Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Baltimore had the Bullets twice?

Charlotte and Baltimore both share a unique story, on separate occasions they had two separate teams with the same name.  In this account our focus is on Baltimore and the name Bullets.  The original Baltimore Bullets first began play in 1944 and lasted to 1947 in an earlier incarnation of the American Basketball League.  In 1947 these Bullets would become a Basketball Association of America team; the BAA would later merge with the NBL after a 3-year battle over players and fans. 

The two leagues would merge in 1949 becoming today’s National Basketball Association.  The Bullets remained playing in Baltimore until 1955, that Bullet franchise would go out of business after beginning the season with a 3-11 record.  Keep in the mind many of the NBA of that era operated on shoestring budgets.  Their situation was not aided in that the Bullets were consistent losers; the 1947-48 season was the last winning team the city experienced.  Baltimore would remain without NBA basketball until the 1963 season.  The Chicago Packers left the city for Baltimore and were re-born as the Bullets.   

Junior college basketball 

Often there are athletes who attend junior colleges after high school, most often they attend a community or junior college to raise their GPA.  Often, it is more than grades holding back an athlete, sometimes its skill.   The youngster shows promise but there are “holes” in their game a year or two in junior college can sometimes be beneficial to continued development.  They might wind up a Division I or II program somewhere in the nation with the NBA in their future.  Bob McAdoo former player is in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame.  Prior to displaying his skill at North Carolina and later the NBA it began at Vincennes Junior College in Indiana.   

McAdoo was enrolled there from 1969-71.  Also, from the junior college ranks Dennis Rodman, Naismith Hall of Famer Rodman begin his basketball journey at Cook County Community College now known as North Central Texas College.  As for the present Wolves guard/forward Jimmy Butler begin his ascension to the NBA from Tyler Junior College in Tyler Texas.  Cavs forward Jae Crowder played at Howard College a two-year community college in Big Spring Texas.  There are others not mentioned but the point is this, it does not matter where your journey begins the key is where it ends. 

What the heck is a Billiken? 
I am pleased you asked the question; I can provide the answer to your question.  A billiken is the mascot for Saint Louis University, how this came about is interesting, the information below was acquired from the school’s website slued. It is interesting in a manner of speaking SLU along with University of Missouri Kansas City receive little if any national media hype although both are Division I programs.     

“The billiken is a mythical good-luck figure who represents things as they ought to be, before he was Saint Louis University’s mascot, he was a national sensation, a figure who was reproduced as dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto-hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers and more.”* 

As for the basketball team the Billikens have played basketball beginning in the 1914-16 season.  Currently the school is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, from 1937-1974 SLU was in the Missouri Valley Conference.  After the Billikens suffered several subpar years Coach Travis Ford has them playing competitive basketball again.  If not for the pandemic their 23-8 record would have secured their second consecutive NCAA appearance.   

*Wikipedia

The dimensional makeup of an NBA player

With our look at talent we often overlook a vital area, scouts and front office personnel do not, but we do.  The reference is a player’s wingspan and his handspan with extended fingers. I discovered Rajon Rondo and Yao Ming share a common basketball trait.  I know what you are thinking what has a 6-foot 1-inch guard and 7 foot 6-inch center have in common besides the fact both have played in the NBA.  Each has the same handspan, fingers extended a whopping 10 inches.  How about additional numbers, Julius Erving stands 6 foot 7 inches, Dr. J. has a 7-foot 2-inch wingspan and his handspan is also 10 inches. 

Yao Ming nearly a foot taller only exceeds the reach of the good doctor by 3 inches, Dr. J. also had a 10-inch handspan the same as Rondo and Yao.  Check out YouTube video of Dr. J. and you will note his ability to hold the basketball in the same manner as a grapefruit as he would glide toward the basket on one of his many amazing thrilling dunks.  We could check several others; Wilt Chamberlain had a 7-foot 8-inch wingspan with a 9.5-inch handspan.  Shaquille O’Neal was 7-foot 7-inch wing and 10.25-inch handspan.  Finally, the legendary Connie Hawkins stood 6 foot 8 inches but had a 10.5 handspan and 7.3 wingspan.  Hawk could soar as well, his dunks were just as amazing as Dr. J.  There were others but you get the general idea, gigantic wingspan and handspan aided these athletes greatly.