It has recently been announced that the NCAA plans on unveiling the Capital One Cup. The Capital One Cup will be awarded to a Men’s and Women’s athletic program who excels the most on the playing field over the course of the academic year. The announcement was made last Wednesday in New York which it was stated that the Capital One Cup will go to the mens and womens programs who do the best over the course of mutliple sports.

Colleges will earn points based on their performances in 13 sports ranging from cross country, golf, tennis, volleyball, softball, and rowing. Doug Flutie, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Boston College and former NFL QB, stated that the Capital One Cup will bring more exposure to the sports that most people seem to not care about. ‘This will be an opportunity for school administrators to see the importance of their non-revenue programs. On the campuses, pride amongst the students in these sports will start to escalate’ stated Flutie.

Each university will be awarded with a trophy and a $200,000 scholarship from Capital One. It is being said that the presentation of the Capital One Cup and the scholarship money will be held each during ESPN’s ESPY Awards presentation. The NCAA has conducted the Sears Cup evey year since 1993. The University of North Carolina won it that first year but Stanford has won it every year since then. This is an award that is given to Division I, Division II, and Division III teams. The Sears Cup has an academic statute to it but the Capital One Cup will be one that focuses solely on athletics.

In the end, what the NCAA hopes to happen with the Capital One Cup is to find out exactly what school has the top athletic program in the country. Basically, teams will be awarded points for finishing in the top 10 in national championships and in the final national polls. 20 points will be awarded to the national champions with descending point totals through 10th place. Lisa Leslie was also on hand to help with the announcement with Flutie.

The on-going soap opera that has become Lance Stephenson added another chapter recently when the 19 year old Indiana Pacers rookie guard was arrested for allegedly pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs in Brooklyn.

Jasmine Williams, 21, the mother of Stephenson’s child, suffered head and neck injuries after being shoved headfirst down 10 steps in her apartment building, authorities said.

Stephenson, a second round draft pick of the Pacers in the 2010 NBA Draft, was charged with second and third degree assault, harassment and menacing. A charge of criminal possession of a weapon was added, although a spokesperson wouldn’t comment on the weapons charge.

The Pacers issued a statement acknowledging Stephenson’s arrest, but declined further comment until more facts are known.

Having entered the NBA Draft after playing only one season at the University of Cincinnati, Stephenson, regarded by draft experts as a first-round talent, fell to the Pacers at the number 40 position primarily due to questions about the former New York City high school phenom’s maturity stemming from a history of questionable behavior, including a prior arrest in 2008 for sexual assault on a 17 year old high school girl.

The 6’5″ backcourt star, who became the leading career scorer in New York state history following four city championships at Lincoln High School, has constantly been embroiled in controversy ever since he was anointed as the next “Great One” as an 8th grader. His college recruitment became a national day-by-day news story, as much for the colleges that showed great interest and then backed away, leaving observers speculating on the reasons for such an obvious mega-talent becoming somewhat of a pariah. The theories were numerous, ranging from his on-court selfish demeanor to his ever-present, overbearing father to his participation in a controversial Internet reality series “Born Ready.”

Stephenson’s “me-first” attitude was evidenced by Davidson head coach Bob McKillop‘s statement after cutting the player from tryouts for the U.S. Under-18 team, which McKillop coached; “Five percent of the game is played with the ball in your hands. The other 95% is played without the ball in your hands. Lance had to work on that.”

Lance Stephenson, Sr. is a constant presence whenever and wherever his son plays. The very vocal father has been extremely “hands-on” during his son’s rise to fame and recruitment. His insistence on being involved in every aspect has no doubt turned off many recruiters and left most shaking their heads.

Seen as another example of “too much, too soon,” one can only hope Stephenson somehow turns his situation around and makes the most of his God-given talents before it’s too late.

The basketball world championship is one of the biggest international basketball events outside of the Olympics. Like the Olympics or World Cup, the FIBA World Championship is held once every four years. The team that wins the tournament is awarded the Naismith Trophy, named for the inventor of basketball.

Since the 2006 tournament, the FIBA World Championship consists of 24 teams. They are divided in to 4 groups of 6 teams each. After the group stage, the 16 top teams advance to a knockout round. That continues until the final game, where the FIBA World Champion is crowned. Teams qualify for the tournament in several ways. The host nation and the reigning Olympic champion earn automatic bids. The rest of the spots are determined by the various FIBA federations much like in soccer. Once all of the bids are secured, a draw is held to determine the six groups.

The group state is conducted with a round robin format. Each team in a group will play 5 games. The top four teams from each group advance to the knockout stage. This bracket is based on the order that teams finish in the group stage. The final game determines the FIBA champion. A third place game is held to determine who wins the bronze medal.

The FIBA World Championship was first held in 1950 in Argentina, with the host nation defeating the United States in the final game. The 2010 edition is being held in Turkey. The United States has won the most medals in the history of the tournament with ten, including three gold medals. Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union have won eight medals each, including three gold medals each to tie them with the United States for most tournament wins. Serbia and Russia, nations that were once part of those two countries, have won two medals apiece since Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union dissolved. Spain is the reigning champion, having won the 2006 tournament in Japan.

The United States has had a checkered history at the FIBA World Championship despite their impressive Olympic resume. The United States last won the FIBA World Championship in 1994. They have had two bronze medals since then. They hit a low point when they lost in the quarterfinals in 2002, a tournament they hosted. The United States has a new team from the 2008 Olympics, but is still the favorite to win in 2010.

Coaching youth basketball can be a very fulfilling experience. However, it requires a lot of responsibility. You will not only be teaching the children about basketball but also teaching them about teamwork and sportsmanship. Coaching youth basketball isn’t something you can go in to without having a plan. Here are some tips to make the experience a success for you and the kids.

The most important thing to remember is that these are just kids. You have to be prepared for them to make mistakes and have trouble picking up on skills. It is important to display patience and understanding. Children can sense when you are frustrated, and that can cause them to become upset or feel insecure.

The next step is to make sure the children know you are in charge. If you let kids walk over you, you will lose control of the team. Kids won’t listen to you and they might set a bad example for others. You need to design a set of rules in make sure the kids follow them. This doesn’t mean you should behave like a dictator. You want to make sure the kids have fun, but in a controlled environment.

Teaching youth basketball isn’t as much about winning games as it is about teaching skills. You should have a structure to practice where you focus on a different skill each time. Basic skills like dribbling, shooting, passing, and defense should be taught so that children get used to all that is involved in basketball. Teach what you can and allow the kids to learn by practicing. If you spend one practice on passing and another on shooting, you are allowing them to learn each skill without being overwhelmed. After the kids get a handle on the skills, combine them by having them play scrimmages or various other games that incorporate shooting, dribbling, and passing.

The most important aspect to teach is sportsmanship. You don’t want kids on your team mouthing or showing off. Remember, the kids on your team will have different skill levels. It’s your job to make sure the best player on your team isn’t belittling one of the other players. The kids should have equal playing time no matter what their skill levels are. This isn’t the NBA, so you shouldn’t be trying to win at all costs. Parents are putting trust in you to teach their kids not only about basketball but also about sportsmanship and cooperation.

The British Basketball League (BBL) consists of 13 teams. England and Scotland both offer future members for the teams. The British Basketball League was formed in 1987 when a number of the game’s clubs wanted to become franchise-based competition with relegation and promotion. The BBL quickly brought about professionalism in the sport and it rapidly became the benchmark bringing about quality competition in the UK.

The first team to win the BBL Championship was the Portsmouth. They were followed by the Kingston Kings who became the first of three back-to-back winners. The Newscastle Eagles have recently proved to be the team to beat after they have won the major prizes after winning six consecutive trophies.

After seeing some slumps in attendance and interest the League chairman and Newcastle Managing Director, Paul Blake is marketing basketball abroad and at home. His leadership has started bringing the fans back. Recruiting has also taken on a more professional look with Luol Deng finally committing to a team and players Ben Gordon, Joel Freeland, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu bringing in some new blood that the fans enjoy.

The British Basketball League plays a season opening in September and ending in April. Each club plays each of the other teams three times throughout the season. The schedule is arranged so that each team plays at home, once away, and the third game is either at home or away. The games are played according to FIBA rules. Each game has four quarters. Each quarter lasts for ten minutes. Two points are given for a win. The game goes into overtime if the score is tied when the final buzzer sounds. Overtime is played for five minute segments. These segments continue until one team is ahead when the segment ends.

Once the regular season is completed the top eight placed teams advance into the Championship Playoffs. This highly popular championship takes place in April and concludes with the ‘Finals Weekend.’ The final game is generally held during the May bank holiday weekend. This event takes place at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. The winning team is then crowned the ‘Play-off champions.’

During the season there are additional championship games. The first is the BBL Cup. This event is a pure knockout competition and it includes each of the 13 teams. The BBL Trophy is also played during the season. It comprises of the 13 BBL teams as well as three teams from another league. Finally, the BBL Cup Winners’ Cup is a pre-season tournament.