#Missouri Valley Conference

[justinssportscorner]

With the news that Missouri State University is leaving the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC or The Valley) to join the Conference USA (C-USA) in 2025, who will take their place in The Valley, if they decide to replace Missouri State?

With the Bears departing The Valley, the MVC will have no Missouri-based teams despite having its league HQ there.

[...]

I have a couple of plausible candidates: Southeastern Missouri State (SEMO) and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE).

SEMO

Advantages:

Football program that is somewhat respectable, but not in the best shape.

Instant rivalries with SIUC and Murray State.

Keeps a foothold in Missouri for the MVC.

Disadvantages:

A 3rd team in the Cape Girardeau/Paducah/Carbondale DMA (SIUC and Murray State are also in the DMA).

No men’s soccer team.

SIUE

Advantages:

Former associate membership in Soccer, since their main conference (Ohio Valley Conference/OVC) didn’t sponsor it until recently.

A potential budding rivalry between SIUE and SIUC in Carbondale for the Battle of SIU Rivalry.

They could also have potential rivalries with Bradley and Illinois State University (ISU).

An actual presence in the St. Louis DMA, as it would be near their league HQ in St. Louis.

Disadvantages:

Football program is nonexistent.

Basketball program is low-mid-major.

My recommendation would be SEMO, since it is a Missouri school that has a football program. I’d love for SIUE to be in it, but since they don’t have a football program, they would be at a disadvantage.

Read the full Substack post.

[bongaboi]

Drake: 2023-24 Missouri Valley Men's Basketball Champions

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Atin Wright went down on his knees and slapped the court with two hands, smiling at his Drake teammates while Tucker DeVries headed to the free-throw line, as the crowd chanted “M-V-P.”

Wright is a newcomer for the Bulldogs, drawn from his native California by the promise of winning. DeVries is the two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, the son of Drake coach Darian DeVries.

Together – and with big plays by Darnell Brodie and Conor Enright – they helped land Drake back in the NCAA Tournament, holding off a late rally by Indiana State for an 84-80 victory Sunday in the Valley championship game at the Enterprise Center.

It was a second consecutive tournament triumph for the Bulldogs, who won’t have to sweat out a week of waiting to find out if they’re going to the Big Dance. They’re in. Again. For a third time in four years.

But it wasn’t easy. Indiana State trailed by double-digits for much of the game. But the Sycamores awoke late, with a 10-0 burst fueled by Isaiah Swope. He had eight points in that stretch, and scored all of his 19 after intermission. His four-point play gave Indiana State a 74-73 lead, its first since 2-0 in the opening minutes.

Drake was unfazed.

Brodie connected on a short hook shot. Enright fought through a screen to draw a foul on the defensive end, then calmly canned a 3-pointer to put Drake back ahead 79-76. Brodie made two free throws late, patiently waiting through a timeout for his opportunity, and DeVries made one to produce the final tally for the Bulldogs, who soon were swarming off of their bench to celebrate what they worked all winter to accomplish.

Drake (28-6), the second seed, was making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Valley title game, only the second school to ever do so (Tulsa, no longer a Valley member, was in six straight from 1982-87). The Bulldogs beat Bradley here a year ago to win this event for only the second time in school history (the first was in 2008).

Top-seeded Indiana State (28-6) last won this tournament in 2011, when they were coached by Iowa native Greg Lansing.

Sunday’s showdown was dazzling from the outset. The first media timeout didn’t come until 12:07 remained in the first half, as the Valley’s top two offensive teams set a frenzied pace early. All five Drake starters scored in the opening 5 minutes, including back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by Enright, DeVries and Kevin Overton. When play was finally stopped by a deadball situation, Drake, the deeper team, led 21-13 and was able to sub in three fresh players.

Moments later, when Overton and DeVries both went to the bench with two early fouls, Wright took over, nailing a trio of 3-pointers to push Drake ahead 37-23 and prompt an Indiana State timeout. The Bulldogs connected on their first seven 3-point attempts.

Then it was Sycamores guard Ryan Conwell’s turn to assert himself, reeling off seven consecutive points to cut that deficit in half.

Drake pushed its lead to 45-32 at halftime, boosted by 15 points from Wright and 14 from DeVries, and a defensive effort that held the Sycamores scoreless over the final 4:24 of the half. It was Indiana State’s largest halftime deficit this season.

Drake got off to a strong start in the second half as well, making its first three field-goal attempts, two of them by DeVries, as the lead swelled to 53-37. But even that never felt comfortable against the Sycamores, who pushed Drake to the brink.

The Bulldogs didn’t blink. They’re champions again, with two nets and a trophy to show for it.

[mariacallous]

It’s been 15 years since suicides overtook homicides as the second leading cause of death for children ages 10 to 14 years old. Two years since the first Meta whistleblower warned United States senators that America’s children are at risk from “disastrous” decisions being made in Silicon Valley. (And a little over a month since a second Meta whistleblower testified, “They knew and they were not acting on it.”) And it’s been roughly one year since a wave of new, younger lawmakers—many raising their own young children—were seated in the House of Representatives. “As a mom of two kids, you know, we want to make sure that their online experience is safe,” Representative Beth Van Duyne, a Texas Republican, tells WIRED.

All those changes—including an alarming doubling of the adolescent suicide rate—and yet, one constant remains: congressional inaction. Amid a flurry of blockbuster whistleblower hearings, soaring campaign promises, tear-soaked press conferences with the families of teens lost to cyberbullying, and dozens of competing bills that members have introduced aimed at protecting kids in cyberspace—nothing.

Congressional inaction has left the door open for the Biden administration to lead on the issue. On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission unveiled its proposal for a new set of guidelines to govern social media firms. The FTC wants to prohibit social media companies from identifying children—like targeting their cell numbers—when they’re online, while also limiting which data is collected on students, including having apps not target children under 13 with ads by default. With House Republicans now taking steps to impeach Joe Biden, why would they want to cede their oversight authority over American tech firms to the White House? Most don’t.

With so much interest—and increased pressure from agencies like the FTC—why hasn’t Congress protected kids yet? “I’ve never been able to figure that out either,” Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican who sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction on the issue, tells WIRED. Of course, there are theories floating around the marble halls of the US Capitol.

“M–O–N–E–Y”

Teams of tech lobbyists on Capitol Hill have dropped upward of $75 million (not including Q4 totals, which aren’t due until January 22) in 2023. Of the 637 “internet” lobbyists, as money and politics nonprofit Open Secrets dubs the sector, a whopping 73.31 percent are former government employees. Many of these lobbyists are from the same congressional offices and committees now tasked with regulating the internet. They’re not very subtle.

One social media firm or another seems to always be blanketing Washington with a feel-good, policy-focused ad campaign. At the start of the year, TikTok—which, at $3.7 million, spent more in Q3 lobbying this year than it did throughout all of 2019 and 2020 combined—plastered DC’s metro system, historic Union Station, and The Washington Post with ads. When its CEO was dragged in to testify to an angry Congress this spring, it even paid for travel, room, and board for dozens of sympathetic “influencers.” For the past month or so, Meta ads have blanketed the Beltway: “Instagram supports federal legislation that puts parents in charge of teen app downloads,” the ad reads, without saying which measures it’s actively trying to kill on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers say the ad blitz shows what they’re up against from technology firms. “M–O–N–E–Y,” Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, spells out to WIRED. “They’re only in favor of stuff if they can write it.”

In the last Congress and again this summer, two key kid-focused digital measures both sailed through the Senate Commerce Committee. The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) outlaws targeting children with advertising while also banning data collection on teenage social media users, to name a few of its provisions. The controversial Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) mandates annual minor-focused risk assessments within social media giants while also giving parents and regulators new tools to protect children.

The two measures enjoy broad support, which is why they get out of committee with ease. But they’ve never been brought to the Senate floor for a vote by all 100 US senators. Critics say many members are supportive in the relatively obscure confines of their committees, but some of that support withers away under the intense lobbying scrutiny that comes once bills make the queue for Senate consideration. So far, members have been shielded, but those days seem to be over. “That’s because, in committee, they know they’re not going to have to vote on it on the floor. I know that for a fact,” Hawley, who’s up for reelection in 2024, says. “I can tell you, I’m going to get much more aggressive come the new year about forcing votes. I think it’s time to start putting people on record.”

The thing is, no one really knows what would happen if COPPA 2.0 or KOSA were voted on. “I don’t have any predictions or any insights,” Senator Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who chaired the Commerce Committee until Democrats reclaimed senatorial power in 2021, tells WIRED. The resistance remains hard to nail down. Republicans blame Democrats. Democrats blame Republicans. Everyone blames the tech industry. “In the legislative process where you’re not bringing something to the floor for debate—which is where you could have a lot of input—then one person can hold something up,” Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, tells WIRED.

Because a broader data privacy bill remains gridlocked to death on Capitol Hill, Congress now has these offshoot measures aimed specifically at children, according to Cantwell. “We want to get a privacy bill, overall,” she says. “That’s what we focused on, because we think that framework gives the biggest protections, including for kids. But we’ve allowed these [children-focused measures] to see if they can make it through so that they wouldn’t have to be part of a larger discussion.”

While Hawley’s convinced Big Money keeps derailing the effort, others disagree. These issues just take time, nuance, and compromise, congressional leaders in both chambers argue. “We keep trying. We need a bipartisan, bicameral consensus, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, tells WIRED. “I don’t think it’s any special interest. I think it’s just the fact that it’s hard to get the Senate and the House and the Democrats and Republicans to agree, but we’re trying. I think we’re making progress.”

KOSA Complications

In the last Congress, KOSA—the Kids Online Safety Act—was formally endorsed by 13 Senate cosponsors. That number has more than tripled to 46 cosponsors in this Congress. KOSA cosponsors—Senators Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, and Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat—say their personal lobbying of their colleagues is paying off, even if the measure remains stalled. “We’re pushing forward,” Blumenthal tells WIRED. “I’m very hopeful we’ll see a vote early next year. I think we’re feeling it.” Still, while the measure is broadly bipartisan, there’s been a recent wave of opposition to it on the civil libertarian left.

In our post-Roe reality, digital rights and reproductive freedom are now intertwined, and highly suspect. KOSA is now in the crosshairs of groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over free speech and expression concerns. This fall, upward of 100 parents of trans and gender-expansive children penned an open letter opposing KOSA, saying it would “make our kids less safe, not more safe.”

“It would grant extraordinary new power to right-wing state attorneys general to dictate what content younger users can see on social media, cutting our kids off from lifesaving online resources and community,” the letter, released by digital rights group Fight for The Future, reads. “These are the same attorneys general that are actively working to ban gender-affirming health care that saves kids’ lives, criminalize drag performances, and label families that accept our children as ‘groomers’ and ‘child abusers.’”

The outcry from the progressive end of the spectrum has given those groups new, powerful advocates in Congress. In the end of the year legislative-twister at the Capitol, some KOSA supporters were itching for the proposal to be “fast-tracked,” a unanimous consent agreement where all 100 senators surrender their right to filibuster. But opponents got word and put an end to those efforts. “Until the bill is amended to foreclose the ability of state attorneys general to wage war on important reproductive and LGBTQ content, I will object to any unanimous consent request in relation to this legislation,” Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, told his Senate colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor last month.

KOSA’s sponsors know they still haven’t secured the 60 votes needed for passage, so one alerted party leaders they would oppose their own measure if it were brought up before the New Year. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment on whether he had—or has—plans to bring it to the floor. But Schumer says that before Congress can effectively regulate generative AI—one of his top priorities—America needs a federal data privacy law. “There was pretty much consensus that we need some kind of privacy law,” Schumer told reporters last month. “There are lots of disagreements, but it’s important to try and get that done.”

One Thing After Another

Over in the House, most eyes are on whether freshman speaker Mike Johnson can avert a government shutdown in the New Year. With such a green leader at the helm, House committees are, seemingly, more powerful than before, as members report trying to be the first person to get Johnson’s ear on an array of issues. While there’s no companion measure to KOSA in the House, children’s data privacy remains a top priority for the GOP majority in that chamber. The issue came up as a top priority in the last weekly in-person meeting of the Republican majority on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“It’s not dead. It’s a priority for us,” Representative Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican, tells WIRED. He’s the current chair of the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee where he’s tasked with helping the GOP expand its House majority—or, at least, not lose its majority—in 2024. Hudson knows many of his newer members ran on protecting the nation’s children from online predators, legal and illegal ones alike. Now comes the hard work of threading the proverbial needle. “It’s a very difficult question,” Hudson says. “You’re trying to balance rights versus protecting kids, and that’s tough. But our chairwoman is very focused on getting it done.”

If these children’s data measures are ever debated and voted on, dozens of other more niche privacy protection measures will likely be offered by both party’s rank-and-file lawmakers. Some ideas focus on protecting reproductive and geolocation data from law enforcement, especially in states that have outlawed most abortions. Other measures would strip Section 230 liability protections from sites that, say, host child sexual abuse material or promote the sexual abuse of minors. Another proposal would incentivize, through drastically increased federal fines, tech firms to proactively report any child exploitation efforts they uncover.

There’s more. This year in the Senate, a new bipartisan measure was introduced to outright ban social media for children under 13, while also requiring parental consent until those minors turn 18. Its sponsors include some of the Senate’s most conservative lawmakers—Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, and Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican—and some of the chamber’s most progressive members—Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, and Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat. Just bringing a measure to protect minors to the floor without ensuring its passage isn’t good enough for Schatz.

“If we can enact it, that would be great, but there’s no sense bringing something to the floor just to make a point,” Schatz, a father of two, tells WIRED.

If party leaders don’t put one or all of these bills on the floor for votes, Hawley, the Republican senator, vows to use all the instruments in his senatorial toolkit to force the issue in 2024.

“I think it’s time to start putting people on record,” Hawley, who authored a measure prohibiting social media accounts for children under age 16, tells WIRED. “Clearly, the leadership’s not going to bring this to the floor. I think that’s pretty clear. So I think we’ve got to get much more aggressive about forcing votes. What I’d really love to do is start trying to attach this to bills where we have roll call votes, because members hate roll call votes. So expect me to get very aggressive about this.”

Hot Air

Congress knows how to grab headlines—making laws is another conversation. This 118th Congress, with a mere 22 bills signed into law, is currently the least productive session witnessed in decades.

While no data privacy votes are scheduled in the new year, a fireworks display is already on the books. Fresh into the start of 2024, senators on the judiciary committee are dragging in five tech CEOs for a made-for-campaign-fodder hearing on children’s privacy issues. Law enforcement was already called in. See, while TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg agreed to testify, subpoenas—some hand-delivered by US marshals after Discord and X “refused to cooperate”—were issued for the other three tech titans: X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Snap’s Evan Spiegel, and Discord’s Jason Citron.

“We’ve known from the beginning that our efforts to protect children online would be met with hesitation from Big Tech. They finally are being forced to acknowledge their failures when it comes to protecting kids. Now that all five companies are cooperating, we look forward to hearing from their CEOs,” Senators Dick Durbin, the committee’s Democratic chair, and Lindsey Graham, the committee’s top Republican, released in a joint statement the Monday before Thanksgiving. “Parents and kids demand action.”

Parents and kids are still wondering whether they can count on this Congress for that action. As of now, Congress has shown they can’t.

[lboogie1906]

Westley Sissel Unseld (born March 14, 1946 - June 2, 2020) is a former basketball player. He spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He starred for the Seneca High School team that won Kentucky state championships in 1963 and 1964. At the University of Louisville in 1965, he played center for the school's freshman team, averaging 35.8 points and 23.6 rebounds over 14 games. He lettered for Louisville as a sophomore, junior, and senior, scored 1,686 points (20.6 average), and grabbed 1,551 rebounds (18.9 average) over 82 games. He led the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding all three years. He earned NCAA All-American honors in 1967 and 1968 and led Louisville to a 60–22 record during his collegiate career, making trips to the NIT tournament in 1966 and the NCAA tournament in 1967 and 1968. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CpxJwKhr58X/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[newsssc]

University of Missouri Kansas City Official Athletics Website

WATCH | LIVE STATS Kansas City Notes The Roos remain on the road Friday for their second game in a three-game homestand, taking on three-straight Missouri Valley Conference foes. KC will go head-to-head with Northern Illinois for the first meeting between the two teams since 2007. Kansas City is coming off of a 3-2 victory over Missouri State on Monday, just the fifth win over the Bears in 31…

[wausaupilot]

Wisconsin seeks its first 2-0 start since 2020 when it hosts FCS program South Dakota

Wisconsin is seeking its first 2-0 start since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

By The Associated Press South Dakota (1-0) at Wisconsin (1-0), Saturday, 2:30 p.m. CDT (FS1) BetMGM College Football Odds: No line Series record: Wisconsin leads 2-0 WHAT’S AT STAKE? Wisconsin is seeking its first 2-0 start since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Wisconsin is 19-1 against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, a Football Championship Subdivision league. South Dakota…

[recentlyheardcom]

University of Missouri Kansas City Official Athletics Website

WATCH | LIVE STATS Kansas City Notes The Roos remain on the road Friday for their second game in a three-game homestand, taking on three-straight Missouri Valley Conference foes. KC will go head-to-head with Northern Illinois for the first meeting between the two teams since 2007. Kansas City is coming off of a 3-2 victory over Missouri State on Monday, just the fifth win over the Bears in 31…

[northiowatoday]

College Basketball: UNI men predicted to finish second in Missouri Valley Conference

CEDAR FALLS – UNI men’s basketball has been picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in 2024-25 according to the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Senior forward Tytan Anderson was also selected as one of five players named to Blue Ribbon’s Preseason All-MVC Team. A native of Eldridge, Iowa, Anderson started all 33 games for the Panthers last season averaging 11.9…

[stubobnumbers]

CFB Promotion and Relegation - The Big 8

Big 8 Tier One - The Big 8 (FBS).

Iowa State Nebraska Missouri Colorado Kansas Kansas State Oklahoma Oklahoma State

Big 8 Tier Two - Missouri Valley Conference (FBS).

North Dakota North Dakota State South Dakota South Dakota State Northern Iowa Missouri State SE Missouri State Illinois State Southern Illinois Indiana State

Big 8 Tier Three - Pioneer Football League (FCS).

Chadron State Nebraska-Kearney Wayne State (NE.) NW Missouri State Drake Upper Iowa University Eastern Illinois Western Illinois Butler Valparaiso

Big 8 Tier Four - Middle America Athletics Association (FCS).

Minot State University of Mary (ND.) Black Hills State South Dakota Mines University of Sioux Falls Augustana (SD.) Emporia State Fort Hays State Pittsburg State (KS.) Washburn University

Big 8 Tier Five - Midwest Conference (D2).

Central Missouri Missouri Southern State Missouri Western State Lindenwood Missouri Tech Lincoln (MO.) Southwest Baptist Truman State William Jewell College Washington (MO.)

Big 8 Tier Six - Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (D2).

Northern State (SD.) Nebraska Wesleyan Buena Vista Central College (IA.) Coe College Cornell (IA.) University of Dubuque Grinnell College Loras College Wartburg College

Big 8 Tier Seven - American Rivers Conference (D3).

Dickinson State Jamestown (ND.) Mayville State Valley City State Dakota State Dakota Wesleyan Mount Marty Luther College Simpson College Westminster (MO.)

Big 8 Tier Eight - Great Plains Athletic Conference (D3).

North Dakota State College of Science Presentation College Concordia (NE.) Doane University Hastings College Midland University Peru State (NE.) Ellsworth CC Iowa Central CC Iowa Western CC

Big 8 Tier Nine - Plains Conference (D3).

Langston University Panhandle State (OK.) Kansas Wesleyan Friends University MidAmerica Nazarene Benedictine (KS.) Baker (KS.) Bethany (KS.) Bethel (KS.) McPherson College

Big 8 Tier Ten - Heart Of America (D3).

Ottawa University (KS.) Southwestern (KS.) Sterling College (KS.) Tabor College Saint Mary (KS.) Garden City CC Highland CC (KS.) Hutchinson CC Independence CC (KS.) Avila University

Big 8 Tier Eleven - Mississippi Valley Athletic Conference (D3).

Briar Cliff Clarke (IA.) Dordt (IA.) Graceland University Grand View Morningside (IA.) Northwestern (IA.) St. Ambrose Waldorf University William Penn

Big 8 Tier Twelve - Southern Midwest Conference (D3).

Central Methodist Culver-Stockton College Evangel (MO.) Fontbonne University Missouri Baptist Missouri Valley William Woods University Butler CC (KS.) Coffeyville CC Dodge City CC

[tinammcguire]

Frequently Asked Questions - Part 3 - Announcing Edition!

Happy Missouri Valley Conference tournament week! I’ll be announcing 11 softball games in 4 days starting on Wednesday. So, in honor of that, here are four announcing questions I get. How can I see you when you’re announcing? I turn the game on ESPN+, but you’re not announcing, it’s some guy. Ahh yes, some guy. Anyway, I do public address announcing. That’s the announcing that’s done on the…

[nbatrades]

Chicago Bulls Deal Len Chappell to Cincinnati Royals

On November 25th, 1966, the Chicago Bulls traded forward-center Len Chappell to the Cincinnati Royals for center-forward George Wilson.

George Wilson was selected eighth in the first round of the 1964 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals. He was a territorial pick for the Royals. Territorial picks existed during the early days of the NBA where teams were allowed to forfeit a first round pick and select a college player from its immediate area.

Wilson previously starred at the University of Cincinnati where he spent four years, three years which were n the varsity team. Wilson thrived at the school. In his first year playing on the varsity squad, Wilson won a national championship with the Bearcats. He also made first-team All-MVC (Missouri Valley Conference) in his junior and senior years.

The Royals were one of the better teams in the nine-team NBA during the 1964-65 season. Led by star combo Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, Cincinnati began the season 12-8 and had the second best record in the league with a 32-13 record after 45 games.

The Royals went 16-19 over the final 35 games to fall to 48-32. Wilson had a bit role in his rookie season. The former college star managed 2.3 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 39 contests and 7.4 MPG.

The Royals had the second best record in the Eastern Division. They faced the 40-40 Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Division Semifinals. The series opener saw Philadelphia guard Al Bianchi hit a shot and Wilt Chamberlain knocked down two free-throws in a 119-117 overtime win.

Game Two was also close. Robertson had 40 points and 13 assists as the Royals tied the series 1-1 with a 121-120 victory. 76ers guard Hal Greer led the way with 30 points and 13 rebounds as Philadelphia won Game Three 108-94.

Philadelphia led by 17 points after the third quarter of the fourth game and held on for a 119-112 victory and a 3-1 series win against the Royals. Wilson played in two of the four games, scoring two points and grabbing two boards.

For the 1965-66 season, the Royals got off to a 3-4 start, but won 14 of the next 18 games to reach 17-8. The team was second place in the East with a 31-14 record after 45 games. Like the previous season, the Royals had a late slide, going 14-21 over the final 35 games to fall to third place with a 45-35 record. In his second season, Wilson played in 47 games, tallying 2.9 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 5.9 MPG.

The Royals were the third seed and played the 54-26 Boston Celtics in the Division Semifinals. Cincinnati took the first game in Boston. Robertson and Adrian Smith combined for 52 points in a 107-103 win. In the second game, Sam Jones had 42 points and Bill Russell added 25 points and 16 rebounds in a 132-125 Celtics victory.

In the third game, Jerry Lucas had 27 points snd 16 rebounds as Cincinnati won 113-107. Game Four saw the Celtics build a 15-point lead after three quarters and win 120-103.

With the series tied 2-2, Boston had its best defensive game. The Celtics held Cincinnati to 39.4% shooting, Russell had 16 points, 31 rebounds and 11 assists and Boston won 112-103. The loss eliminated the Royals. Wilson played in just one game during the series, scoring two points.

During the next season, Wilson played just 12 games (2.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG) with the Kings before he was traded to the Chicago Bulls early in the regular season for Chappell. In 98 games, Wilson amassed 2.6 PPG and 2.5 RPG. The forward shot 31% from the field and 56% from the free-throw line in that time.

Len Chappell became a member of the Chicago Bulls when he was selected by the club from the New York Knicks in the 1966 NBA expansion draft. A former All-Star in New York, Chappell's minutes had been severely cut over a two-year stretch.

The minutes trend didn't stop in Chicago. Chappell saw limited rotation minutes as a center with the Bulls, registering just 9.4 MPG in 19 games before the Bulls moved on from the 6-foot-8 player by trading him to Cincinnati. Chappell managed 4.9 PPG, 2.0 RPG and 0.6 APG.

After the trade, Chappell appeared in a limited role with the Royals. The frontcourt player saw action in 54 games with the Royals and recorded 4.1 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 9.8 MPG.

Cincinnati was below .500 for a good portion of the 1966-67 season. The Royals were 13-23 after 36 games and 31-39 after 70 games. An 8-3 stretch in the final 11 games allowed the club to reach 39-42, good for third place in the Eastern Division.

The Royals went on to the 1967 postseason and faced the 68-13 Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Division Semifinals. The Royals took the first game 120-116 after Oscar Robertson scored 33 points. In the second game, 76ers center Wilt Chamberlain had 37 points and 27 rebounds as Philadelphia cruised to a 123-102 win.

In Game Three, the 76ers built a 15-point edge at halftime. Hal Greer had 33 points and Chamberlain put up 16 points, 30 rebounds and 19 assists as the Sixers held on for a 121-106 victory. Greer had 30 points as the Sixers routed the Royals 112-94 to win the series 4-1. Chappell appeared in all four Semifinals games against Philadelphia. He averaged 5.5 PPG on 37% shooting, 3.3 RPG and 2.3 APG.

In the 1967 offseason, the Royals protected Chappell in the San Diego Rockets' expansion draft and left guard Jon McGlocklin available. Chappell ended up signing a contract with undisclosed terms to stay with Cincinnati. The Royals hired Ed Jucker as head coach, replacing coach Jack McMahon who had resigned.

Chappell had an even lesser role with the Royals entering the 1967-68 season. He appeared in 10 games, putting up 3.8 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 6.5 MPG. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons in late November for a future third round draft pick in 1968 and cash considerations.

George Wilson was brought in to add some size and rebounding to Chicago. It was a homecoming for him as he grew up on the west side of Chicago. Wilson played in 43 games with the Bulls. The 6-foot-8 frontcourt player produced 4.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 10.4 MPG.

Chicago's first season in the NBA was rough early on. The team was 9-22 in its first 31 games. The Bulls were 23-43 after 66 games and last in the Western Division. Chicago made a late season run, going 10-5 in the final 15 games to sneak into the playoffs as the fourth seed. The Bulls faced the 39-42 St. Louis Hawks in the West Semifinals.

In the first game, Hawks guard Lou Hudson had 26 points and Lenny Wilkens recorded 20 points as St. Louis won 114-100. Chicago took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter of Game Two, but the Hawks rallied in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bulls 34-20 to win 113-107.

St. Louis completed the 3-0 sweep after Wilkens nearly had a triple double in a 119-106 victory. Wilson played in two of the three playoff games, managing 3.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 13.5 MPG. In the 1967 offseason, Wilson was taken in the 1967 expansion draft by Seattle SuperSonics.

Len Chappell on the trade (via The Cincinnati Enquirer):

"I was only playing about eight minutes a game up there, primarily due to the fact, I guess, I'm not a real strong rebounder. They need the rebounding. "Looking over the league, you've have to look and see who needed help and where. Cincinnati was a team that needed help in the positions I could play. "If there's any team I'd like to play with, this is the one. No. 1, you get a chance to play with Oscar [Robertson], who's the greatest player alive. Second, I think this is a first-class organization and I like the way they play."

On his skill set:

"I think I play good defense. I think, too, I can do a lot of good things people don't see. I'm a good shooter, but that's only part of my game. I'm big enough to block out and set screens for the guards."

Chicago Bulls general manager Dick Klein on how Wilson can help the team's offense by defensive rebounding and the club's hopes for him (via the Chicago Tribune):

"We have been using all five men to rebound on defense, which hampers our fast break. With more playing time, we hope George also will regain the scoring touch he had in college."

Cincinnati Royals head coach Jack McMahon on Chappell (via The Cincinnati Enquirer):

"Anytime this guy has been given a chance to play, he's played good ball. Everybody regards him as a good outside shooting threat. He doesn't have the great speed but he'll dribble in and make that in close shot."

Image Credit:

Len Chappell: via Getty Images

George Wilson: eBay via Kahn's Weiners

[junipuzzle]

Thursday, January 11, 2024

"substitute teacher" by Damon Gulczynski

Time: 8:45

Difficulty: ★★★★★ Theme: ★★★★☆ Fill: ★★★★☆

Favorite Clue: 9D: One of three for a grand (8)

this right here is why thursday puzzles are my favorite day of the week. theme clues that do not make a lick of sense until you get the revealer and then it SNAPS into place. longer fill to help put together the picture makes it feel like you're making Some progress. i took a point off the theme b/c i think themes that require you to interpret the clues in a different way have to be done REALLY well to avoid feeling unfair - this one is close but not quite there. the revealer of "y = x" is cool, except for the fact that there's no "=" key on the crossword keyboard. typing in "EQUALS" worked, but i continue to be a little grumpy at the NYT for not fixing these kinds of tech issues.

aside from that i thought the theme clues were excellent - the proper names 38a (Ma(y->x)im of entertainment) and 59a (Book of Mar(y->x) were great diversions.

rest of the fill was pretty good - i especially liked the NE with PIANO LEG adjacent to ESCAPE ROUTE and thought the crosses weren't too crunchy. i also thought the paired clues in the SW were nice, and helped use an easier area of the puzzle to break into some of the harder zones that had more proper nouns.

unfortunately, the north area soured it a little for me - SONJA Henie, SVEN from Frozen, Chris REDD, the ISU schools of the missouri valley conference... there are a lot of potential naticks in there. SVEN is clued so often that it was a foothold for me, but i can imagine someone else having issues and therefore i docked a point. otherwise it's a pretty solid puzzle - gets an A from me.

Answer to favorite clue: PIANO LEG

[bongaboi]

Drake: 2022-23 Missouri Valley Men's Basketball Champions

ST. LOUIS — Drake men's basketball won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Sunday, the Bulldogs' first league tournament title since 2008.

The Bulldogs beat Bradley, 77-51, to win the title and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Braves were the regular-season conference champions, beating Drake 73-61 in the finale. But it was all Bulldogs in the championship.

This will be Drake's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance. The previous trips were 1969, 1970, 1971, 2008 and 2021.

"You never know what will happen in the tournament," Drake's D.J. Wilkins said. "We didn't know if we'd get the opportunity to play Bradley again, so just to be able to do it on this stage for all the marbles, we wouldn't want to have it any other way."

Drake didn’t make a field goal for the first 4 minutes and 43 seconds of the game, and that drought ended when Darnell Brodie separated himself from Rienk Mast and sank a turnaround jumper.

After starting 0-for-5 from the field, the Bulldogs went on a 12-0 run to go up 14-3 on Bradley. Drake’s defense kept the Braves scoreless for 4 minutes and 28 seconds while building its lead.

Drake held a 41-21 lead at halftime. The Bulldogs’ 20-point advantage was the third-largest halftime lead of any MVC Tournament championship game. That was also the second-largest halftime deficit for Bradley this season; the largest was Drake’s 22-point lead when the Bulldogs beat the Braves, 86-61, in January in Des Moines.

But even a 20-point lead isn’t safe in tournament play. Drake was up by double digits in the semifinal against Southern Illinois, and the Salukis went on a 13-2 run to start the second half.

Zek Montgomery kicked off the scoring in the second with a 3-pointer, and Garrett Sturtz responded with two points for Drake. The Bulldogs were able to respond most times that Bradley scored, keeping the lead in the teens or twenties for all of the second half.

Bradley pulled most of its starters with under four minutes to play, as Drake held a 30-point lead.

"Really proud of our guys," Drake coach Darian DeVries said. "They had an unbelievable fight tonight. Played extremely well, maybe as complete a game as we've had on both ends of the floor. So, an incredible moment."

Tucker DeVries led the Bulldogs with 22 points. Sturtz and Brodie each added 12 points in the win.

Drake advanced to the championship game for the third straight year after beating Southern Illinois, 65-52, in the semifinal. Roman Penn led Drake with 16 points in the victory and Brodie pulled down 17 rebounds.

[nyt-crossword]

NYT Crossword 11 January 2024

Across Hints

Talk, talk, talk NYT Crossword Clue

___ Henie, 10-time world champion skater NYT Crossword Clue

Desk jarful NYT Crossword Clue

Kind of palm NYT Crossword Clue

Engine sound NYT Crossword Clue

”You sure about that?” NYT Crossword Clue

*Cause of irritated eyes NYT Crossword Clue

Feeling the effects of a tough workout, say NYT Crossword Clue

One out of 100: Abbr. NYT Crossword Clue

Inits. of two schools in the Missouri Valley Conference NYT Crossword Clue

Catch dead to rights NYT Crossword Clue

Alleviated NYT Crossword Clue

*Many lovers, e.g. NYT Crossword Clue

How something can be torn NYT Crossword Clue

Hoppy medium? NYT Crossword Clue

Top 40 genre NYT Crossword Clue

Ginormous NYT Crossword Clue

Company where workers may sleep on the job NYT Crossword Clue

*Mayim of entertainment NYT Crossword Clue

Office newbie NYT Crossword Clue

Pop NYT Crossword Clue

Card game similar to Crazy Eights NYT Crossword Clue

Common name starter in 31-Across NYT Crossword Clue

Drew forcibly (from) NYT Crossword Clue

*Way down in the nether regions NYT Crossword Clue

Word said while pointing NYT Crossword Clue

From memory only NYT Crossword Clue

D-backs, on scoreboards NYT Crossword Clue

Try to see? NYT Crossword Clue

Part of a Florida flock NYT Crossword Clue

*Book of Mary NYT Crossword Clue

”Whip It” band NYT Crossword Clue

Guiding principles NYT Crossword Clue

Flower girl? NYT Crossword Clue

Steinbeck title ender NYT Crossword Clue

”Swell!” NYT Crossword Clue

Basic linear expression with a hint to answering the five starred clues in this puzzle NYT Crossword Clue

Down Hints

Quick blow NYT Crossword Clue

Subject of a landmark 2012 Supreme Court decision, for short NYT Crossword Clue

Crumpled mass NYT Crossword Clue

Reindeer in “Frozen” NYT Crossword Clue

Italian time unit NYT Crossword Clue

Finnish tech giant NYT Crossword Clue

Medieval competition NYT Crossword Clue

Boost NYT Crossword Clue

One of three for a grand NYT Crossword Clue

Good thing to map out before a risky endeavor NYT Crossword Clue

Nothing: Lat. NYT Crossword Clue

Editor’s concern NYT Crossword Clue

”A Doll’s House” playwright NYT Crossword Clue

Former “S.N.L.” comic Chris NYT Crossword Clue

Third in a group of eight NYT Crossword Clue

Japanese beer NYT Crossword Clue

Like an accomplishment worthy of Guinness NYT Crossword Clue

Groups of hands NYT Crossword Clue

Steinbeck title starter NYT Crossword Clue

Alternative genre NYT Crossword Clue

Non-___ (label on some organic foods) NYT Crossword Clue

”September 1, 1939″ poet NYT Crossword Clue

Skin-care product NYT Crossword Clue

Battery part NYT Crossword Clue

Eagerly takes advantage of NYT Crossword Clue

Lead-in to port or pad NYT Crossword Clue

Instrument notably featured in George Michael’s 1984 hit “Careless Whisper” NYT Crossword Clue

On NYT Crossword Clue

”Hallelujah!” singers NYT Crossword Clue

One joining a union? NYT Crossword Clue

Like 48-Down members, often NYT Crossword Clue

Full of cargo NYT Crossword Clue

Hopping mad NYT Crossword Clue

Mohammed’s third and youngest wife NYT Crossword Clue

City sometimes called “The Buckle of the Bible Belt” NYT Crossword Clue

Tool set NYT Crossword Clue

Mess (with) NYT Crossword Clue

How peers should be treated NYT Crossword Clue

Supervillain Luthor NYT Crossword Clue

[lboogie1906]

Maurice Edward Cheeks (born September 8, 1956) is a former basketball player and is an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. He has served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018.

He was born in Chicago and attended DuSable High School. He attended West Texas State University (1974-78). He was an all-Missouri Valley Conference player for three straight seasons, as he averaged 16.8 points per game and shot nearly 57% for his collegiate career. He is the third leading scorer in WTSU/WTAM history.

He played 15 years as a point guard in the NBA, including 11 with the Philadelphia 76ers, He earned four trips to the NBA All-Star Game, and he helped the 76ers to three trips to the NBA Finals in four years in the early 1980s, including an NBA championship in 1983. While starting as point guard for a Sixers team that at times included stars Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, and Charles Barkley, he was well regarded for his team play and defensive skills. He was named to four straight NBA All-Defensive squads (1983-86) and earned a spot on the second team in 1987. He was inducted into the 2018 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

He ranks sixth in steals and eleventh in assists. Upon his retirement from the NBA in 1993, he was the NBA all-time leader in steals and fifth in assists. He averaged 11.7 points and over 2 steals per game for his career. In his rookie year, he averaged 4.1 steals per game in the 1979 NBA Playoffs, an NBA record for one playoff run.

He spent one year coaching for the Continental Basketball Association’s Quad City Thunder before becoming the 76ers assistant head coach in 1994. In 2005 he was named as head coach of the 76ers.

He was the head coach of the Detroit Pistons (2013-14).

He returned to the Thunder as an assistant coach.

On November 14, 2020, he was hired by the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[abellinthecupboard]

The Old Days

In the old days it stayed light until midnight and rain and snow came up from the ground rather than down from the sky. Women were easy. Every time you'd see one, two more would appear, walking toward you backwards as their clothes dropped. Money didn't grow in the leaves of trees but around the trunks in calf's leather money belts, though you could only take twenty bucks a day. Certain men flew as well as crows while others ran up trees like chipmunks. Seven Nebraska women were clocked swimming upstream in teh Missouri faster than the local spotted dolphins. Basenjis could talk Spanish but all of them chose not to. A few political leaders were executed for betraying the public trust and poets were rationed a gallon of Burgundy a day. People only died on one day a year and lovely choruses funneled out of hospital chimneys where every room had a field- stone fireplace. Some fishermen learned to walk on water and as a boy I trotted down rivers, my flyrod at the ready. Women who wanted love needed only to wear pig's ear slippers or garlic earrings. All dogs and people in free concourse became medium sized and brown, and on Christmas everyone won the hundred-dollar lottery. God and Jesus didn't need to come down to earth because they were already here riding wild horses every night and children were allowed to stay up late to hear them galloping by. The best restaurants were churches, with Episcopalians serving Provançal, the Methodists Tuscan, and so on. In those days the country was an extra two thousand miles wider, and an additional thousand miles deep. There were many undiscovered valleys to walk in where Indian tribes lived undisturbed though some tribes chose to found new nations in the heretofore unknown areas between the black boundary cracks betwen states. I was married to a Pawnee girl in a ceremony behind the usual waterfall. Courts were manned by sleeping bears and birds sang lucid tales of ancient bird ancestors who now fly in other worlds. Certain rivers ran too fast to be usable but were allowed to do so when they consented not to flood at the Des Moines Conference. Airliners were similar to airborne ships with multiple fluttering wings taht played a kind of chamber music in the sky. Pistol barrels grew delphiniums and everyone was able to select seven days a year they were free to repeat but this wasn't a popular program. In those days the void whirled with flowers and unknown wild animals attended country funerals. All the rooftops in cities were flower and vegetable gardens. The Hudson River was drinkable and a humpback whale was seen near the Forty-Second Street pier, its head full of the blue blood of the sea, its voice lifting the steps of people in their traditional anti-march, their harmless disarray. I could go on but won't. All my evidence was lost in a fire but not before it was chewed on by all the dogs who inhabit memory. One by one they bark at the sun, moon and stars trying to draw them closer again.

— Jim Harrison, Saving Daylight (2006)