1.
Hartford, Connecticut
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Hartford is the capital of the U. S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, as of the 2010 Census, Hartfords population was 124,775, making it Connecticuts third-largest city after the coastal cities of Bridgeport and New Haven. Census Bureau estimates since then have indicated Hartfords subsequent fall to fourth place statewide as a result of sustained growth in the coastal city of Stamford. Nicknamed the Insurance Capital of the World, Hartford houses many insurance company headquarters, founded in 1635, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. In 1868, resident Mark Twain wrote, Of all the towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief. Following the American Civil War, Hartford was the richest city in the United States for several decades, today, Hartford is one of the poorest cities in the nation with 3 out of every 10 families living below the poverty line. In sharp contrast, the Hartford metropolitan area is ranked 32nd of 318 metropolitan areas in total economic production, various tribes, all part of the loose Algonquin confederation, lived in or around present-day Hartford. The area was referred to as Suckiaug, meaning Black Fertile River-Enhanced Earth, the first Europeans known to have explored the area were the Dutch, under Adriaen Block, who sailed up the Connecticut in 1614. Dutch fur traders from New Amsterdam returned in 1623 with a mission to establish a trading post, the original site was located on the south bank of the Park River in the present-day Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. This fort was called Fort Hoop, or the House of Hope, in 1633, Jacob Van Curler formally bought the land around Fort Hoop from the Pequot chief for a small sum. It was home to perhaps a couple families and a few dozen soldiers, the area today is known as Dutch Point, and the name of the Dutch fort, House of Hope, is reflected in the name of Huyshope Avenue. The fort was abandoned by 1654, but its neighborhood in Hartford is still known as Dutch Point, the Dutch outpost, and the tiny contingent of Dutch soldiers that were stationed there, did little to check the English migration. The Dutch soon realized they were vastly outnumbered, the House of Hope remained an outpost, but it was steadily swallowed up by waves of English settlers. The English began to arrive 1637, settling upstream from Fort Hoop near the present-day Downtown, the settlement was originally called Newtown, but was changed to Hartford in 1637 in honor of Stones hometown of Hertford, England. Hooker also created the town of Windsor. The etymology of Hartford is the ford where harts cross, the Seal of the City of Hartford features a male deer, which in full maturity was referred to by the medieval hunting term hart. The fledgling colony along the Connecticut River had issues with the authority by which it was to be governed because it was outside of the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colonys charter. Historians suggest that Hookers conception of self-rule embodied in the Fundamental Orders went on to inspire the Connecticut Constitution, today, one of Connecticuts nicknames is the Constitution State
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Conard High School
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Conard High School is a public high school in West Hartford, in the U. S. state of Connecticut. It opened in 1950, and was named after Frederick Underwood Conard, president of Niles-Bement-Pond Company, Conard is one of two West Hartford public high schools, the other being Hall High School. Conards first classes were held on September 4,1957, Conard was originally designed to accommodate 1100 students. However, today there are more than 1500 students in attendance, in 1999, Alphonse Chuck Landroche became Conards principal. Landroche retired at the end of the 2007 school year, tom Moore became Conards principal in 2007. In 2010, Moore became assistant superintendent, which left Conard without a principal, in the fall of 2010, Dr. Peter Cummings became principal of Conard High School. On February 23,2015, fans of Conard and Hall High School basketball were involved in a conflict at their annual end-of-season rivalry game. As of 2007, Conard had 1,461 students, with 60. 9% white,19. 1% Hispanic,10. 7% Black,9. 1% Asian American and 0. 2% American Indian, Conards mascot is an American Indian chieftain. This is denoted on the schools athletic jerseys by the letter C crossed with an Indian feather, as of 2007, Conard offers 26 AP courses. There is a prominent rivalry between Conard High School and its counterpart, Hall High School. Recognized by Newsweek magazine as the 329th best public school in the nation in 2010
3.
West Hartford, Connecticut
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West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Located 5 miles west of downtown Hartford, is an upmarket inner-ring suburb located in Greater Hartford, the population was 63,268 at the 2010 census. The town is known for its downtown area colloquially known as West Hartford Center, or simply The Center. West Hartford Center has been the main hub since the late 17th century. In 2008, Blue Back Square opened as a new addition to the central area, Blue Back includes a bookstore, a movie theater, two parking garages, various physician and medical offices, and several restaurants. Incorporated as a town in 1854, the town was previously a parish of Hartford, in 2010, Kiplingers Personal Finance magazine listed West Hartford as one of the nations 10 Great Cities for Raising Families. In 2010, Kiplingers ranked West Hartford #9 on its 10 Best Cities for the Next Decade list, in 2010, CNN Money ranked West Hartford as the 55th best small city in America. In 2010, the online magazine Travelandleisure. com cited West Hartford as one of 10 coolest suburbs in the nation. According to new evidence, the Wampanoag people used West Hartford as one of their winter camps. Fishing and hunting along the Connecticut River, the area of West Hartford offered the Wampanoag people a refuge from the winter wind. In 1636 Reverend Thomas Hooker led a group of followers from what is now Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Great River, as the colony grew, additional land was needed. In 1672 the Proprietors of Hartford ordered that a Division be created to the West, a total of 72 Long Lots were laid out between todays Quaker Lane in the East and Mountain Road in the West. The northern boundary was Bloomfield, and the Southern, present day New Britain Avenue, in the 1670s the area was referred to as the West Division of Hartford. This remained the name until 1806 when Connecticut General Assembly started referring to it as the Society of West Hartford. In 1679, Stephen Hosmers father sent him to establish a sawmill on the property, young Hosmer would eventually go back to live in Hartford, but in his 1693 estate inventory,310 acres in West Hartford along with a house and a sawmill are listed. For nearly a century the property would be handed down throughout the family, evidence still remains of the Towns first industry, as Stephen Hosmers mill pond and dam can still be found today on the westernmost side of North Main Street. At its core was the meeting house. The First Congregational Meeting House was built around 1712 and still stands today at what is now the northwest corner of Main Street
4.
Hartford Public High School
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Hartford Public High School, in Hartford, Connecticut, was founded in 1638. It is the second-oldest public secondary school in the United States and it is part of the Hartford Public Schools district. The school was founded as Thomas Hookers Latin school in 1638, by the 18th century it was known as the Hartford Grammar School and taught Greek and Latin, which were subjects necessary to young men planning to enter college and prepare for the ministry. English subjects were added in 1847 and the name was changed to Hartford Public High School, the school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Hartford Public Schools. Hartford Public is located in Nook Farm, in the southwest corner of the Asylum Hill neighborhood in the city of Hartford. The school abuts the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and the Mark Twain House, the school population comprises about 1300 students. It has been nicknamed HPHS, Hartford High, Hartford Public and its official mascot is an owl. Hartford Public is known for numerous state championships in swimming, football, basketball, the school has been relocated and remodeled several times during its 350-year existence. It experiencied the largest remodeling project in decades, which includes a new house, new classrooms. Smaller Learning Communities/Academies, The academies at HPHS are smaller learning communities designed to provide an atmosphere to assist each student. Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, The Technology Academy is a learning community for students in grades 9 through 12. The academy provides a high school education that prepares students for post-secondary education. Students explore many areas of technology, which include publishing, digital photography, computer refurbishing, networking, design engineering, manufacturing. Law and Government Academy, The Law and Government Academy serves students in grades 9 through 12, the academy is focused on developing strong and capable citizens who can take on leadership roles throughout their community. One of its highlighted attributes is an internship with the city of Hartford. Nursing Academy, The Nursing Academy is a learning community for students in grades 9 through 12. The academy provides students with a learning environment which focuses on health care careers. Each of the strands of technology that are concentrated in this focus on career opportunities with job shadowing, mentorships
5.
UMass Minutemen basketball
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The UMass Minutemen basketball team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I mens college basketball. They play their games in the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. The Minutemen currently compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the mens basketball program has a history of over 100 years. The Minutemen, as they have called since 1972, celebrated their 100th season in 2008–09. Though the programs first game was played on January 10,1900, the programs first coach was Harold M. Gore, who in 11 seasons compiled a record of 85–53, highlighted by a 12–2 season in 1925–26. In 1933–34, Massachusetts was the undefeated team in mens college basketball. For the 1948–49 season, Massachusetts joined the Yankee Conference to mark the first time participated in conference play. UMass would go on to be 10-time champions of the Yankee Conference, the 1960s and 1970s were prosperous for the program. The 1961–62 team went 15–9 and participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history and they would go on to win 4 Yankee Conference titles in the 1960s, and played in the NIT at the end of the 1969–70 season. Though not a recognized name, the programs coach with the most wins was Jack Leaman. Leaman guided Massachusetts to 217 wins, and coached players including Julius Erving, Al Skinner, the program compiled a record of 142–103 in the 1960s. The 1969–70 team featured Julius Erving, in his first game with the varsity team, a 90–85 win over Providence College, Erving scored 27 points and grabbed 28 rebounds. In the first eight seasons of the 1970s, the Redmen/Minutemen compiled a record of 152–65 and they won 5 Yankee Conference titles, and played in 5 NITs. The early 1970s teams featured players such as Erving, Al Skinner, in 1988, Calipari took over a program that was on a streak of 10-straight losing seasons and had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1962. Calipari led UMass to the NIT in his season as head coach. In his fourth season, UMass won the A-10 regular season, over the next few seasons, Calipari would take the team to new heights and frequent #1 rankings in the AP weekly poll. In 1996, the Minutemen reached the Final Four for the first time, after the 1995–96 season, Calipari left UMass for the NBA as the new head coach of the New Jersey Nets. The 1990s were the decade for UMass basketball
6.
1996 NBA draft
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The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association. It was held on June 26,1996 in East Rutherford, the draft was broadcast in the United States on the Turner Network Television. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball players and other eligible players, such as players from high schools. The team with the second highest probability, the Philadelphia 76ers won the lottery, the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies were second and third respectively. Allen Iverson, a sophomore from Georgetown, was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers and it is widely considered to be one of the deepest and most talented NBA drafts in history, with one-third of the first round picks later becoming NBA All-Stars. The draft class produced three players who won NBA MVP awards, seven other drafted players who became All-Stars, and one undrafted All-Star, moreover, eight players from this draft class have been named to at least one All-NBA Team, the most among any draft. The draft class also produced 3 players who have named to the NBAs all-defensive first team, Bryant, Marcus Camby. Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007, while Wallace earned the award in 2002,2003,2005. Eventual 5-time NBA champion Derek Fisher was also included in the draft, on April 13,2016, Bryant played his final NBA game against the Utah Jazz, scoring 60 points, making him the last player from this draft to play in the NBA. Most experts rate it along with the 1984 NBA draft and 2003 NBA draft as one of the best drafts in history. Sports Illustrated named it the second-best, behind the 1984 draft, which included a class of Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley. The following players went undrafted in the 1996 NBA Draft but later played in the NBA, archived from the original on October 26,1996. CS1 maint, BOT, original-url status unknown 1996 NBA Draft at Basketball-reference. com
7.
Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, when the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA. They originally played their games at the SkyDome, before moving eastward along Bremner Boulevard to the Air Canada Centre in 1999. Carter was instrumental in leading the team to a then-franchise high 47 wins and their first playoff win in 2001. During the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons, they failed to make significant progress, after Carter left, Chris Bosh emerged as the team leader. In the 2007–08 season, they advanced to the playoffs again, after Masai Ujiri was brought in as the new General Manager in 2013, he traded Bargnani to the New York Knicks. With a backcourt led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors returned to the playoffs, won their second Atlantic Division title, however, they failed for a fourth consecutive time to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs. In the 2015–16 season, they won a franchise record 56 games, Bitove and Allan Slaight of Slaight Communications each owned 44%, with the Bank of Nova Scotia, David Peterson, and Phil Granovsky being minority partners. Wagering on NBA games in Ontario nearly cost Toronto the expansion franchise, as a result, a nationwide contest was held to help name the team and develop their colours and logo. Over 2,000 entries were narrowed down to eleven prospects, Beavers, Bobcats, Dragons, Grizzlies, Hogs, Raptors, Scorpions, T-Rex, Tarantulas, the name Raptor is a common informal name for the velociraptor, a swift medium-sized dromaeosaurid theropod non-avian dinosaur. On May 24,1994, the logo and first General Manager. As part of the deal, Thomas received an option to purchase part of the team and he would purchase 4. 5% in May 1995 and a further 4. 5% in December 1995, half each from Bitove and Slaight, decreasing their share to 39. 5%. The teams colours of red, purple, black, and silver were also revealed, Naismith silver was chosen as an ode to Canadian James Naismith. As General Manager, Isiah Thomas quickly staffed the management positions with his own personnel, the teams roster was then filled as a result of an expansion draft in 1995. Following a coin flip, Toronto was given first choice and selected Chicago Bulls point guard, Armstrong refused to report for training and Thomas promptly traded him to the Golden State Warriors for power forwards Carlos Rogers and Victor Alexander. Thomas then selected a range of players in the expansion draft, including veterans Jerome Kersey, Willie Anderson. Subsequent to the draft, the Raptors landed the seventh pick in the NBA draft lottery, behind their fellow 1995 expansion club
8.
Power forward (basketball)
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The power forward, also known as the four, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. It has also referred to as the post position. Power forwards play a similar to that of center in what is called the post or low blocks. They typically play offensively with their backs towards the basket and position themselves defensively under the basket in a defense or against the opposing power forward in man-to-man defense. The power forward position entails a variety of responsibilities, one of which is rebounding, many power forwards are noted for their mid-range jump-shot, and several players have become very accurate from 12 to 18 feet. Earlier, these skills were more typically exhibited in the European style of play, some power forwards, known as stretch fours, have since extended their shooting range to three-point field goals. In the NBA, power forwards usually range from 68 to 611, despite the averages, a variety of players fit tweener roles which finds them in the small forward and/or center position depending upon matchups and coaching decisions. Some natural power forwards often play the position and have the skills
9.
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
10.
New York Knicks
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The New York Knickerbockers, commonly referred to as the Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in New York City. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its games at Madison Square Garden, located in the borough of Manhattan. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City, the other is the Brooklyn Nets, along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of only two original NBA teams still located in its original city. The Knicks were successful during their years and were constant playoff contenders under the franchises first head coach Joe Lapchick. Beginning in 1950, the Knicks made three appearances in the NBA Finals, all of which were losing efforts. Lapchick resigned in 1956 and the team began to falter. It was not until the late 1960s when Red Holzman became head coach that the Knicks began to regain their former dominance, Holzman successfully guided the Knicks to two NBA championships, in 1970 and 1973. The Knicks of the 1980s had mixed success that included six playoff appearances, however, the playoff-level Knicks of the 1990s were led by future Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, this era was marked by passionate rivalries with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat. During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley, during this era, the Knicks made two appearances in the NBA Finals, in 1994 and 1999, though they were unable to win an NBA championship. Since 2000, the Knicks have struggled to regain their former glory, in 2012–13, the franchise won its first division title in 19 years, but was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. According to a 2016 Forbes report, the Knicks were the most-valuable NBA franchise, in 1946, basketball, particularly college basketball, was a growing and increasingly profitable sport in New York City. Hockey was another sport at the time and generated considerable profits, however. Max Kase, a New York sportswriter, became the editor at the Boston American in the 1930s. Kase developed the idea of a professional league to showcase college players upon their graduation. Brown, intrigued by the opportunity to attain additional income when the teams were not playing or on the road. Ned Irish, a college basketball promoter, retired sportswriter and then president of Madison Square Garden, was in attendance, Kase originally planned to own and operate the New York franchise himself and approached Irish with a proposal to lease the Garden. Irish explained that the rules of the Arena Managers Association of America stated that Madison Square Garden was required to own any professional teams played in the arena
11.
Denver Nuggets
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The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a franchise of the American Basketball Association. It changed its name again to the Nuggets in 1974, after the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets. The team has had periods of success, qualifying for the ABA Playoffs for all seasons from 1967 to the 1976 ABA playoffs where it lost in the finals. The team joined the NBA in 1976 after the ABA–NBA merger and qualified for the NBA playoffs in nine seasons in the 1980s. However, it has not made an appearance in a round since its last year in the ABA. The Nuggets play their games at Pepsi Center, which they share with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League. In 1967, one of the ABAs charter franchises was awarded to a group in Kansas City, Missouri, however, Trindle was unable to find a suitable arena in the Kansas City area. League commissioner George Mikan suggested moving the team to Denver, after agreeing to name Denver native and former NBA player Vince Boryla as general manager, Trindle moved his team to Denver as the Denver Larks, named after Colorados state bird. The Trindle group was severely undercapitalized, leading Mikan to order the Larks to post a $100,000 performance bond or lose the franchise, hours before the deadline, Trindle sold a ⅔ controlling interest to Denver trucking magnate Bill Ringsby for $350,000. Ringsby then renamed the team the Rockets, after his companys long-haul trucks, playing at the Denver Auditorium Arena, the Rockets had early successes on the court, developing a solid fan base along the way. However, the team had a history of early playoff exits, early, they had a solid lineup led by Byron Beck and Larry Jones, then later by Beck and Ralph Simpson. Wright played four seasons with Denver, controversial rookie Spencer Haywood joined the team for the 1969–70 season. Haywood was one of the first players to turn pro before graduating from college, and the NBA initially refused to let him play in the league. Haywood averaged nearly 30 points and 19.5 rebounds per game in his only ABA season, being named ABA MVP, ABA rookie of the year, the team finished 51-33, winning their division, before exiting the playoffs in the 2nd round. Just before the start of the 1970–71 season, Haywood signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, the team tumbled to a 30-54 record and attendance suffered. Ringsby sold the team to San Diego businessmen Frank Goldberg and Bud Fischer in 1972
12.
Los Angeles Clippers
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The Los Angeles Clippers, often abbreviated as the LA Clippers, are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Pacific Division. The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego in 1978, in 1984, the Clippers moved to Los Angeles. Through much of its history, the failed to see significant regular season or playoff success. The Clippers fortunes turned in the early 2010s with the acquisition of core players Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul. In 2013, the franchise won its first division title, as the made the playoffs for the ninth time in franchise history. They repeated as champions in 2014. They played their games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, along with another Buffalo team that would begin play that year. After two bad seasons, the Braves fortunes started to change under coach Jack Ramsay and star forward/center Bob McAdoo, McAdoo led the NBA in scoring three consecutive seasons and was named the leagues MVP in the 1974–75 season. The Braves qualified for the three times in a row, losing thrice to the eventual Eastern Conference champions. As a result, after an attempt to sell the team to an owner who intended to move it to South Florida. Brown, Jr. who decimated the roster, traded away all of its stars. Eventually in 1978, Brown dealt with Celtics owner Irv Levin so they would trade franchise ownerships, southern California resident Levin then decided to move the Braves to San Diego, something the league would have never allowed him to do with the Celtics. In 1978, San Diego welcomed the relocation of the Buffalo Braves franchise because the city had lost their Rockets to Houston seven years earlier, when the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984, they kept their nickname. Playing at the San Diego Sports Arena, the Clippers posted a record of 43–39 in their first season in California under new head coach Gene Shue and it would be the Clippers last winning season for 13 years. It was also in that first season in southern California that long-time announcer Ralph Lawler began his association with the club. The 1979–80 season saw the Clippers begin to struggle despite adding center Bill Walton, Walton missed 68 games due to foot injuries
13.
Portland Trail Blazers
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The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Western Conference Northwest Division. The team played its games in the Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995. The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977 and their other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992. The team has qualified for the playoffs in 31 seasons of their 45-season existence, including a streak of 21 straight appearances from 1983 through 2003, the second longest streak in NBA history. The Trail Blazers 31 playoff appearances rank third in the NBA only behind the Los Angeles Lakers, six Hall of Fame players have played for the Trail Blazers. Bill Walton is the franchises most decorated player, he was the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 1977, four Blazer rookies have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Sports promoter Harry Glickman sought a National Basketball Association franchise for Portland as far back as 1955 when he proposed two new teams, the other to be located in Los Angeles. To raise the money for the $3.7 million admission tax, Glickman associated himself to real estate magnates Robert Schmertz of New Jersey, Larry Weinberg of Los Angeles and Herman Sarkowsky of Seattle. Two weeks later, on February 24, team management held a contest to select the teams name, the most popular choice was Pioneers, but that name was excluded from consideration as it was already used by sports teams at Portlands Lewis & Clark College. The name Trail Blazers received 172 entries, and was selected by the judging panel. Despite initial mixed response, the Trail Blazers name, often shortened to just Blazers, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Buffalo Braves, the Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team, under coach Rolland Todd. Geoff Petrie and Sidney Wicks led the team in its years. During that span, the team had three coaches, team executive Stu Inman also served as coach. The team won the first pick in the NBA draft twice during that span, in 1972, the team drafted LaRue Martin with the number one pick, and in 1974 the team selected Bill Walton from UCLA. In 1976, the ABA–NBA merger saw those two rival leagues join forces, four ABA teams joined the NBA, the remaining teams were dissolved and their players distributed among the remaining NBA squads in a dispersal draft. The Trail Blazers selected Maurice Lucas in the dispersal draft and that summer, they also hired Jack Ramsay as head coach. The two moves, coupled with the stellar play, led Portland to several firsts, winning record, playoff appearance
14.
Houston Rockets
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The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association, as a club of the leagues Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles, the team was established as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego, in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston, the Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as a franchise in 1967. In the 1968 NBA draft, the Rockets, picking first overall, selected power forward Elvin Hayes, the Rockets did not finish a season with a winning record until the 1976–77 season, when they traded for center Moses Malone. Malone went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award twice and he also led the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981 where they were defeated in six games by the Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird and future Rockets coach Kevin McHale. In 1984, the Rockets drafted center Hakeem Olajuwon, who would be paired with 7 feet 4 inches Ralph Sampson, nicknamed the Twin Towers, they led the team to the 1986 NBA Finals—the second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history—where Houston was again defeated by the Boston Celtics. The Rockets continued to reach the playoffs throughout the 1980s, Rudy Tomjanovich took over as head coach midway through the 1991–92 season, ushering in the most successful period in franchise history. Olajuwon-led Rockets went to the 1994 NBA Finals and won franchises first championship against Patrick Ewing, Houston became the lowest-seeded team in NBA history to win the title. After Yaos early retirement in 2011, the Rockets entered a period of rebuilding, the acquisition of franchise player James Harden in 2012 has launched the Rockets back into championship contention in the mid-2010s. The Rockets, under general manager Daryl Morey, are notable for popularizing the use of advanced statistical analytics in player acquisitions and style of play. The Rockets were founded in 1967 in San Diego by Robert Breitbard, Breitbard brought in Jack McMahon, then coach of the Cincinnati Royals, to serve as the Rockets coach and general manager. The Rockets lost 67 games in their season, which was an NBA record for losses in a season at the time. Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team, and in 1971, Texas Sports Investments bought the franchise for $5.6 million, and moved the team to Houston. The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas, and the nickname Rockets took on greater relevance after the move. It was also around this time that the Rockets would unveil their classic yellow and red logo, winter left soon after, being fired in January 1973 following a ten-game losing streak, and was replaced by Johnny Egan. Egan led the Rockets back to the playoffs in 1975, where the franchise also managed to win their first round against the New York Knicks, subsequently losing to the veteran Boston Celtics in 5 games
15.
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
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The NBAs Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is five points, second-place voted are worth three points, and a third-place vote is worth one. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, since its inception, the award has been given to 20 different players. Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace have each won the award a record four times, dwight Howard is the only player to ever win the award in three consecutive seasons. Sidney Moncrief, Mark Eaton, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning, the most recent award recipient is Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs. Although five of the first six winners were perimeter players, the award has traditionally given to big men who rebound. Only seven perimeter players have been honored, Moncrief, Alvin Robertson, Michael Cooper, Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Ron Artest, Payton is the only point guard to have won. In Olajuwons case, he is the one to have also won the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. On four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year recipient was not voted to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in the same year, Robertson in 1986, Mutombo, Tyson Chandler, and Marc Gasol were instead named to the second team. Whereas the Defensive Player of the Year is voted on by the media, no player trained completely outside the U. S. has won this award. Out of the three winners born outside the U. S. Mutombo and Olajuwon both played U. S. college basketball, and Gasol played U. S. high school basketball
16.
NBA All-Defensive First Team
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The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups, a first and a team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters, prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, in the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six due to a tie. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2013 when Tyson Chandler, tim Duncan holds the record for the most total selections to the All-Defensive Team with 15. Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant follow with twelve total honors each, michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Garnett, and Bryant share the record for most NBA All-Defensive first team selections with nine. Scottie Pippen, Bobby Jones, and Duncan made the first team eight times each, walt Frazier and Dennis Rodman made the All-Defensive first team seven times. Ten players born outside the jurisdiction of the United States, plus two players born in U. S. S, on four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year winner was not voted to the All-Defensive first team in the same year. Player of the Year winners Alvin Robertson in 1986, Dikembe Mutombo, Tyson Chandler, the following table only lists players with at least four First Team selections. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
17.
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
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The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups, a first and a team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters, prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, in the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six due to a tie. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2013 when Tyson Chandler, tim Duncan holds the record for the most total selections to the All-Defensive Team with 15. Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant follow with twelve total honors each, michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Garnett, and Bryant share the record for most NBA All-Defensive first team selections with nine. Scottie Pippen, Bobby Jones, and Duncan made the first team eight times each, walt Frazier and Dennis Rodman made the All-Defensive first team seven times. Ten players born outside the jurisdiction of the United States, plus two players born in U. S. S, on four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year winner was not voted to the All-Defensive first team in the same year. Player of the Year winners Alvin Robertson in 1986, Dikembe Mutombo, Tyson Chandler, the following table only lists players with at least four First Team selections. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
18.
NBA All-Rookie Team
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The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team, the All-Rookie Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups, a first team and a second team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, in the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six due to a tie. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2012, when Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, no respect is given to positions. For example, the first team had four forwards, and one guard in 2008, while the first team had four centers, nine All-Rookie Team members have won both the Rookie of the Year Award and the Most Valuable Player Award during their careers. Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld are the players to accomplish this feat in the same season. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
19.
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
20.
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
21.
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
22.
NBA All-Defensive Team
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The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of two five-man lineups, a first and a team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters, prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team. The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, in the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six due to a tie. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2013 when Tyson Chandler, tim Duncan holds the record for the most total selections to the All-Defensive Team with 15. Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant follow with twelve total honors each, michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Garnett, and Bryant share the record for most NBA All-Defensive first team selections with nine. Scottie Pippen, Bobby Jones, and Duncan made the first team eight times each, walt Frazier and Dennis Rodman made the All-Defensive first team seven times. Ten players born outside the jurisdiction of the United States, plus two players born in U. S. S, on four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year winner was not voted to the All-Defensive first team in the same year. Player of the Year winners Alvin Robertson in 1986, Dikembe Mutombo, Tyson Chandler, the following table only lists players with at least four First Team selections. National Basketball Association portal General Specific
23.
Connecticut
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Connecticut is the southernmost state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Connecticut is also often grouped along with New York and New Jersey as the Tri-State Area and it is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capital city is Hartford, and its most populous city is Bridgeport, the state is named for the Connecticut River, a major U. S. river that approximately bisects the state. The word Connecticut is derived from various anglicized spellings of an Algonquian word for long tidal river, Connecticut is the third smallest state by area, the 29th most populous, and the fourth most densely populated of the 50 United States. It is known as the Constitution State, the Nutmeg State, the Provisions State, and it was influential in the development of the federal government of the United States. Connecticuts center of population is in Cheshire, New Haven County, Connecticuts first European settlers were Dutch. They established a small, short-lived settlement in present-day Hartford at the confluence of the Park, initially, half of Connecticut was a part of the Dutch colony New Netherland, which included much of the land between the Connecticut and Delaware rivers. The first major settlements were established in the 1630s by England, the Connecticut and New Haven Colonies established documents of Fundamental Orders, considered the first constitutions in North America. In 1662, the three colonies were merged under a charter, making Connecticut a crown colony. This colony was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, the Connecticut River, Thames River, and ports along the Long Island Sound have given Connecticut a strong maritime tradition which continues today. The state also has a history of hosting the financial services industry, including insurance companies in Hartford. As of the 2010 Census, Connecticut features the highest per-capita income, Human Development Index, and median household income in the United States. Landmarks and Cities of Connecticut Connecticut is bordered on the south by Long Island Sound, on the west by New York, on the north by Massachusetts, and on the east by Rhode Island. The state capital and third largest city is Hartford, and other cities and towns include Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, Norwalk, Danbury, New Britain, Greenwich. Connecticut is slightly larger than the country of Montenegro, there are 169 incorporated towns in Connecticut. The highest peak in Connecticut is Bear Mountain in Salisbury in the northwest corner of the state, the highest point is just east of where Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York meet, on the southern slope of Mount Frissell, whose peak lies nearby in Massachusetts. At the opposite extreme, many of the towns have areas that are less than 20 feet above sea level. Connecticut has a maritime history and a reputation based on that history—yet the state has no direct oceanfront
24.
Gatorade
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The Gatorade Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 69 countries, originally produced and marketed by Stokely-Van Camp, the Gatorade brand was purchased by the Quaker Oats Company in 1987, which, in turn, was bought by PepsiCo in 2000. As of 2010, Gatorade is PepsiCo’s 4th-largest brand, on the basis of annual retail sales. It competes with Coca-Colas Powerade, Vitaminwater brands worldwide, and with Lucozade Sport in the United Kingdom, within the United States, Gatorade accounts for approximately 75% of market share in the sports drink category. Gatorade was formulated in 1965 by a team of scientists at the University of Florida College of Medicine, including Robert Cade, Dana Shires, John Lloyd, Harry James Free and Alejandro de Quesada. Following a request from Florida Gators football head coach Ray Graves, the earliest versions of the beverage consisted of a mixture of water, sodium, sugar, potassium, phosphate, and lemon juice. Ten players on the University of Florida football team tested the first version of Gatorade during practices and games in 1965, and the tests were deemed successful. On the other hand, star quarterback Steve Spurrier demurred, I don’t have any answer for whether the Gatorade helped us be a better second-half team or not and we drank it, but whether it helped us in the second half, who knows. Yellow Jackets coach Bobby Dodd, when asked why his team lost, replied, the University of Florida researchers initially considered naming their product Gator-Aid. They settled on the name Gatorade, however, since the researchers wanted to create a commercial product, Gatorade co-inventor Dana Shires explained, We were told that you couldnt use that because the Food and Drug Administration prohibited that. That would classify it as something other than a cola or soft drink, for example, some were skeptical that the products effect was anything more than a placebo effect. A year after its introduction, S-VC tested multiple variations of the original Gatorade recipe, finally settling on more palatable variants in lemon-lime. This reformulation also removed the sweetener cyclamate - which was banned by the Food, as of 2009, the university had received more than $150 million from its share, and was receiving approximately $12 million per year. The Quaker Oats Company purchased S-VC and Gatorade in 1983 for $220 million, in its first two decades of production, Gatorade was primarily sold and distributed within the United States. Beginning in the 1980s, the company expanded distribution of Gatorade, venturing into Canada in 1984, regions of Asia in 1987, South America and parts of Europe in 1988, in 1990, Gatorade introduced Gatorade Light, a lower-calorie version sweetened with saccharin. International expansion came at the cost of $20 million in 1996 alone, in 1997, distribution of Gatorade in an additional 10 countries prompted an 18.7 percent growth in annual sales. In 2001, the food and beverage company PepsiCo acquired Gatorades parent company. PepsiCo had also recently developed All Sport, which it divested of shortly following the Quaker acquisition to satisfy antitrust regulations, worldwide development of Gatorade continued into the 2000s, including expansion into India in 2004, and the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2008
25.
Atlantic 10 Conference
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The Atlantic 10 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associations Division I. Although some of its members are state-funded, half of its membership is made up of private, despite the name, there are 14 full-time members, and two affiliate members that participate in womens field hockey only. The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League, at that time, basketball was its only sport. After its first season, it added other than basketball. However, despite its official names, it was known as the Eastern 8. Further membership changes saw the league expand to its maximum of 16 members, from 1997 through 2006, the league also operated a football conference, during that period, more than 20 schools were participating in A-10 competition in at least one sport. This ended when the A-10 football programs all departed to join a new football conference sponsored by the Colonial Athletic Association, in 2012, Butler joined the conference after leaving the Horizon League and VCU joined after leaving the CAA. Conference realignment in 2013 saw the departure of Temple to the American Athletic Conference, Butler and Xavier to the reconfigured Big East, george Mason joined from the CAA, and Davidson from the Southern Conference announced they would join in 2014. The league office headquarters has been located in Newport News, Virginia since the Fall of 2009, prior to that, the headquarters was in Philadelphia, within a few miles of member schools Saint Josephs and La Salle. The conference currently has media deals with ESPN, CBS Sports Network, ^ – Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Richmond also played football within the A-10 from 1997 to 2006 after the Yankee Conference was absorbed. None of these institutions played football in the A-10 during their tenure as full members, membership dates include time in the Yankee Conference which merged into the A-10 in 1997. Notes Boston University dropped football after the 1997–98 season, connecticut moved to FBS after the 1999–2000 season, which eventually joined the Big East for that sport in the 2004–05 season. Hofstra dropped football after the 2009–10 season, Northeastern dropped football after the 2009–10 season. Villanova was originally a charter and full member of the A-10 during the 1976–77 through the 1979–80 seasons in all sports except football, Full members Full members Associate members Assoc. member Notes* - Virginia Tech did not participate in wrestling. There are a number of intense rivalries within the Atlantic 10, with rivalries that carry over from the Big 5 which includes Saint Josephs, La Salle, URI and UMass also have a long-standing rivalry. St. Bonaventure and Duquesne also maintain a rivalry that predates their affiliation with the conference, UMass and Temple also had a basketball rivalry while John Chaney was coaching Temple but it has died down a bit since, and even more so now that Temple has left the conference. Due to both sharing the Ram mascot, the Fordham - URI rivalry has increased in recent years as the competitions are heralded as The Battle of the Rams. The long-standing crosstown rivalry between Richmond and VCU, now known as the Capital City Classic, became a rivalry with VCUs arrival in the A10
26.
1995 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
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The 1995 NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16,1995, and ended with the game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle. A total of 63 games were played, UCLAs Ed OBannon was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. March 16 and 18 Baltimore Arena, Baltimore Jon M, *Named Most Outstanding Player March 19,1995 – A final shot in the second round at The Boise State Pavilion is one of the most memorable moments in NCAA history. UCLAs Tyus Edney dashed the length of the 94-foot court in just over 4 seconds to make a layup that gave the Bruins a 75-74 win over Missouri, which sustained UCLAs run to a national title that year. April 3,1995 – Ed OBannon scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and is named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player as the Bruins win the championship 89–78 over Arkansas. Cameron Dollar played 36 minutes and contributed eight assists and four steals while filling in for an injured Edney, the Bruins enjoyed the biggest lead 34–26 in the first half, but led only by a point at halftime 40–39. To date, this is the last NCAA mens basketball tournament in which no team seeded lower than #6 reached the Sweet Sixteen, once again, CBS served as broadcasters on television for the tournament. Studio, Pat OBrien First Round, Regional, Final Four, Jim Nantz First Round & all of Second Round, and Clark Kellogg
27.
John R. Wooden Award
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The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding mens and womens college basketball players. The program consists of the mens and womens Player of the Year awards, the awards, given by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, are named in honor of John Wooden, the 1932 national collegiate basketball player of the year from Purdue. Wooden later taught and coached basketball at Indiana State and UCLA. Coach Wooden, whose teams at UCLA won ten NCAA championships, was the first man to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and his 1948 Indiana State team was the NAIB National Finalist. The award, which was given only to male athletes, was first given in 1977. Starting in 2004, the award was extended to womens basketball, additionally, the Legends of Coaching Award was presented first in 1999. The 2015 presentation was broadcast on ESPN2 and the show was presented by Wendys at Los Angeles Club Nokia on Friday, each year, the Awards National Advisory Board, a 26-member panel, selects approximately 20 candidates for Player of the Year and All-American Team honors. The candidates must be students and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher throughout their college career. Players who are nominated must have made outstanding contributions to team play, the selection ballot is announced prior to the NCAA basketball tournament. The voters consist of 1,000 sportswriters and sportscasters representing the 50 states, the top ten vote-getters are selected to the All-American Team, and the results are announced following the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. The person who receives the most votes is named the Player of the Year, the Player of the Year is awarded a trophy consisting of five bronze figures. The players school receives a trophy, as well as a scholarship grant. The other top four members of the All-American Team receive an All-American Team trophy, a jacket, each coach of the top five All-American Team members also receives a jacket. The All-American Team members ranked six through ten receive an All-American Team trophy and a jacket, the criteria for the womens Player of the Year award and All-American Team honors are similar to those for the men. For the womens award, the National Advisory Board consists of 12 members, the voters are 250 sportswriters and sportscasters. In contrast to the mens All-American Team, only five members are selected for the womens team, the Player of the Year receives a trophy, and her school receives a duplicate trophy and a scholarship grant. The concept for the trophy originated with Wooden Award Chairman, Richard Duke Llewellyn, work began on the trophy in 1975, and sculptor Don Winton, who had sculpted many top sports awards, was given the task of designing the model of the trophy. The figures are bronze plated and attached to a base plate
28.
Naismith College Player of the Year
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The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top mens and womens collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of the inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, first awarded exclusively to male players in 1969, the award was expanded to include female players in 1983. By February, the list of nominees is narrowed down to 30 players based on performance, in March, four out of the 30 players are selected as finalists and are placed in the final ballot. The final winners are selected in April by both the board of selectors and fan voting via text messaging, the winners receive the Naismith Trophy. Since its beginning in 1969, the trophy has been awarded to 42 male and 23 female players, lew Alcindor of the University of California, Los Angeles and Anne Donovan of Old Dominion University were the first winners, respectively. Bill Walton of UCLA and Ralph Sampson of the University of Virginia have been the men to win this award multiple times. Eight women in all have won this award multiple times, Davis and Moore are the only ones of either sex to have won multiple times in non-consecutive years. Five winners of the award, all men, were born outside of the United States. S, the only three award winners who have been born outside the jurisdiction of the United States were, Andrew Bogut, born in Melbourne, Australia. Patrick Ewing, born in Kingston, Jamaica, buddy Hield, born in Freeport, Bahamas. Duncan did not move to the U. S. proper until he arrived at Wake Forest University, duke has had the most male winners with seven, while the Connecticut has had the most female winners, with nine awards won by six individuals. The award has been won by a freshman twice, Kevin Durant playing for Texas in 2007, women List of U. S. mens college basketball national player of the year awards Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award Official site
29.
1996 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
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The 1996 NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of mens NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14,1996, and ended with the game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford. A total of 63 games were played, the Final Four venue was notable for several reasons, This marked the first time that the NCAA finals had been held in Greater New York since 1950. This was also the last Final Four to be held in a basketball/hockey-specific facility, every Final Four since has been held in a domed stadium because of NCAA venue capacity requirements. Therefore, this was also the last time the NCAA finals have been held in the Greater New York area, Kentucky won their sixth national championship by defeating Syracuse in the final game 76-67. Tony Delk of Kentucky was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player, note that there are guidelines that the selection committee follows. Meanwhile, Kentucky was apparently dropped to the #3 overall seed following their defeat to Mississippi State in the SEC conference tournament final. Kentucky also could not be placed in the Southeast region since the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games were being played in Kentuckys home arena, connecticut, coached by Jim Calhoun, was additionally punished monetarily due to players accepting illegal gifts from agents
30.
Charles Oakley
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Charles Oakley is an American retired professional basketball player. Oakley was a member of the National Basketball Associations Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, a power forward, he consistently ranked as one of the best rebounders in the NBA. Oakley was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended Virginia Union University, Oakley was drafted with the 9th overall pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his draft rights were traded to the Chicago Bulls. Oakley provided another scoring option and steady offensive and defensive performances to an up-and-coming Bulls squad led by Michael Jordan and he also assumed the role of the team cop whose duty primarily was to protect young Jordan against cheap shots and roughhousing tactics of opposing players. Oakley earned All-Rookie Team honors in 1986, with the drafting and development of Horace Grant, the Bulls traded Oakley to the New York Knicks for 71 center Bill Cartwright. Oakley eventually became a part of the core which the Knicks built around, which also featured Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and point guard Mark Jackson. During the Knicks 1994 season, which included a record 25 playoff games, Oakley started every regular season, during his tenure with the Knicks, Oakley was primarily known as a defensive specialist. In 1998, Oakley was traded by New York to the Toronto Raptors for blossoming star Marcus Camby, for the Raptors, he provided a veteran presence to a young team that included Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. In 2001, Oakley was traded by the Toronto Raptors with a 2002 2nd-round pick to the Chicago Bulls for Brian Skinner and this was his second tenure with the Bulls. Starting 36 of his 57 played games, he averaged 3.8 points per game,6 rebounds per game, in 2002, Oakley signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards. He was reunited with former teammate Michael Jordan, Oakley played 42 games during the 2002–03 season, averaging 1.8 points per game,2.5 rebounds per game, and 1 assist per game. The 2003–04 season was Oakleys last, on March 18,2004, Oakley signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Houston Rockets. Oakley only played 7 games, in which he averaged 1.3 points per game,0.7 rebounds per game, at the end of the season, Oakley retired from the NBA. In 2007 Oakley was reported to be attempting an NBA comeback and he claimed Dallas, Miami, Cleveland and New York were interested but said he would not back cheap. On December 26,2010, Oakley was hired as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats under then-head coach Paul Silas and he left that position on December 1,2011 after experiencing health issues with back pain during the 2010–11 season. Oakley was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in honor of his 19-year professional basketball career, the induction ceremony was held on April 30,2016. In September 2016, a portion of Deering Street in Oakleys hometown of Cleveland was renamed Charles Oakley Way in his honor and he placed in the top ten in rebounds per game five times between 1987 and 1994. Due to his durability he actually placed in the top ten in total rebounds 6 times, in 1994, he became an NBA All-Star and was chosen to the leagues All-Defense 1st team
