Where was basketball invented? In the United States of America! Springfield, Massachusetts to be exact. The first game was played in the basement gym of the School for Christian Workers and Armory Hill Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).

Okay so this blog is definitely what we could call a "late bloomer." It just hasn't really gotten its feet off the ground. tragic. :( But here's to another attempt! :) so, I thought I'd tonight I'd bring up another man's name who deserves a little credit for helping with the invention of basketball. Luther Halsey Gulick, the school director at Springfield (Where Naismith was working) is the man who encouraged Naismith to come up with a winter game to keep his athletes busy and entertained with staying in shape during their off-season. If Gulick wouldn't have suggested this to Naismith he may never have come up with the brilliant game of basketball.

So, here's a little more recent basketball history:

This past weekend was the weekend of the all-star competitions and the all-star game. On Saturday night Nate Robinson (5' 8") and Dwight Howard (6' 11") went head to head in the final round of the slam dunk contest. In the end Nate Robinson won jumping over Dwight Howard for his final dunk. Talk about an impressive vertical! If you missed this amazing event I highly suggest searching for it on youtube.

Also, here's your first trivia about basketball... I figure we'll start easy and get harder as we go... :D

*Dr. Naismith invented basketball in 1891. It was originally a game intended to keep athletes in shape in between the baseball and football seasons. He had no idea basketball would become such a popular sport years later! Only a century later we had stars like Michael Jordan dominating the NBA.

Whether or not sports should be among the most valued aspects of life is a debatable question. Regardless of the answer, the truth remains that sports are incredibly popular among Americans. However, this popularity does present a good opportunity for education in life as well as sports. As a coach you have the opportunity to help athletes learn ways of coping and succeeding in their sporting events as well as equipping them for success in life. Never underestimate your power to influence people as a coach, and be sure to take advantage of that opportunity by influencing athletes in a positive way.

whew!

okay, so it's created... now let's see if I can figure this out for real... :D