austin the best place to live in the U. S. in 2017. Austin, Travis County and Williamson County have been the site of habitation since at least 9200 BC. When settlers arrived from Europe, the Tonkawa tribe inhabited the area, the Comanches and Lipan Apaches were also known to travel through the area. Spanish colonists, including the Espinosa-Olivares-Aguirre expedition, traveled through the area for centuries, in 1730, three missions from East Texas were combined and reestablished as one mission on the south side of the Colorado River, in what is now Zilker Park, in Austin. The mission was in area for only about seven months
6.
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
7.
Brooklyn Nets
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The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City, the other are the New York Knicks, the team was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBAs rival league, the American Basketball Association. They played in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans during their first season, before moving to Long Island in 1968, during this time, the Nets won two ABA championships. In 1976, the ABA merged with the NBA, and the Nets were absorbed into the NBA along with three other ABA teams, in 1977, the team returned to New Jersey and played as the New Jersey Nets from 1977 to 2012. During this time, the Nets won two consecutive Eastern Conference championships, but failed to win a league title, in the summer of 2012, the team moved to Barclays Center, and took its current geographic name. The Brooklyn Nets were founded in 1967 and initially played in Teaneck, New Jersey, in its early years, the team led a nomadic existence, moving to Long Island in 1968 and playing in various arenas there as the New York Nets. Led by Hall of Famer Julius Dr. J Erving, the Nets won two ABA championships in New York before becoming one of four ABA teams to be admitted into the NBA as part of the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The team then moved back to New Jersey in 1977 and became the New Jersey Nets, the Boston Celtics were once rivals of the Nets during the early 2000s because of their respective locations and their burgeoning stars. The Nets were led by Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, while the Celtics were experiencing newfound success behind Paul Pierce, the rivalry began to heat up in the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, which was preceded by trash-talking from the Celtics who claimed Martin was a fake tough guy. Things progressed as the series started, and on-court tensions seemed to spill into the stands, celtic fans berated Kidd and his family with chants of Wife Beater. in response to Kidds 2001 domestic abuse charge. When the series returned to New Jersey, Nets fans responded, referring to a night club incident in 2000 in which Pierce was stabbed 11 times. When asked about the fan barbs being traded, Kenyon Martin stated, Our fans hate them, rondo was suspended for two games in the aftermath, while Wallace and Kevin Garnett were fined. The story was revisited on December 25, when Wallace grabbed Garnetts shorts and this move was billed as a merger of the two Atlantic Division teams. Celtics announcer Sean Grande said Its almost as if you found a home for these guys. You couldnt have found a better place and these guys will be in the New York market, theyll be on a competitive team, theyll stay on national TV. Its funny, because the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so with Celtics fans feeling the way they do about the Heat, feeling the way they do about the Knicks, the Nets are going to become almost the second team now
8.
Big 12 Conference
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The Big 12 Conference is a ten-school collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas. Its ten members, located in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, additionally, the Big 12 has ten affiliate members, six for the sport of wrestling, one for womens gymnastics, and 3 for womens rowing. The Big 12 Conference is a 501 nonprofit organization incorporated in Delaware, the Big 12 was formerly composed of 12 schools, hence its name, it was formed in 1996 when four schools from the collapsing Southwest Conference joined with the pre-existing Big Eight Conference. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were grouped with the four newcomers in the Big 12 South, TCU and West Virginia joined from the Mountain West and Big East Conferences respectively to offset two of the departing schools, bringing the conference to its current strength. Attempts to rename the Big 12 to reflect its current strength would lead to confusion with the current Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference commissioner is Bob Bowlsby. Full members Assoc. member Other Conference The Big 12 Conference sponsors championship competition in ten mens, nonetheless, it is an open coed sport in NCAA college athletics, with mens, womens, and coed teams in all NCAA divisions competing against each other. TCU and West Virginia both field coed teams, through 2017, West Virginia with 19 national titles and TCU with two, together have won over half of the NCAA titles awarded since the inaugural NCAA championship in 1980. West Virginia also won four national titles. The Big 12 began athletic play in the fall of 1996, from its formation until 2011, its 12 members competed in two divisions. Between 2011 and 2012 four charter members left the conference while two joined in 2013. The Big 12 is unique among the current Power Five conferences in that it only has 10 members, despite the name, causing some confusion. From 1987 to 2015,12 or more members were required for a championship game. Former Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds and former football coach Mack Brown, along with Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops, critics argued it was a competitive advantage over other contract conferences. Conferences with a game have their division champions typically play one of their toughest games of the year in the last week of the regular season. Unlike the other Power 5 conferences in which a team plays a portion of the other teams in the conference each season. This theoretically allows for the declaration of a de facto champion without the need for a rematch between the top two teams in the conference. On June 3,2016, the conference announced it would reinstate the football game in the 2017 season. This followed the passage of a new NCAA rule allowing all FBS conferences to hold football championship games regardless of their membership numbers, the Big 12 population base is centered on the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, West Virginia and Iowa
9.
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
10.
United States men's national basketball team
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The USA Basketball Mens Senior National Team, commonly known as the United States Mens National Basketball Team, represents the United States in international mens basketball. The USA team is the most successful team in competition, winning medals in all eighteen Olympic tournaments it has entered. The United States is currently ranked first in the FIBA World Rankings, traditionally composed of amateur players, a 1989 rule change by FIBA allowed USA Basketball to field teams with professional players. The first such team, known as the Dream Team, won the medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. With the introduction of professionals, the team was able to spark a run of dominance after capturing only a bronze medal in 1988. A team of professional players competed at the 1994 FIBA World Championship, in 1996,2000,2008,2012, and 2016 the USA again captured gold medals at the Olympics. Facing increased competition, the USA failed to win a medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, determined to put an end to these failures, USA Basketball initiated a long-term project aimed at creating better, more cohesive teams. The USA won its first seven games at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan before losing against Greece in the semi-finals, the USA won gold two years later, though, at the 2008 Summer Olympics with a dominant performance. The USA continued this streak of dominance by going undefeated and capturing gold once more at the 2012 Summer Olympics,2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the United States possessed a clear advantage in the early decades of international play. Through the next six tournaments, the United States went undefeated, collecting gold while not losing a single contest in the held in London, Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome, Tokyo. Roster until the formation of the 1992 Dream Team, the 1952 team included big man Clyde Lovellette of the University of Kansas, a future Hall of Famer and NBA star, but Kurland once again led the team to victory. The 1956 team was led by San Francisco Dons Bill Russell, the 1972 Olympic mens basketball gold medal game, marking the first ever loss for the USA in Olympic play, is arguably the most controversial in Olympic history. The United States rode their seven consecutive gold medals and 63–0 Olympic record to Munich for the 1972 Summer Olympics, the team won its first eight games in convincing fashion, setting up a final against the Soviet Union. With three seconds left in the medal game, American forward Doug Collins sank two free throws to put the Americans up 50–49. However, the buzzer sounded before Collins second free throw, immediately following Collins free throws, the Soviets inbounded the ball and failed to score. But one official had whistled play to stop with one remaining after hearing the earlier horn. The Soviets argued that they had requested a timeout before Collins foul shots, the referees ordered the clock reset to three seconds and the games final seconds replayed. However, the clock was in the process of being reset when the referees put the ball in play
11.
University of Texas at Austin
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Founded in 1881 as The University of Texas, its campus is in Austin, Texas—approximately 1 mile from the Texas State Capitol. The institution has the nations seventh-largest single-campus enrollment, with over 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students and over 24,000 faculty, UT Austin was inducted into the American Association of Universities in 1929, becoming only the third university in the American South to be elected. It is a center for academic research, with research expenditures exceeding $550 million for the 2014–2015 school year. J. Pickle Research Campus and the McDonald Observatory, among university faculty are recipients of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, the Wolf Prize, the Emmy Award, the Turing Award, and the National Medal of Science, as well as many other awards. UT Austin student athletes compete as the Texas Longhorns and are members of the Big 12 Conference and its Longhorn Network is the only sports network featuring the college sports of a single university. The first mention of a university in Texas can be traced to the 1827 constitution for the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. Although Title 6, Article 217 of the Constitution promised to establish education in the arts and sciences. On April 18,1838, An Act to Establish the University of Texas was referred to a committee of the Texas Congress. On January 26,1839, the Texas Congress agreed to set aside fifty leagues of land towards the establishment of a publicly funded university, in addition,40 acres in the new capital of Austin were reserved and designated College Hill. In 1845, Texas was annexed into the United States, interestingly, the states Constitution of 1845 failed to mention higher education. On February 11,1858, the Seventh Texas Legislature approved O. B,102, an act to establish the University of Texas, which set aside $100,000 in United States bonds toward construction of the states first publicly funded university. The legislature also designated land reserved for the encouragement of railroad construction toward the universitys endowment, Texas secession from the Union and the American Civil War delayed repayment of the borrowed monies. At the end of the Civil War in 1865, The University of Texas endowment was just over $16,000 in warrants, the more valuable lands reverted to the fund to support general education in the state. The legislature additionally appropriated $256,272.57 to repay the funds taken from the university in 1860 to pay for frontier defense, the 1883 grant of land increased the land in the Permanent University Fund to almost 2.2 million acres. Under the Act of 1858, the university was entitled to just over 1,000 acres of land for every mile of railroad built in the state. On March 30,1881, the legislature set forth the structure and organization. By popular election on September 6,1881, Austin was chosen as the site, galveston, having come in second in the election was designated the location of the medical department. On November 17,1882, on the original College Hill, smite the earth, smite the rocks with the rod of knowledge and fountains of unstinted wealth will gush forth
12.
College basketball
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The history of basketball is traced back to a YMCA International Training School, known today as Springfield College, located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The date of the first formal basketball game played at the Springfield YMCA Training School under Naismiths rules is generally given as December 21,1891, Basketball began to spread to college campuses by 1893. Governing bodies in Canada include U Sports and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, each of these various organizations are subdivided into from one to three divisions based on the number and level of scholarships that may be provided to the athletes. The first basketball games in the United States were played at YMCAs in 1891 and 1892, by 1893, the game was being played on college campuses. The original rules for basketball were very different from todays modern rules of the sport, in the beginning James Naismith established 13 original rules, The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist, a player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, the ball must be held by the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it, no shouldering, holding, pushing, striking, or tripping in any way of an opponent is allowed. A foul will be called when a player is seen striking at the ball with the fist, or when violations of rules 3 and 4, if either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, if the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal. When the ball out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field, the thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent, if any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and he shall have power to disqualify men according to rule 5. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to side it belongs. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals, the time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner, the following is a list of some of the major NCAA Basketball rule changes with the year they went into effect. The first known college to field a team against an outside opponent was Vanderbilt University
13.
Derrick Favors
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Derrick Bernard Favors is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. Favors played college basketball for Georgia Tech for one season before being drafted third overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 2010 NBA draft and he was later traded to Utah in 2011. Favors played high school basketball at South Atlanta High School, where he was ranked as one of the best high school players in the class of 2009. Scout. com rated him the #1 player in the country, #2 in the ESPNU100, on March 14,2009, he led South Atlanta to the Georgia Class AAA state championship. He scored 38 points and had 21 rebounds in the game against Westover High School. He was named to the 2009 McDonalds All-American Team and he led the East to a 113–110 victory and was named the MVP of the game. He scored 19 points and had 8 rebounds. He finished his senior season averaging 28.1 points,13.3 rebounds,5.0 blocks,3.0 steals and 2.0 assists per game and holds the records in points, rebounds. Favors committed to Georgia Tech in January 2009, which he chose over Georgia, Memphis, Favors played both power forward and center for Paul Hewitts Yellow Jackets. The front court consisted of a rotation of Favors, Gani Lawal. In ACC games, he averaged 11.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and he also helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the ACC tournament finals against Duke. During the tournament, he posted 17 points,9.8 rebounds and 3 blocks per game, Favors was named ACC Rookie of the Year and to the ACC All-Freshman Team. In just his third game with the Nets on October 31,2010 against Miami, on February 23,2011, Favors was traded, along with Devin Harris and two future first-round picks, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Deron Williams. He went on to score a season-high 17 points on April 9 against San Antonio, on October 19,2013, Favors signed a four-year contract extension with the Jazz. On November 1,2014, Favors scored a then career-high 32 points in a 118–91 win over the Phoenix Suns, on November 12,2015, he recorded 25 points,12 rebounds and a career-high 7 blocks in a loss to the Miami Heat. On December 5,2015, he scored a career-high 35 points in a 122–119 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers, on January 25,2016, Favors returned to the floor after a 16-game absence due to a back problem. He played 19 minutes off the bench and recorded 14 points and 5 rebounds in a loss to the Detroit Pistons, Favors signed a shoe deal with Adidas just before the 2010 NBA Draft. Favors has been loyal to Adidas since he was 15, when he was playing for his AAU team, career statistics and player information from NBA. com, or Basketball-Reference. com Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio
14.
Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers are an American professional basketball team based in Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA and they have won three NBA championships, with their first coming as the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. The second title came in the 1966–67 season, a team which was led by Chamberlain, the third title came in the 1982–83 season, won by a team led by Erving and Malone. The 76ers have only been back to the NBA Finals once since then, in 2001, while in the NBL with teams largely consisting of small Midwestern towns, the Nationals put together a 21–23 record, finishing in 4th place. In the playoffs, the Nats would be beaten by the fellow upstate neighbor Rochester Royals in 4 games, in their second season, 1947–48, the Nationals would struggle, finishing in 5th place with a 24–36 record. Despite their struggles, the Nats would make the playoffs, getting swept by the Anderson Duffey Packers in 3 straight games, several teams began to leave the NBL for the BAA as the foundation for an absorption was laid. The Nationals recipe for success began by recruiting Leo Ferris, in the playoffs the Nationals would make quick work of the Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, winning the series in 2 straight games. However, in the semifinals the Nats would fall to the Anderson Duffey Packers for the second season in 4 games. In 1949, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were absorbed by the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA, the Nationals were an instant success in the NBA, winning the Eastern Division in the 1949–1950 season, with a league best record of 51–13. In the playoffs the Nationals continued to play basketball, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in 2 straight. Moving on to the Eastern Finals, the Nationals battled the New York Knickerbockers, in the NBA Finals, the Nationals faced fellow NBL alums the Minneapolis Lakers. In Game 1 of the Finals the Nats lost just their home game of the season 68–66. The Nats did not recover, as they fell behind 3 games to 1 before falling in 6 games, despite several teams leaving the NBA for the National Professional Basketball League before the 1950–1951 season, the Nationals decided to stay put. In their second NBA season the Nationals played mediocre basketball all season, however, in the playoffs the Nats played their best basketball of the season as they stunned the 1st place Philadelphia Warriors in 2 straight, taking Game 1 on the road in overtime 91–89. In the Eastern Finals the Nationals were beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard-fought 5-game series, in the playoffs the Nats knocked off the Philadelphia Warriors again in a 3-game series. However, in the Eastern Finals the Nats fell to the New York Knickerbockers again, the Nationals would finish in 2nd place in a hard fought 3-way battle for first place in the Eastern Division for the 1952–1953 season, with a record of 47–24. In the playoffs the Nationals would face the Boston Celtics dropping Game 1 at home 87–81, the Nationals acquired Alex Groza, and Ralph Beard as the Indianapolis Olympians folded leaving the NBA with just 9 teams for the 1953–1954 season
15.
Los Angeles Lakers
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The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, as of 2015, the Lakers are the second most valuable franchise in the NBA according to Forbes, having an estimated value of $2.7 billion. The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the new team began playing in Minneapolis, calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers in honor of the states nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes. The team was propelled by center George Mikan, who is described by the NBAs official website as the leagues first superstar, after struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikans retirement, they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season. Led by Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, Los Angeles made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s, but lost each series to the Boston Celtics, beginning their long and storied rivalry. After the retirement of West and Chamberlain, the team acquired another center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had won multiple MVP awards and this team featured Hall of Famers in Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, and a Hall of Fame coach, Pat Riley. After Abdul-Jabbar and Johnsons retirement, the team struggled in the early 1990s before acquiring Shaquille ONeal, led by ONeal, Bryant, and another Hall of Fame coach, Phil Jackson, Los Angeles won three consecutive titles between 2000 to 2002, securing the franchise its second three-peat. After losing both the 2004 and 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers won two championships by defeating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and Boston in 2010. The Lakers hold the record for NBAs longest winning streak,33 straight games,21 Hall of Famers have played for Los Angeles, while four have coached the team. Four Lakers—Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, ONeal, and Bryant—have won the NBA MVP Award for a total of eight awards, Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman played a key behind the scenes role in helping put together the deal and later the team. Inspired by Minnesotas nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes, Hartman helped them hire John Kundla from College of St. Thomas, to be their first head coach, by meeting with him and selling him on the team. The Lakers had a roster which featured forward Jim Pollard, playmaker Herm Schaefer, and center George Mikan. In their first season, they led the league with a 43–17 record, in 1948, the Lakers moved from the NBL to the Basketball Association of America, and Mikans 28.3 point per game scoring average set a BAA record. In the 1949 BAA Finals they won the championship, beating the Washington Capitols four games to two, the following season, the team improved to 51–17, repeating as champions. In the 1950–51 season, Mikan won his third straight scoring title at 28.4 ppg, one of those games, a 19–18 loss against the Fort Wayne Pistons, became infamous as the lowest scoring game in NBA history. In the playoffs, they defeated the Indianapolis Olympians in three games but lost to the Rochester Royals in the next round, during the 1951–52 season, the Lakers won 40 games, finishing second in their division. They faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, which won in seven games
16.
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
17.
Three-point field goal
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A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two points awarded for field goals made within the three-point line and the one point for each made free throw. In international FIBA and WNBA play, the three-point line is 6.75 m away from the basket on the arc part and 6.6 m from the straight parts. In both mens and womens National Collegiate Athletics Association basketball, the three-point line is simply a 180° circular arc centered on the basket,20 ft 9 in in radius. The three-point line was first tested at the level in a 1945 NCAA game between Columbia and Fordham but it was not kept as a rule. At the direction of Abe Saperstein, the American Basketball League became the first basketball league to institute the rule in 1961 and its three-point line was a radius of 25 feet from the baskets, except along the sides. The Eastern Professional Basketball League followed in its 1963–64 season, the three-point shot later became popularized by the American Basketball Association after its introduction in the 1967–68 season. Then commissioner of the ABA George Mikan stated the three-pointer would give the player a chance to score. During the 1970s, the ABA used the three-point shot, along with the slam dunk, in the 1979–80 season, the NBA adopted the three-point line despite the view of many that it was a gimmick. Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics is widely credited with making the first three-point shot in NBA history on October 12,1979, kevin Grevey of the Washington Bullets also made one on the same day. The sports international governing body, FIBA, introduced the three-point line in 1984, the NCAAs Southern Conference became the first collegiate conference to use the three-point rule, adopting a 22-foot line for the 1980–81 season. Ronnie Carr of Western Carolina University was the first to score a three-point field goal in basketball history on November 29,1980. Over the following five years, NCAA conferences differed in their use of the rule, used in conference play, it was adopted by the NCAA for the 1986–87 season at 19 ft 9 in, and was first used in the NCAA Tournament in 1987. In 2007, the NCAA lengthened the mens three point distance to 20 ft 9 in, with the coming into effect at the beginning of the 2008–09 season. American high schools, along with elementary and middle schools, adopted a 19 ft 9 in line nationally in 1987, a year after the NCAA. During the 1994–95, 1995–96, and 1996–97 seasons, the NBA attempted to address decreased scoring by shortening the distance of the line from 23 ft 9 in to a uniform 22 ft around the basket. From the 1997–98 season on, the NBA reverted the line to its distance of 23 ft 9 in. Ray Allen is currently the NBA all-time leader in career made three-pointers with 2,973, in 2008, FIBA announced that the distance would be increased by 50 cm to 6.75 m, with the change being phased in beginning in October 2010
18.
Free throw
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In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court, and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team. Each successful free throw is one point. Free throws can normally be shot at a percentage by good players. In the NBA, most players make 70–80% of their attempts, the leagues best shooters can make roughly 90% of their attempts over a season, while notoriously poor shooters may struggle to make 50% of them. During a foul shot, a players foot must be completely behind the foul line, if a player lines up with part of his or her foot on the line, a violation is called and the shot doesnt count. Foul shots are worth one point, Rick Barry and youngest Canyon Barry, both career 90% shooters who used an unusual underhand method, believes that 80% is the minimum for a player to be considered good at the free throw. Mark Price, who broke Barrys career record, states that 75% is the minimum, tall players often shoot free throws poorly, though theoretically taller players should be better at making them. One possible explanation for this is that the release point of their shots can cause them to stand overly erect. Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain made just 51, on the other hand, there have also been big men who have been prolific scorers from free throws, who not surprisingly also have good outside shooting range. Some examples include Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki who, at 7 ft 0 in, has an average of 88% and Yao Ming who. There are many situations when free throws can be awarded, The first and most common is when a player is fouled while in the act of shooting. If the player misses the shot during the foul, the player receives two or three free throws depending on whether the shot was taken in front of or behind the three-point line. If, despite the foul, the still makes the attempted shot, the number of free throws is reduced to one. This is known as a three-point or four-point play, depending on the value of the made basket, the second is when the fouling team is in the team bonus situation. This happens when, in a period, a team commits a set number of fouls whether or not in the act of shooting. In the WNBA, the player shoots two free throws starting with the opponents fifth foul, or second team foul in the final minute if that team has committed under 5 fouls in a period. In NCAA mens basketball, beginning with the foul of the half, one free throw is awarded, if the player makes the free throw. This is called shooting a one-and-one, starting with the tenth foul of the half, two free throws are awarded
19.
Rebound (basketball)
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In basketball, a rebound, colloquially referred to as a board, is a statistic awarded to a player who retrieves the ball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds are also given to a player who tips in a shot on his teams offensive end. Rebounds in basketball are a part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made. A rebound can be grabbed by either a player or a defensive player. The majority of rebounds are defensive because the team on defense tends to be in position to recover missed shots. Offensive rebounds give the team another opportunity to score whether right away or by resetting the offense. A block is not considered a rebound, a ball does not need to actually rebound off the rim or backboard for a rebound to be credited. Rebounds are credited after any missed shot, including air balls, if a player takes a shot and misses and the ball bounces on the ground before someone picks it up, then the person who picks up the ball is credited for a rebound. Rebounds are credited to the first player that gains possession of the ball or to the player that successfully deflects the ball into the basket for a score. A rebound is credited to a team when it gains possession of the ball after any missed shot that is not cleared by a single player, great rebounders tend to be tall and strong. Because height is so important, most rebounds are made by centers and power forwards, the lack of height can sometimes be compensated by the strength to box out taller players away from the ball to capture the rebound. For example, Charles Barkley once led the league in rebounding despite usually being much shorter than his counterparts, also, some shorter guards can be excellent rebounders as well such as point guard Jason Kidd who led the New Jersey Nets in rebounding for several years. Great rebounders must also have a sense of timing and positioning. Great leaping ability is an important asset, but not absolutely necessary, players such as Larry Bird and Moses Malone were excellent rebounders, but were never known for their leaping ability. Bird has stated, Most rebounds are taken below the rim, the action can also be called blocking out. A team can be boxed out by players using this technique to stop the other team from rebounding. Because fighting for a rebound can be physical, rebounding is often regarded as grunt work or a hustle play. Overly aggressive boxing out or preventing being boxed out can lead to personal fouls, statistics of a players rebounds per game or rebounding average measure a players rebounding effectiveness by dividing the number of rebounds by the number of games played
20.
Block (basketball)
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In basketball, a block or blocked shot occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender is not allowed to contact with the offensive players hand or a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot is traveling upward or at its apex. A deflected field goal that is made does not count as a blocked shot, every successful blocked shot is counted as a missed field goal attempt for the shooter. Also, on a foul, a blocked shot cannot be awarded or counted. If the ball is heading downward when the defender hits it, it is ruled as goaltending, goaltending is also called if the block is made after the ball bounces on the backboard. Nicknames for blocked shots include rejections, stuffs, bushed, fudged, or notably double-fudged, facials, swats, denials, blocked shots were first officially recorded in the NBA during the 1973–74 season. To be a good shot-blocker, a player needs great court sense and timing, one tactic is that a shot-blocker can intimidate opponents to alter their shots, resulting in a miss. A chase-down block occurs when a player pursues an opposing player who had run ahead of the defense, often, the block involves hitting the ball into the backboard as the opponent tries to complete a lay-up. Pistons announcer Fred McLeod, who first witnessed this style of blocks from Prince, during the 2008–09 NBA season, the Cavaliers began tracking chase-down blocks, crediting LeBron James with 23 that season and 20 the following season. Career block leaders on Basketball-Reference. com Bill Russell Block Art on YouTube
21.
D'Angelo Russell
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DAngelo Danté Russell is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes before being selected with the second pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Lakers. Playing point guard, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, Russell attended Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky as a freshman in 2010–11, before transferring to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida for his sophomore season. In 2014, he helped Montverde win back-to-back High School National Tournament championships playing alongside Ben Simmons and he later played in the 2014 McDonalds All-American game where he recorded 11 points,2 rebounds and 4 assists. He also competed in the Jordan Brand Classic where he had 3 points,8 rebounds and 5 assists, Russell committed to Ohio State on June 7,2013, choosing the Buckeyes over Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina. Russell was rated by Rivals. com as a five-star recruit, Russell played one season of college basketball for Ohio State University. On January 9,2015, he recorded a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over Maryland, on February 8, in a 79–60 win over Rutgers, Russell recorded a triple-double with 23 points,11 rebounds and 11 assists. This was the first triple-double recorded by an Ohio State freshman, Russell had an impressive showing against the seventh-seeded VCU in the NCAA tournament, scoring 28 points in a 75–72 overtime win. However, the Buckeyes season ended the round with a 73–58 loss to Arizona. He finished fifth in the voting for the John R. Wooden Award and he was named on the Consensus All-American First-Team, he also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. In 35 games for Ohio State in 2014–15, Russell averaged 19.3 points,5.7 rebounds,5.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. On April 22,2015, Russell declared for the NBA draft and he was touted by many scouts and reporters to be one of the top prospects in the 2015 draft. On June 25,2015, Russell was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second pick in the 2015 NBA draft. On July 10,2015, he signed his rookie contract with the Lakers and went on to average 11.8 points,5.2 rebounds. He made his debut for the Lakers in the season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 28. On December 4, he recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, on January 7,2016, he scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter of the Lakers 118–115 loss to the Sacramento Kings. Russell participated in the 2016 Rising Stars Challenge, where he recorded 22 points, on March 1, he set career highs with 39 points and eight made three-pointers in a 107–101 win over the Brooklyn Nets. His 39 points were the most by any NBA rookie in 2015–16 and his eight three-pointers broke Nick Van Exels previous rookie Laker record of six in a single game
22.
Nik Stauskas
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Nikolas Tomas Nik Stauskas is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. Stauskas was drafted eighth overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings, towards the end of his rookie season, Stauskas was tagged with the nickname Sauce Castillo after a closed captioning error resulted in a social media meme. Stauskas, whose family is of Lithuanian heritage, is a member of the Canadian national basketball team, Stauskas divided his high school years between Loyola Catholic Secondary School, South Kent School and St. Marks School, leading the latter to back-to-back New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class AA Championship Games, the team won the NEPSAC championship in Stauskass 2012 senior season, and he was the championship games Most Valuable Player. He was also selected to the NEPSAC All-Class AA team, during the 2013 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament, he earned South All-Regional Team recognition. Stauskas gravitated toward basketball during his childhood, Stauskas has never played ice hockey and barely has played street hockey. He tried soccer at age six, but a broken arm put an end to that and his first experience with basketball came as a member of the Ausra Sports Club, which is a Toronto-based traveling team for children of Lithuanian descent. Stauskas grew up a Raptors fan with Vince Carter as his favorite player, at age eight or nine, he played Carter one-on-one at a Raptors open practice for fans held at Air Canada Centre, which boosted his enthusiasm for the sport. Ever since then shooting a basketball has been his favorite form of recreation and he became so devoted to basketball that his head coach at Michigan, John Beilein, said in 2013, He doesnt know anything about hockey, he doesnt know anything about football. The other day we had him try to throw a pass as a press breaker. And he had never thrown a baseball, in fifth grade, his parents gave him and his brother a choice on how to landscape their backyard, a swimming pool, a putting green or a basketball court, leading to the family backyard court. His brother claims that Stauskas scored about 50 points a game in middle school, until 2009, Stauskas played for Loyola Catholic Secondary School. He averaged 15 points,5 rebounds and 5 assists in 2007–08 and 32 points,14 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 2008–09. Its basketball team nearly disbanded before Stauskass grade 10 season in 2008–09, although his father, a computer consultant, was willing to volunteer as a coach, no teacher was willing to serve. Stauskass father finally found a French teacher who sat in the gym, in the meantime, Stauskas joined the premier Amateur Athletic Union team in Toronto, run by Ro Russell. Some of Russells prior players, such as Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph had gone to the United States to complete their scholastic years and he missed the 2009–10 basketball season as a result of a hip injury. Michigan Wolverines mens basketball head coach John Beilein became familiar with Stauskas during the Summer 2010 NBA camp prior to Stauskass junior year, Stauskas visited Michigan that summer and was also being recruited by Villanova, Iowa State, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Florida and Providence. By the time he arrived at St. Marks, he was expected to be an All-State performer, in the 2011 NEPSAC Class AA Championship game, Stauskas led St
23.
Jahlil Okafor
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Jahlil Okafor is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. He played his season of college for the 2014–15 Duke national championship team. Okafor was heavily recruited since before high school and had been at the top of the rankings for several years. He played high school basketball in Chicago, Illinois for Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, at the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship, he earned the Tournament MVP for the gold-medal winning USA team. In 2013, Okafor led Whitney Young to the 2013 Chicago Public High School League city championship and he was an All-American as a junior in 2013. The following summer, he was an All-Tournament team selection at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship for the gold-medal Team USA, following his senior season, he earned broad All-American recognition and was named national player of the year by Parade, USA Today and McDonalds among other players. He signed with Duke as a package with Tyus Jones, with recognition as the preseason Collegiate National Player of the Year. At Duke, he earned the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and ACC Player of the Year, and a unanimous 2015 NCAA Mens Basketball All-American first-team selection. In the week following Dukes victory in the game of the 2015 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament against Wisconsin. He was selected with the third pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. Okafors father, Chukwudi, known as Chuck, is of Nigerian Igbo and African-American descent, as a youth, Okafor split time between his mothers home in the 127-resident town of Moffett, Oklahoma and his fathers home in Chicago. When he was 9 years old, his mother contracted bronchitis, Okafor permanently moved in with his father to the South Side of Chicago and then to Rosemont. The adjustment was difficult because he was shy and so tall that other students thought he was put in the class for having failed, in November 2008, during seventh grade he matched his fathers height of 6 feet 5 inches. Later the family moved to Chicagos North Side so that Okafor could attend Whitney Young High School, initially, interim coach Tracy Webster, made an oral offer on January 30 outside the DePaul locker room at Allstate Arena. The offer was noted online by ESPNChicago. com and picked up by the press, I think hes probably a fan and someone who has been a fan for some time, since we have played in Rosemont for the last 30 years. Okafor and teammate Paul White were regarded as the best incoming freshmen in the Chicago metropolitan area and they joined a team with six returning seniors that had finished as state runners up the prior year. Along with 6-foot-10-inch sophomore Thomas Hamilton Jr. and White, Okafor was part of a trio of Whitney Young players ranked in the top 10 of their respective classes by ESPNU. Entering the season, Whitney Young was considered to resemble a college team due to its size and athleticism
24.
Jeremy Lin
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Jeremy Shu-How Lin is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He unexpectedly led a turnaround with the New York Knicks in 2012. Lin grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and earned Northern California Player of the Year honors as a senior in high school, after receiving no athletic scholarship offers, he attended Harvard University, where he was a three-time All-Conference player in the Ivy League. Undrafted out of college, Lin reached a partially guaranteed contract deal in 2010 with his hometown Golden State Warriors and he seldom played in his rookie season and was assigned to the NBA Development League three times. He was waived by the Warriors and the Houston Rockets the following preseason before joining the New York Knicks early in the 2011–12 season, Lin continued to be played sparingly and again spent time in the D-League. In February 2012, he led a winning streak by New York while being promoted to the starting lineup, in the summer of 2012, Lin signed a three-year contract with the Rockets, for whom he played two seasons before the Los Angeles Lakers acquired him in a trade. He played one season with the Lakers before signing with the Charlotte Hornets and he signed with Brooklyn the following season. Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, and he is also known for his public expression of his Christianity. Lin was born in Los Angeles County in the city of Torrance and he was raised in a Christian family in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Palo Alto. His parents, Lin Gie-Ming and Shirley Lin, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s, settling first in Virginia before moving to Indiana, Lins parents are both 5 feet 6 inches tall. His maternal grandmothers family was tall, and her father was over 6 feet 0 inches, Lin has an older brother, Josh, and a younger brother, Joseph. Gie-Ming taught his sons to play basketball at the local YMCA, Shirley helped form a National Junior Basketball program in Palo Alto where Lin played. She worked with coaches to ensure his playing did not affect academics and she was criticized by her friends for letting Lin play so much basketball, but let him play the game he enjoyed. He was named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year, and ended his senior year averaging 15.1 points,7.1 assists,6.2 rebounds, and 5.0 steals. The Pac-10 schools wanted him to walk-on, rather than be actively recruited or offered a sports scholarship, Harvard and Brown were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. Rex Walters, University of San Francisco mens basketball coach and retired NBA player, Most colleges start recruiting a guy in the first five minutes they see him because he runs really fast, jumps really high, does the quick, easy thing to evaluate, Walters said. Lin added, I just think in order for someone to understand my game, they have to watch me more than once, because Im not going to do anything thats extra flashy or freakishly athletic. But Holden was initially unimpressed with Lins on-court abilities, and told Lins high school coach, Peter Diepenbrock
25.
Spencer Dinwiddie
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Spencer Dinwiddie is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes and earned first-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 as a junior in 2013, as well as being an elite baller, Spencer has the best Twitter account in the league and might drop more wisdom on you than dimes. He missed most of his senior year after injuring his cruciate ligament. Dinwiddie recovered and was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the round of the 2014 NBA draft. After two seasons with the Pistons, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in June 2016, at William Howard Taft High School, Dinwiddie was sometimes recognized as one of the greatest standout athletes since Jordan Farmar. He averaged 5.9 points and 4.1 assists as the point guard alongside a fellow 2014 draftee in DeAndre Daniels at the conclusion of his junior season. Dinwiddie maximized his game as he began his ultimate year representing the school and he was eventually known as one of the most skilled passers in school history, helping him become the John R. Wooden California High School Player of the Year in 2011. However, Long Beach Polys Ryan Anderson was named California Mr. Basketball, Dinwiddie became just one of seven players before him that won the prestigious award as a senior. The powerful duo consisting of Daniels and Dinwiddie won the city championship this season as well and this final season at Taft helped Dinwiddie gain the attention of colleges around the country, though he chose to attend Colorado rather than Harvard, Oregon, Santa Clara, or UNLV. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals. com, Dinwiddie was listed as the No.25 point guard, in the first regular season game for Colorado, Dinwiddie made his collegiate debut in a 32-pt victory over Fort Lewis with seven points and seven rebounds. He shot just 2-for-9 from the field, Dinwiddie finally reached double figures in his sixth appearance, which was against Georgia. This was the first time he had shot over.500 on field goals up till then, the California native would lead the team to this win and make three key free throws in the final seconds. After becoming a significant part of the program, Dinwiddie teamed with fellow freshman, Askia Booker and they combined for 677 points, making school history by scoring over 250 points each. At the conclusion of the season, they were the only Buffaloes to do so, Dinwiddie became a member of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament Championship Team due to his instant success on the balanced team. He led Colorado in free-throw percentage and ranked third among freshman in that category, by the end of the regular season, Dinwiddie had helped the team earn its first NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament berth since the 2002-03 season. Shooting three-pointers at a 43. 8% clip, Dinwiddie was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team with other big names such as Tony Wroten and he was the only Pac-12 freshman to shoot for a field-goal percentage of over.400 total. The departures of Carlon Brown and Nate Tomlinson were instrumental in Dinwiddies breakout sophomore season, leading the team in assists, they reached the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament for the second consecutive season, in which they reached the second round. It was the first time the team had reached back-to-back tournaments since the 1963 season, the Buffaloes won the 2012 Charleston Classic, in which Dinwiddie took the role as starting small forward in the final three rounds
26.
DeMarre Carroll
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DeMarre LaEdrick Carroll is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. Carroll was selected 27th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 NBA draft and has played for the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz. Carroll formerly played for the University of Missouri and Vanderbilt University and he is the nephew of former Missouri and current Arkansas mens basketball coach Mike Anderson. A former standout at John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham and he capped his prep career by scoring a game-high 27 points in the annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and was named MVP of the 2004 Alabama Class 6A State Tournament. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals. com, Carroll was listed as the No.40 small forward, after a successful sophomore year at Vanderbilt, he surprised the team when he decided to transfer to Missouri in 2006 to play for his uncle Mike Anderson. Carroll led Missouri to the Elite Eight of the 2009 NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament during his senior year and he was nicknamed the Junkyard Dog because of his toughness and relentless play. When Carroll came to Missouri, he complained of itchy legs, after he was examined by several specialists, they came up with a considerably more serious diagnosis—liver disease. His illness was revealed several weeks before the 2009 NBA draft, at 1,30 a. m. on July 5,2007, Carroll was shot in the ankle during a domestic dispute at a nightclub in Columbia, Missouri. Carroll was drafted in the first round, 27th overall, by the Memphis Grizzlies and he played primarily off the bench during his tenure with the Memphis Grizzlies. On December 14,2010, he was assigned to the Dakota Wizards of the NBA D-League and he was recalled on January 5,2011. On February 24,2011, Carroll was traded, along with Hasheem Thabeet, on April 11,2011, he was waived by the Rockets. On December 12,2011, the Denver Nuggets made Carroll a non-guaranteed training camp invitee and he appeared in four games with the Nuggets during the 2011–12 regular season before being waived on February 4,2012. On February 8,2012, Carroll signed with the Utah Jazz, on August 3,2013, Carroll signed with the Atlanta Hawks. On February 22,2014, he scored a then career-high 24 points in the 107–98 win over the New York Knicks. On December 23,2014, Carroll scored a then career-high 25 points, while grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds. Five days later, he scored a career-high 26 points in the 117–105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, on July 9,2015, Carroll signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Toronto Raptors. He made his debut for the Raptors in their opener on October 28,2015, recording 14 points. On December 7,2015, he was ruled out indefinitely with a right knee
27.
Joe Harris (basketball)
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Joe Malcolm Harris is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the University of Virginia before being selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Harris was born and raised in Chelan, Washington to Joe Harris Sr. Harris has three sisters, his sister, Kaiti, and his younger sisters, Jaicee and Mackenzie. Kaiti played college basketball at Yakima Valley College and Warner Pacific College, Jaicee played volleyball at Washington State, Harris started going to his fathers basketball practices when he was just four years old. He then volunteered to be the manager from third to eighth grade. As a child, Harris wrote personal goals and quotes from NBA legends on his bedroom walls, one of his goals was to take at least 1,000 shots a day. Harris played all four years for the Mountain Goats at Chelan High, where he was coached by his father, Coach Joe Harris. In his junior year, he averaged 24.7 points,8.5 rebounds,4.3 assists and 2.7 steals a game and he was named AP Class 1A Player of the Year and was selected to the Class 1A All-Tournament first team. In his senior year, Harris led his team to place in the Class 1A state tournament after leading them to a 26–2 record. He averaged 26.6 points,8.0 rebounds,4.6 assists,4.4 steals and 1.6 blocks a game, while shooting 59. 2% from the field and 76. 5% from the free throw line. He was named Washington Mr. Basketball by the Washington State Coaches Association, for the second straight year, Harris was named the AP Class 1A Player of the Year and selected to the Class 1A All-Tournament first team. He finished off his school career with 452 assists,699 rebounds,282 steals. Harris came to Virginia in 2010 after developing a relationship with coach, Tony Bennett. In Harris’ collegiate debut for the Virginia Cavaliers, he recorded 2 points,4 rebounds and 3 assists in a 76–52 win over the William & Mary Tribe. On November 18, Harris had his first career start for the Cavaliers, at the Maui Invitational Tournament, he scored 19 points on 8-of-13 field goals and 7 rebounds in a 63–106 loss against the Washington Huskies. On January 2, he scored 9 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and had a season-high 2 blocks in a 64–50 victory against the LSU Tigers, two days later, Harris scored 16 points with a career-high 5 three-pointers made on 5-of-6 attempts in a 84–63 win against Howard. On February 5, Harris played for a career-high 41 minutes, on February 26, he scored 5 points, handed out 2 assists and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against Boston College in a 44–63 loss. On March 1, Harris recorded an ACC career-high 19 points on 4-of-7 three-point attempts,5 rebounds,3 assists and 2 steals, the Cavaliers lost to the Hurricanes in the first round of the 2011 ACC Tournament 62–69 in overtime
28.
Quincy Acy
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Quincy Jyrome Acy is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Baylor University, Acy attended John Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas. As a senior in 2007–08, he averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, considered a four-star recruit by Rivals. com, Acy was listed as the No.25 power forward and the No.84 player in the nation in 2008. As a freshman at Baylor in 2008–09, Acy earned Big 12 All-Freshman team honors from the media and was named Big 12 Co-Rookie of the Week on November 24,2008 and he ranked sixth on team in scoring and fourth in rebounding, while leading Bears in blocked shots. He set Big 12 and Baylor records with 20 consecutive field goals made—he made his first 20 field goals of his career, starting on November 15, as a sophomore in 2009–10, Acy averaged 9.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as Baylors sixth man. He was subsequently named to the Big 12 All-Reserve team by the media, as a junior in 2010–11, Acy averaged 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. In the first round of the Big 12 Mens Basketball Tournament, Acy recorded a team-high 21 points, following the season, he earned the Big 12 Sixth Man Award and was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. As a senior in 2011–12, Acy averaged 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, following the season, he was named to the All-Big 12 second team and the Big 12 All-Defensive team. On June 29,2012, Acy was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 37th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, on July 16,2012, he signed a multi-year contract with the Raptors. He played sparingly for Toronto in 2012–13 and earned two assignments to the NBA Development League, where he played for the Bakersfield Jam, on April 6,2013, Acy scored a season-high 13 points in the Raptors 100–83 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. On December 9,2013, Acy was traded, along Rudy Gay and Aaron Gray, to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Greivis Vásquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes. Six days later, he made his debut for the Kings in a 106–91 win over the Houston Rockets, recording four points, three rebounds and one block in 13 minutes off the bench. On August 6,2014, Acy was traded, along with Travis Outlaw, to the New York Knicks in exchange for Wayne Ellington, on January 5,2015, he recorded career highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds in a 105–83 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He had a career-best season in 2014–15, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, on July 22,2015, Acy signed with the Sacramento Kings, returning to the franchise for a second stint. On January 7,2016, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 118–115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, on July 20,2016, Acy signed with the Dallas Mavericks. On November 18,2016, he was waived by the Mavericks after appearing in six games, on November 28,2016, he was acquired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League and then immediately traded to the Texas Legends, the Mavericks D-League affiliate. On December 1,2016, he made his debut for the Legends in a 121–106 win over the Greensboro Swarm, recording 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes as a starter. In 12 games for the Legends, he averaged 17.3 points,8.1 rebounds,1.2 assists,1.6 steals and 2.1 blocks in 31.9 minutes
29.
Isaiah Whitehead
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Isaiah Whitehead is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Seton Hall, Whitehead rose to prominence playing for Abraham Lincoln High School, and was a highly touted recruit coming into college. Whitehead played at the 2014 McDonalds All-American Boys Game, the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic, Whitehead was named preseason Big East Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie Team as a freshman. He was twice selected as Rookie of the Week on December 8 and he missed nine games during the season due to a stress fracture in his right foot. At the conclusion of the 2015–16 regular season, Whitehead was unanimously selected to the All-Big East first team and he also received the Haggerty Award, given to the New York areas top mens Division I basketball player. Whitehead led Seton Hall to their first Big East Championship in 23 years, the Pirates took down Creighton, Xavier and Villanova in the final. Whitehead was awarded with the Tournaments Most Outstanding Player award, next, the Hall earned their first NCAA berth in 10 years. Seton Hall was defeated by the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first round in Denver, in March 2016, Whitehead declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. On June 23,2016, Whitehead was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 42nd overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft and he was later traded to the Brooklyn Nets the following day. On July 8,2016, he signed with the Nets, on January 6,2017, Whitehead recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 116–108 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On March 10,2017, he scored a career-high 24 points in a 105–96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks
30.
Timofey Mozgov
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Timofey Pavlovich Mozgov is a Russian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Mozgov won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, becoming one of the first Russians, along with Sasha Kaun, Mozgov began his professional career with LenVo St. Petersburg, in the Russian second tier division, during the 2004–05 season. In 2006, he moved to CSK VVS Samara 2, the second club from Samara. Before the 2006–07 season, he joined Khimki Moscow Region, where he played through the 2009–10 season, in 2010, Mozgov signed a three-year, $9.7 million contract with the New York Knicks. On January 30,2011, after a stint on the bench. He had a game scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to lead New York to a 124–106 victory. He played 40 minutes and was treated to loud “Mozgov, on February 22,2011, he was traded to the Nuggets in a three-way blockbuster deal which also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York. On July 21,2011, he joined Khimki Moscow Region for the time during the 2011 NBA lockout. On July 27,2013, he re-signed with the Nuggets, on April 10,2014, he recorded career highs in points and rebounds with 23 and 29 respectively in a 100–99 win over the Golden State Warriors. On January 7,2015, Mozgov was traded, along with a 2015 second-round pick, having always previously worn number 25, he was forced to change that upon joining the Cavaliers due to the franchise having the number retired for Mark Price. He instead chose number 20 as it was the number his father, on January 9, he made his debut for the Cavaliers, recording nine points and eight rebounds off the bench in a 112–94 loss to the Golden State Warriors. On June 4,2015, he became the first Russian to play in the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers went on to lose the series in six games, as Mozgov played in and started all six games. On June 23,2015, the Cavaliers exercised the option on Mozgovs contract for the 2015–16 season, Mozgov played a reduced role throughout the season, as the Cavaliers made it to the 2016 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers defeated the defending champion Golden State Warriors in a rematch of the previous Finals, Mozgov and teammate, Sasha Kaun, became the first Russians to win an NBA championship. On July 8,2016, Mozgov signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and he made his debut for the Lakers in their season opener on October 26,2016, recording 12 points and eight rebounds in a 120–114 win over the Houston Rockets. On March 14,2017, the Lakers shut down a healthy Mozgov for the rest of the season to give the majority of playing time over the final 15 games to the younger players. Note, The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season and he also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable. Mozgov has also been a member of the senior Russian national basketball team and he played at EuroBasket 2009, Eurobasket 2011, and the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning bronze medals at Eurobasket 2011 and the 2012 Summer Olympics
31.
Caris LeVert
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Caris Coleman LeVert is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines, as a freshman for the 2012–13 team, he nearly redshirted but earned a key role off the bench as the team went on to reach the championship game in the 2013 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament. As a sophomore for the 2013–14 team, he became a starter and was selected as a second team 2013–14 All-Big Ten player for the outright Big Ten regular season champions. His junior and senior seasons were interrupted by injury, LeVert is related to Eddie Levert, Gerald Levert and Sean Levert. LeVert grew up in Northeast Columbus but moved to nearby Pickerington in second grade, as a high school senior, he led Pickerington High School Central to a 26–2 record and the 2012 OHSAA Division I state championship. LeVert was a 2012 Associated Press All-Ohio Second Team high school basketball player and he was not heavily recruited in high school and his only official visit was to Alabama State. He committed to basketball for John Groce and the Ohio Bobcats mens basketball program in November 2011. Meanwhile, when future teammates Mitch McGary and Nik Stauskas joined Glenn Robinson III by committing to Michigan in November 2011, when Groce got hired by Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball in March 2012, LeVert got lost in the shuffle and decided to commit to Michigan. The team was returning a nucleus of All-Big Ten players Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, LeVert was a part of an incoming class that included McGary, Stauskas, Robinson, and Spike Albrecht. Eventually, Michigan head coach John Beilein decided that LeVert had value as a perimeter defender, on December 1 against Bradley Beilein juggled his lineup, Stauskas made his first career regular season start and LeVert saw his first action. By late December, LeVert became the partner for Burke after practices. LeVert made his first start on December 29 against Central Michigan, the 3 freshmen in the starting lineup—Robinson, Stauskas and LeVert—combined for 48 points,12 rebounds and 8 assists. That night LeVert tallied 9 points and 5 assists, LeVert averaged 2.3 points in under 11 minutes of play per game. LeVerts classmates all made names for themselves as freshmen, during the Spring and Summer semesters of 2013 LeVert and Stauskas trained together on the court and in the weight room. He followed fellow Columbus native and National Player of the Year Burke as a key contributor to Michigan basketball as a sophomore. After opening the season with career-highs of 17 points and 5 rebounds on November 8 against UMass Lowell, when Michigan played Duke in the ACC–Big Ten Challenge on December 3, LeVert again posted 24 points, including a 7–7 free throw performance. On January 18, Michigan defeated Wisconsin at the Kohl Center for the first time since the 1998–99 team did so on February 27,1999 and it was the highest ranked team Michigan has ever beaten on the road. LeVert contributed a career-high 4 steals and 20 points, LeVert posted his first double double on January 30 at home against Purdue with a career-high 11 rebounds and 14 points
32.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
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Rondae Jaquan Hollis-Jefferson is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats team from 2013 to 2015, Hollis-Jefferson grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, the son of Rylanda Hollis, who worked two jobs as a dietary supervisor and bartender. He has a brother, Rahlir, who played at Temple and their father was frequently absent and spent some time in jail. Rondae Hollis Jefferson began honing his game when he was 12, at a young age he took a strong interest in defense and acknowledged that he scored only because he was taller than his peers. He attended Chester High School where he would begin an outstanding basketball career under head coach Larry Yarbray, the small forward became the first player to ever be named Delaware County Player of the Year for multiple seasons. He was also instrumental in Chesters first-ever undefeated season, the Clippers finished 91-5 in his last three years at the school and won two state titles. In his senior year, he lost in the title game to Lower Merion. He finished his career more than 1,000 points. Hollis-Jefferson participated in the 2013 McDonalds All-American Game against future Arizona teammate, following the event, he took part in the Jordan Brand Classic with some of the most highly-recruited high school stars in the nation such as Julius Randle. At the conclusion of Hollis-Jeffersons years with the Clippers, he was tabbed the 6th best small forward of his class by 247Sports. com and the fifth best by Rivals. com. He eventually chose to attend the University of Arizona and represent the school through their basketball program over other possibilities such as Florida. In his freshman season with Arizona, Hollis-Jefferson became known as fierce scorer, rebounder, the start of his season was marked with 10 points,5 rebounds, and 2 assists against Cal Poly off the bench. He posted his first double-double in a game against Oregon and he improved on his free throw shooting as his freshman year progressed. Hollis-Jefferson ended up starting 6 of 38 games played due to the roster that was dominated by the likes of Aaron Gordon, in his freshman year, Hollis-Jefferson averaged 9.1 points,5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Its a lot different than just waking up, going to school and playing basketball for Chester, in the beginning of the season, I was lost. But its not about whos starting, its about who finishes and it stuck with me for about a month or so, playing behind people. I went along with it and kept playing, I need to make people respect my shot. I have to stay in attack mode, as a sophomore, Hollis-Jefferson increased his averages to 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game
33.
Dante Cunningham
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Dante Lamar Cunningham is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. Cunningham was drafted in the round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Cunningham, a forward, played basketball with the Villanova Wildcats. Cunningham was born in Clinton, Maryland, to Searcy Blankenship and his older sister Davalyn played in the WNBA. Cunningham began his prep career at St. Johns College High School in Washington, D. C. While a junior, he averaged 10 points per game and 7.4 rebounds, one of his teammates, Dwayne Anderson, would later play at Villanova with Cunningham. As a senior, Cunningham transferred to Potomac High School, which he led to a 27–0 season under Head Coach Rico Reed and he averaged 13 rebounds,20 points, and four blocked shots per game at Potomac. He was honored as the Washington Post Metropolitan Player of the Year, at Villanova University, Cunningham played in all 33 games and was a starter in four during his freshman year. In his senior year, Cunningham would go on to lead the team in scoring and he led the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance since 1985. Cunningham was drafted 33rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2009 NBA draft and he played for Portlands Las Vegas Summer League team where he averaged over 18 points and 5 rebounds per game in four contests. On August 21,2009, Cunningham signed his rookie contract with the Trail Blazers. On February 24,2011, Cunningham was traded, along with Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks, on December 20,2011, Cunningham received a three-year, $7 million offer sheet from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Bobcats declined to match the offer and subsequently signed the contract with the Grizzlies, on July 24,2012, Cunningham was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Wayne Ellington. On December 4,2014, Cunningham signed with the New Orleans Pelicans, on July 9,2015, he re-signed with the Pelicans. On April 3,2014, Cunningham was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend with whom he lived, three days later, he was arrested on alleged domestic abuse charges. By August 18,2014, charges were dropped, due to evidence Cunninghams then girlfriend had fabricated her accusations, Cunningham was included on a preliminary list for Great Britains Eurobasket 2009 qualifying matches in 2008. However, he was ruled ineligible to compete for Britain after an investigation by British Basketball officials into his ancestral ties failed to prove his case to receive UK citizenship. Career statistics and player information from NBA. com, or Basketball-Reference. com
