Interesting Basketball Trivia For The Sports Junkie

It’s every man’s sport, and if this doesn’t hold true then basketball remains an athletic pursuit of unparalleled popularity and mass appeal. Here are some interesting basketball facts and trivia, especially for fellow huge supporters of Miami teams like the Miami Hurricanes.

History and rules

Basketball was invented by Canadian James Naismith, who also was a P.E. teacher from Springfield, Massachusetts. It was borne out of the desire to keep his gym class busy while it was raining outside. Originally, two teams made up of nine players played the game – a number anchored on the standard number of players on a baseball team. Obviously, the teams were later reduced to having five players each.

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Basketball superstars

Michael Jordan had a so-called “love of the game” clause in his contract, and this effectively allowed him to play basketball against anyone, anytime, and practically anywhere. Tim Duncan, on the other hand, grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he was preparing for the 1992 Olympics as a competitive swimmer, until a hurricane destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool on the island. He was left with the option to swim in the ocean, but there was one problem: he was afraid of sharks.

Historic brawls

The Pacers-Piston game on Nov. 19, 2004 marked the most infamous fight that broke out in the NBA. It involved a massive brawl among players and spectators, where the league suspended nine players and had to deal with $11 million in lost earnings. Five fans, on the other hand, were slapped with criminal charges and were banned from Piston home games forever.

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Patrick Dwyer, a financial advisor, encourages everyone to give the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation, Inc. (NSCFF) continued support because it is working on key research to improve the diagnosis, management, and treatment options for these illnesses. He is a huge fan of the Miami Hurricanes basketball team. Learn more about great American sports on this page.

A Review: Miami Hurricanes 2017-18 Basketball Season

The 2017-18 basketball season for the Miami Hurricanes is marked by a first-round NCAA Tournament exit, despite the coaching staff and team braving the odds, injuries, and many distractions during the journey. But it’s not one without valuable lessons to bring into the seasons they will face.

The team came into the season as number 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, as well as number 13 in the Associated Press Top 25. They leveraged on a weak non-conference schedule and gallantly worked their way to a 10-0 start to the season. Part of the winning streak is an 86-81 win they had on the road against Minnesota during the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. UM also manage to clobber Pittsburgh at home as well as Virginia Tech on the road in January.

Image source: TheMiamiHurricane.com 

Add this to the fact that there trudged along with a limited Lonnie Walker IV, the freshman who was still working his way back into the game after an offseason knee surgery.

The season may not have emerged with the ideal results, but it’s another teaching moment for head coach Jim Larrañaga and his staff in their unyielding quest to build a winning program. For one, it enjoyed significant contributions from the freshman squad of Bruce Brown Jr., DJ Vasiljevic, and Dewan Huell, as well as an exciting game element in the form of point guard Chris Lykes.

Image source: StateoftheU.com

Amid the spirit of resiliency, UM has to grapple with a number of negatives from the season, such as its spate of injuries, inconsistent shooting, recruiting shortcomings, and underperforming for much of the season.

Patrick Dwyer is a financial advisor and avid supporter of the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation, Inc. (NSCFF). He is also a huge fan of the Miami Hurricanes basketball and football teams. Similar reads on this page.

Great National Parks In The U.S. To Visit With Your Kids

While many parks and reserves in the U.S. are great for the family, not all of them are child-friendly, especially those that are riddled with difficult and steep trails. Listed below are some of the best parks to visit for that bonding with your kids and with nature.

Arches National Park

What makes this Utah park most alluring for family visits is that it’s very accessible. Kids will not complain about the distance of the trails much, as the 36-mile loop will already have visitors witnessing the park’s main sights. Kids will love the numerous sandstone arch formations that look like spires and domes, especially since some of them are climbable. Make sure to visit Delicate Arch, the most-photographed monolith jutting out at the corner of a cliff like the feet of a giant or a portal to some magical place.

Image source: visitnc.com

Yellowstone National Park

This famed park is more than just Old Faithful. Kids will love seeing the geyser for sure, as well as the wildlife of bison and wolves, but the park has many programs in place specifically catering to kids, from studying the site’s thermal features while playing with laser guns to tracking earthworms. There’s plenty to do here to keep the kids happy and occupied when the excitement about the scenery has passed.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

This is the perfect place to bring the children to witness swarms of fireflies as well as 30 species of salamanders. The 500,000-acre park that straddles North Carolina and Tennessee offers ranger- or naturalist-guided training for kids who want to get closer to the various species of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals that call the reserve their home. You can enroll the children in the Smoky Mountain Field School, or even have their try playing junior rangers.

Image source: nationalparktripsmedia.com

Dwyer and Associates will always be for preservation of biomes and other natural environments that exist within national parks. More writings on national parks in the U.S. here.

Children Will Love These National Park Adventures

American novelist Wallace Stegner was right when he said: “National parks are the best idea we ever had.” Here are some of the best delectable adventures for children in store in the country’s well-preserved national parks.

Image source: TravelChannel.com

First on the list is to become a Junior Ranger, a program that enables children to earn badges or patches for completing fun activities. There are other programs for youth, including the Junior Paleontologist program, which teaches kids about fossils at Badlands National Park, and Young Scientists for probing the area around Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park.

Kids can also have a crash course in geology. Arches National Park in Utah boasts of the richest concentration of arch and “window” formations worldwide, from the Double Arch (two huge arches sharing a common support column) to the Fiery Furnace (a warren of passageways between stone fins and walls, best for guided hikes).

No one’s too young for an adrenaline rush, too. Have the children take a scenic helicopter ride such as the North Canyon Tour, a 30-minute aerial tour of the Grand Canyon, or have them go sledding on a sand dune onboard snow saucers at New Mexico’s White Sands.

They can also make their park visit a learning opportunity with the wealth of events, classes, and activities available on schedule. Celebrations like the National Hispanic Heritage Month teach them a thing or two about appreciating cultural diversity, while they can join fun online classes, such as following the lives of Brooks River brown bears on the internet.

Image source: NationalGeographic.com

Dwyer & Associates believes in the conservation of national parks and will always be protective of these scenic beauties. For similar reads, visit this page.

Miami Hurricanes Trivia To Enjoy

History, statistics, coaches, and players, and anything under the sun – welcome to the Miami Hurricanes world, where college football is at its best and legends are born. Here are some fun-filled facts and trivia to enjoy.

Image source: HurricaneSports.com

What’s the name of the award given each season to Miami’s MVP? It’s the Jack Harding Award. Harding came to the Hurricanes in 1937, serving 11 years as head coach and directing the athletic department from 1948 to 1963. Every year, the award goes to the Most Valuable Player on the football team. It’s been given since 1964 and selected by players and coaches alike.

Which Miami quarterback never threw for 400 yards in a single game? That would be Vinny Testaverde. And who didn’t attend the University of Miami? That would be Willie McGinest, who attended USC. Then there’s Edgerrin James, who rushed for 299 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with only 50 seconds left, during the 1998 upset victory over then BCS number two UCLA. The game was initially scheduled for early September but was rescheduled for Dec 5 due to Hurricane George.

Then there’s the coaching side. Butch Davis coached the 2000 Miami Hurricanes and was known as among the best Miami recruiters there ever was. Jimmy Johnson led the 1987 National Championship team of the Canes, while Howard Schnellenberger was the coach of the 1983 National Championship team.

Sebastian, the official mascot for the University of Miami, is an ibis, and it represents bravery and being the last to hide during a hurricane, the first to come out of shelter. The Hurricane dancers are called The Sunsations, who perform not just at Canes’ football and basketball games but also at charitable and community service events.

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Patrick Dwyer is a financial advisor who is an ardent supporter of the Miami Hurricanes. More articles on the Canes here.

Come And Visit The Volcanoes National Park

Adventurous spirits who haven’t visited Hawaii are missing out on a lot. There are a hundred things to do in Hawaii for those who love nature. And there are very few places like it on earth.

Image source:NPS.gov

One of the places that’s sure to attract the attention not just of nature lovers, but also of thrill seekers, geologists, volcanologists, and researchers all around the world is the Volcanoes National Park. This national park proves that there is more to Hawaii than just world-class beaches.

The Volcanoes National Park can be found on Big Island, and it is home to two of the most active volcanoes in the world – Mauna Loa and Kilauea. The protected part of the park extends from sea level all the way up to Mauna Loa’s peak. There’s a trail that takes visitors through Mauna Loa’s barren lava landscape. Many guests are surprised to feel the chill in the night air, being beside a volcano and all. It’s also important to remember that people who plan to venture through the Mauna Loa trail should be fit enough to do some high-altitude, low-oxygen treks.

Image source: NPS.gov

For a less physically demanding time, the Kilauea trail is easier, but no less scenic than that of Mauna Loa. Although most of the adventure will be done in a motor vehicle, there are still plenty of things to do such as see Crater Rim Drive and the Chain of Craters Road. There are tourist spots such as museums and information centers where people can learn a great deal about the Volcanoes National Park.

Dwyer and Associates advocates the preservation of the planet through conservation of national parks. For more articles on the grandeur of national parks, click here.

Introducing The Offensive Breakout Hurricanes For This Season

Last year, the Miami Hurricanes ended the season with a three-game losing spell, which makes matters worse when considering a win against the Pitt would have afforded them a spot in the College Football Playoff despite their outcome against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.

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DeeJay Dallas 

DeeJay Dallas put on extra pounds in the weight room this spring in hopes of becoming a stronger, more durable player. Dallas’s workload is set to increase this year, and he is doing all the right things to prove he’s a good bet to become one of the team’s stars. As the Hurricanes hope to take advantage of a strong quarterback play by Malik Rosier, a favorable rushing attack can assist the team in making a comeback as one of the conference’s premier teams; the team hopes Dallas can make it happen.

Lawrence Cager 

Despite the Hurricanes losing the game Wisconsin, Lawrence Cager set careers highs in receptions (4) and receiving yardage (76) while scoring. Conclusively recruited out of high school, and receiving offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, and Ohio State, Cager had impressive stats in 2015 and is only increasing those as he progresses in the game. 

Jeff Thomas 

Jeff Thomas is a speedy and versatile player. As a freshman, the wide receiver made 17 catches for 374 yards and a touchdown, which made him the Hurricane’s fourth-leading receiver in yardage. The exits of Christopher Herndon IV and Braxton Berrios can prove to be an excellent opportunity for players like Thomas to step up to the plate. 

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Patrick Dwyer is a financial advisor who is an ardent supporter of the Miami Hurricanes football team. For more updates about the Hurricanes, visit this blog.