1.
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
2.
Radford Highlanders men's basketball
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The Radford Highlanders mens basketball represents Radford University in NCAA Division I intercollegiate mens basketball competition. A member of the Big South Conference, the current head coach is Mike Jones, the Highlanders play at the Dedmon Center, which has a capacity of 3,000. The Highlanders have appeared in two NCAA Tournaments, the Highlanders have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational two times. Steve Robinson was one of the first scholarship athletes ever at Radford University, Robinson was a two-year starter and co-captain for the mens basketball team from 1978–80, averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 54 games. Robinson averaged 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds during one of Radfords greatest seasons ever and he hit 51.7 percent of his field goals, and later distinguished himself as an assistant coach at RU from 1983–86. The Roanoke native earned both his bachelors and masters degrees from Radford, and has gone on to success as a collegiate head coach. Robinson led the University of Tulsa to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances before landing the coaching position at Florida State University. At Florida State, Robinson led the Noles to 3 NCAA tournament appearances, Robinson is currently an assistant coach with the University of North Carolina Tarheels. Smith finished his sterling four-year basketball career from 1981–1985 as the schools leading scorer and rebounder. In the process, the 6–5 Amherst, Va. native keyed Radfords move from NAIA competition to NCAA Division II play, a fierce competitor, Smith started each of Radfords 107 games during his career and shot 52.7 percent from the field. He scored 1,313 points and pulled down 739 rebounds, leading the team in rebounding, remaining active at his alma mater, Smith has served on the Athletic Association Advisory Council and on the National Alumni Association Executive Council. Shelburne, a native of nearby Snowville, Va. became only the fourth Radford mens basketball player to more than 1,000 points. A three-time team Most Valuable Player, he led the Highlanders in scoring in 1989–90 and he never missed a game during his four-year career, playing in 116 consecutive contests. He averaged 11.5 points per game and shot 51.8 percent from the field, shelburne finished in 1991 as the schools all-time leading scorer with 1,332 points. Doug Day completed his Radford career as the NCAA Division I career leader in three-point baskets made and he sank 401 three-pointers during his career from 1989–1993, and left RU as the schools all-time leading scorer with 2,027 points. Day led the nation in three-point baskets per game with 4.03 per contest and he averaged 17.3 ppg for his career, and left Radford ranked second on the Big South Conference career scoring chart. Days offensive prowess helped RU to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1990–91 and 1991–92, Day earned a degree in education from RU in 1993. Despite only playing two seasons at Radford, Artsiom Parakhouski won the Big South Player of the Year twice and his senior season he led the nation in rebounds per game with a 13.35 rebounds per game average
3.
Big South Conference
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The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAAs Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 and its football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision. Charter members included Armstrong State, Augusta, Campbell University, Baptist College, Coastal Carolina University, Radford University, the expansion of membership occurred during the 1980s and 90s. In that same year, VMI also joined the conference for all sports. Presbyterian College joined the conference in 2007, moving up from Division II, gardner–Webb, which had been a football-only member since 2002, joined the conference for all sports on July 1,2008. Campbell rejoined the Big South for all sports except football in the 2011–12 athletic year, in 2014, following the departure of VMI, the conference returned to a single-division structure. On September 1,2015, Coastal Carolina announced they would leave the following the 2015–16 school year to transition to FBS-level football. On June 30,2016, the day before the joined the Sun Belt. This was the first time in history that a team won an NCAA championship in any sport. In September 2016, the Big South and the ASUN Conference announced a partnership that will effectively combine the two conferences in that sport. At the time of announcement, the only ASUN member that played scholarship football, the partnership will provide a guaranteed football home to the leagues current three non-scholarship football programs should they upgrade to scholarship status. In November 2016, Campbell announced that it would begin offering scholarships, UNA has won three Division II NCAA national championships in football and has won at least a share of the Gulf South Conference football championship for four consecutive seasons through 2016. Three months later, Liberty announced that it would begin a transition to FBS football in July 2017, presumably, the school will remain a Big South member in non-football sports, barring an invitation to an FBS conference in the interim. He also said the Big South Basketball Tournaments will be held at a single, the divisional setup was as follows, In mens and womens basketball, teams played the five other divisional opponents twice, one home and one away. They played teams outside of the division once each and this cut the number of conference games to 16, as opposed to 18 both before and after the realignment. Following the departure of VMI for the Southern Conference in 2014, the returned to a single-division structure. Augusta State was merged into Georgia Regents University in January 2013, the Big South sponsors championship competition in nine mens and ten womens NCAA sanctioned sports. Davidson has competed as a member in womens lacrosse
4.
New London, Connecticut
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New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States. It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, for several decades beginning in the early 19th century, New London was one of the worlds three busiest whaling ports, along with Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The wealth that whaling brought into the city furnished the capital to fund much of the present architecture. New London subsequently became home to shipping and manufacturing industries. New London is now known in Connecticut for its wealth of art. The city is home to the United States Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College, Mitchell College, the Coast Guard Station New London and New London Harbor is home port to the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Chinook and the Coast Guards tall ship Eagle. New London had a population of 27,620 at the 2010 census, the Norwich-New London metropolitan area includes twenty-one towns and 274,055 people. The area was called Nameaug by the Pequot Indians, John Winthrop, Jr. founded the first English settlement here in 1646, making it about the 13th town settled in Connecticut. Inhabitants informally referred to it as Nameaug or as Pequot after the tribe, in the 1650s, the colonists wanted to give the town the official name of London after London, England, but the Connecticut General Assembly wanted to name it Faire Harbour. The citizens protested, declaring that they would prefer it to be called Nameaug if it couldnt be officially named London, the legislature relented, and the town was officially named New London on March 10,1658. The harbor was considered to be the best deep water harbor on Long Island Sound, famous New Londoners during the American Revolution include Nathan Hale, William Coit, Richard Douglass, Thomas & Nathaniel Shaw, Gen. Samuel Parsons, printer Timothy Green, and Samuel Seabury. It is often noted that this raid on New London and Groton was intended to divert General Washington, the main defensive fort for New London was Fort Griswold, located across the Thames River in Groton. It was well known to Arnold, who sold its secrets to the British fleet so that they could avoid its artillery fire, after overrunning New Londons Fort Trumbull, Ft. All told, more than 52 British soldiers and 83 militia were killed, New London suffered over 6 militia killed and 24 wounded, while Arnold and the British and Hessian raiding party suffered an equal amount. Connecticuts independent legislature made New London one of the first two cities brought from de facto to formalized incorporations in its January session of 1784, along with New Haven, during the War of 1812, torpedoes were employed in attempts to destroy British vessels and protect American harbors. In fact, a torpedo was used in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy HMS Ramillies while in New Londons harbor. Hardy to warn the Americans to cease efforts with the use of any boat in this cruel and unheard-of warfare. For several decades beginning in the early 19th century, New London was one of the three busiest whaling ports in the world, along with Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts
5.
Gettysburg College
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Gettysburg College is a private, four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. The 225-acre campus is located at 300 North Washington Street in the Northwest corner of the town, known as the Bullets, the school hosts 24 NCAA Division III mens and womens teams, with a large number of club, intramural, and recreational programs. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with equal numbers of men and women. Gettysburg students come from 43 states and 35 countries, in 2012, U. S. News & World Report ranked it 46th among Best Liberal Arts Colleges. In 2015, the Princeton Review ranked Gettysburg College as the 11th in its list of the Best Schools for Internships and its also consistently rated as one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States, due to its close proximity to the Gettysburg Battlefield National Park. The college is the home of The Gettysburg Review, a literary magazine, Gettysburg College was founded in 1832, as a sister institution for the Lutheran Theological Seminary. Both owe their inception to Thaddeus Stevens, a Radical Republican, the colleges original name was Pennsylvania College, it was founded by Samuel Simon Schmucker. The school had money troubles within four years, forcing all founding members to leave their posts, after a failed agreement to combine with the Philadelphia College of Medicine in 1858, the college was forced to close the medical school in 1861. Students from the southern states had withdrawn to return home. In June 1863, southern Pennsylvania was invaded by Confederate forces during the Gettysburg Campaign, many local militia forces were formed around the area between Chambersburg and Philadelphia to face the oncoming foe. Among these units was Gettysburgs 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia Regiment, composed mostly of students from the College and Seminary, the 26th PEMR was mustered into service on June 22,1863. Four days later, the students saw combat just north of town, casualties were light on both sides, but about 100 of the militiamen were captured and paroled. During the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Hall, or Old Dorm, was used as both a signal station and field hospital. Due to the position it held, it was used by both Confederate and Union troops during the battle for signal work and surgery. On November 19,1863, College President Henry Louis Baugher gave the benediction at the opening the National Soldiers’ Cemetery at Gettysburg. Classes were canceled at the college as students and faculty to hear the now famous Address, Henry Baugher was the president of Gettysburg College from 1850 until his death in 1868. Early in his career, Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie. Both were fond of the town, so decided to retire to a working farm adjacent to the battlefield after he left the army
6.
University of Tulsa
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The University of Tulsa is a private university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. The university is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university is renowned for its programs in law, English, computer science, natural sciences, psychology and its faculty includes prominent scholars, scientists, and writers, including Russian dissident poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, political scientist Robert Donaldson and others. The campuss design is predominantly Collegiate Gothic, the university manages the Gilcrease Museum, which includes one of the largest collections of American Western art in the world, and in 2016, The Bob Dylan Archive was placed at the university. TUs athletic teams are known as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The Presbyterian School for Girls was founded in Muskogee, Indian Territory, in 1894, the young school expanded to become Henry Kendall College, named in honor of Reverend Henry Kendall, secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions. The first president was William A. Caldwell, who served a brief, Kendall College, while still in Muskogee, granted the first post-secondary degree in Oklahoma in June 1898. Under King, the college was moved from its location in downtown Muskogee to a larger campus on lands donated by Creek Nation Chief Pleasant Porter. The opening of the new campus coincided with the start of the tenure of the third president, over the next ten years, Evans oversaw the struggling schools growth. At the request of the administration, the Synod of Indian Territory assumed control as trustees, when the administration was approached by the comparatively smaller town of Tulsa and offered a chance to move, the decision was made to relocate. The Tulsa Commercial Club decided to bid for the college, Club members who packaged a bid in 1907 to move the college to Tulsa included, B. Betters, H. O. McClure, L. N. Butts, W. L. North, James H. Hall, stebbins, Rev. Charles W. Kerr, C. H. Nicholson. The offer included $100,000,20 acres of real estate, the school opened to thirty-five students in September 1907, two months before Oklahoma became a state. These first students attended classes at the First Presbyterian Church until permanent buildings could be erected on the new campus and this became the start of higher education in Tulsa. Kendall Hall, the first building of the new school, was completed in 1908 and was followed by two other buildings. All three buildings have since demolished, with Kendall the last to be razed in 1972. The bell that hung in the Kendall Building tower was saved and displayed in Bayless Plaza. In 1918, the Methodist Church proposed building a college in Tulsa, the proposed college was to be named McFarlin College
7.
Connecticut College
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Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution, with nearly all of its approximately 1,900 students living on campus. Students choose courses from 41 majors, including an interdisciplinary, self-designed major, forbes ranked Connecticut College 81st in its 2016 overall list, 45th in the Northeast, 68th among private colleges, and 39th among liberal arts schools. Forbes also ranked Connecticut College 58th in Grateful Grads, U. S. News & World Report ranked the school 45th among the top liberal arts colleges in 2014. The college competes athletically in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, the college was chartered in 1911 in response to Wesleyan Universitys decision to stop admitting women. Elizabeth C. Wright and other Wesleyan alumnae convinced others to found this new college, to that end, the institution was founded as the Connecticut College for Women. Financial assistance from the city of New London, its residents, the land upon which the college sits was a dairy farm owned by Charles P. Alexander of Waterford. He died in 1904 and his wife Harriet Alexander died in 1911, according to an October 12,1935 article in the Hartford Daily Times, marking the Colleges 20th anniversary, On September 27,1915 the college opened its doors to students. The entering class was made up of 99 freshmen students, candidates for degrees, and 52 special students, a fine faculty of 23 members had been engaged and a library of 6,000 volumes had been gathered together. It was a start for this new undertaking. The College became co-educational in 1969, President Charles E. Shain cited in his announcement speech that recent evidence showed that women were becoming uninterested in attending womens colleges. Admission to the college is considered selective by U. S. News & World Report. In the 2016 college rankings of U. S. News & World Report and these figures represent a significant decline in the colleges traditional ranking within the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the country in the 1990s and early 2000s. Starting with the class of 2020, students at Connecticut College will be encouraged to follow a new general education curriculum called Connections. Connecticut College has a history of research work and students are encouraged to make conference presentations. Graduating seniors are awarded prestigious fellowships and grants such as the U. S. Connecticut College has been recognized as a top producer of Fulbright awardees, producing, in 2012, the College had 179 full-time professors in Academic Year 2013-14, 92% hold a doctorate or equivalent. The student-faculty ratio is about 9 to 1, the main campus has three residential areas
8.
Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens men's basketball
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The Delaware Fightin Blue Hens mens basketball team is the basketball team that represents University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. The schools team competes in the Colonial Athletic Association. Notre Dame assistant coach Martin Ingelsby was named head coach May 24,2016, in seven appearances in postseasons tournaments, the Fightin Blue Hens are yet to win a postseason game. The Fightin Blue Hens have appeared in the NCAA tournament five times, the Fightin Blue Hens have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament one time. The Fightin Blue Hens have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational one time
9.
VCU Rams men's basketball
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The VCU Rams mens basketball team is the intercollegiate mens basketball program that represents Virginia Commonwealth University. The Rams joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in the 2012–13 season after competing in the Colonial Athletic Association. In 2017, VCU was ranked the 40th most valuable mens basketball program in the country by the Wall Street Journal, with a valuation of $56.9 million dollars, VCU ranks second in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and second in the A10 Conference. The team is coached by Mike Rhoades, since 1999, the team has played home basketball games at the E. J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth has made it to the NCAA Final Four once in its programs history, in 2011. The Rams have also won ten regular season championships, four from the Sun Belt, five from the CAA, the official student supporter group is known as the Rowdy Rams. The team is known for its Final Four run in the 2011 NCAA Division I Mens Basketball Tournament. While the team had made nine NCAA Tournament appearances beforehand, never had the Rams made it beyond the round of the tournament. In 2011, the Rams journey to the Final Four began in one of the four opening games, commonly called play-in games. Thus, VCU became the first team to advance from the First Four to the Final Four, the VCU Rams mens basketball program was founded in 1968, at the same time as the merger of the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia. In the 1968–69 season as an independent team, the program played its first ever season, coached by Benny Dees and assisted by Landy Watson and Vann Brackin for their first two seasons, Dees led the team to two winning records, before being replaced by Chuck Noe. Under the coaching of J. D. Barnett, the Rams earned fourth berths into the NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship, each being their first four berths, during Barnetts six years coaching the team, only twice did the Rams not win the Sun Belt Conference. The Rams became the first team to sweep the best of 3 championship series in the CBI post-season tournament on their way to becoming the 2010 CBI Champions and it is the first post-season tournament championship, excluding conference tournaments, in the history of the program. They entered the tournament as a #12 seed in the East Region and were eliminated in the first round by #5 Iowa and it would not be long before the Rams returned to the tournament. The following year the Rams posted a 24–5 record on their way to the Sun Belt Conference regular season, the Rams entered the tournament as the #5 seed in the East region and defeated #12 Long Island before being eliminated by #4 Tennessee in overtime in the second round 56–58. The Rams would return to the tournament in 1983, the Rams, the #5 seed in the East region, defeated #12 seed La Salle in the first round and were eliminated in the second round by #4 seed Georgia 54–56. The Rams lost their game by the same margin to #4 Tennessee in 1981. The 1984 tournament held similar results for the Rams squad and they entered the tournament as a #6 seed in the East Region and defeated #11 Northeastern before being eliminated by #3 Syracuse
