By Jeff Wong
Last Saturday’s (June 24th) edition of the Toronto Star published the results of a poll conducted by the Solutions Research Group. To my surprise and delight, the popularity of basketball in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal is surging ahead due to their growing ethnic populations.
The table published in the Star is reproduced below. The accompanying article is here. The original news release is in this PDF. The most interesting quotes are: (more…)
Categories: Writer: Jeff Wong
By Brian Taylor
Why you might remember him: A highly touted guard coming out of USC, (back when the Trojans made noise on the basketball court AND the gridiron), Harold David Miner was selected 12th by Miami in that fabled 1992 draft that brought us Shaq, Alonzo, Spree and others. Miner was on those early, post-expansion Miami Heat playoff squads that included Steve Smith, Rony “the Model” Seikaly and Glen Rice. What he’s most famous for, however is for officially being crowned the first “next Jordan”. Yes, yes ladies and gents, before LeKing, before Lil’ Penny, before Wince Carter and before Kobe Beef, there was “Baby Jordan”, a heavy moniker that possibly weighed down his career before it really got off. At the 1993 and 1995 All Star festivities, the first real “Miami #32” took home the Slam Dunk Contest crown. His career averages of 9 pts and 2 boards per game didn’t open eyes, but he was a bald, 6’5” high flyer/dunker that got the crowd out of its seats when he DID “throw it down”, (as instructed by Bill Walton). (more…)
Categories: Hey! Whatever Happened To... · Writer: Brian Taylor
By Brian Taylor
Why you might remember him: Kevin Jerome Duckworth, or “Duck” to his teammates was the center on those early 90’s Portland Trailblazer squads, twice making the NBA All-Star team. He was huge and was the predecessor to the trend of “ridiculously huge NBA centers”, standing 7’0”, 275 in his Blazer days. The nifty thing about Kevin’s game was the ability to draw opposing centers out of the lane to guard him, so Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and the rest of the Blazers could control the lane on offense. He did this via a peculiar, one handed jump/hook shot that became his trademark during his glory days. Coming out of Eastern Illinois in the 1986 draft, he was alongside other star big men in Brad Daugherty, the troubled Roy Tarpley (the ORIGINAL NOWITZKI), Dennis Rodman and others, but was traded from the Spurs (after they landed some David Robinson guy). During Kevin’s All Star years, he averaged about 18pts, 9 boards a game. (more…)
Categories: Hey! Whatever Happened To... · Writer: Brian Taylor
