On Saturday, October 7th, 2017, Highland Park Senior High inducted the following individuals, and teams, into the Athletic Hall of Fame: John Heller, Louise Kramer, Charles Portis, Gary Podas, the 1999 Basketball Team, and the 1977 Volleyball Team. All of the inductees that were inducted into the Highland Park Athletic Hall Of Fame had notable accomplishments in their sports, while also helping the school thrive.
We attended the luncheon on Saturday morning, and listened to the various inductees and what they had to say. The first inductee was John Heller. He served as Head Football Coach from 1985-2000 and as the Athletic Director from 1995-2009. He did not say much about his accomplishments as the Highland Park football coach, but focused more on his amazing achievements as the Athletic Director. In an approximately 15 minute speech, he gave the audience a great story of how he was able, with the help of many parents, students, and teachers, to add on a field house to the school, and help install brand new lights onto the football field.
The next inductee was Charles Portis, and the 1999 Boys Basketball Team. Charles Portis was a school counselor and coached boys basketball from 1989-2010. He helped lead the 1999 Boys Basketball Team to a great season and a state title.
Next up, was Louise Kramer and the 1977 Girls Volleyball Team. No one from the 1977 team was able to attend the luncheon, and neither was Ms. Kramer, but we did get to hear a few words of their accomplishments, including a quote from Ms. Kathleen Kramer (who is not related the coach of the 1977 Volleyball Team) “The team that year went 6-0 in conference and went on later that year to win the state tournament with coach Louise Kramer.” Kramer coached from 1972-1978.
The final inductee was Gary Podas, who is the current golf coach at Highland Park Senior High. He has been the coach of the boys golf team since 1979, and has lead numerous boys golf teams to conference titles and state. He is the longest serving coach in the SPPS district.
According to businessinsider.com, NBA players are the highest paid players in the world, (right behind the NBA are cricket players in India), with an average player making $6.4 million a year. The NBA has had many players that have been paid millions of dollars to shoot and dribble a basketball. Some of the NBA’s best players are being paid anywhere from 20-30 million dollars.
This year NBA players have been getting paid higher than ever. Stephen Curry, the point guard from the Golden State Warriors, got paid a 5-year, 201 million dollar contract to play with the Warriors. This would make his annual salary just about 34 million dollars. Behind him is Lebron James, the small forward from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron James has a current annual salary of about 30.3 million dollars. The third current highest paid NBA player is Paul Millsap, the power forward from the Denver Nuggets. His annual salary is about 31 million dollars. Some of the highest paid players in the NBA are paid so much just to stay with their current team and not leave to play somewhere else.
One of the most recent pay boosts is Andrew Wiggins from our local team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. He recently signed a 5 year, 150 million dollar deal. The contract had been available to him for some time now, but he didn’t take it because he wanted to let all his fans and teammates know that he wanted to stay in Minnesota no matter what and that pay wasn’t something that was a deciding factor. Wiggins, like most players, want to be seen to be players that don’t care about pay and love playing the game itself. The NBA likes to advertise their players as people who care and love where they play.
Many people believe that all the money NBA players make is from their play on the court, but a lot of their money and earnings come from off-court things. This can, and does include: advertisements, sponsors, charity, appearances on TV, and the internet. As the years pass, more and more player in the NBA tend to get paid more and more on and off the court.
With the upcoming NBA season coming up, teams are scrambling to get the best players to make their way to the playoffs. With rookies being signed and trades that are reshaping teams going down, the offseason has been a crazy few months for the NBA in all. First off, the NBA had a huge wave of top tier rookies coming to the league including: the infamous Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr, Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, and many more.
Some of the league’s best players could be, and were, traded away this season. One of the most known trades recently was Kyrie Irving being traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder. Kyrie has stated that he had requested for a trade not because he wanted to leave Cleveland, but that he wanted to continue his “Journey” as a man and in basketball. Thomas, who has played for 4 different teams, including the Celtics, which has been his home since 2015. Thomas has undergone some of the most tragic moments in his life in Boston; including the death of his sister. He went on and played the day after she died, and scored 33 points. Irving has played in Cleveland all his life and was said to be one of the main reasons Lebron James came back to play in Cleveland.
Another big trade during this offseason was Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn. This trade raised headlines for the Wolves after losing one of their best offensive players, Zach LaVine, to an injury. They needed a guard to replace LaVine and build up their team to playoff material.
One of the larger trades of the season was one which included eight players. Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers was traded to the Houston Rockets for Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, Lou Williams, and Kyle Wiltjer. Chris Paul will be joining James Harden, who is a three time all-star, and MVP, in 2015 as reported on ESPN.com.
Some other trades and moves that were made included: Paul George of the Indiana Pacers being traded to the Oklahoma Thunder for Victor Oladipo (George will be joining Russell Westbrook), Derrick Rose signing a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and D’Angelo Russell, of the Los Angeles Lakers, was signed to the Brooklyn Nets along with Timofey Mozgov. Also, Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz was traded to the Boston Celtics.
Many other trades were made during this offseason and maybe more will occur. We just know that many teams will have a bigger shot at making the playoffs this year and many NBA fans will be there to watch.
The Timberwolves, Minnesota’s professional basketball team, unveiled their new logo for the 2017-2018 season. This change came on April 11, 2017, during halftime of their final home game of the season against Oklahoma City.
The logo change is to stand for the new era that is coming; the Timberwolves franchise is trying to move in a new direction. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this new era of Timberwolves basketball than with the unveiling of our new logo, in front of our dedicated fans, on Fan Appreciation Night,” said Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson. The CEO later went on to say how the new logo is the way to a new exciting path.
The logo is only the first surrounding their new face. With new leaders on and off of the court, the Timberwolves are planning on revealing new uniforms this summer along with a remodel of the Target Center. The remodel is going to add new seats, more space, and a new court design.
The logo was in the process of being created for 12 months. It was designed by the Timberwolves ownership, team executives, the NBA, and design expert Rodney Richardson of RARE Design. The new logo is a combination of past logos. It includes some of the same colors but with a new refreshed hue of the blue and green. The new colors include midnight blue, aurora green, lake blue, moonlight grey, and frost white. The logo also still includes a wolf, but this time it is howling. Wolves use their howl to warn others; it shows their fierce side. Wolves also use the howl to reconnect and bond as a family. The new logo is a perfect new face to the up and coming season for the Wolves.
The NBA regular season has come to an end, and the playoffs are finally here. The playoffs started on Saturday, April 15th. There will be 16 teams each from the Western Conference and Eastern Conference. The Golden State Warriors hold the 1st seed in the West. The Boston Celtics hold the 1st seed in the East. The Warriors are the obvious favorites this year after going 67-15; the best record in the NBA.
The best matchup in the first round will be in the West. James Harden, and the 3-seeded Houston Rockets, face Russell Westbrook, and the 6-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook recently broke the single season triple-double record with 42. Oscar Robertson was the original record holder with 41 triple-doubles in one season. Westbrook has proven his case for MVP, while others believe James Harden deserves the MVP because Houston has a better record, and Harden shows a lot of leadership by being one of Houston’s only great players. Both players play the point guard position.
Another exciting matchup, but for the East, is the 3-seeded Toronto Raptors hosting the 6-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors are led by star shooting guard Demar Derozan who helped carry his team when all-star point guard Kyle Lowry was injured. The Milwaukee Bucks are led by small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo [ˈʝanis a(n)detoˈkun(m)bo] who stands at 6 feet 11 inches. He leads the Bucks in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. He carries the whole team and will have to continue to do so if they want to beat the Raptors.
My official finals prediction is the 1-seeded Golden State Warriors vs. the 2-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors finally have Kevin Durant back after a long injury recovery, and if he can stay healthy the Warriors should be able to cruise to the Finals. The Cavaliers have struggled late in the season but still prove to be the only team that could make it out of the East. They have many stars in Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and of course LeBron James. I believe the Warriors will win this year. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson really stepped up when Durant got injured, and the Warriors starting five may be the best the NBA has seen in awhile. My prediction: Warriors win in 6 games.
It’s that time of the year again, when 68 college teams try to conquer the March Madness tournament. The first round consists of 8 different teams qualifying to enter. Once that’s over, all 64 teams are placed in a division ranked one through sixteen. The divisions/sections are called: Midwest, West, South and East. The 16 teams in each section battle it out to get to the final four. The best team in the South plays the best team in the East, and the same goes for the Midwest and West.
The selection day for the 68 teams is Sunday, March 12th. The first four (8 qualifying teams) games play on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 14th and 15th. The official 64 team bracket starts Thursday, March 16th, and goes to the second round on Saturday, the 18th. The first and second rounds both last 2 days. The 2 day format also applies to the Sweet Sixteen (3rd round) and the Elite Eight (4th round). The Final Four round is Saturday, April 1st, and the championship game is Monday, April 3rd.
This year’s top teams include: Kansas, UCLA, Gonzaga, and last year’s winner Villanova. Kansas is currently ranked number 1 in the top 25. They have beaten 5 teams in the top 10. Kansas is carried by senior point guard Frank Mason the Third, and freshman superstar Josh Jackson. They for sure will get a number one seed in the bracket. UCLA will be a major threat with freshman point guard Lonzo Ball. He’s one of the most athletic guards in the NCAA this year. He’s also accompanied by TJ Leaf and senior Bryce Alford. These 3 players combined average 47.7 points a game. Their team altogether averages an NCAA best 91.3 points per game. They are more than likely to receive a number one seed.
Gonzaga looked to be a real threat after starting 29-0, but they lost to BYU by 8 points, and that loss sent them from ranked number one to four. Their biggest problem is that they don’t play in a good enough conference, which might prove why they had such a good record until they played BYU. They finished 32-1 and won the West Coast Conference Championship. Their team is led by junior guard Nigel William-Goss, who averages 16.9 points per game and 5.7 assists per game. They are more than likely to lose early in the tournament. They would be lucky to receive a number one seed, as the number two seed fits them better.
One last team that’s being talked about, coming into the tournament, is the reigning champs, Villanova. They defeated North Carolina in the championship last year after Kris Jenkins hit a buzzer beater three for the win. He’s now in his senior year and playing well, but the star player for Villanova is senior guard Josh Hart who leads the team in points per game with 18.7 and with 6.5 rebounds per game. Villanova has a great chance of winning the tournament in back-to-back years. They will have a number one seed.
My one sleeper team is SMU. They are ranked 12th with a 27-4 record. They haven’t played many ranked teams, and their free throw shooting is only at 69%, but they have won 13 straight games. They have also won 23 of their last 24 games, only losing by 2 points to 22-ranked Cincinnati. Senior Ben Moore has been a lot of help for SMU; he has 11.8 points per game and standing at 6 feet 8 inches, he grabs 8.2 rebounds per game. SMU could go deeper than people may expect as they’re likely to be a 4 or 5 seed in the South section of the tournament.
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