1.
Sacramento, California
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Sacramento is the capital city of the U. S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. It is at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the portion of Californias expansive Central Valley. Its estimated 2014 population of 485,199 made it the sixth-largest city in California, Sacramento is the cultural and economic core of the Sacramento metropolitan area, which includes seven counties with a 2010 population of 2,414,783. In 2002, the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University conducted for Time magazine named Sacramento Americas Most Diverse City, Sacramento became a city through the efforts of the Swiss immigrant John Sutter, Sr. his son John Augustus Sutter, Jr. and James W. Marshall. Sacramento grew quickly thanks to the protection of Sutters Fort, which was established by Sutter in 1839, the city was named after the Sacramento River, which forms its western border. The river was named by Spanish cavalry officer Gabriel Moraga for the Santísimo Sacramento, California State University, Sacramento, is the largest university in the city and one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. University of the Pacific is a university with one of its three campuses in Sacramento. In addition, the University of California, Davis, located in nearby Davis, operates its UC Davis Medical Center, nisenan and Plains Miwok Native Americans had lived in the area for perhaps thousands of years. Unlike the settlers who would eventually make Sacramento their home, these Native Americans left little evidence of their existence. Traditionally, their diet was dominated by acorns taken from the oak trees in the region, and by fruits, bulbs, seeds. In 1808, the Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga discovered and named the Sacramento Valley, a Spanish writer with the Moraga expedition wrote, Canopies of oaks and cottonwoods, many festooned with grapevines, overhung both sides of the blue current. Birds chattered in the trees and big fish darted through the pellucid depths, the air was like champagne, and drank deep of it, drank in the beauty around them. The valley and the river were then christened after the Most Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, John Sutter first arrived on August 13,1839 at the divergence of the American and Sacramento Rivers with a Mexican land grant of 50,000 acres. The next year, he and his party established Sutters Fort, representing Mexico, Sutter called his colony New Helvetia, a Swiss inspired name, and was the political authority and dispenser of justice in the new settlement. Soon, the colony began to grow as more and more pioneers headed west, within just a few short years, John Sutter had become a grand success, owning a ten-acre orchard and a herd of thirteen thousand cattle. Fort Sutter became a stop for the increasing number of immigrants coming through the valley. In 1847, Sutter hired James Marshall to build a sawmill so that he could continue to expand his empire, Sutter received 2,000 fruit trees in 1847, which started the agriculture industry in the Sacramento Valley. In 1848, when gold was discovered by James W. Marshall at Sutters Mill in Coloma and he hired topographical engineer William H
2.
BYU Cougars men's basketball
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The BYU Cougars mens basketball team represents Brigham Young University in NCAA Division I basketball play. Established in 1902, the team has won 27 conference championships,3 conference tournament championships and 2 NIT Tournaments and it currently competes in the West Coast Conference. From 1999–2011, it competed in the Mountain West Conference, BYU fielded its first basketball team in 1903. In 1906 the Cougars played their first game against Utah State University, in 1909 the team first played against the University of Utah. These two rivalries continue to this day, in its 108-year history, BYUs basketball program has won 1,666 games, ranking 14th among all Division I programs. 83 of the schools 104 basketball teams have had winning records, the Cougars won the first of their 27 conference championships in 1922 as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Cougars would make the first of their 29 NCAA Tournament appearances in 1950 under legendary head coach Stan Watts and that Cougars came within one point of reaching the national semifinals. BYUs 1951 team was more successful, winning 28 games. In addition, the 1951 team won the first of two NIT championships for the school, the Cougars defeated AP #9 AP St. Johns, AP #10 St. Louis and AP #13 Dayton to win the title. Dunn, a general authority in the LDS Church. BYU has the most NCAA appearances of any mens team not to make the Final Four, under Watts, BYU also became the first U. S. college basketball program to include an international player on its roster, as Finland native Timo Lampen debuted in the 1958-59 season. Later, BYUs Kresimir Cosic, born in Yugoslavia, became the first international player to be named an All-American and his jersey was retired in the Marriott Center in March 2006 in the last home game of the season against the New Mexico Lobos. Watts retired as the winningest coach in BYU history, the Cougars reached the Elite Eight, one game short of the Final Four, in 1981, Ainges senior season. That season, Ainge won the Wooden Award as the nations most outstanding player, andersen then resigned following a 14-15 season in 1989. He was replaced by Roger Reid, who guided the Cougars to 20-win seasons in each of his first six years, Reid was fired in the middle of the 1996-97 season after a 1-6 start. Assistant coach Tony Ingle coached the team on a basis for the rest of the season and did not win a game. Following the season, Steve Cleveland was hired as the new head coach, in 2001, the Cougars won the MWC regular season and tournament championships, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. After the 2004-05 season, Cleveland resigned to become the coach at Fresno State
3.
1968 NBA draft
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The 1968 NBA draft was the 22nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association. The draft was held on April 3,1968, and May 8 and 10,1968 before the 1968–69 season, in this draft,14 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U. S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip. The San Diego Rockets won the flip and were awarded the first overall pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Six teams that had the best records in season were not awarded second round draft picks. The St. Louis Hawks relocated to Atlanta and became the Atlanta Hawks prior to the start of the season, the draft consisted of 21 rounds comprising 214 players selected. Elvin Hayes from the University of Houston was selected first overall by the San Diego Rockets, wes Unseld from the University of Louisville was selected second by the Baltimore Bullets. Hayes and Unseld have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame and they were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the leagues 50th anniversary in 1996. Hayes and Unseld both won the NBA championship with the Washington Bullets in 1978, in the Finals, Unseld was named as the Finals Most Valuable Player. Bob Kauffman, the pick, is the only other player from this draft who has been selected to an All-Star Game. Unseld became a coach after ending his playing career. He coached the Washington Bullets for seven seasons, three other players drafted also went on to have a coaching career, 12th pick Don Chaney and 79th pick Rick Adelman. Chaney coached four NBA teams and won the Coach of the Year Award in 1991 with the Houston Rockets, Adelman coached four NBA teams, most recently with the Houston Rockets. He lost the NBA Finals twice with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1990 and 1992, in the fourteenth round, the Seattle SuperSonics selected Mike Warren of UCLA. However, Warren never played basketball, he opted for an acting career in films
4.
San Francisco Warriors
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The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. The team was established in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1962, the franchise relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and was renamed the San Francisco Warriors. In 1971, the changed its geographic moniker to Golden State. Since 1972, the home court has been the Oracle Arena in Oakland. The team is nicknamed the Dubs, the Warriors have reached eight NBA Finals, winning four NBA championships in 1947,1956,1975 and most recently in 2015 when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers. Golden States four NBA championships are the fifth most in history only the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls. Wilt Chamberlain and Stephen Curry have both named the NBAs Most Valuable Player while playing for the Warriors, for a total of three MVP awards. Golden State holds the NBA record for best regular season with 73–9, the Warriors were founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, a charter member of the Basketball Association of America. They were owned by Peter A. Tyrrell, who owned the Philadelphia Rockets of the American Hockey League. Tyrrell hired Eddie Gottlieb, a longtime basketball promoter in the Philadelphia area, as coach, the owners named the team after the Philadelphia Warriors, an old basketball team who played in the American Basketball League in 1925. Led by early scoring sensation Joe Fulks, the won the championship in the leagues inaugural 1946–47 season by defeating the Chicago Stags. The NBA, which was created by a 1949 merger, officially recognizes that as its own first championship, Gottlieb bought the team in 1951. The Warriors won its championship in Philadelphia in the 1955–56 season. The Warrior stars of this era were future Hall of Famers Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, in 1959, the team signed draft pick Wilt Chamberlain. Known as Wilt the Stilt, he led the team in scoring six times, quickly began shattering NBA scoring records, in 1962, Franklin Mieuli purchased the majority shares of the team and relocated the franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area, renaming them the San Francisco Warriors. Prior to the 1963–64 NBA season, the Warriors drafted big man Nate Thurmond to go along with Chamberlain, the Warriors won the Western Division crown that season, but lost the 1964 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics, four games to one. In the 1964–65 season, the Warriors traded Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers for Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, Paul Neumann and $150,000 and won only 17 games
5.
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
6.
Virginia Squires
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The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976, the tean originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, an ABA charter franchise based in Oakland, California. They moved to Washington, DC as the Washington Caps in 1969 but moved to Norfolk the following year, a regional team, they played home games in Richmond, Hampton, and Roanoke as well as Norfolk. The team folded in 1976, just a month before the ABA–NBA merger, the Squires were founded in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a charter member of the ABA. The team colors were green and gold, an earlier Oakland Oaks basketball team played in the American Basketball League in 1962. The Oaks were owned in part by pop singer Pat Boone, there was a major contract dispute with the cross-bay San Francisco Warriors of the established National Basketball Association over the rights to star player Rick Barry. However, even with Barry the team proved to be a poor investment for Boone. At one point they only drew 2,500 fans per game. Facing foreclosure on a loan from Bank of America, Boone sold the team to Washington, D. C. lawyer Earl Foreman, the team colors of green and gold were retained, but the logo was a red, white and blue rendition of the United States Capitol. They played at the Washington Coliseum, however, for reasons that remain unknown, they remained in the Western Division—forcing them on the longest road trips in the league. Attendance was no better in Washington than it was in Oakland because the Coliseum was located in the North East Washington area, miraculously, they managed to finish four games above.500, but lost in the first round to the powerful Denver Rockets. Merger talks with the NBA were already underway, but a major stumbling block was the presence of the Caps in Washington, baltimore Bullets owner Abe Pollin wanted to move his team to Washington, but did not want the Caps there. The other ABA owners persuaded Foreman to move the Caps for the time in as many seasons. Foreman decided to make the Caps a regional franchise, the Virginia Squires, the team would be based in Norfolk, and also played home games in Hampton, Richmond and Roanoke. However, Roanoke was dropped from the list of cities after only one season. The Squires colors were red, white, and blue, on September 1,1970, the Squires traded Barry to the New York Nets for a draft pick and $200,000. While the negative comments had been a factor to the trade. In spite of the controversy surrounding former player Barry, the Squires finished their inaugural season in Virginia by winning the Eastern Division by 11 games
7.
Utah Stars
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The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround. The team was founded as the Anaheim Amigos, a member of the ABA based in Anaheim. They played at the Anaheim Convention Center, the teams colors were orange and black. The Anaheim Amigos were founded by Art Kim, a Hawaii native who had long active in basketball as a player, Amateur Athletic Union administrator. The Amigos lost the very first ABA game to Oakland, 132-129 and they finished their first season with 25 wins and 53 losses, good for fifth place in the Western Division but not good enough to make the playoffs. The Amigos lost $500,000 in their first season, largely due to attendance, they only averaged 1,500 fans per game in a 7. Chamberlain did not sign with the Stars, with 33 wins and 45 losses, the Stars improved from their first season but again finished fifth in the Western Division and did not make the playoffs. First year players Mack Calvin and Willie Wise signed with the Stars, the Stars finished fourth in the Western Division with a record of 43-41, earning the first winning season in franchise history and a playoff berth. Kirst had not anticipated the fast turnaround, and did not book the Sports Arena for several dates and they had to play several first and second round games in their old home in Anaheim, as well as at the Long Beach Sports Arena in Long Beach. This turned out to be their game as the Los Angeles Stars. Despite a promising young roster, the Stars were more or less an afterthought in a market whose first choices were the Los Angeles Lakers and UCLA Bruins, they only averaged 2,500 fans per game. In June 1970, Kirst sold the team to Colorado cable TV pioneer Bill Daniels, zelmo Beaty suited up for the team and the Stars finished second in the Western Division with their best record yet,57 wins and 27 losses. The Stars won their first division championship, winning the Western Division with a record of 60-24, the Stars defeated the Dallas Chaparrals 4 games to none in the Western Division semifinals before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the Western Division finals,4 games to 3. The Stars hosted the ABA All Star Game and again won the Western Division with a record of 55-29, the Stars defeated the San Diego Conquistadors 4 games to none in the Western Division semifinals but lost in the Western Division finals 4 games to 2 to the Indiana Pacers. In 1973–74 the Stars finished with a record of 51-33 and won first place in the ABAs Western Division for the third year under new coach Joe Mullaney. It was the Stars third straight Western Division title, the Stars then lost the championship to the New York Nets 4 games to 1. This was the Stars final full ABA season, Daniels was almost broke due to a series of failed business ventures and an unsuccessful run for governor of Colorado
8.
New York 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
9.
Kansas City Kings
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The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the team in the major professional North American sports leagues located in Sacramento. The team play its games at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings are the oldest franchise in the NBA, and one of the oldest continuously operating professional basketball franchises in the nation and they originated in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Seagrams in 1923 and joined the National Basketball League in 1945 as the Rochester Royals. They jumped to the Basketball Association of America, forerunner of the NBA, as the Royals, the team was often successful on the court, winning the NBA championship in 1951. However, they found it difficult to turn a profit in the comparatively small market of Rochester. In 1972, the relocated to Kansas City, Missouri. In 1975, the Kings ceased playing home games in Omaha, the team again failed to find success in that market, and moved to Sacramento in 1985. The Royals defected to the NBLs rival, the Basketball Association of America, in 1948. In 1949, as a result of that absorption of the NBL by the BAA, the Royals became members of the newly formed NBA along with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers. A year later, the BAA absorbed the remaining NBL teams to become the National Basketball Association, the move to the BAA took away Rochesters profitable exhibition schedule, and placed it in the same Western Division that Minneapolis was in. Of the two best teams in pro basketball, only one of them could play in the finals from 1949 to 1954. Minneapolis, with George Mikan, was almost always a little better at playoff time than the Royals, Harrison knew that the NBA was outgrowing Rochester, and spent most of the 1950s looking for a buyer for his team. The Royals won the NBA title in 1951 by defeating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 and it is the only NBA championship in the franchises history. However, the title did not translate into profit for the Royals, the roster turned over in 1955, except for Bobby Wanzer, the team moved to the larger Rochester War Memorial. Now a losing team filled with rookies, the Royals still did not turn a profit, meanwhile, the NBA was putting pressure on Harrison to sell or relocate his team to a larger city. With this in mind, the 1956–57 season was the Royals last in Rochester, in April 1957, the Harrison brothers moved the Royals to Cincinnati
10.
San Antonio Spurs
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The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The Spurs are one of four former American Basketball Association teams to remain intact in the NBA after the 1976 ABA–NBA merger, the Spurs five NBA championships are the fourth most in history behind only the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls. The Spurs currently rank first among active franchises for the highest winning percentage in NBA history, in their 40 NBA seasons since 1976–77, the Spurs have won 21 division titles. With their 50th win in the 2016–17 season, the Spurs extended their record for most consecutive 50-win seasons to 18. Thus, since the 1997–98 season, the Spurs have had 20 consecutive seasons with a percentage of.610 or greater during the regular season which is also an NBA record. Only the teams current head coach, Gregg Popovich, who had been the general manager before replacing Bob Hill in 1996, has had a longer tenure with the Spurs. The Spurs are the only team in any of the four major U. S. professional sports leagues. Since 2003, the team has been forced on a road trip for much of February since the AT&T Center hosts the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. This is informally known as the Rodeo Road Trip, the Spurs have consistently posted winning road records during this period, including an NBA-record longest single road trip winning streak. When the Spurs have won the NBA title, the victory parades have been boat trips on the San Antonio River Walk. The San Antonio Spurs started out as the Dallas Chaparrals of the version of the American Basketball Association. Coached by player/coach Cliff Hagan the Dallas Chaparrals were one of 11 teams to take the floor in the season of the upstart ABA. The Chaps second season was a bit of a disappointment, as the finished in 4th place with a mediocre 41–37 record. In the playoffs the Chaparrals quickly fell to the New Orleans Buccaneers, the team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. While the Chaparrals had been successful on the court, they were sinking financially by their third season. After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972–73 season, a group of 36 San Antonio businessmen, led by Manager/Angelo Drossos, Chairman of the Board/John Schaefer and President/Red McCombs, worked out a lend-lease deal with the Dallas ownership group
11.
Milwaukee Bucks
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The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball franchise based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 as a team. The team is valued at $675 million according to Forbes. The Bucks have won one title, two conference titles, and 13 division titles. On January 22,1968, the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. a group headed by Wesley Pavalon, a fan contest was held to name the new team, with over 40,000 fans participating. One fan, R. D. Trebilcox, was awarded a new car for his part in reasoning why the Bucks was a nickname, saying that bucks were spirited, good jumpers, fast. In October, the Bucks played their first NBA regular-season game against the Chicago Bulls before a Milwaukee Arena crowd of 8,467, as is typical with expansion teams, the Bucks first season was a struggle. Their first victory came in their game as the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 134–118. The Bucks record that earned them a coin flip against their expansion cousins. It was a conclusion that the first pick in the draft would be Lew Alcindor of UCLA. The Bucks won the flip, but had to win a bidding war with the upstart American Basketball Association to secure him. Despite the Bucks stroke of fortune in landing Alcindor, no one expected what happened in 1969–70 and they finished with a 56–26 record – a nearly exact reversal of the previous year and good enough for the second-best record in the league, behind the New York Knicks. The 29-game improvement was the best in league history – a record which would stand for 10 years until the Boston Celtics jumped from 29 wins in 1978–79 to 61 in 1979–80. The Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Eastern semifinals, Alcindor was a runaway selection for NBA Rookie of the Year. The following season, the Bucks got a gift when they acquired Oscar Robertson, known as the Big O. Subsequently, in only their season, the Bucks finished 66–16 – the second-most wins in NBA history at the time. During the regular season, the Bucks recorded a then-NBA record 20-game win streak and they then steamrolled through the playoffs with a dominating 12–2 record, winning the NBA Championship on April 30,1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games
12.
Western Athletic Conference
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The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference formed on July 27,1962 and affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. The WAC thus became the first Division I conference to drop football since the Big West in 2000, the WAC then added mens soccer and became one of the NCAAs eleven Division I non-football conferences. The following institutions are the members of the WAC for the 2016–17 academic year. Notes With the elimination of football as a WAC-sponsored sport, New Mexico States football program has joined the Sun Belt as an associate member, in July 2015, UTPA merged with the University of Texas at Brownsville to create the new University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The University of Texas System stated in July 2014 that the UTPA athletics program will be converted into the program at UTRGV. On November 5,2014, UTRGVs new nickname of Vaqueros was announced, the founding date for UTRGV listed in this table reflects that of Edinburg College, the institution that eventually became UTPA. According to U. S. News & World Report, RNP means a ranking was calculated, unranked means not enough information was provided to make a calculation. Chicago States continued membership is problematic, considering the schools current strained financial situation and the needs of the athletic program, in April 2016, the University Budget Committee recommended that the Athletic Department. Study the benefits of being Division I or another division, championships title totals are through Spring 2016. The following 11 schools field programs in the WAC for sports not sponsored by their primary conferences. Notes Four schools became members in mens soccer in July 2013, the WAC announced on January 9,2013 that it would reinstate the sport. Because the conference dropped football, it was necessary to add a new mens team sport to maintain its Division I status, three of these schools have past WAC connections—former full members Air Force, UNLV and San Jose State. After the WAC announced it would add mens soccer, the conference gained an eighth soccer school for the 2013 season when UMKC, which already sponsored the sport, joined. In addition, Utah Valley added the sport for 2014, UT-Pan American added it for 2015, and Chicago State is slated to add it for 2016. Four schools became members in mens swimming and diving in July 2013, the WAC announced on May 16,2013 that it would reinstate the sport. Northern Colorado joined the WAC for baseball for the 2014 season, north Dakota also joined the WAC for baseball in the 2014 season, but dropped the sport after the 2016 season. Sacramento State was formerly a member of the WAC in baseball from 1992–93 to 1995–96. Championships title totals are through Fall 2014, north Dakota will leave the WAC entirely in July 2017 after dropping its remaining WAC sports of mens and womens swimming & diving
13.
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
14.
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
15.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
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Brigham Young University
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Brigham Young University is a private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. Approximately 99 percent of the students are members of the LDS Church, many students either delay enrollment or take a hiatus from their studies to serve as Mormon missionaries. An education at BYU is also less expensive than at similar private universities, BYU offers a variety of academic programs, including liberal arts, engineering, agriculture, management, physical and mathematical sciences, nursing, and law. The university is organized into 11 colleges or schools at its main Provo campus, with certain colleges. The universitys primary focus is on education, but it also has 68 masters and 25 doctoral degree programs. BYUs athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are known as the BYU Cougars. Their college football team is an NCAA Division I Independent, while their other teams compete in either the West Coast Conference or Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. BYUs sports teams have won a total of fourteen national championships, on October 16,1875, Brigham Young, then president of the LDS Church, personally purchased the Lewis Building after previously hinting that a school would be built in Draper, Utah, in 1867. Hence, October 16,1875, is held as BYUs founding date. The school broke off from the University of Deseret and became Brigham Young Academy, warren Dusenberry served as interim principal of the school for several months until April 1876 when Brigham Youngs choice for principal arrived—a German immigrant named Karl Maeser. Under Maesers direction the school educated many luminaries including future U. S. Supreme Court Justice George Sutherland, the school, however, did not become a university until the end of Benjamin Cluffs term at the helm of the institution. At that time, the school was still privately supported by members of the community and was not absorbed and sponsored officially by the LDS Church until July 18,1896. A series of odd managerial decisions by Cluff led to his demotion, however, in his last official act, he proposed to the Board that the Academy be named Brigham Young University. The suggestion received an amount of opposition, with many members of the Board saying that the school wasnt large enough to be a university. One opponent to the decision, Anthon H. Lund, later said, in 1903 Brigham Young Academy was dissolved, and was replaced by two institutions, Brigham Young High School, and Brigham Young University. The Board elected George H. Brimhall as the new President of BYU and he had not received a high school education until he was forty. Nevertheless, he was an excellent orator and organizer, under his tenure in 1904 the new Brigham Young University bought 17 acres of land from Provo called Temple Hill. After some controversy among locals over BYUs purchase of property, construction began in 1909 on the first building on the current campus
17.
Oakland Oaks (ABA)
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The Oakland Oaks were a charter member of the original American Basketball Association. Formed in February 1967 as the Oakland Americans, the changed its name to the Oaks prior to play that fall. Playing in the ABA during the 1967–68 and 1968–69 seasons at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, on February 2,1967, pop singer Pat Boone, S. Kenneth Davidson and Dennis A. Murphy were awarded a team in exchange for $30,000, the team had widely varying performances in its two years of existence. He joined the Oaks in the year, leading the franchise to the ABA championship in 1968–69. The road to the championship was led by pioneering owner, S, kenneth Davidson, who aggressively pursued top NBA talent Rick Barry and head coach Alex Hannum, signing them for an unprecedented $85,000 per year. His efforts drove a historic turnaround, from last place to first in one year, unfortunately for Barry, he tore ligaments in his knee after colliding with Kenny Wilburn late in a game versus the New York Nets on December 27,1968. He tried to return in January, but he aggravated the injury and he subsequently sat out the rest of the season. Regardless, the Oaks won 60 games on the season, in the playoffs, they narrowly escaped the Denver Rockets in the Semifinals, but swept the New Orleans Buccaneers in the Division Finals to advance to the ABA Finals versus the Indiana Pacers. After splitting the first two games, the Oaks won an overtime thriller 134–126 to take a 2–1 lead in the series and they then won the fourth game to set up a clinching opportunity in Oakland. In the nine games in Oakland, the Oaks averaged just 3,401 attendance a game, with 30,615 total attendance. With or without Barry, the proved to be a poor investment for Boone. Despite winning the ABA championship, the Oaks were a failure at the box office, the team was sold and moved to Washington, D. C. for the 1969–70 season, where it was renamed the Washington Caps. After one season in the capital, the team moved to Norfolk, Virginia for the 1970–71 season. The team disbanded after the 1975–76 season, keeping it out of the ABA–NBA merger which occurred just weeks later, note, W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win–Loss % Oakland Oaks site at remembertheaba. com Year-to-Year Franchise Notes
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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
19.
Larry Brown (basketball)
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Lawrence Harvey Larry Brown is an American basketball coach, who was most recently head mens basketball coach at Southern Methodist University. He is the coach in basketball history to win both an NCAA national championship and an NBA title. He also won an ABA championship as a player with the Oakland Oaks in the 1968–69 season, and he is also the only person ever to coach two NBA franchises in the same season. Before coaching, Brown played collegiately at the University of North Carolina and he has been a basketball coach since 1972. Brown was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach on September 27,2002, Brown is Jewish, and was born in Brooklyn, New York. A5 ft 9 in point guard, he attended Long Beach High School and then played at the University of North Carolina under legendary coaches Frank McGuire and Dean Smith. During that time Brown was selected for the 1964 Summer Olympics team, on which he played and with which he won a gold medal, Brown was named MVP of the ABAs first All-Star Game in 1968, and was named to the All-ABA Second Team the same year. Brown led the ABA in assists per game during the leagues first three seasons, and when he ended his career, Brown was the ABAs all-time assist leader. His total of 2,509 assists places him seventh on the ABAs career list, Browns first head coaching job was at Davidson College in North Carolina in 1969. Unfortunately for Wildcat fans, it would only last during the summer offseason, Brown moved on to the ABA and coached with the Carolina Cougars and then the Denver Nuggets, who later joined the NBA in 1976, for five and a half seasons from 1974 to 1979. He then moved on to coach for UCLA, leading his freshman-dominated 1979–80 team to the NCAA title game before falling to Louisville, 59–54. However, that appearance was vacated by the NCAA after two UCLA players were found to be ineligible—one of the few times a Final Four squad has had its record vacated. Brown was the coach for the NBAs New Jersey Nets for two years following that, from 1981 to 1983. Brown began his tenure at the University of Kansas, replacing the fired Ted Owens, who had overseen back-to-back losing seasons in 1981-82 and 1982-83. In the meantime Brown signed the most coveted high school player in the country, Danny Manning, to play for KU after signing his father, Ed Manning, perhaps Browns finest team at Kansas was the 1985-86 team. This squad put together a 35-4 record, the first 30-win season in KU history, in the 1987-88 season, Kansas got off to a mediocre 12–8 start, including 1–4 in the Big 8, and the end of the Jayhawks 55-game homecourt winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas then proceeded to defeat 11th-seed Xavier, 14th-seed Murray State, and 7th-seed Vanderbilt before meeting rival Kansas State, KU upset the 4th-seeded Wildcats 71-58 in the Elite Eight to reach the Final Four in Kansas Citys Kemper Arena. Once there, Kansas upset the East Regions #2 seed Duke, 66-59, Manning, who scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the final, was named Most Oustanding Player of the Tournament
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Rick Barry
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Richard Francis Dennis Rick Barry III is an American retired professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in history by the NBA in 1996, Barry is the player to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He was known for his unorthodox but effective underhand free throw shooting technique, in 1987, Barry was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the father of former NBA players Brent Barry and Jon Barry, Barry grew up in Roselle Park, New Jersey, graduating from Roselle Park High School in 1962. Barry was an All-American basketball player for the University of Miami, while at Miami, Barry met his wife Pamela, the daughter of Hurricanes head coach Bruce Hale. As a senior in the 1964–65 campaign, Barry led the NCAA with a 37.4 points-per-game average, Barry and the Hurricanes did not take part in the NCAA Tournament, however, because the basketball program was on probation at the time. Barry is one of just two players to have his number retired by the school. Barry was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors with the pick of the 1965 NBA draft. In Barrys first season in the NBA with the Warriors, the team improved from 17 to 35 victories and that 76ers team is considered to be one of the greatest in basketball history.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in the 1965–66 season. Teamed with star center Nate Thurmond in San Francisco, Barry helped take the Warriors to the 1967 NBA Finals, including a 55-point outburst in Game 3, Barry averaged 40.8 points per game in the series, an NBA Finals record that stood for three decades. The courts ordered Barry to sit out the 1967–68 season before he starred in the ABA, the ensuing negative publicity cast Barry in a negative light, portraying him as selfish and money-hungry. However, many NBA players at the time were looking at jumping to the ABA for more lucrative contracts, Barry would star in the ABA, twice averaging more than 30 points per game. After the 1966–67 season, Barry became one of the first NBA players to jump to the American Basketball Association when he signed with the Oakland Oaks, in the ABAs first season, the Oaks were the only ABA team located in the same market as an NBA team. The Warriors went to court and prevented Barry from playing for the Oaks during the 1967–68 season, Barry instead worked on Oaks radio broadcasts during the ABAs first season. During the 1968–69 season Barry suited up for the Oaks and averaged 34 points per game and he also led the ABA in free throw percentage for the season. However, on December 27,1968, late in a game against the New York Nets, Barry and Kenny Wilburn collided and Barry tore ligaments in his knee. He tried to again in January but only aggravated the injury and sat out the rest of the season. Despite the injury Barry was named to the ABA All-Star team, the Oaks finished with a record of 60-18, winning the Western Division by 14 games over the second place New Orleans Buccaneers
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Warren Jabali
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Warren Jabali was an American basketball player. He played professionally in the American Basketball Association from 1968 to 1975, born Warren Edward Armstrong, Jabali changed his name while attending Wichita State University to reflect his African roots. The name does not have any religious connotations as it is a Swahili word for rock, a skilled defender and rebounder and a remarkable leaper, the 62 Jabali was reported to be able to touch a ten-foot high basketball rim with his forehead. Although Wichita State, and the Missouri Valley Conference in general, supplied many pro players of the era, he did not receive much attention from the National Basketball Association. He was drafted by the New York Knicks in the 4th round of the 1968 NBA draft, he signed instead with the Oakland Oaks of the rival ABA, who selected him in the 1968 ABA Draft. In his first season in the ABA, he won Rookie of the Year honors, prompting teammate Rick Barry to comment, later that season, Jabali averaged 33.2 points against the Indiana Pacers in the 1969 ABA Finals and was named Playoffs MVP. That season Jabalis efforts helped bring an ABA Championship to the Oakland Oaks, a team also featured Rick Barry, Larry Brown. Jabali became an instant star after coming into the league from Wichita State University, although Barry, the Oaks biggest attraction, won the league scoring title in 1968–69, he was only able to play in 35 games because of a severe knee ligament injury. It was Jabali, a starter, who gave Coach Alex Hannum the extra scoring punch needed in Barrys absence. With Jabali aboard and Barry helping for part of the season, in the playoffs they went 12-4 on the way to claiming the ABA Championship. A year later at midseason, with the team playing as the Washington Caps, hurt shortly after playing in his first of four ABA All-Star Games, he was carrying an average of 22.8 points per game at the time. Jabali made a comeback, although his final five years were spent with four different teams, in his first season back, 1970–71, he was traded from the Kentucky Colonels to the Indiana Pacers on October 13,1970 in exchange for a first-round draft choice and cash. Jabali saw action in 62 games with the Pacers and it was with the Pacers that Jabali started pulling the trigger from three-point land, he did it 163 times that year, making 47 treys. He had a big year with the Florida Floridians the following season, averaging 19.9 points and hitting 102 of his 286 three-point attempts, when the Miami-based franchise folded, Jabali moved to the Denver Rockets. During his first campaign with the Rockets, Jabalis 16-point effort in the 1973 ABA All-Star Game keyed the Wests come-from-behind victory and that game is often referred to as the Jabalis Jamboree. After one more season in Denver and another with the San Diego Conquistadors, Jabali retired in 1975, in his seven-year professional career, Jabali played for the Oakland Oaks, Washington Capitals, the Indiana Pacers, The Floridians, the Denver Rockets, and the San Diego Conquistadors. While playing for the Rockets in 1973, he was named the All-Star Game MVP and was named to the All-ABA First Team after averaging 17.0 points,6.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds. Knee problems would soon limit his effectiveness, however, and he retired in 1975, having achieved career averages of 17.1 points,5.3 assists, Warren Jabali died on July 13,2012
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ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player
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The ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award was an annual American Basketball Association given in the ABA Playoffs. The award was first awarded in the 1968 ABA Playoffs, and was retired as part of the ABA–NBA merger, in sports, the player judged to be the most important to the team is the most valuable player. The inaugural award winner was Pittsburgh Pipers player Connie Hawkins, on all occasions, the player who wins the Playoffs MVP award is from the team that won the ABA championship. Julius Erving, who led the New York Nets to two ABA championships in 1974 and 1976, is the player to win the award twice
23.
Doug Moe
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Douglas Edwin Moe is an American former professional basketball player and coach. As a head coach with the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association, born in Brooklyn, New York, Moe was a star player at the University of North Carolina where he was a two-time All-American. However, his career ended in controversy when he admitted to being associated with a point shaving scandal. Moe received $75 from fix conspirator Aaron Wagman to fly to a meeting in New Jersey, arranged by Moes friend conspirator Lou Brown, there is no evidence that Moe was ever involved in a fix conspiracy, but his ties to the scandal blemished his reputation. He garnered ABA All-Star honors three times in an injury-shortened five-year professional playing career, Moe became a head coach in 1976–77, after serving as an assistant coach for the Carolina Cougars. Moe worked behind the bench for 15 years, ten of them with the Denver Nuggets and he also had stops in San Antonio and Philadelphia. Moe began his career with the Carolina Cougars in the ABA as an assistant coach to his UNC teammate. He then followed Brown to Denver, where they coached the Nuggets from 1974 to 1976, during those two seasons, the Nuggets were 125–43. They advanced to the ABA Finals in 1976, but lost to the New York Nets in six games, after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, Moe served as a head coach for the San Antonio Spurs for four seasons, leading them to a conference finals appearance in 1979. He returned to Denver in 1980 to take over the coaching reigns from another UNC alum Donnie Walsh. From 1980 to 1990, Moe compiled a 432–357 record and led the Nuggets to the postseason nine-straight years—advancing as far as the Western Conference Finals in 1985 and he guided the Nuggets to two Midwest Division titles and a franchise-record 54 wins in 1987–88. He was named NBA Coach of the Year that same year, under Moes direction, the Nuggets high-octane offense led the league in scoring in six of his 10 seasons in Denver. He is honored by the Nuggets with a banner that read 432 for his amount of wins as a Nugget head coach, Moe also served an unsuccessful stint as a head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, with his son David Moe as an assistant coach. In 1979, he led the Spurs to the conference finals and his overall NBA head coaching ledger stands at 628–529 and his wins are the 19th-most in NBA history, though he is not in the Hall of Fame. Moe used a run-and-gun offense which had his team shoot before the defense had set up. He ran almost no plays, instead relying on ball movement, screens, players were not to hold onto the ball for longer than two seconds. The movement of the ball was predicated on what the defense allowed and you cant diagram it, you cant put a pencil and paper to it. If you do, youre doing an injustice to the system, Moe simply said, The passing game is basically doing whatever the hell you want
24.
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
25.
Brian Taylor (basketball)
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Brian Dwight Taylor is a retired American professional basketball player. A62 guard from Princeton University, he was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the round of the 1972 NBA draft. However, he began his career with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association, for whom he played four seasons. He joined the NBA as a member of the Kansas City Kings in 1976 and he also played for the Denver Nuggets and San Diego Clippers, before retiring in 1982 with 7,868 career points. His son, Bryce, played guard for the Oregon Ducks, Taylor graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1969. In 2012, Great Hearts Academies hired Taylor to be the Executive Director of Teleos Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, Arizona
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Al Skinner
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Albert Lee Al Skinner Jr. is an American mens college basketball head coach and a former collegiate and professional basketball player. He was formerly the coach of the Boston College mens basketball team and was then an assistant at Bryant University before becoming the head coach of Kennesaw State University in 2015. Skinner played at the University of Massachusetts, while on the freshman team in the 1970–71 season, the varsity team was led by Julius Erving, in what would be Ervings final season in college. Skinner was also a teammate of Rick Pitino, Skinner scored 1,235 points in his three years on the varsity squad. He led the team in rebounding each of three years, and in scoring in his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, he averaged a double-double with 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds and that scoring average also led the Yankee Conference. He led UMass to two straight YC titles in the 1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons, as a senior in 1973–74, he was the team captain and an All-America honorable mention selection. His jersey number 30 was retired in a ceremony at UMass on Feb.18,2004, Skinner was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA Draft. He never ended up playing with Boston, instead, he joined the New York Nets in the ABA, where he reunited with Julius Erving. The pair helped the Nets win the ABA title in 1975–76, in his total ABA/NBA career, he spent time with the Nets, Pistons and 76ers. After retiring from his career, Skinner entered the college coaching ranks. He served as an assistant coach at Marist from 1982–84, and he was named head coach at URI beginning with the 1988–1989 season, replacing Tom Penders. Skinner coached the Rams for nine seasons, during which he won the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year award for the 1991–92 season. He is also credited for recruiting many of the players of the Rams 1997–98 team – Cuttino Mobley, during Skinners tenure, the Rams were selected to two NITs and two NCAA Tournaments. He was inducted into URIs Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, on April 17,1997, Skinner was hired to lead the Boston College Eagles mens basketball team after Jim OBrien left for Ohio State. Nearly all of the Eagles prominent players followed OBrien to Ohio State, as a result, the Eagles struggled for Skinners first three seasons in Chestnut Hill, winning only 12 games in Big East play and 32 overall. The Eagles went on to win the Big East Tournament, and he was named the seasons Coach of the Year both Nationally and in the Big East. In the 2004–05 season, the Eagles became the first Big East team in history to start a season 20–0, the Eagles were ranked #4 in the AP Poll at the time, and even reached as high as #3 later in the season
