The Final Four

Interview with Jarquez Jones

Through a struggling attempt to load this interview video, I decided to do something different. I interviewed a guy on my hall in his room about basketball and this is it. I think it was kinda of ironic because when I walked in, he was watching basketball which made me feel like I knew he was a good person to interview.

Jeffrey: Hey, what is your favorite sport?
Jarquez: Basketball.
Jeffrey: How long have you played basketball?
Jarquez: Since sixth grade.
Jeffrey: Why do you play basketball?
Jarquez: I love it, man.
Jeffrey: You love basketball. Awesome.
Do you watch a lot of basketball? Actually you're watching basketball right now.
Jarquez: All the time, yeah.
Jeffrey: Who's your favorite team?
Jarquez: Miami Heat.
Jeffrey: Who's your favorite college team?
Jarquez: Carolina.
Jeffrey: Carolina? Alright.
Jarquez: UNC baby.

I thought this was an interesting video because I knew Jarquez really liked basketball, and I know he still plays while he is in college. I also really like basketball, and I especially like watching it. The only part of the interview that I didn't really like is when he said he liked Carolina  because I am a Duke fan.

Outdoor Basketball Court

I went to the courts behind my dorm and took a video of some people playing basketball.

College Basketball on the Internet

Basketball is a very popular sport, and it is especially popular in the United States. There are so many people that watch college basketball online now, and more and more people are converting to that each day. In addition to all of the online game watching, there is also fantasy teams to draft, informational videos on basketball, online basketball games to play, and especially highlights and recaps of games. All of these things have this common relation to basketball, and they have become more popular as years pass. The common theme is basketball, and so much money is put into it because it is such a great revenue generator. The basketball industry is lucrative and the online aspect allows for online advertising as well. The features for basketball online not only make watching basketball easier, but it makes the experience a different one because it is online.

Indoor Basketball Court

I went to the UNCG Rec center and took a picture of some guys playing basketball on the basketball court.

Outdoor Basketball Court

I went to the basketball courts behind my dorm and I took a picture of some people playing basketball. There were actually a lot more people at the courts than I thought would be there.

NCAA Tournament 2012 in Greensboro!

Although the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament just finished, there is always predictions for next year. There have already been all of the seeds predicted for the tournament and they have been put online at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2012-ncaa-tournament-projection.htm. This does not mean that the rankings won't change because they probably will. The rankings are determined by performance in 2011 and whether or not players go to the NBA. The exciting part of the NCAA 2012 Tournament is that a part of the tournament will be played here in Greensboro. I think Greensboro is a great selection for second and third round games because it is also a very well known place for the ACC Tournament. The games next year will be played at the Greensboro Coliseum, and I will be really excited next spring for some college basketball.

Jimmer wins the Naismith

Jimmer Fredette won the Naismith men's college player of the year which is basically an award for a really great basketball player. The Associated Press and the National Association of Basketball Coaches named Fredette the winner because of his outstanding performance on the court and his obvious basketball ability. I read one article about how some of the voting took place, and it really interested me. Basically, there are basketball journalists, coaches, and administrators from around the counrty that voted, but there were also fan votes cast via text message which is what I thought was cool. In my opinion, Jimmer Fredette is a very impressive athlete, but I think Kemba Walker or Nolan Smith could have been a better choice. Although Fredette led with most points per game, I think other players might have had more to offer. Overall though, Jimmer was still an outstanding choice for this year's Naismith.

Butler and UConn in the Championship

Butler, making their second Championship appearance in a row, has come to redeem themselves from last years game. This year Butler played a great UConn team lead by Kemba Walker. Butler suffered a sad loss against UConn by 12 points, and Butler will have to go through the whole next year if they want another shot at the Championship. The 2011 NCAA Championship game was a fairly low scoring game, and it is because the defense coming from both teams was phenomenal. UConn's head coach, Jim Calhoun explained how "eventually our quickness and length got to them," and essentially, UConn just had the extra step to take the W. The Championship game is always interesting, but this year it seemed uneventful in the respect that neither team played great basketball even though one team played better basketball than the other. That team just happened to be UConn so they came out on top. The interesting part of this game for me is the fact that anyone with Internet access can follow play-by-play, scores and commentaries online during the game. There was a streaming of the game on the Internet so people could watch, and it is amazing how the Internet can now update you after almost every basket that is made.

College Basketball

Some people from my dorm decided to watch a game on the tv.

Butler defeats VCU for another shot at the Championship

Butler defeated VCU in the semifinals so they have a second chance at the NCAA Championship Final. In 2010, Butler lost to Duke in the Championship, and now they have a second shot to win the Championship in 2011 against either UConn or Kentucky. Although Butler did not have an easy road, they overcame adversity and are going to the finals this year. I think Butler and VCU both have great basketball programs and players but in the end VCU just made more mistakes and Butler executed their offense better. Butler and VCU had very similar 3-point shooting percentages and overall field goal shooting percentages, but Butler had better free throw shooting percentages and they also had less fouls. Unfortunately, VCU had to take a hard loss for Butler to be able to take another shot at the Championship so lets hope it was worth it.