Mid-Major Teams Who Will Destroy Your Bracket

Outside of the major six conferences, it has been well documented, and rightfully so, the success of the mid-major conferences. The Mountain West, Atlantic Ten, the Colonial Athletic Association, and the West Coast conference all look like they will have multiply teams in the tournament.

What team this year will surprise you with an upset over a highly seeded team like Ohio (seeded 14) beating Georgetown (seeded 3) by 14 in the first round last season?

The Belmont Bruins may not surprise everybody with their 30-4 (19-1) record but I'm sure that not everybody has seen them play on many occasion in the Atlantic Sun. Belmont has won 21 of their last 22 games. Their four losses (two to Tennessee, one to Vanderbilt, and one to Lipscmob away in conference play) have all come in single digits. They have great balance with three players averaging over 10 points a game and 8 different guys have lead their team in scoring in games this season. Belmont's leading scorer Ian Clark commented on his team's depth by saying, "It will help us in the tournament as well seeing as other teams probably won't sub as much as our system, and it could help us in the last minutes of the game in a big game in the NCAA tournament."


Some people may recognize the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (24-9, 17-1) for their extremely difficult non-conference schedule featuring seven tournament bound teams or their victory over Tennessee on the road in Knoxville. They have a high-powered offense that scores 85.5 points a game, which ranks second highest in the country. They may also have the best player in the country that nobody has heard of. Keith Benson who is averaging over 17 points and 10 rebounds a game is a monster in the post. Benson is complemented by Reggie Hamilton who is also averaging over 17 points a game as well. Oakland only lost to Michigan St. by one point and on the road to Illinois by nine. They are battle tested and their star players have proven they can play well in big games including Benson who had 26 and 10 against Tennessee and 28 and 14 in their Summit League championship game victory over Oral Roberts.


It is incredible to watch Kenneth Faried and his ability to score and even more so to watch one of his NCAA career record 1,643 rebounds. The threat of the 6-8 Faried and his counterpart Demonte Harper  are dangerous to any team in the tournament. After Morehead State's (24-9,13-5) six point loss to Florida on the road in Gainesville, Florida head coach Billy Donovan was more than impressed with Faried's 20 point and 18 rebound performances including 7 boards on the offensive end. Donovan said about Faried, "That's Dennis Rodman all over again. If I was an NBA general manager I'd be taking him with my pick. That's what a next-level guy looks like. He just totally destroyed our frontcourt. ... That was definitely an incredible performance by a terrific player." I am sure that no fan wants their team's front-line to have to deal with Faried for 40 minutes in order to advance.


After Cornell's run last season into the Sweet 16, people should no longer look right over the Ivy League champion. On May 12 in New Haven, Connecticut the Harvard Crimson (23-5, 12-2) will be taking on the Princeton Tigers (24-6, 12-2) in a one game playoff for the right to be in the field of 68. The winner of this game could cause some serious havoc for a team in the big dance. Harvard is looking to ride their balanced attack with 6 guys averaging at least 9.5 points per game to their first NCAA tournament since 1946. Harvard plays great defense and has proven this fact with wins over Boston College on the road and Colorado at home, holding both to under 70 points. Princeton has proven they can win the big game with their 12 point win on the road against Penn to force the one game playoff. It is never easy to play a team like Princeton who can get hot from three as they shot 37 percent from behind the arc. Whatever team wins will most likely receive a 12 or 13 seed in the bracket and be a tough out in the tournament. You will have to beat them, as they won't beat themselves.

NBA + London = Winning

When was the last time you saw the entire basketball world excited about a Raptors-Nets game? No seriously, when? Back in the Vince Carter/Jason Kidd era, probably. I admit, I've always had a soft spot for the Raptors before my favourite player from 10 years ago, Carter, turned a little too soft himself.

But last week, the two teams fighting each other for the battle of the worst team in the Eastern Conference became part of history. On back-to-back games over the weekend, the Nets and the Raptors made NBA history, as the first ever NBA regular-season games were held in Europe, at the fantastic O2 Arena in London. The venue had previously played host to a few pre-season games, including a Lakers-Timberwolves match-up before this season, but a regular season game, where players play hard because it matters, is a wholly different issue.

So what if the two teams had a combined all star - Deron Williams, recently brought to New Jersey from Utah - to boast? The rest of the 'big' names in the match-up included former number one pick and Italian Andrea Bargnani, slam-dunk participant DeMar DeRozan, underrated but dominating big man Brook Lopez, and Kris Humphries who is famous because he has a famous girlfriend, who in turn is famous for being famous. At least the two teams had similar (awful) records coming into the game - Nets at 17-43, Raptors at 17-44. Of course the games were going to be competitive.

Anyways, the two games benefited many different parties:

1) The two teams, underrated back in North America, got a little international exposure and experience.
2) NBA fans in England, who may otherwise be too busy watching football, rugby, or cricket, finally got a chance to see a meaningful game in their own backyard.
3) England's 2012 Olympic campaign got a major boost, as the organising committee got the chance to hold two high-quality (relatively), close games, and thus create more hype for the Olympic basketball tournament featuring the best international teams in the world that will be held at the same venue next year.
4) Me, and other NBA fans in India, got the opportunity to watch the extra two games broadcast live on TV, taking last week's toll of live games to SEVEN. Awesome.
5) Famous people, and people who live famous people: Like any NBA game, the celebrities game out to support the London NBA Games, and as we all know, whatever celebrities like, the rest of the world follows. In the audience for the two games were football players from two of London's biggest clubs - Peter Cech, Didier Drogba, David Luiz (Chelsea) and Jack Wilshere, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, and Gael Clichy (Arsenal). A couple of famous Non-Resident-Indian Punjabis - Monty Panesar of the English Cricket team and Canadian Nav Bhatia, the Raptors' Super Fan and entrepreneur - completed the mix.
6) The NBA

Yes, the NBA were clearly the biggest winners. For a long time, David Stern has been mulling over the possibility of expanding the NBA to Europe. What that means hasn't really been exactly clear: Does he mean to have NBA franchises in Europe? Does he mean to play more regular season games there? Or will he be able to launch his pet project - a five-team European division within the league? All of the ideas above have various drawbacks, including the crazy travelling involved between the two continents, the finances involved in launching any kind of ambitious project between the NBA and Europe, and the organisational difficulties in managing it.

Yet, if this was the first major test for Stern to see if the NBA could work in Europe, it has succeeded. Many fans in London may not be completely well-versed in basketball yet (Check this out from the CNN report: in order to make sure anyone new to basketball understood what was going on, an announcer explained who the players, teams and coaches were and gave a commentary to explain the scoring to the crowd.) But at least they showed up and a majority enjoyed the action. I mean - its NBA basketball - who cares if it's just Raptors vs Nets - it's gonna be fun, right?

The two teams played hard, too. The Nets became the most successful NBA team ever, in London, as they won both high-scoring games. In the first contest, Brook Lopez dropped 25 points to lead the Nets to a 116-103 win. The second was a classic, as the teams battled way into triple-overtime, showcasing to London every emotion and piece of action that involves amazing NBA games. Lopez was again the star 34 points and 14 rebounds, while Europe's sweetheart Bargnani had 35 points for the losing side. Travis Outlaw stepped up in the end to seal the win, scoring the last 8 points for the Nets.

Now looking ahead, I'm not sure I approve or disapprove of what the future of the NBA holds in store across the Atlantic - it is hard to say since it is still early days and no one is sure exactly how things are going to develop. But it was a successful exhibition for the NBA and for basketball in England.

The NBA's now held regular season games in England and tonnes of pre-season games in other parts of Europe, South America, and South-East Asia. But what about us? About 11 months ago, I wondered if the NBA could ever hold a pre-season game in India. As a great open market, it would make sense. But we are far, far, faaaaaar behind in our infrastructure and organisation. Does anyone remember the Commonwealth Games? Yea - I don't think Suresh Kalmadi and David Stern would be a compatible partnership.

But, the NBA will send us something one day. The Cavs, maybe. An NBDL side? A WNBA side? Something. It's going to happen though. I know it...

Western Railway hoist first-ever RIBA League trophy

It was the perfect ending that the exciting new tournament desired: the final of the first-ever RIBA League tournament held at the DDA Sports Complex in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, came down to two of the strongest basketball teams – Western Railway and Indian Air Force – clawing at each other for the win. At the end, the back and forth game saw several lead changes, but Western Railway survived to notch a 64-60 victory.

The Reebok IGMA Basketball Association (RIBA) tournament was organised by the IGMA Sports Management company,in affiliation with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI). The five-day league-cum-knockout tournament, featuring some of the top basketball players in India, was launched at the DDA Sports Complex in Vasant Kung earlier this week. Eight of the top Men’s club teams in India took part in this new competition.

In a tournament full of close games, it was fitting that the finale was a thriller as well. Both the teams played out an intense, close game. At halftime, Railway held a 35-28 lead, but Air Force made sure to never let them out of their sight in the second half, mounting regular comebacks as the lead changed several times. At the end, it was Railway to stood winners, behind 25 points by Gagan Deep Singh and 17 points by Yadwinder Singh.

Despite the loss, Jogender put in a valiant performance for Air Force, finishing with 24 points and bagging the Finals' man of the match award. Narendar Kumar chipped in 15 for Air Force.

The winning team walked away with prize money of Rs. 75,000 while the runners-up were awarded Rs. 45,000.

Narendar Kumar of Indian Air Force, who was the competition's leading scorer was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Additional awards were given for the tournament's top rebounder to Gagan Deep Singh and best defender to Yadwinder Singh, both of Western Railway.

BFI's Secretary-General Mr. Harish Sharma, Indian international cricketer Ishant Sharma, and a host of other dignitaries attended the championship.

Cory Tell All Sports

Welcome to my blog, Cory Tell All Sports! Before you begin to read my posts and my sports analysis and opinon, you should know a little about me and the teams who I live and die with. Helping me on the blog with all my articles and expert analysis will be my brother Rory. (We seldom have the same opinions). You can follow my blog by joining the fan page on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cory-Tell-All-Sports/201558063212620 or by following me on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/ctallsports.

My love for the Colts goes back to their days in Baltimore where they won three championships in 58, 59, and 68 and one super bowl in 71. My dad and his father were die hard Colts fans when they lived in Baltimore. My dad also went to school down in Baltimore at Maryland Dental School. When my dad was only nine years old on his birthday on January 12, 1969, he had to watch Broadway Joe Namath and come through on his guarantee to defeat the heavily favored Colts in Super Bowl II with the New York Jets. Although I got my super bowl in 07 and the monkey off the back of Peyton, I had to go through the anguish of a super bowl loss to the Saints in 2010.

When I was a little kid, I went to Boston three times a summer on the way up to my camp in Maine. Each year I went to a Red Sox game and I have just fallen in love with Fenway Park. In 2001 when the Red Sox only finished three games over .500 I felt like the curse may never be broken. Not winning a championship since 1918 isn't the easiest thing for a young kid to handle. I've had so many great memories with the world series in 04 and then again in 07. I remember the cake that my mom wouldn't let me eat although the Sox were up three games to zero and the score was 3 to 0. I also remember the happy birthday wish on the big screen at the Red Sox game for my 11th birthday. I can say that I have  seen my beloved Sox's win two world series and not lose one world series game. After next season that record in world series will be 12-0. My obsession over the Red Sox has also helped me outside of baseball. For example, I know that France declared war on Austria to begin the French Revolutionary Wars on April 20, 1792 because on the same day 20 years later Fenway Park opened.

My dad went to Lafayette undergraduate school and although I love my leopards and hope they beat Bucknell in the Patriot League championship game to get into the tourney, my dad's dental school and the Maryland Terps is the team that I have followed since I was young. I was pretty lucky to be alive for the final four in 01 and the national championship in 02. Although since the title we have only had one sweet 16 appearance in 03, I am looking forward to having a run in the ACC tournament this year. The Maryland football team has somewhat had the same kind of story as the basketball team. In 2001, we only lost two games all season to Florida St. and then to Florida in the Orange Bowl, after going 5-6 the previous season. We haven't won any ACC championships since then but we are looking forward to Randy Edsall coming to the program.

I love the Devils because I know most of the players and coaches as many of them live in my town. The former coach of the Devils John Maclean is my dads friend and I know Brodeur and his kids. Although I was disappointed over the firing of Maclean and their early season struggles, I am happy they are beginning the play well and are only eight points out of the final playoff spot.

When I was in London with my family, I begged my parents to take me to a soccer game. There were no games in London at the time because of the international break but since there was no game I wanted a shirt. There were Chelsea shirts everywhere in the city and I fell in love with the Chelsea blue. Little did I know that Chelsea was owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. I feel like I am Chelsea's good luck charm as they have won the league three times since my trip to London in 04-05, 05-06, and 09-10. They also reached the Champions League final in 2008 and I think we all have seen Terry's slip in the penalty shoot-out vs who else but Manchester United.

My love for sports doesn't end there though.

I love James Blake as I have read his auto biography and fallen in love with his story. He overcame a broken neck, his father's death, and shingles, to be ranked as high as number 4 in 2006. He currently is ranked 164 in the world.

I have never been a big Tiger fan and I love to see the underdog stories at the majors. What is better than Y.E. Yang outplaying Tiger on the final day of the 2009 PGA championship or Louis Oosthuizen just destroying the field at the 2010 Open championship? I have always loved lefty, Phil Mickelson as well.

Although I don't have one favorite NBA team, I love to watch the association. I am not a LeBron hater (sorry) and I have love Stephen Curry ever since his days at Davidson.

Now you know all you need to know about me. By the way, don't worry I am not crying in the locker room after writing this post (Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra) 

RIBA League brings back club basketball to Delhi

With a thunderous in-game dunk, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi brought the rim literally crashing down. It had happened for the second time that day. The on-court action had to take a pause.

Amazingly, even a broken rim is worth the highlight of witnessing a show-stopping dunk. And there has been no shortage of show-stopping highlights at the RIBA League in Delhi this year.

Until about two years ago, there was one prestigious, All-India, basketball club tournament in Delhi, a tournament hosted by the Prithvi Nath Club (PNC). Unfortunately, ever since the PNC court was broken down, the country’s capital has been devoid of a top-level club tournament.

But thanks to the Reebok IGMA Basketball Association (RIBA) League, club basketball is back in Delhi this year: Organised by the IGMA Sports Management company and in affiliation with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), the five-day league-cum-knockout tournament, featuring some of the top basketball players in India, was launched at the DDA Sports Complex in Vasant Kung earlier this week. Eight of the top Men’s club teams in India are taking part in this new competition, which is set to conclude with the Final on March 6th.

“We had only been involved with organising corporate cricket tournaments earlier,” said Rajeev Mahajan, the young Director of IGMA, “But we wanted to expand into other sports. I got the help of some basketball players in Delhi to help set up this tournament.”

Mahajan added: “I had never really followed basketball before, but have been enjoying the intensity of the games here. It has been going well and we want to take this tournament to an even bigger level next year.”

The IGMA was given all the right kind of support in helping set this tournament up: former Indian Women’s basketball captain Divya Singh, her younger sister Akanksha, who is a player in the Delhi team, and many more Delhi players came to the aid of IGMA. The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) lent its hand to in organising the event. Sponsorship came via Reebok and ONGC.

“We really wanted to see an established All-India basketball tournament in Delhi,” says Divya, “This year is a trial run – we are hoping to incorporate Women’s teams from next year’s competition.”

The participating teams feature some of the biggest names in Indian basketball. For the first year, Chennai Customs, Air Force, Signals, PNC, Western Railway, Army, RCF, and hosts DDA Sports Club signed up to take part. A pleasant surprise of the tournament so far has been that the participating teams have been extremely competitive against each other – there have barely been any blowouts and most games have been decided in the last minutes, giving the fans some exciting hoops action on the court.

On the first day of the games, a Slam Dunk contest was organised, which was won by Western Railway and Indian National team forward Yadwinder Singh. The dunks have been falling regularly in games and in practice too. The rims get fixed and the action continues!

Just like IGMA have taken a step away from cricket to embrace basketball, so have some of India’s best-known cricketers. Pace bowler Ishant Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (better known for his stint with the Delhi Daredevils) have been making regular visits to the sidelines of the RIBA League to soak in the hoop action. Sharma, who watched basketball for the first time, has been especially impressed.

And if IGMA continue their promotion in the game, there will be more in the city who will start enjoying it – Mahajan revealed his plans to start a basketball academy in the city. With the right kind of leadership and coaching, we could see a lot more youngsters embracing the game, and one day, hopefully soaring skywards for thunderous dunks of their own!

Carmelo Anthony, Delusion and Quandary

That Carmelo Anthony is a tough nut to crack, isn't he?

Before I talk about him, here's something else: as fans, we like to have the top NBA players easily splittable into different slots. These are mine:

A. The elite-MVP-caliber-type player: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, and now, Derrick Rose.
B. Amazing players who are a Slot C player away from being in Slot A: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash.
C. Elite second option/complimentary players: Rajon Rondo, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, Russell Westbrook, Amar'e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, LaMarcus Aldridge, Joe Johnson.
D. Experienced team players with limited but effective roles: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Lamar Odom, Chauncey Billups.
E. Guys that play well in a good system: Al Horford, Josh Smith, Luol Deng, Al Jefferson, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, David West, Andrew Bogut, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Caron Butler, and Everyone in the 76ers.
F. Talented young scorers/fringe all stars: Monta Ellis, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger
G. Talented youngsters in bad teams still finding their slot: Blake Griffin, John Wall, Kevin Love, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Brook Lopez

A pretty exhaustive list I know, and I'm sure there will an argument here or there about shifting one or the other into another group. But this list leaves out two very important players. The first is Carmelo Anthony, my muse for this article. The other is Dirk Nowitzki.

I couldn't find a list in the seven above for any of these two guys. They are not young enough to be in Slots F or G. They are too talented to be considered a limited veteran like Garnett, Pierce, or Duncan in Slot D. They are way better than any 'system' player like Josh Smith, David West, or Luis Scola in Slot E.

Which leaves me with the first three slots. Dirk and Melo have both played in great, stacked, and successful teams for most of their careers, and so it is hard to argue that they belong in Slot B. Since both of them have been primary scorers and volume shooters in good teams, there is no way that they can settle for Slot C like Gasol, Bosh, or Joe Johnson. But then are they really good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as LeBron and Kobe in Slot A?

I'm going to leave Dirk alone for now - his place in the history of the NBA's elite will demand a different, exhaustive discussion. Let's get back solely to Melo. Last week, Carmelo Anthony was traded to my favourite team, the New York Knicks. After a decade of futility, losing records, and embarrassment, the Knicks had paired someone I consider a Slot C, complementary player, Amar'e (he can NEVER be the leader in a great team) with someone from Slot D, Billups. Add to this mixture my favourite rookie and glue-guy, Landry Fields.

For a decade, I have suffered, watching a revolving door of underachieving, overpaid, and infuriating players stroll in and out of the Knicks. Here is a short list of some of those who came, who saw, and who lost in New York: Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Stephon Marbury (once my favourite player), Keith Van Horn, Tim Thomas, Jerome James, Michael Sweetney, Jalen Rose, Steve Francis, Penny Hardaway, Renaldo Balkman, Zach Randolph, Larry Hughes, Darko Milicic, and Eddy Curry.

But in Melo, we have someone different. He is a multiple-time All Star, and is one of the league's best scorers. He is in his prime, with a lot of playoff experience, a great late-game mentality, and a lot of more years left to go as an All Star level guy. Carmelo Anthony is gifted enough to be one of the league's best pure scorers ever.

But in the last sentence above, I answer my own conundrum. He is "gifted to be", means, "he can be, but he isn't." And "best pure scorers" begs the question, "Is he anything else?"

Yes, he's a good rebounder, and yes, he is an adequate passer. But unfortunately, there is not much else. Melo has been considered to being a liability on the defensive end, and unlike the elite players, he isn't exactly a leader on the court. Soon after he left Denver, his former coach George Carl echoed the enigma that is Carmelo Anthony: "Melo is the best offensive player I’ve ever coached," said Karl, "But his defensive focus, his demand of himself is what frustrated us more than anything."

And all this is why, despite now having a core of Melo, Amar'e, and Billups, the Knicks are still far from being a contender. This is why many people still believe that the Knicks are still one more important piece, and a few more little pieces, away from being elite. Despite being one of the best players in the league, Carmelo Anthony cannot carry even a good team on his shoulders like LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Dwight, or Rose can. At least not yet.

I hope against everything I've written above that I'm proved wrong. I hope that the unlikely happens, that Mike D'Antoni, the anti-defensive guy, is someone able to make Carmelo Anthony into a defensive guy and a leader. Okay, ignore what I just wrote. That's never going to happen.

At the end of the day, though, it is all about the Knicks. They may not be in the elite league of the Celtics, Heat, Lakers, or Spurs, or in the almost elite league of Bulls, Magic, Mavericks, and Thunder, but they are way, way, waaaay better than anything I've seen in about a dozen years. For a team that has struggled to have a winning season and make the playoffs, the gift of a first round playoff exit and excitement in its fans is improvement enough.

The Knicks have become important again, not only by winning more games, but by becoming an enticing destination for other NBA stars. No one wants to play with Eddy Curry, Keith Van Horn, and Tim Thomas. People want to play with Chauncey Billups, with Amar'e Stoudemire, and most importantly, with Carmelo Anthony.

A year, two, or three years from now: Which slot would you reserve for Carmelo Anthony?

George Gervin and Katie Smith complete successful ‘Sports Diplomacy’ trip in India

The US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the National Basketball Association (NBA) saw the completion of first ever 9-day sports envoy trip, bringing NBA Hall of Famer George ‘The Iceman’ Gervin and two-time WNBA Champion Katie Smith to Mumbai and New Delhi from February 22nd – March 2nd. As part of this trip, they conducted basketball clinics with the Indian youth, met with university students, and participated in local community events in underserved areas.

“We want to use basketball as a tool to make sure that children get a good education,” said Gervin, who runs the George Gervin Youth Center in San Antonio, a programme to help benefit youth development.

Gervin said that although he has been working with children in the past, this was his first time making this type of international trip. “I love working with young kids, and I have enjoyed myself in India. What better market is there for basketball than India? The game here is not as popular, but it has a good foundation to grow. There are a lot of players now from Europe in the NBA, and I don’t see why India can’t be next!”

In addition to participating in events with the US Department of State, Gervin and Smith attended the finals of the Mahindra NBA Challenge, the largest, multi-city basketball league in the country, which the NBA conducts with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI). The Finals were conducted in Mumbai on Saturday, February 26th at the Don Bosco High School and in Delhi on Sunday, February 27th at the Oxford Senior Secondary School.

Katie Smith encouraged the young basketball players to focus on their practice to improve. “In basketball just like anything you want to be good at– homework, music, sports – you have to keep practicing. It might seem hard right now, but the more you practice the easier it becomes.”

Smith also spoke about the influence of international players to basketball in the US. “The foreign players are very versatile, and we learn from them, just like they learn from us.”

For aspiring basketball players in India, Smith said: “You have to keep playing, keep enjoying, and get involved from a young age. Basketball is a fun game and can take you a long way – just like it has helped me travel the world!"

Apart from the Mahindra Finals, Gervin and Smith held basketball clinics at several other locations in Mumbai and New Delhi. In Mumbai, they participated in a clinic at the YMCA International Court, visited a special programmea the Phoenix Mills Compound in Lower Parel, and held a special Women's Empowerment Clinic at Sophia College for students from Sophia College and SNDT Women's University. They also held a basketball clinic with students of Magic Bus, a non-profit organisation working with children from marginalised backgrounds.

In Delhi, Gervin and Smith held clinics at the Jamia Millia Islamia University, Oxford Secondary School, Ahlcon International School, and a special basketball beginner’s mixed clinic for underprivileged children at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Jaffarpur Kalan.

George Gervin was a major star in the ABA and the NBA in the 70s and 80s. He played for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls in the ABA/NBA, becoming a three-time ABA all star, nine-time NBA all star, and named seven times to the All NBA team. He was also the MVP of the 1980 NBA All Star Game. He finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game and ended his basketball playing career with a succesful stint in Europe, playing in Banco Roma (Italy) and TDK Manresa (Spain).

Katie Smith played college basketball at the Ohio State University and currently plays for WNBA team Washington Mystics. She is a two time WNBA champion (2006 and 2008) with the Detroit Shock and was also named the 2008 Finals MVP. Smith is a 6 time WNBA all star and has won the Olympic Gold Medal there times (2000, 2004, 2008) with the USA basketball team.