Summit League
The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership located in the Midwestern United States from Indiana and Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the West, with additional members in the Western state of Colorado and the Southern state of Oklahoma. Dubbed the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982, on June 1, 2007, the conference changed its name from the Mid-Continent Conference. League headquarters are in South Dakota. With the 2018 arrival of the University of North Dakota as the league's newest full member, the Summit has nine full members plus four associate members. A total of 31 schools have been full members, but the only charter member remaining in the league today is Western Illinois University. Notes The Summit League has 22 former members. - The then-Mid-Continent Conference did not sponsor women's sports until the 1992–93 school year. Cleveland State, UIC, Northern Illinois, Green Bay, Wright State were all members of the women's-only North Star Conference until the Mid-Con began sponsoring women's sports absorbing the NSC.
- As noted before, the Mid-Con did not sponsor women's sports until 1992–93. Before that time, Eastern Illinois had been a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference, which began as a women's-only conference and added football in 1985; when the Gateway merged its women's side into the Missouri Valley Conference, EIU moved its women's sports into the Mid-Con, but kept its football team in the Gateway until it moved its entire athletic program into the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996. Notes The association was created on June 18, 1982 at the O'Hare Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, which it was known as until 1989; the conference sponsored football from 1982 until 1984 at the Division I-AA level, current members North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Western Illinois plus future member North Dakota have FCS football programs. In the early 1990s, the conference saw its first changes. Southwest Missouri State departed for membership in the Missouri Valley Conference as the University of Akron and Northern Illinois University joined in 1990.
Wright State University joined in 1991 as Northern Iowa followed Southwest Missouri State to the MVC. Major changes came to the conference in 1992. First, Akron left for the Mid-American Conference and was replaced by another Ohio school, Youngstown State University. More the Mid-Continent added women's sports by absorbing the North Star Conference, a women's-only league whose final seven members had all been in the Mid-Continent. All of the final NSC members except for Akron moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent. At the same time, Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois moved their women's sports into the Mid-Continent when their former women's sports home, the Gateway Conference, merged into the Missouri Valley Conference. A year the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee joined the Mid-Continent. In 1994, charter members Cleveland State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, as well as newer members Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, Wright State left the conference to join the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now known as the Horizon League.
In response, the Mid-Continent absorbed Central Connecticut State University, Chicago State University, the University at Buffalo, Troy State University, Northeastern Illinois University from the collapsed East Coast Conference. None of these institutions remain in the league. Missouri-Kansas City an independent joined the Mid-Continent Conference in 1994. Eastern Illinois moved to the Ohio Valley Conference in 1996. Troy State departed for the Trans America Athletic Conference while Central Connecticut went to the Northeast Conference in 1997. Buffalo joined the MAC in 1998 while Northeastern Illinois ceased intercollegiate athletics at that time. Oral Roberts University and Southern Utah University replaced the former pair while Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and Oakland University moved into the latter duo's spots a year later. Youngstown State switched to the Horizon League in 2001, was replaced by Centenary College in 2003. Chicago State University announced in the spring of 2006 that it would withdraw from the conference to compete as an independent starting in the 2006-07 school year.
Charter member Valparaiso University moved to the Horizon in 2007. At the Mid-Continent Conference annual Presidents Council meeting in 2006, conference expansion was discussed at length, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, North Dakota State, South Dakota State were approved for site visits. On August 30, 2006, IPFW accepted an invitation to join the Mid-Continent Conference as a full member starting July 1, 2007; the following day, North Dakota State and South Dakota State accepted invitations to join the conference. The Summit League continued its renewed expansion push with the admission of the University of South Dakota; the Coyotes began conference play in the 2011–12 academic year and become eligible for all championships the following season. Centenary College subsequently announced that it would leave the Summit League following the 2010–2011 campaign; the University of North Dakota had been rumored to have been courted by the Summit League, but controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname in all likelihood prevented UND's admission
Kyle O'Quinn
Kyle Brandon O'Quinn is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. He played for the Norfolk State Spartans, led them to a victory over the #2 seed Missouri Tigers in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, he was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft with the 49th overall pick, by the Orlando Magic. O'Quinn was born in Queens, New York, grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, his parents are Regina O'Quinn. He has an older sister, Rasheena Moss, who earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Hampton University in 2008. O'Quinn has moonlighted by booking gigs in New York as a bar bat mitzvah entertainer. O'Quinn first attended Holy Cross High School for his first two years of high school, playing only a limited amount on the school's junior varsity team, he attended Math, Science Research & Technology High School at the Campus Magnet Complex in Queens to play football, quit basketball when he didn't play as a junior.
In his senior year, he averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks per game, but his only scholarship offer was to Norfolk State University. He was a first-team All-Queens and third-team All-Public School Athletic League selection in his senior year. O'Quinn planned on pursuing a career in football after receiving a scholarship from Norfolk State because of his basketball ability. O'Quinn could have given up basketball the way he had with football, but this time chose the other choice and focused on pursuing a career in the NBA, he graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. In his Norfolk State career, he played in 129 games, averaging 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.19 blocks, shot.553 from the field. Norfolk State Retired his number 10 jersey on February 16, 2019. In O'Quinn's freshman season at Norfolk State, he appeared in all 31 games including two starts, he averaged 3.4 rebounds per game. He was twice named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rookie of the week. In his sophomore season, O'Quinn appeared starting in 29 of them.
He was on third on Norfolk State in scoring at 11.5 points per game, led the team in rebounds at 8.7 rebounds per game, had 1.70 blocks per game. He led the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in field goal percentage at 54.9%. O'Quinn was named to the All-MEAC Second Team and was twice named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week. In O'Quinn's junior season in 2010-11, he averaged 16.4 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game, 3.44 blocks per game. He was fourth in the country in blocked shots, fifth in rebounds, eighth in double-doubles. O'Quinn led the MEAC in blocks and rebounds, was second in field goal percentage, finished fifth in points per game, he established single-season school records with 355 rebounds. He became the first-ever player from Norfolk State to be named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. O'Quinn was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week four times and was named MEAC Player of the Week four times as well, was voted to the MEAC All-Tournament Team. In O'Quinn's senior season, he averaged 15.9 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game, 2.69 blocks per game.
He tied for fifth in the country with 20 double-doubles. He ranked 14th in the nation in field goal percentage, 15th in blocked shots, 16th in rebounding, he was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. He was the 2012 Lou Henson recipient as the nation's top mid-major player. Norfolk State made the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament as a 15 seed, but the Spartans upset the second-seeded Missouri Tigers in the Round of 64. In the game, O'Quinn recorded 14 rebounds. After the game, an ecstatic O'Quinn began sprinting through the school's hallways, yelling, "We messed up some brackets! We messed up some brackets!" In the next round, Norfolk State lost to the Florida Gators, O'Quinn only recorded four points and three rebounds. Following the season, O'Quinn participated in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, averaging 11.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.7 BPG. O'Quinn was named the Tournament MVP, was named to the All-Tournament Team. O'Quinn was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft with the 49th overall pick by the Orlando Magic.
On August 9, 2012, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Magic. He went on to earn the 2012–13 Hustle Player of the Year award for his constant commitment to playing every game with more excitement than the last, he finished the season with averages of 3.7 rebounds in 57 games. With 1.3 blocked shots per game in 2013–14, O'Quinn led the Magic and was tied for 20th in the league. He finished the season with 5.3 rebounds per game. After spraining his ankle in the season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 28, 2014, O'Quinn missed 15 consecutive games before returning to action on November 16. Over a five-game stretch with Nikola Vučević out with a back injury between December 2 and December 12, O'Quinn started all five games and subsequently averaged 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. On July 9, 2015, O'Quinn was signed-and-traded from the Magic to the New York Knicks in exchange for cash considerations and the right to exc
Point guard
The point guard called the one or point, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right player at the right time. Above all, the point guard must understand and accept their coach's game plan. While the point guard must understand and accept the coach's gameplan, they must be able to adapt to what the defense is allowing, they must control the pace of the game. A point guard, like other player positions in basketball, specializes in certain skills. A point guard's primary job is to facilitate scoring opportunities for his/her team, or sometimes for themselves. Lee Rose has described a point guard as a coach on the floor, who can handle and distribute the ball to teammates; this involves setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate in the best position to score, controlling the tempo of the game.
A point guard should know when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets. Point guards are expected to be vocal floor leaders. A point guard needs always to have in mind the times on the shot clock and the game clock, the score, the numbers of remaining timeouts for both teams, etc. Among the taller players who have enjoyed success at the position is Ben Simmons, who at 6’ 10” won the 2018 National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year Award. Behind him is Magic Johnson, who at 6’ 9” won the National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award three times in his career. Other point guards who have been named NBA MVP include Russell Westbrook, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose and two-time winners Steve Nash and Stephen Curry. In the NBA, point guards are about 6' 4" or shorter, average about 6' 2" whereas in the WNBA, point guards are 5' 9" or shorter. Having above-average size is considered advantageous, although size is secondary to situational awareness, speed and ball handling skills.
Shorter players tend to be better dribblers since they are closer to the floor, thus have better control of the ball while dribbling. After an opponent scores, it is the point guard who brings the ball down court to begin an offensive play. Passing skills, ball handling, court vision are crucial. Speed is important. Point guards are valued more for their assist totals than for their scoring. Another major evaluation factor is assist-to-turnover ratio, which reflects the decision-making skills of the player. Still, a first-rate point guard should have a reasonably effective jump shot; the point guard is positioned on the perimeter of the play, so as to have the best view of the action. This is a necessity because of the point guard's many leadership obligations. Many times, the point guard is referred to by announcers as a "coach on the floor" or a "floor general". In the past, this was true, as several point guards such as Lenny Wilkens served their teams as player-coaches; this is not so common anymore, as most coaches are now specialized in coaching and are non-players.
Some point guards are still given a great deal of leeway in the offense. Point guards who are not given this much freedom, are still extensions of their coach on the floor and must display good leadership skills. Along with leadership and a general basketball acumen, ball-handling is a skill of great importance to a point guard. Speaking, the point guard is the player in possession of the ball for the most time during a game and is responsible for maintaining possession of the ball for his team in the face of any pressure from the opponents. Point guards must be able to maintain possession of the ball in crowded spaces and in traffic and be able to advance the ball quickly. A point guard that has enough ball-handling skill and quickness to be able to drive to the basket in a half-court set is very valuable and considered by some to be a must for a successful offense. After ball-handling and scoring are the most important areas of the game for a point guard; as the primary decision-maker for a team, a point guard's passing ability determines how well a point guard is able to put his decision into play.
It is one thing to be able to recognize the player, in a tactically advantageous position, but it is another thing to be able to deliver the ball to that player. For this reason, a point guard is but not always, more skilled and focused on passing than shooting. However, a good jump shot and the ability to score off a drive to the basket are still valuable skills. A point guard will use his ability to score in order to augment his effectiveness as a decision maker and play maker. In addition to the traditional role of the point guard, modern teams have found new ways to utilize the position. Notably, several modern point guards have used a successful style of post play, a tactic practiced by much larger centers and forwards. Working off of the fact that the opposing point guard is in all probability an undersized player with limited strength, several modern point guards have developed games close to the basket that include being able to utilize the drop step, spin move, fade away jump shot. In recent years, the sport's shift from a fundamental style of play to a more athletic, scoring-oriented game resulted in the proliferation of so-called combo guards at the po
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. A non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001, its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The 12 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed across the southern United States; the Sun Belt Conference was founded on August 4, 1976 with the University of New Orleans, the University of South Alabama, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of South Florida. Over the next ten years the conference would add Western Kentucky University, Old Dominion University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Virginia Commonwealth University. New Orleans was forced out of the league in 1980 due to its small on-campus gymnasium that the Conference did not deem suitable for Conference competition. UNO competed as an independent before joining the newly formed American South Conference in 1987.
After the 1990–91 basketball season, all members of the Sun Belt, except Western Kentucky, South Alabama, Jacksonville, departed for other conferences. The Sun Belt, including incoming member in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock merged with the American South Conference, made up of Arkansas State University, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Southwestern Louisiana, the University of Texas–Pan American, New Orleans, Lamar University, the University of Central Florida. Although the American South was the larger conference, the merged league retained the Sun Belt name. Central Florida left the league following the 1991–92 academic year. Lamar, Texas–Pan American, Jacksonville departed at the end of the 1997–98 academic year. Florida International University joined the Sun Belt in 1998, the University of Denver was added in 1999. Louisiana Tech departed after the 2000–01 academic year; the conference did not sponsor football until 2001, when the league added former Big West Conference members New Mexico State University and the University of North Texas and former Ohio Valley Conference member Middle Tennessee State University as full members and added FBS Independent University of Louisiana at Monroe and Big West member University of Idaho as "football-only" members.
These new members gave the Sun Belt seven football playing members in their first season, as Arkansas State and Louisiana–Lafayette were full members which sponsored football. Another Big West school, Utah State University, was added as a "football-only" member in 2003 departed in 2005 with Idaho and New Mexico State for the Western Athletic Conference. In 2004, Troy University became a "football-only" member until the Trojans joined the conference in all sports in the 2005-06 academic year. In 2005, Florida Atlantic became a "football-only" member until the Owls joined the conference in all sports in the 2006-07 academic year. In 2006, Louisiana–Monroe joined the conference as an all-sports full member when the Warhawks left their former home, the Southland Conference. Longtime Sun Belt member Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt's football conference in 2009 after its Board of Regents voted to upgrade the school's football program to Division I FBS. On November 11, 2009, New Orleans announced it was investigating a move from Division I to the NCAA's Division III.
In order to maintain athletic scholarships, UNO instead opted for entry into Division II. On April 20, 2011, UNO received transition approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee. On April 9, 2012, Georgia State, one of the founding members of the Sun Belt Conference, announced that it would be returning to the conference as a full member in 2013; as part of the move, the football program began a transition from FCS to FBS in the 2012 season. On May 2, 2012, Texas State University announced it would leave the WAC after just one year and join the Sun Belt in July 2013 to begin play for the 2013–14 academic year. At the press conference to announce Texas State's addition, Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson hinted that more changes could be on the way for the conference. On May 25, 2012, the conference announced that the University of Texas at Arlington had accepted an invitation to join the conference and would become a full member by 2013. UT Arlington does not field a football team. On May 4, 2012, FIU and North Texas announced that they would be leaving the Sun Belt for Conference USA on July 1, 2013 as part of a Conference USA expansion effort involving four other schools.
On November 29, 2012, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State announced that they would leave the Sun Belt for Conference USA. The move for Florida Atlantic and MTSU was scheduled to take place in 2014, the two schools announced on January 28, 2013 that they would leave for Conference USA a year early, departing on July 1, 2013 with FIU and North Texas. Western Kentucky accepted an invitation to join Conference USA on April 1, 2013, departed from the Sun Belt on July 1, 2014; these moves depleted the Sun Belt and made the need to expand their membership more urgent than as the Sun Belt was left with ten full members and only eight members that sponsor football (the minimum number required for a conference to sponsor footba
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the State Farm Center, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's campus in Champaign. Illinois has one pre-tournament national championship in 1915, one retroactive national championship awarded in 1943 by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Illinois has appeared in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament 30 times, has competed in 5 Final Fours, 9 Elite Eights, has won 17 Big Ten regular season championships; the team is coached by Brad Underwood, hired on March 18, 2017. Through the end of the 2017–18 season, Illinois ranks 12th all-time in winning percentage and 15th all-time in wins among all NCAA Division I men's college basketball programs; the Fighting Illini began play in 1906 with Elwood Brown as their first coach. In 1915, Illinois won their first Big Ten title, going 16–0 under coach Ralph Jones, they were retroactively declared champion of that season by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.
They won two more Big Ten titles in both shared titles. In 1935, they won the Big Ten once again, they won the Big Ten title five years in 1942, their first unanimous Big Ten title since 1915. Prior to World War II breaking out, the Fighting Illini men's basketball program had achieved a status which it had never seen prior. Under the direction of head coach and athletic director Douglas R. Mills, the Illini grouped a team of players, all around 6' 3", into a nearly undefeatable lineup to be known as "The Whiz Kids"; as freshman and sophomores, the 1941–42 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team dominated the Big Ten conference basketball season by posting a 13–2 record, overall finishing with 18 wins and only 5 losses. A starting lineup of freshman and sophomores, Arthur "Jack" Smiley, Ken Menke, Andy Phillip, Ellis "Gene" Vance, Victor Wukovits and Art Mathisen, developed a winning attitude that would maintain for the next 15 years, a time period where the Illini would finish no less than third in the conference for 13 of them.
Despite being ranked No. 1 in the nation, the 1943 Illinois men's basketball squad opted not to play in the NCAA Tournament when three of its five'Whiz Kids' were called to duty in World War II Champaign High School basketball coach Harry Combes was hired to succeed Doug Mills as Mills left the position to focus on his duties as the athletic director. Through his first five seasons as head coach, Combes led the Fighting Illini to three NCAA Final Four appearances in 1949, 1951, 1952. During his tenure as coach, Combes increased the Fighting Illini's offensive output by changing their style of play. Combes implemented Full-court press defense, causing turnovers at a high rate which translated into Fast break points. During the 1957–58 season, Mannie Jackson and Govoner Vaughn were inserted into the starting lineup as the first two African-Americans to start and letter in basketball at Illinois. Combes oversaw the Illini's move from Huff Hall to Assembly Hall in 1963 and during that same season the Illini won a fourth Big Ten Conference championship under Combes.
However, the Illini lost to eventual national champion Loyola in the Elite Eight of the 1963 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The following 1964–65 season, saw several upset victories over defending national champion UCLA Bruins and national powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1975, after having taken New Mexico State to the 1970 Final Four, Lou Henson moved to the University of Illinois to replace Gene Bartow, after Bartow left Illinois to replace the legendary John Wooden at UCLA. Henson would lead the Fighting Illini back to their glory after having a number of difficult years following the Illinois slush fund scandal. In 21 years at Illinois, Henson garnered 423 wins and 224 losses, with a record of 214 wins and 164 losses in Big Ten Conference games; the 214 wins in Big Ten games were the third highest total at the time of his retirement. At Illinois, Henson coached many future NBA players, including Eddie Johnson, Derek Harper, Ken Norman, Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill, Kenny Battle, Marcus Liberty, Steve Bardo, Kiwane Garris.
In 1981, Illinois made strides in its return to the national spotlight with a 21–8 record, a third-place Big Ten finish and an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The team received a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament and beat Wyoming, 67–65, in Los Angeles to advance to the regionals in Salt Lake City, where Illinois lost to Kansas State, 57–52. During this season, the Fighting Illini led the Big Ten in scoring for the second consecutive season and were again led by Eddie Johnson and Mark Smith. Guards Craig Tucker and Derek Harper arrived to add backcourt punch, Harper began his Illini career being named First-Team Freshman All-America by ESPN and ABC; the top-seeded and top-ranked 1989 Illini were upset 83–81 in the Final Four on a last second basket by Michigan's Sean Higgins, ending the school's deepest run in the tournament at that time. Illinois had beaten the Wolverines 16 points in two previous meetings that season; the 1988–89 Illinois Fighting Illini team gained the moniker "Flyin' Illini" by Dick Vitale during an ESPN broadcast that season.
The team gained national prominence for its athletic players, such as NCAA slam dunk champions Kenny Battle and Kendall Gill, as well
Center (basketball)
The center known as the five, or the big man, is one of the five positions in a regular basketball game. The center is the tallest player on the team, has a great deal of strength and body mass as well. In the NBA, the center is 6 feet 10 inches or taller and weighs 240 pounds or more, they traditionally have played close to the basket in the low post. A center with the ability to shoot outside from three-point range is known as stretch five; the center is considered a necessary component for a successful team in professional leagues such as the NBA. Great centers have been the foundation for most of the dynasties in both the NBA and NCAA; the 6'10" George Mikan pioneered the Center position, shattering the held perception that tall players could not develop the agility and coordination to play basketball well, ushering in the role of the dominant big man. He led DePaul University to the NIT title after turning professional, won seven National Basketball League, Basketball Association of America and NBA Championships in his ten-year career, nine of them with the Minneapolis Lakers.
Using his height to dominate opposing players, Mikan invented the shot block. In the 1960s, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain further transformed basketball by combining height with a greater level of athleticism than previous centers. Following the retirement of George Mikan, the rivalry of the two big men came to dominate the NBA. Between the two of them and Russell won nine of the eleven MVP awards in the eleven-year period between 1958 and 1969. Many of the records set by these two players have endured today. Most notably 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, winning eleven championships over his thirteen-year career as well as five MVP awards. Russell revolutionized defensive strategy with his shot-blocking and physical man-to-man defense. While he was never the focal point of the Celtics offense, much of the team's scoring came when Russell grabbed defensive rebounds and initiated fast breaks with precision outlet passes to point guard Bob Cousy.
As the NBA's first African-American superstar, Russell struggled throughout his career with the racism he encountered from fans in Boston after the 1966–67 season, when he became the first African-American in any major sport to be named player-coach. His principal rival, Wilt Chamberlain, listed at 7'1", 275 pounds, lacked Russell's supporting cast. 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 triple overtime, Chamberlain was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. A member of the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA in 1959, Chamberlain won two Championships, in 1967 with the Philadelphia 76ers and 1972 with the Los Angeles Lakers, although his teams were defeated by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals, he won seven scoring titles, eleven rebounding titles, four regular season Most Valuable Player awards, including the distinction, in 1960, of being the first rookie to receive the award.
Stronger than any player of his era, he was capable of scoring and rebounding at will. Although he was the target of constant double- and triple-teaming, as well as fouling tactics designed to take advantage of his poor free-throw shooting, he set a number of records that have never been broken. Most notably, Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to average more than 50 points in a season and score 100 points in a single game, he holds the NBA's all-time records for rebounding average, rebounds in a single game, career rebounds. A lesser-known center of the era was Nate Thurmond, who played the forward position opposite Wilt Chamberlain for the San Francisco Warriors but moved to center after Chamberlain was traded to the new Philadelphia franchise. Although he never won a Championship, Thurmond was known as the best screen setter in the league, his averages of 21.3 and 22.0 rebounds per game in 1966–67 and 1967–68, are exceeded only by Chamberlain and Russell. 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, winning seven consecutive titles between 1967 and 1973. UCLA had won two consecutive titles in 1964 and 1965 with teams that pressed and emphasized guard play. After not winning in 1966, Wooden's teams changed their style, 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 because of Alcindor's dominant use of the shot, his entrance into the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969 was timely, as Bill Russell had just retired and Wilt Chamberlain was 33 years old and plagued by injuries. After leading the Bucks to the 1971 NBA championship, te
Keith Benson
Keith Anderson Benson Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Eisbären Bremerhaven of the German Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for Oakland University. A 6-foot-11 center, Benson was a second-round pick in the 2011 NBA draft, selected by the Atlanta Hawks, he has since played in Italy, Belarus, Lithuania and the NBA Development League. Born in Cleveland and raised in Farmington Hills, Benson attended Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan. On the Detroit Country Day basketball team, Benson averaged only 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a senior. Benson committed to Fairfield, but changed his mind after a coaching change and committed to Oakland after they offered him a scholarship. After redshirting his first year at Oakland, Benson became a starter for the 2007–08 season. Benson averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds. He finished the season with 40 blocks—one shy of Oakland's single-season record. However, he was benched prior to the conference tournament because OU's head coach, Greg Kampe, felt Benson was not playing good enough defense.
At the conclusion of his redshirt junior season, Benson received the Lou Henson Award, given to the "mid-major player of the year". Benson was named the Summit League Player of the Year. Benson declared himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft, but withdrew himself after he was unable to work out with NBA teams due to an injured right thumb. Benson earned a Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree with a minor in art history from Oakland in August 2010, prior to his redshirt senior season. During his senior season in 2010–11, Benson enrolled in master's-level architecture courses in Oakland. In basketball, he set the Summit League's record for career blocks, he broke the record of 317, set by Keith Closs of Central Connecticut State University from 1994–96. Benson was named the Summit League's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2011. After being projected as a late-second round pick, Benson was selected with the 18th pick of the second round by the Atlanta Hawks. Benson is the first player from Oakland University selected in the NBA draft.
In August 2011 he signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Basket Sassari in Italy's Serie A League, which included an opt-out clause upon the conclusion of the 2011 NBA lockout, but he left the team in October 2011. Once the lockout ended, Benson played in the Hawks' two preseason games and was waived before the beginning of the regular season. On January 26, 2012, the Sioux Falls Skyforce acquired Benson out of the D-League player pool. On March 24, he signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors. Benson appeared in only three regular-season games with the Warriors, missing his only shot attempt, grabbing three rebounds. In September 2012, Benson joined the Atlanta Hawks after playing with their summer league team, he was waived by the team on October 11, 2012. On November 3, 2012, Benson was re-acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. However, on November 5, the Skyforce traded him to the Erie BayHawks for Mike Davis. Benson was bought out by Text Tropang Texters of Manila, Philippines.
The Talk'N Text Tropang Texters selected Benson as an import for the 2013 Philippine Basketball Association's Commissioner's Cup. He was replaced midseason by Donnell Harvey. In March 2013, he returned to the BayHawks. In July 2013, Benson played for the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Bobcats during the 2013 NBA Summer League; that year, he joined Tsmoki-Minsk of Belarus for the 2013–14 season. In July 2014, Benson joined the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On August 1, 2014, Benson signed with Banvit in Turkey. On September 20, 2014, he parted ways with Banvit. On October 31, 2014, he signed with Neptūnas of Lithuania for the rest of the 2014–15 season. On February 27, 2015, he signed with BC Kalev/Cramo of Estonia. In July 2015, Benson joined the Orlando Magic for the 2015 NBA Summer League. On August 25, 2015, he signed with the Miami Heat. However, he was waived by the Heat on October 24 after appearing in five preseason games. On November 2, he was reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce as an affiliate player of the Heat.
After averaging 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in 27 games for the Skyforce, he was named in the East All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game on February 5, as a replacement for the injured Jordan Mickey. He helped the Skyforce finish with a D-League-best 40–10 record in 2015–16, went on to help the team win the league championship with a 2–1 Finals series win over the Los Angeles D-Fenders. On September 23, 2016, Benson signed with the Miami Heat. However, he was waived by the Heat on October 18 after appearing in three preseason games. On November 1, 2016, he was reacquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Benson's mother Janice Ellen Hale is a professor of early childhood education at Wayne State University and founding director of the Institute for the Study of the African American Child at Wayne State. Oakland bio Legabasket.it profile NBA D-League profile PBA-online.net profile
