They were first
3-point baskets have become as much a part of basketball as rebounds and assists. That’s not always been the case, a number of fans probably believe the 3-point basketball began in the wild and wooly days of the American Basketball Association. Not true, the 3-point basket was first utilized by a long ago pro league no longer in existence. The American Basketball League or ABA was founded by the late Abe Saperstein. Saperstein was the founder and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, in the early days of the NBA the Globetrotters would often play the preliminary game. Due to this “arrangement” Saperstein became upset was upset because the NBA refused to grant him a franchise in Los Angeles. His hope the league he founded would eventually be able to compete with the more well-known NBA. The ABL began in 1961 and ceased business operations December 31, 1962. In addition to the 3-point basket a number of other future noteworthy events would occur during the time the league operated.

The Cleveland Pipers franchise was owned by George Steinbrenner who would later gain notoriety as owner of the baseball Yankees. The Celtics hired the legendary Bill Russell as player-coach in 1966; the media proclaimed him the first African-American to coach a major league sports team. He was the first African-American coach in the NBA but not the first in professional basketball. Steinbrenner’s Cleveland team hired John Mcclendon in 1962 to coach the team. Mcclendon’s Pipers defeated the Kansas City Steers and claimed the 1962 ABL Championship. In the fall of 1962 ABL teams began play but ceased operations December 31, 1962, the Steers were declared ABL Champs sitting in first place of the 8 team league. The ABL had no television contract, in addition a number of the franchises suffered from poor financial backing. The ABL unlike the ABA was never able to secure the services of NBA players. Of interest though once the league folded a number of ABL players made their way onto NBA rosters.

Corner the market
How many networks is there telecasting college basketball? No need to count them it just seems even with increased networks ESPN continues to dominate the market in hires. Three college coaches have been added for the upcoming season, Stan Heath, Craig Robinson and Jim Calhoun. How their talents will be utilized has not been determined to date.

The City by the Bay
Not that city the other one---Oakland also sits on the bay. Most probably think of San Francisco when you say; “City by the Bay.” Oakland has a city population a little over 400,000 which is certainly small compared to New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. Oakland has produced a tremendous amount of basketball talent over the years beginning with number six Bill Russell. Over the years the NBA talent pool includes Brian Shaw, Antonio Davis, Gary Payton and more recently Damian Lillard just to name a few.

I really couldn’t include former Celtic Paul Pierce, although born in Oakland he grew up in the Los Angeles area. The latest Oakland talent is 6-11 210 pound Ivan Rabb of Bishop O’ Dowd High School. This is certainly no prediction of future success but says Rabb is a talent at this level. He’s a 5-star prospect in the Class of 2015 by Rivals and ESPN Recruiting Nation. All the usual players are recruiting him however he’s made no decision on a college. He may not leave the State of California since Cal, UCLA and USC all have offered scholarships.

He’s developing game
If you are a certain age you might remember the late Manute Bol. Bol was one of the tallest players in the NBA standing 7 feet 7 inches tall. With that height you might think rebounding/defense player however neither was his specialty. This native of Sudan became a 3-point specialist for a number of NBA teams. The Kansas City metro has a significant Sudanese population so it was probably natural Manute would settle here after retirement. The father chose suburban Olathe (KS) to re-locate his family.  After leaving the game Manute became a tireless humanitarian traveling back and forth to provide aid relief to his native Sudan, Manute died of acute kidney failure in 2010.

With 10 offspring it would be expected a number take up the game and follow in their father’s footsteps. One of those sons is Bol Bol, this son is a 14 year old beginning his freshman year at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. Because the younger Bol began playing basketball as a youngster and has gained basketball skills his dad never fully developed. Bol at 6-10 is thin as a rail; he may not have an NBA career however his development will continue. He’s another area prospect I plan on scouting this winter.