#University of Memphis Basketball

[indeedgoodman]

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

You need to check out Dave Woloshin basketball broadcaster for the University of Memphis. Yummy!

[culturehause]

Drake's OVO Partners With NCAA Colleges for New Limited Edition Collaboration

Key pieces in the collection find the team monikers from the Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide, North Carolina Tar Heels, Memphis Tigers and Texas Longhorns represented on varsity jackets, hoodies, basketball shorts and caps. Depending on the school repped, the pieces come in the college team colors. For instance, the varsity jackets often saw the team mascot name in patchwork on the back, alongside the team logo on the arm with the OVO signage on the other. The school’s emblems are proudly placed on the chest, giving the jacket a vintage varsity aesthetic. The OVO owl co-brands the various pieces, seen as an addition on the side of the caps or as a part of the crest branding on the hoodies.

The partnership and collection was first announced on the OVO Instagram. It is uncertain if the collegiate collaboration will expand to other NCAA schools but so far the University of Kentucky, University of Alabama, University of North Carolina, University of Memphis and University of Texas have been represented in this collection. The collegiate collaboration arrives on OVOstarting on September 29.

[lboogie1906]

Michael Alex Conley Jr. (born October 11, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Conley spent 12 seasons with the Grizzlies and became the team’s all-time leading scorer before being traded to the Utah Jazz in 2019, then traded again to the Timberwolves in 2023. His father, Mike Conley Sr., was an Olympic gold and silver medalist in track and field.

He attended Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, where he led the basketball team to three consecutive state championships and an overall record of 103–7 in his four years as the starting point guard. Over his senior year, he dished out a total of 123 assists. He finished second in Indiana Mr. Basketball voting behind teammate Greg Oden, who was the national player of the year. Among other accolades, he was selected to the McDonald’s All-American Team and named to the Parade All-American Third Team.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was listed as the #3 point guard and the #18 player in the nation in 2006. He committed to Ohio State University as one part of the number two recruiting class in the country that year, along with fellow AAU teammates Greg Oden, Daequan Cook, and Mark Titus. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[lenbryant]

(Long Post Atlantic) Rural Republicans Are Fighting to Save Their Public Schools

Many state legislators see voucher programs as a threat to the anchors of their communities.

By Alec MacGillis

This article was featured in the One Story to Read Today newsletter. Sign up for it here.

This article is a collaboration between The Atlantic and ProPublica.

Drive an hour south of Nashville into the rolling countryside of Marshall County, Tennessee—past horse farms, mobile homes, and McMansions—and you will arrive in Chapel Hill, population 1,796. It’s the birthplace of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who helped found the Ku Klux Klan. And it’s the home of Todd Warner, one of the most unlikely and important defenders of America’s besieged public schools.

Warner is the gregarious 53-year-old owner of PCS of TN, a 30-person company that does site grading for shopping centers and other construction projects. The second-term Republican state representative “absolutely” supports Donald Trump, who won Marshall County by 50 points in 2020. Warner likes to talk of the threats posed by culture-war bogeymen, such as critical race theory; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and Sharia law.

And yet, one May afternoon in his office, under a TV playing Fox News and a mounted buck that he’d bagged in Alabama, he told me about his effort to halt Republican Governor Bill Lee’s push for private-school vouchers in Tennessee. Warner’s objections are rooted in the reality of his district: It contains not a single private school, so to Warner, taxpayer money for the new vouchers would clearly be flowing elsewhere, mostly to well-off families in metro Nashville, Memphis, and other cities whose kids are already enrolled in private schools. Why should his small-town constituents be subsidizing the private education of metropolitan rich kids? “I’m for less government, but it’s government’s role to provide a good public education,” he said. “If you want to send your kid to private school, then you should pay for it.”

The coronavirus pandemic provided a major boost to supporters of school vouchers, who argued that extended public-school closures—and the on-screen glimpses they afforded parents of what was being taught to their kids—underscored the need to give parents greater choice in where to send their children. Eleven states, led by Florida and Arizona, now have universal or near-universal vouchers, meaning that even affluent families can receive thousands of dollars toward their kids’ private-school tuition.

Read: Salvaging education in rural America

The beneficiaries in these states are mostly families whose kids were already enrolled in private schools, not families using the vouchers to escape struggling public schools. In larger states, the annual taxpayer tab for the vouchers is close to $1 billion, leaving less money for public schools at a time when they already face the loss of federal pandemic aid.

Voucher advocates, backed by a handful of billionaire funders, are on the march to bring more red and purple states into the fold for “school choice,” their preferred terminology for vouchers. And again and again, they are running up against rural Republicans like Warner, who are joining forces with Democratic lawmakers in a rare bipartisan alliance. That is, it’s the reddest regions of these red and purple states that are putting up some of the strongest resistance to the conservative assault on public schools.

Conservative orthodoxy at the national level holds that parents must be given an out from a failing public-education system that force-feeds children progressive fads. But many rural Republican lawmakers have trouble reconciling this with the reality in their districts, where many public schools are not only the sole educational option, but also the largest employer and the hub of the community—where everyone goes for holiday concerts, Friday-night football, and basketball. Unlike schools in blue metro areas, rural schools mostly reopened for in-person instruction in the fall of 2020, and they are far less likely to be courting controversy on issues involving race and gender.

Demonizing public education in the abstract is one thing. But it’s quite another when the target is the school where you went, where your kids went. For Todd Warner, that was Forrest High School, in Chapel Hill. “My three kids graduated from public schools, and they turned out just fine,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of our students, our future business owners, our future leaders, are going to the public schools. They’re not going to private. Why take it away from them?”

The response from voucher proponents to the resistance from fellow Republicans has taken several forms, all of which implicitly grant the critics’ case that voucher programs currently offer little benefit to rural areas. In some states, funding for vouchers is being paired with more money for public schools, to offer support for rural districts. In Ohio, voucher advocates are proposing to fund the construction of new private schools in rural areas where none exist, giving families places to use vouchers.

But the overriding Republican response to rural skeptics has been a political threat: Get with the program on vouchers, or else.

That’s what played out this year in Ohio’s Eighty-Third District, in the state’s rural northwest. Last summer, Ohio adopted universal private-school vouchers, with middle- and working-class families eligible for up to $8,407 per high-school student and even the very wealthiest families eligible for almost $1,000 per child. Private-school leaders urged already enrolled families to seek the money, and more than 140,000 families applied for vouchers. The cost has exceeded estimates, approaching $1 billion, with most of it going to the parochial schools that dominate the state’s private-school landscape. Voucher advocates are now pushing to create educational savings accounts to cover tuition at unchartered private schools that are not eligible for the vouchers.

Read: Do private school vouchers promote segregation?

School leaders in Hardin County—with its cornfields, solar-panel installations, and what was once one of the largest dairy farms east of the Mississippi—are deeply worried that vouchers stand to hurt county residents. Only a single small private school is within reach, one county to the south, which means that virtually no local taxpayers would see any of that voucher money themselves—it would be going to private-school families in Columbus, Cincinnati, and other large population centers. (And under Ohio law, the very public schools that are losing students must pay to transport any students who attend private institutions within a half-hour drive of the public school.)

Craig Hurley, the superintendent for Hardin’s Upper Scioto Valley District, is a solidly built 52-year-old who calls himself a staunch conservative. He attended the district’s schools and has worked in them for 30 years. He knows that they provide meals to 400 students, nearly two-thirds of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch. Even though the high school can muster only 20 players for football—basketball fares better—the fans come out to cheer. “Our district is our community,” he told me. “The more you separate that, the less of a community we’re going to be.”

Hurley has calculated that local schools are receiving less state funding per student than what private schools now receive for the maximum possible voucher amount. Yet private schools face almost none of the accountability that public schools do regarding how the money is spent and what outcomes it achieves. “We have fiscal responsibility on all of it, on every dime, every penny we spend,” he said. “There’s no audit for them.” Not to mention, he added, “a private school doesn’t have to accept all students, right? They pick who they want.”

Thirteen miles east, Chad Thrush, the school superintendent in Kenton, the county seat, noted that his school system is the second-largest employer in town, after Graphic Packaging, which makes plastic cups for vending machines. He worries that the rising cost of the voucher program will erode state funding for public schools, and he worries about what would happen to his district if a new private school opened in town. Thrush understands the appeal of vouchers for parents who want a leg up for their kid. But, he told me, “we need to be looking at how we’re preparing all students to be successful, not just my student.”

As it happens, the two superintendents have a crucial ally in Columbus: their state representative, Jon Cross. Like Warner in Tennessee, Cross is an ardent pro-Trump conservative, and deeply opposed to private-school vouchers. At a legislative hearing last year, he cut loose at a lobbyist for Americans for Prosperity—the conservative advocacy group founded by the industrialist Koch brothers—who was testifying for vouchers, one of the organization’s long-standing causes. “Wouldn’t we be better off taking some money in our budget to fix the schools?” Cross said. “I tell you what, I really like my public schools. I’m really proud that Carson and Connor, my sons, go to Kenton City Schools and get an education from there just like I did.”

The schools in Hardin and Marshall Counties are majority white. But some rural Republican legislators in other states have been willing to buck their party leaders on vouchers even in more racially diverse districts. In Georgia, of the 15 Republican state representatives who blocked a voucher proposal last year, more than half came from rural areas with substantial Black populations. One of them was Gerald Greene, who spent more than three decades as a high-school social-studies teacher and has managed to survive as a Republican in his majority-Black district in the state’s southwestern corner after switching parties in 2010.

Greene believes vouchers will harm his district. It has a couple of small private schools in it or just outside it—with student bodies that are starkly more white than the district’s public schools—but the majority of his constituents rely on the public schools, and he worries that vouchers will leave less money for them. “I just felt like we were abandoning our public schools,” he told me. “I’m not against private schools at all, but I just did not see how these vouchers would help southwestern Georgia.”

After failing to pass a voucher program last year, the state’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, and proponents in the legislature tried again this year, and this time they succeeded, albeit with vouchers more constrained than elsewhere: They can be used only by students in school districts that are ranked in the bottom quartile and whose families make less than 400 percent of the poverty level ($120,000 for a family of four), and their total cost can’t exceed 1 percent of the state’s total education budget, which caps them now at $140 million.

Partisan pressures simply became too strong for some skeptical Republicans, including Greene’s counterpart in the Senate, Sam Watson. Seminole County Superintendent Mark Earnest told me about the conversation in which Watson let him know that he was going to have to support the limited vouchers. “They have turned this into a caucus priority. It’s getting very political,” Watson said. “Thanks for letting me know,” Earnest replied, “but all vouchers are bad for public education.” Watson’s response: “I know, but I couldn’t go with the Democrats. Sorry.” (Watson did not respond to a request for comment.)

The highest-profile rural Republican resistance to vouchers has come in Texas, the land of Friday Night Lights and far-flung oil-country settlements where the public schools anchor communities. Late last year, the Texas House voted 84–63 to strip vouchers out of a broad education bill. In response, Governor Greg Abbott launched a purge of anti-voucher Republicans in this year’s primaries, backed by millions of dollars from the Pennsylvania mega-donor Jeff Yass, a finance billionaire.

Among those targeted was Drew Darby, who represents a sprawling 10-county district in West Texas, and who frames the issue in starkly regional terms: The state’s metro areas depend on his constituents to provide “food, fiber, and hide,” to “tend the oil wells and wind turbines to provide electricity to people who want to be just a little cooler in the cities.” But without good public schools, these rural areas will wither. “Robert Lee, Winters, Sterling, Blackwell,” he said, listing some hamlets—“these communities exist because they have strong public schools. They would literally not exist without a good public-school system.”

Darby, a fiscal conservative, is also opposed to a new entitlement for private-school families that is projected to soon cost $2 billion a year. “In rural Texas, there’s not a whole lot of private-school options, and we want our schools to get every dollar they can. This doesn’t add $1, and it’s not good for rural Texas.”

Darby managed to stave off his primary challenge, but 11 of the 15 voucher resisters targeted by Abbott lost, several in races so close that they went to a runoff. Abbott is unapologetic: “Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners,” he said after the runoff. “Together, we will ensure the best future for our children.”

Also succumbing to his primary challenger was Jon Cross, in western Ohio. His opponent, Ty Mathews, managed to make the campaign about more than just vouchers, taking sides in a bitter leadership split within the GOP caucus. And for all the concerns that local school leaders have about the effect of vouchers, the threat remained abstract to many voters. “I’m not worried about it, because we don’t have the revenue here anyways in this town for anything to be taken from us to be given to a bigger town,” one 60-year-old woman told me after casting her vote for Mathews. A younger woman asked simply: “What exactly are the vouchers?”

But in Tennessee, Todd Warner and his allies staved off the threat again this year. To overcome rural resistance, voucher proponents in the Tennessee House felt the need to constrain them and pair them with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding for public schools, but this was at odds with the state Senate’s more straightforward voucher legislation. The two chambers were unable to come to an agreement before the session’s end in April, by which point the House bill had not even made it to the floor for a vote.

For Democratic voucher opponents in the state, the alliance with Warner and other rural Republicans was as helpful as it was unusual. “It was strange,” Representative Sam McKenzie, a Black Democrat from Knoxville, told me. McKenzie compared it to Twins, a movie in which Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito played unlikely fraternal twins: “Representative Warner and I were in lockstep opposition to this voucher scam.”

Watch: Why school choice fails

One voucher supporter, Representative Scott Cepicky, told me he was confident that his side would eventually prevail. “We’ll work on this again next year,” he said. “The governor is committed that we’re going to run on school choice again.” And Americans for Prosperity has made clear that it’s coming after voucher opponents. Its Tennessee state director, Tori Venable, told Warnerduring the legislative session that “I can’t protect you if you ain’t on the right side of this.”

Another conservative group, the American Federation for Children, sent out a text message in March attacking Warner for his opposition to “parental rights,” without using the term vouchers. And a retired teacher in Marshall County, Gwen Warren, told me she and her husband recently got a visit from an Americans for Prosperity canvasser citing Warner’s opposition to vouchers. “She said, ‘We’re going around the neighborhood trying to talk to people about vouchers. We feel like Tennesseans really want the voucher system.’” To which, Warren said, her husband replied, “You’re very much mistaken, lady. We don’t want vouchers in this county, and you need to go away.”

Warner remains unfazed by all this. He is pretty sure that his voucher opposition in fact helped him win his seat in 2020, after the incumbent Republican voted for a pilot voucher system limited to Nashville and Memphis. And he notes that no one has registered to challenge him in the state’s August 1 primary. “They tried to find a primary opponent but couldn’t,” he said with a chuckle. “I was born and raised here all my life. My family’s been here since the 18th century. I won’t say I can’t be beat, but bring your big-boy pants and come on, let’s go.”

This article is a collaboration between The Atlantic and ProPublica.

[molsons112000]

How do they build a fanbase when an athlete is not at college for anything? But a year or two.

Patrick Ewing played for 4 years Sean. Elliot played for 4 years and so did david robinson.

Graduating with the Class of 1987, six inches taller than he was on I-Day, he led Navy basketball to 82 wins in three years. Even though he was the NBA's No. 1 draft pick in 1987, Robinson delayed his professional basketball career to serve his country.

https://www.usna.com › docu...PDF

When David Robinson entered the US Naval Academy in 1983, no ...

So michael jordan play three years in college and I believe he should have stayed for the fourth year....

But these players coming in to NBA are much more mature, and they have a better fan base behind them.

They're really destroying the ncaa by drafting these players early.... 😪 It was hard when the university of arizona lost stars after two years....

Plus the NBA gets to see their history as they grow in popularity. How they handle themselves.

College is about growing up!!!!!

Plus when they go to the n b a, they have a much more Solid friend base that is from college, not gang bangers.

A big thing about going to college is maturing through socialization.... And usually the friends you make in college are the ones that stay with you for the rest of your life.... Derek rose played 1 year in college. Didn't make any new friends really and continue to hang out with his homies, that were gang bangers...

one year

He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA draft.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › D...

Derrick Rose - Wikipedia

Think about Ray Lewis. What is state in college? One more year or he did his red shirt, and he spent five years in college.... He would have had a very, very good group of people coming from college...

three seasons

Lewis led the Big East in tackles his last two seasons and accumulated the fifth most in Miami history despite playing only three seasons. After the 1995 season, Lewis decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the NFL draft.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › R...

Ray Lewis - Wikipedia

This is what people don't understand and this is incredibly true. This is what me and Jennifer. Kim used to talk about all the time, and this is important with grad school as well....

And this is what u the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, and all kinds of professional sports don't understand...

College friendships also tend to become lifetime friends because college is a time of immense personal growth. Those shared experiences in college help you become who you want to be, and the friends you make will assist you in this adventure.

https://www.cleveland.edu › maki...

Making Friends in College: Vital to Your Success

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-comcast-us-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=College+friends+are+usually+your+friends+that+stay+with+you+for+life

Quora

https://www.quora.com › Why-do...

Why do people mature so much once they go through college?

Why do people mature so much once they go through college?

I would rather answer this question with an example which happened in our lives. In march ... More

33,121 votes

Ruffalo Noel Levitz

https://www.ruffalonl.com › blog

Emotions and College Planning: What the Research Tells Us

Dec 8, 2022 — The vast majority of prospective college students are stressed and anxious. How do their emotions impact college planning?

College Confidential Forums

https://talk.collegeconfidential.com › ...

Did college help you grow up as a person?

Nov 2, 2016 — Everyone talks about how college helps you mature but I ... They develop academically, socially and even spiritually for

https://www.google.com/search?q=How+college+helps+you+mature+emotionally&client=ms-android-comcast-us-rvc3&sca_esv=661b256b13fc34d5&sca_upv=1&source=android-browser&ei=1tt8ZsiTINCnptQP4qiG0AU&oq=How+college+helps+you+mature+emotionally&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIihIb3cgY29sbGVnZSBoZWxwcyB5b3UgbWF0dXJlIGVtb3Rpb25hbGx5MgIQKTIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKsCMgUQIRirAkikNlDcFVj5LXACeAGQAQGYAdcBoAHVE6oBBjkuMTEuMbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCC6AC5ArCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHmAMAiAYBkAYHkgcDMi45oAfOUA&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp

Networking in grad, school and undergraduate is vitally important and how do you do that? You get involved in activities and clubs!

You can build many beneficial relationships throughout participating in activities, clubs, seminars, etc. Getting involved in activities outside of the educational field and building your network in other capacities can help grow your career many years in the future.Nov 11, 2019

https://www.graduateprogram.org › ...

Networking in Graduate School: Why and How to Do It

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-comcast-us-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=Meeting+people+in+graduate+school+is+very+important+to+your+future

So professional sports don't understand how important this is for these people to mature... For these people the build network... And they'll come to professional sports with a good group of people around them and less likely to get into trouble like

College career

Bruschi attended the University of Arizona, where he played for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 1991 to 1995.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › T...

Tedy Bruschi - Wikipedia

Feed

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-comcast-us-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=Teddy+bruski%2C+how+many+years+did+he+play+in+college

What are some fun facts about Tedy Bruschi?

Key Takeaways:

01Tedy Bruschi played his entire NFL career for the New England Patriots.

02Bruschi was a key member of three Super Bowl-winning teams.

03He overcame a stroke to return to professional football.

04Tedy Bruschi was a two-time All-Pro selection.

More items...•May 20, 2024

https://facts.net › celebrity › 22-asto...

22 Astounding Facts About Tedy Bruschi

I remember Teddy when he had his stroke and he overcame it and went back to playing, and he played awesome!

They really need to start taking a look at doing things differently and professional sports and the. NCAA should be mandating that they don't draft anyone less. They been in college at least four years!!!! This allows the colleges to build programs and to generate revenue from these programs the. Reason these programs aren't profitable is because the turnover especially basketball.

Athletic Director U

https://athleticdirectoru.com › articles

An Analysis Of College Basketball Return On Investment

One of the key takeaways from return on investment in athletic expenses is “cost per win,” a measure of overall expenses divided by total

PBS

https://www.pbs.org › economy

Analysis: Who is winning in the high-revenue world of college sports?

Mar 18, 2023 — Fewer than 2 percent of college football and men's basketball athletes ever play a single game in the professional National Football League ...

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-comcast-us-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=How+college+basketball+is+a+break%2C+even+sport

So the NCAA must make them sign a commitment leather that they will stay in college for a minimum of four years... 🤔 If they break the commitment leather, they owe that college all their Costs of the scholarship back to the college and penalties..... They gotta make it hurt. So when they sign that commitment letter, it's a commitment 44 years!

Now, athletes can make money from their name, their image and they're likeness in college. They have no reason to leave before completing four years of college....

NCAA, leagues back $2.8B settlement, setting stage for major change in college sports. The proposed settlement has two parts. First, it would distribute some $2.75 billion to athletes who competed before July 2021, when the NCAA first allowed athletes to earn money from their name, image and likeness rights.May 24, 2024

https://www.npr.org › 2024/05/24

The NCAA reaches a historic settlement to pay college ... - NPR

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-comcast-us-rvc3&source=android-browser&q=College+is+allowed.+College+athletes+to+earn+money+from+their+likeness

[coasttickets]

The world has lost a professional basketball legend. At 86-years old, Jerry West has passed. His legacy as an NBA superstar will not be forgotten.

Jerry grew up in West Virginia in the early 40’s, and spent a large portion of his time shooting baskets. During high school and college, he played basketball and greatly excelled at it. He was captain of his freshman team in high school and in college achieved a perfect record of 17 consecutive wins. A couple years later he would be named Most Outstanding Player during his junior year at West Virginia University. West then went on to co-captain the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

In 1960, he made himself available for the NBA draft and was picked up by the Lakers, before they relocated to Los Angeles. Once on the Lakers, he switched to playing as a guard as opposed to a forward. Although the transition may have been rough, he began to excel in his new position by putting in countless hours of practice. All of this hard work dubbed him the nicknames of “Mr. Inside” and “Mr. Outside”, and earned him his first NBA All-Star game call-ups. He undoubtedly helped the Lakers reach the playoffs in 1961.

Throughout his career, he managed to dominate the sport of professional basketball. From scoring an amazing amount of points per game, to pulling off the win for the team in their time of need, he helped lead his team to victory on several occasions.

After his basketball playing career, in 1976, he moved on to coaching the Lakers for a few seasons. During this time the Lakers made it to the playoffs each season.

When his coaching stint was over, he started his executive career in basketball. He stayed with the Lakers for 20 years, and in that time he played a hand in getting Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal on the team. This would inevitably lead to one of the best periods of the Lakers history.

From the early 2000’s, until his passing, he continued to help shape the future of sport and players alike. Jerry West helped the Memphis Grizzlies retain their franchise and make it to playoffs. Afterwards going on to help the Golden State Warriors win their first championship in over 40 years. Finally landing back in Los Angeles with the LA Clippers, where he spent the rest of his years as an executive board member and consultant.

West had a very fulfilling life and was a legend of the sport. He helped shape the history of the NBA through more than one team, and he will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Jerry West.

[unitedstatesofworld]

NBA Bans Jontay Porter: A Deep Dive into the Shocking Decision

Whoa! In an unprecedented move, the NBA bans Jontay Porter, a rising star whose promising career now hangs in the balance. This decision has sent shockwaves through the basketball community and left fans and analysts alike scratching their heads. Why did the NBA take such drastic action? What led to this moment? And what does it mean for the future of both Jontay Porter and the league? Let's dig into the nitty-gritty of this stunning turn of events.

Who is Jontay Porter?

Before diving into the controversy, it’s important to know a bit about Jontay Porter. Born in 1999, Jontay is the younger brother of Michael Porter Jr., another prominent NBA player. Jontay's journey to the NBA was marked by impressive performances in college at the University of Missouri, where his skills as a power forward and center made him a standout player. Despite facing injuries that slowed his ascent, his talent and potential were undeniable.

The Rise of a Star

College Career: Jontay Porter played for the Missouri Tigers, where he quickly made a name for himself with his exceptional basketball IQ, rebounding prowess, and versatility on the court.

Draft Day: Though injuries caused some teams to hesitate, the Memphis Grizzlies saw potential in Porter and brought him onboard. He was seen as a high-risk, high-reward player, and fans were eager to see him blossom.

The Controversy Unfolds

So, what led to the NBA's decision to ban Jontay Porter? The league’s announcement was sudden and, at first glance, mystifying. To understand it, we need to unpack a few key aspects.

Violation of NBA Policies

According to the NBA's official statement, Jontay Porter was found to have violated several of the league's policies. While details remain somewhat murky, sources indicate that these infractions were serious enough to warrant a full ban.

Substance Abuse: Reports suggest that Porter may have tested positive for banned substances. The NBA has a strict policy on drugs, and violations can lead to severe consequences.

Behavioral Issues: There have also been whispers of behavioral problems that clashed with the league’s code of conduct. These issues, while less clear, seemed to contribute to the decision.

Previous Warnings and Suspensions

It turns out, this wasn’t the first time Porter had run afoul of the NBA’s rules. Prior warnings and minor suspensions had already put him on thin ice. The league's patience finally ran out, leading to the ultimate penalty.

Reactions from the Basketball World

Unsurprisingly, the NBA’s decision to ban Jontay Porter has elicited a wide range of reactions.

Player Reactions

Many NBA players have spoken out about the ban, with some expressing support for Porter while others acknowledge the necessity of maintaining strict rules.

Supportive Voices: Teammates and friends, including his brother Michael Porter Jr., have voiced their disappointment and concern. They highlight Jontay's hard work and potential, urging the league to reconsider.

Critical Opinions: On the flip side, some players and analysts believe the NBA’s decision was justified. They argue that the league's integrity must be upheld and that Porter’s actions left the NBA with no choice.

Fan Reactions

Fans are also deeply divided. Social media platforms have been buzzing with debates, as supporters rally behind Porter and critics emphasize the importance of rules.

Hashtag Movements: Hashtags like #JusticeForJontay and #NBAIntegrity have trended, showing the split in public opinion.

Petitions: Several online petitions have sprung up, calling for the NBA to review and possibly reverse their decision.

Implications for Porter's Career

What does this ban mean for Jontay Porter’s future? It’s a devastating blow, no doubt, but it doesn’t necessarily spell the end of his basketball career.

Short-Term Impact

Immediate Halt: The ban means Porter cannot play, train with NBA teams, or participate in any league activities. This sudden stop will undoubtedly affect his physical and mental conditioning.

Sponsorship Losses: Many of Porter's endorsements are likely to be withdrawn. Sponsors typically avoid athletes embroiled in controversy, and this situation is no exception.

Long-Term Outlook

Potential for Appeal: Porter’s camp may file an appeal. If successful, this could shorten the ban and allow him to return sooner.

Alternative Leagues: While banned from the NBA, Porter could explore opportunities in international leagues or smaller domestic leagues. Such moves have saved careers before.

Rehabilitation and Redemption: Many athletes have come back from career setbacks by showing growth and commitment. If Porter can address the issues that led to his ban, he might find a path back to professional basketball.

The NBA's Stance and Future Policies

The NBA’s decision to ban Jontay Porter also has broader implications for the league itself. How will this impact its policies and its relationship with players?

Zero Tolerance Policy

This ban underscores the NBA’s zero-tolerance policy on drug use and behavioral issues. It’s a clear message to all players: the league takes its rules seriously, and violations won’t be tolerated.

Potential Policy Changes

In light of this incident, the NBA might consider reviewing and tightening its policies further. This could mean stricter monitoring, more frequent testing, and clearer communication of consequences.

Player Support Systems

The league might also invest more in support systems for players, including counseling, rehabilitation programs, and educational initiatives. Helping players avoid these pitfalls could benefit both the athletes and the league.

FAQs

Why was Jontay Porter banned from the NBA?

Jontay Porter was banned due to violations of NBA policies, including substance abuse and behavioral issues. The exact details have not been fully disclosed, but these infractions were deemed serious enough to warrant a ban.

Can Jontay Porter appeal the ban?

Yes, Porter has the option to appeal the ban. If his appeal is successful, the ban could be reduced or lifted, allowing him to return to the NBA.

How long is the ban expected to last?

The duration of the ban has not been specified. Typically, such bans can range from a few months to several years, depending on the severity of the infractions and the outcome of any appeals.

What are Jontay Porter’s options during the ban?

During the ban, Porter cannot participate in NBA activities. However, he can explore opportunities in international leagues, work on personal development, and potentially prepare for a comeback if the ban is lifted.

How has the basketball community reacted to the ban?

Reactions have been mixed. Some players and fans support Porter and hope for his return, while others believe the ban is justified to maintain the integrity of the league.

Conclusion

The NBA’s decision to ban Jontay Porter is a dramatic and controversial one, with far-reaching implications for the player, the league, and the broader basketball community. While the exact reasons behind the ban remain somewhat opaque, it’s clear that the NBA is committed to enforcing its rules and maintaining high standards.

For Jontay Porter, this ban is a major setback, but it’s not necessarily the end of his story. With the right moves, he could rehabilitate his image and return to the sport he loves. The basketball world will be watching closely to see what happens next.

In the end, this incident serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of discipline, integrity, and support within professional sports. Here’s hoping that Jontay Porter finds his way back and that the NBA continues to strive for the best for its players and its fans.

[sportsminorityreport]

What if the PAC-2 play their cards right?

I want to talk about something really interesting. I have long believed there are 2 optimal and realistic paths for Oregon State and Washington State.

Many believe an offer from the ACC is reasonably likely. I do not (although I also didn't think UT would suddenly decide academics don't matter anymore and go join the big old southern dummy conference. Or that the PAC-12 would ACTUALLY implode and not figure out that Colorado was going to sink their conference. I mean jesus... I actually called their PR guy and laid it out for him step by step over about 40 minutes... pretty much exactly how it happened. But they were only set up to follower their internal group think... whatever...)

I think the two paths are partner with Memphis and carry in the apple of Big 12 commisoner Brett Yormark's eye ---- UCONN into the big 12 --- or build a slightly lesser version of the ACC out of a handful of AAC, MWC, and various 5G5 schools.

The PAC2 is sitting on $222M PAC dollars from the 10 PAC turncoats. They could afford to skip media payouts in the Big 12 for a cycle. As could Memphis. Fed Ex has already offered to foot the Big 12 media payouts years ago when they were bigger. This would allow Yormark to take Oregon State, Washington State, Memphis, and Uconn's media rights to ESPN and beg for enough to pay UConn SOMETHING.

On the positive side this potentially passes the sniff test for ESPN --- they currently don't have any schools in the PAC NW --- and ESPN will make a ton of money selling Big 12 basketball in NY at almost no money down. ESPN could use closing this deal as a way to shut down an unwanted push that could gut the ACC.

ESPN isn't spending now, because movies are broken and Disney can't turn on their Marvel and Star Wars engines yet.

Yormark wants to use that NYC gateway on his next TV deal. ESPN may feel they are "watering down" the Big 12 enough to offset that. But....

Do the 4 turncoats in the Big 12 want to vote in WSU and OSU? in some ways it could be said that each PAC turncoat school paid the last 2 $22M each. I could see Arizona specifically pushing to slam the breaks over that.

So that leaves expansion. I've written a lot here recently about what a Pac-2 driven expansion could look like. I think if they go to 14 it will be OK. If they go bigger, it will be better.

But what will it leave behind? A crushed MWC and a gutted AAC.

Now that might not mean anything to you but consider the fact they are talking about creating a g5 playoffs. That proposal suggests turning the G5 into giant g5 conference with regional divisions. Just flushing the old conferences.

Well that is out of the question with the MWC making 6.5M per school and the ACC almost $10M per school today.

But what if the Pac14+ happens?

What if you are dealing with the remaining MWC schools making $2.5M each and the AAC schools making $3M each....?

Suddenly the financial differences by conference are not that telling.

Suddenly the idea of flushing the current conference and having regional commissioner becomes more realistic. Now the commissioners would push back on this, but maybe it could be made to work. Incoming new AAC commissioner ---- shark tank private equity guy --- could pull dual duty. He could be a regional commish and in charge of upgrading the 10 strongest potential brands using private equity to increase their next tv deal.

image him helping Temple into a near-campus stadium. Imagine ECU with an expanded stadium. Imagine Liberty accelerating their push to become the evangelical Notre Dame. Imagine USF with and on campus stadium. Imagine UMass wiith a sensible 30K on campus stadium.

The Sun Belt commissioner could be tasked with pulling in the best FCS schools to upgrade the G5. Imagine South and Notth Dakota State, Montana, Montana State, Sacramento State, Cal Poly, and UC Davis, Villinova, Stony Brook, and historically Black colleges and Universities like Jackson State and Florida A&M moving up.

CUSA's commissioner could be tasked with telling schools they need to move down to the FCS because they lack the fan support. Sam Houston State. UL-Monroe, Eastern Michigan... a handful of schools.

They could set up to offer schools the opportunity to move from the FCS to the FBS and vice versa.

So many ideas that make some sense but were likely non-starters could now be legitimately considered.... if the PAC2 end up building a 14 or more member conference.

[thelensofyashunews]

Key Glock Teams With Superstar Producer Alok for Big Room "Let's Go (Remix)"

Key Glock is known for his uncompromising sound, deeply rooted in the traditions of his hometown of Memphis, but he has never been afraid to leave his comfort zone. Today, the 26-year-old rapper shares his most unexpected collaboration yet, recruiting Brazilian producer/DJ Alok–one of the world's most popular EDM artists–to remix his Billboard Hot 100-charting song "Let's Go," out now via Paper Route Empire.

A motivational record that transforms a Slavic folk chant into an arena-rap anthem, "Let's Go" is an undeniable epic, racking up streams in the tens of millions, charting on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the Top 5 on Urban Radio, earning play in sports stadiums across the globe. "Let's Go" (Alok Remix) ratchets up the energy, adding thumping techno percussion and a sirenic synth melody to accompany Glock's raspy flexes and sly wordplay, creating a relentless big room banger guaranteed to fill dancefloors across the globe.

The Alok Remix is the latest step in the steady rise of "Let's Go." "Let's Go" finished 2023 on a hot streak, gaining viral traction and reaching the Top 25 charts on TikTok and Instagram Reels. The motivational song is a fixture in sports stadiums and arenas, and has been adopted as a theme song by the nationally-ranked University of Memphis men's basketball team. The song inspired a cinematic video, directed by Chris Villa, a 7-minute epic for which the young rapper learned fight choreography and did his own stunts (10 million views to date). "Let's Go" made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in March, rising to #88 this week, and hit the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart (#23) and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (#29). With over 138 million streams across platforms to date, "Let's Go" is the standout track from Glockoma 2 (Deluxe), an expansion of his February 2023 album Glockoma 2. Glockoma 2 spent 8 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at #13, and is home to hits like "From Nothing," "Dirt," and most recently "Presidential Rolex."

Glockoma 2 and Glockoma 2 (Deluxe) highlighted a busy year for Glock, which also included the fast-selling SiriusXM’s Hip-Hop Nation Presents: Key Glock – Glockoma Tour,” with support from XXL Freshman TiaCorine, Dallas riser BigXThaPlug, and his PRE associates including Kenny Muney and Jay Fizzle. Over the summer, Key Glock earned a well-deserved pair of RIAA-certified GOLD plaques: for Key Glock’s 2020 album, Yellow Tape, as well as his 2019 album, Dum and Dummer, a full-length collaboration with his mentor Young Dolph. Glock finished the year with #GLOCKTOBER, a month-long celebration of all things Key Glock, featuring new singles like "One Me," "Murder & Millions," and "No Hook 2."

Now with more than 15 million monthly listeners on Spotify, multiple Hot 100 hits to his name, and 59k tickets sold in 2023 alone, Key Glock is on the brink of taking his no-holds-barred Memphis sound to the mainstream.

[prettyhennytea]

In the realm of women's basketball, there are individuals who possess an innate ability to inspire and lead. Alex Simmons, the head coach of the University of Memphis Tigers women's basketball team, is one such individual. Let's get into her remarkable journey from her childhood years to her current role as a trailblazing coach in the league. During high school at Olive Branch High School in Mississippi, Simmons emerged as a standout player. Her exceptional athleticism and dedication propelled her team to success while earning numerous accolades along the way. As she excelled on both ends of the court, college recruiters took notice. After completing high school with an impressive track record, Alex Simmons received several scholarships offers from esteemed universities across the country. She ultimately decided to attend Mississippi State University (MSU), where she continued to make waves with her exceptional play. Simmons' collegiate career at MSU showcased her versatility as a player. Known for her tenacity on defense and scoring prowess on offense, she became an integral part of MSU's success during those years. Her contributions helped elevate MSU's program while also solidifying herself as one of their all time greats. Following graduation from MSU, Alex Simmons set out to pursue professional opportunities within women's basketball leagues around the world. She played internationally before joining various teams within domestic leagues such as American Basketball Association (ABA) teams like Nashville Noise and Atlanta Vision. While playing professionally provided valuable experience, Simmons soon realized her true calling lay in coaching. She transitioned into coaching roles at the collegiate level, where she could share her knowledge and passion for the game with aspiring athletes. In 2020, Alex Simmons was appointed as the head coach of the University of Memphis Tigers women's basketball team. Taking on this significant role allowed her to make a lasting impact on young athletes while shaping a program's future. Under Simmons' guidance, the University of Memphis Tigers have experienced positive growth and development. Her leadership has instilled a winning culture within the team while emphasizing player development and academic excellence. With each passing season, she continues to elevate both individual players and the program as a whole. Simmons' approach extends beyond basketball skills; she prioritizes mentorship and personal growth for her players. By fostering an environment that emphasizes teamwork, resilience, and self-belief, she empowers her athletes to excel not only on the court but also in life beyond basketball. Alex Simmons journey from childhood dreams to becoming an influential head coach is truly inspiring. From showcasing her talent during high school years to playing professionally around the world before finding fulfillment in coaching collegiate teams, she has consistently demonstrated dedication and passion for women's basketball. As head coach of the University of Memphis Tigers women's basketball team today, Alex Simmons continues to shape young athletes into well-rounded individuals both on and off court. Through her leadership style rooted in mentorship and personal growth, she leaves in indelible mark on those under her guidance. Simmons serves as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring coaches who seek to make their mark within women's basketball by demonstrating that hard work combined with unwavering determination can lead one towards achieving their goals.

[ceobesstore]

The Tennessee Circle Logo Sport Teams Titans Grizzlies Predators Volunteers Unisex T-shirt is a trendy and stylish garment that celebrates the major sports teams in Tennessee. This eye-catching t-shirt features a circle logo design that showcases the Tennessee Titans (American football), Memphis Grizzlies (basketball), Nashville Predators (ice hockey), and the University of Tennessee Volunteers (college football), representing the passion and pride of Tennessee sports fans. Designed for both men and women, this unisex t-shirt offers a comfortable fit for all. Crafted with high-quality materials, it ensures durability and long-lasting wear. Whether you're a devoted fan of one team or support them all, this t-shirt allows you to proudly display your love for Tennessee's sports culture. Embrace the winning spirit and celebrate the excitement of Tennessee sports with the Tennessee Circle Logo Sport Teams Titans Grizzlies Predators Volunteers Unisex T-shirt. Order yours today and show off your sports pride! Tennessee Circle Logo Sport Teams Titans Grizzlies Predators Volunteers Unisex Tshirt Information Hoodie: Gildan 18500 50% cotton, 50% polyester (fiber content may vary for different colors). Medium heavy fabric (8.0 oz/yd² (271 g/m²)). Classic fit. Runs true to size. Sweatshirt: Gildan 18000 50% cotton, 50% polyester Medium heavy fabric (8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²)). Loose fit. Runs true to size. Sewn in label. Tshirt: Gildan 5000 Medium fabric (5.3 oz/yd² (180 g/m²)). Classic fit. Runs true to size. 100% cotton (fiber content may vary for different colors). Tear away label. Premium Tshirt: Bella+Canvas 3001 100% Airlume combed and ringspun cotton (fiber content may vary for different colors). Light fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)). Runs true to size. Tear away label. Unisex Tank Top: Gildan 5200 100% Cotton (fiber content may vary for different colors). Medium fabric (5.3 oz/yd² (180 g/m²)). Classic Fit. Tear away label Handling and Shipping Your order will shipped within 3 to 5 business days after payment received. For US Address: 7 10 business days. For Worldwide Address: 15 21 business days. Please note: This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions! Cancelation, Refund and Return. You have 5 hours to cancel your order after purchase. We will refund 100% or resend a new one for defective products by ourselves. For example: misspellings, wrong names/numbers, poor print quality... Please contact us with photos. We do not accept returns. In any case, we encourage you to contact us directly to resolve the issue. We are happy to assist. You can contact us via email: support@ceobes.com [sang_display_attachment_images]

[lboogie1906]

Derrick Martell Rose (October 4, 1988) is a former basketball player. He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted first overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA draft. Nicknamed “D-Rose”, “The Windy City Assassin” or “Pooh”, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and became the youngest player to win the NBA MVP Award in 2011.

He was born and raised in Chicago and attended Simeon Career Academy. He was highly recruited by colleges, choosing to join the University of Memphis. He led the Tigers to the most wins in NCAA history (a 38–2 record) their first #1 ranking in 25 years, and an appearance in the NCAA championship game. In 2009, an NCAA investigation revealed that his SAT scores had been invalidated, and the NCAA vacated Memphis’ entire 2007–08 season.

He has struggled with significant knee injuries since his 2010–11 MVP season. In the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, he tore his ACL in his left knee. He required surgery and was sidelined for the entire 2012–13 season. He returned to play in 2013–14, but in November 2013, he injured his right meniscus, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. He returned the following season, but knee injuries continued to impact his availability and his production.

He was traded to the New York Knicks, where he finished the final year of his contract. He signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2017–18 season but was hobbled by ankle injuries, which led to him being traded to the Utah Jazz. He signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a rest-of-season contract; he stayed with the team through the following season and enjoyed a revived role as a sixth man off the bench despite missing 31 games due to injury management. For the 2019–20 season, the Detroit Pistons signed him, and he continued to be successful off the bench. The Knicks re-acquired him in a trade.

He has one son. He is a Christian and has spoken about his faith, saying “God does everything for a reason”.

In 2018, he introduced The Rose Scholars, a scholarship program to help students achieve a higher education. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[xtruss]

How To Improve Your Trash Talk

Disrespect on the sports field can be effective—but carries risks

— May 12th 2023 |Culture | The sports page

Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺 — February 10: Australia leg spinner Shane Keith Warne (Born: 13 September 1969 – Died: 4 March 2022) celebrates the wicket of Nasser Hussain during the First Final of the Carlton & United One Day Series at Sydney Cricket Ground on February 10th, 1999 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Stu Forster/Allsport/Getty Images/Hulton Archive)

Two young pretenders recently learned the value of keeping schtum. In America’s National Basketball Association Dillon Brooks, a player for the Memphis Grizzlies, labelled LeBron James, one of the sport’s greatest players, “old” after a playoff match against the Los Angeles Lakers. The 38-year-old Mr James proceeded to score 25 points in the next game of the series; Mr Brooks was ejected from the court for striking the older man’s groin. In the snooker world Hossein Vafaei, an up-and-coming Iranian player, described Ronnie O’Sullivan, a British seven-time world champion, as a nice person “when he’s asleep”. Mr O’Sullivan remained wide awake to thrash Mr Vafaei in their subsequent world-championship match.

The episodes highlight the potential pitfalls of “trash talk”—insulting or taunting opponents in an effort to throw them off their game. The trash-talkers’ failure to lift their performances to the level of their rhetoric looked foolish, especially because their humiliation came at the hands of elder statesmen. The cases seemed to provide an additional argument to people who think that displays of disrespect denigrate principles of sportsmanship. Indeed, last month a disrespectful gesture made towards an opponent, Caitlin Clark, by Angel Reese, a college-level basketball player in America, had pious pundits fulminating—and seemingly ignoring the fact that Ms Clark had made a similar gesture earlier in the season.

The flinging of jibes at sporting rivals has a long history. Cricketers call it “sledging”; football managers employ “mind games”. Basketball legends like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan excelled at it. In a match between the Chicago Bulls and the Denver Nuggets in the early 1990s, for instance, Mr Jordan won a free-throw with seconds remaining on the clock. He eyeballed Dikembe Mutombo, a Nuggets player, and quipped, “Hey Mutombo, this one’s for you, baby,” before closing his eyes and making the shot. Mr Mutombo is still asked about the moment.

Displays of bravado enhance sporting legends. But do they achieve results? Proponents of smack talk argue that it plays a crucial role in winning the mental battle inherent in competition. Shane Warne, an Australian spin-bowler and famous sledger, called it a way to gain the “psychological edge” on the cricket field. The practice was commonly misunderstood, he noted: the idea was not to be nasty, but to find a clever way to unsettle or distract. If deployed appropriately, he claimed, mind games help to tip the balance in professional sport, where differences of skill between athletes can be very small.

The science suggests that badgering opponents can be effective, but only up to a point. Research led by Karen McDermott from the University of Connecticut found that participants were distracted by trash talk from opponents they did not know. It heightened emotions like anger and shame, affecting their performance. But a study led by Jeremy Yip of Georgetown University observed that, in general, the targets of trashing felt motivated to do better. Thus, taunts carry both opportunity and risk. You may put your opponents off, but you may also provoke them to give you a hiding.

For trash-talkers-in-training, a few pointers might help. First, consider the game at hand. Studies show that smack talk is especially effective in distracting players who are engaged in actions that require creativity or fine motor skills. So it may prove more effective in games demanding high levels of concentration than in sports that require mainly strength. Cricket meets those criteria nicely, especially when the batsman is fending off a world-class spin-bowler.

Next, it is worth thinking about the timing of your comments. In some sports, particularly combat ones, athletes swear by pre-match jibes. In 2015, for example, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, a Polish mixed-martial arts fighter, claimed that pre-fight taunts laid the foundations for her victory over Carla Esparza, her American opponent, in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. And who could forget Muhammad Ali’s suggestion in 1964 that Sonny Liston was “too ugly” to be boxing’s heavyweight world champion? Ali won a celebrated victory in the subsequent fight.

But unless you can credibly claim to be “The Greatest”, it may be a bad idea to give opponents time to stew over a taunt. Take a recent example from rugby union. In 2022 Australia’s men’s team hosted their English counterparts in a three-match series. After two games, the sides were drawn. Then Suliasi Vunivalu, one of Australia’s players, promised that his team would “shut the Pommies up” in the decider. The Australians went on to lose. Courtney Lawes, England’s then captain, said Mr Vunivalu’s cockiness had been “good fuel” for his team’s preparations.

Of course, trash talk can go too far. Critics say that cricket’s sledging culture, for example, can be racist. Last year a report on the Scottish game found that on-field chat could be racially abusive. Athletes who stoop to bigotry when they insult their opponents besmirch the not-so-fine art of trash talk. As Warne implied, it should be bracing but never boorish. It is, after all, supposed to be part of the fun. ■

[grad603brunoking]

W7 - Introduction to Project

As Anzac Day fell on our class date, we had to start this project off in a somewhat unconventional way - at a distance. For this half of the semester we will be creating a kinetic type animation based off a speech that has been randomly assigned to us. After navigating through the files on canvas, and downloading my assigned speech - I realised that the assigned speaker for my project was Steven Adams, who is a known and accredited basketball player within New Zealand. In all honesty, I was completely unfamiliar with Adams prior to finding out I was assigned to him for the speech and it was really interesting to learn more about him as an individual and as an athlete.

One of the articles I looked at for some information about the figure was the Newshub article which discussed how a recent injury has placed Adams in a very difficult position as of late. I was shocked to find out that Steven Adams has been New Zealand's sole representative in the NBA for 29 years, and that Adams has actually had a very public falling out with Basketball New Zealand over financial aid, meaning that Adams has never actually represented his country. Adams has shown up in the NBA, participating in teams including Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, and now Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately his injury has meant that Adams has been out of action since January of this year. However, before this injury Adams achieved some very impressive stats - averaging 8.6 points and a career-high 11.5 rebounds over his 42 games played. Adams also singed a two year $25.2 million USD contract extension before this season: proving how integral a player he is to the team.

Further information: Steven Adams was born in Rotorua and moved to America in 2012 to play college basketball for the University of Pittsburgh after completing one season in his home country for the Wellington Saints. Adams also stands at 6'11' tall and has played over 706 games throughout his entire career, with an average points per game of 9.2 throughout his career as well.

[grad603jonathanyeh]

Speaker Research - Steven Adams

Steven Adams, born in 20th July 1993, is a New Zealand professional basketball player, playing for the Memphis grizzlies of the NBA.

Steven Adams was born in Rotorua to a Tongan mother and an English Father. He has been conducting free basketball camps in New Zealand since 2013, the same year he got drafted by the NBA.

Adams graduated from a prep school in wellington back in 2011. while in prep school (Scotts College) he played for the Wellington saints of New Zealand's national basketball league. After he graduated, he moved to the states and studied at Notre Dame prep school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts for a semester while playing and understanding American Basketball. He then enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh in June 2012 and got drafted by the NBA in 2013.