Why Indiana Is The Center Of The Basketball World

Basketball is now the second most popular sport world-wide trailing only futbol (soccer) in the number of participants, fans, and leagues. Its popularity is due to the fact that the game of basketball requires the most number of physical skills making basketball players the most complete athletes. The speed, grace and teamwork required to play the game combined with the athleticism required makes it beautiful to watch and fun to play. The United States has always been and always will be the greatest basketball nation. Although the rest of the world has been catching up with us (note the increasing number of international players in the NBA from all parts of the world) we invented it (thank you Dr. Naismith); we perfected it (thank you Coach Wooden, Bill Russell, Larry, Magic, Michael, Lebron, etc.); and we still have the highest concentration of excellence at all levels - high school, college and professional. Indiana has long been known to be basketball crazy. The image of a basketball goal on every garage, barn or any other place you can put one (including the governor’s residence) is based, as most legends are, on a ring of truth. Indiana has always been basketball crazy. Decades before “March Madness” became a national trademark, Hoosier Hysteria rippled through the entire state at tourney time. Other states can claim they are the “best” basketball state. Certainly North Carolina does and cases can be made for Kentucky, New York and California. This study provides overwhelming statistical evidence and so much anecdotal support that it is undeniable that Indiana IS the center of the basketball world.

Spanning the wide world of sports, this volume is packed with every conceivable fact that anyone would possibly want to know about nearly 300 sports, including history and practice worldwide.

The University of Kentucky men’s basketball program is the winningest in the history of the sport, and this book explores those wins along with the personalities, events, and facts that any and every Wildcats fan should know. Wildcats stars from more than a century of success are highlighted, including Louie Dampier, Pat Riley, Sam Bowie, Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Travis Ford, and Brandon Knight. The team’s colorful coaches are also profiled, including championship winners Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, and Tubby Smith. It takes years of franchise history and highlights the absolute best and most compelling moments, identifying the personalities, events, and facts that have all come together to make Kentucky the powerhouse that it is. Wildcats fans will read about all of this and more, including some of the long-standing traditions that surround this storied club and the necessary mainstays to participate in, making this something that any Wildcats fan will enjoy.

"A work of this magnitude and high quality will obviously be indispensable to anyone studying the history of Indianapolis and its region." -- The Journal of American History "... absorbing and accurate... Although it is a monument to Indianapolis, do not be fooled into thinking this tome is impersonal or boring. It's not. It's about people: interesting people. The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis is as engaging as a biography." -- Arts Indiana "... comprehensive and detailed... might well become the model for other such efforts." -- Library Journal With more than 1,600 separate entries and 300 illustrations, The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis is a model of what a modern city encyclopedia should be. From the city's inception through its remarkable transformation into a leading urban center, the history and people of Indianapolis are detailed in factual and intepretive articles on major topics including business, education, religion, social services, politics, ethnicity, sports, and culture.

THE MEN WHO MADE MARCH From its humble beginnings in 1895 to its modern-day dominance over American culture for the entire month of March, college basketball is often called madness and is well-deserving of the title. Most NCAA basketball coaches fail; however, the special few profiled in this book didn’t just succeed where others failed, they influenced the game; changed it; and altered its very course. The ten men featured in this anthology went about coaching differently, each bringing their own approach and mindset to the hardwood, and their success is unprecedented: John Wooden (UCLA) Bobby Knight (Indiana University) Adolph Rupp (University of Kentucky) Dean Smith (University of North Carolina) Phog Allen (University of Kansas) Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University) Jerry Tarkanian (UNLV) Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University) Lou Carnesecca (St. John’s University) Jim Calhoun (University of Connecticut)

A comprehensive reference provides historical overviews of all 335 Division 1 teams, season-by-season summaries, ESPN/Sagarin rankings of top-selected college basketball programs, and more.