Men's Basketball Research Articles

Monitor, regulate coaches' conduct by taking an active role

From the national headlines of the abusive tactics used in Rutgers University's men's basketball program to the less sensational — but also problematic — allegations of the emotional abuse of student‐athletes on various women's teams, the issue of coaches' conduct has never been more at the forefront of collegiate sports than it is today.

“Eagles Don’t Fly with Sparrows”: Self-Determination Theory, African American Male Scholar-Athletes and Peer Group Influences on Motivation

The belief that African American students do not value high academic achievement (e.g., Fordham & Ogbu, 1986) is a common misperception being challenged by scholars (Cokley, 2003; Harper, 2006). To properly address this idea, researchers must attempt to understand the psychological nature of motivation among African American students and its subsequent effects on their academic performance (Cokley, 2003). While research examining the academic motivations of African American students is scarce, research specifically peering into the academic motivations of high-achieving African American male college athletes is almost non-existent. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the academic motivation of high-achieving African American male college athletes, as well as to explore their academic experiences and the role of peers on their academic achievement. In doing so, a unique light is shed on the academic motivations of African American male college athletes, while also highlighting their achievements in an arena other than the playing field or court (Hodge et al., 2008).Literature ReviewMotivation and African American StudentsAccording to oppositional culture, African American students are not motivated to pursue academic excellence owing in part to the perception that doing so is to act (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986; Harris, 2006). Although this view is held by some, an emerging line of research is challenging the hypothesis by examining the motivation of academically driven African American students. In one of the few studies of its kind, Cokley (2003) challenged the anti-intellectual myth of African American students by examining their motivation toward academic achievement. Although Cokley (2003) found that African American students were indeed academically motivated, results indicated that African American males were less self-determined and experienced higher levels of amotivation than their female counterparts. In a similar study, Martin and colleagues (2010) explored the academic achievements of high-achieving African American male college athletes from four academically rigorous American universities on the West Coast. Among other themes, the researchers found that high-achieving African American male college athletes were driven to succeed academically by both internal (e.g., high self-standards) and external (e.g., negative social stereotypes about African American males) factors (Martin et al., 2010). Martin and associates (2010) defined high-achievement in their study by acknowledging those researchers and scholars who establish a 3.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) as a criterion for high academic achievement for African American students (Griffin, 2006; Guiffrida, 2004; Harper, 2008) and NCAA student-athlete recognition standards which establishes 3.0 as the baseline of high achievement. In the current study, the authors affirm that in the competitive sports of football and men's basketball a B- or higher is above average for all student-athletes from any ethnic background in these sports (see methods section for a more in-depth explanation of defining criteria for high-achieving African American male student-athletes at predominantly White institutions [PWIs] of higher learning).While useful in moving the conversation about the motivation of African American males, and specifically male student-athletes in the case of Martin and others' (2010) study, forward, the aforementioned research is limited in that these studies failed to examine the influence of peers on academic experiences. Including peer groups into an examination of African American academic experiences is critical as researchers have argued that African Americans, particularly African American males, devalue academic achievement owing, in part, to a fear of being socially ostracized and ridiculed by their peer group (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986). When investigating the academic motivations of African American students and student-athletes, it is imperative to highlight the influence of their peer groups. …

Serum zinc is associated with plasma leptin and Cu–Zn SOD in elite male basketball athletes

This paper investigates the relationship between plasma trace element and plasma leptin, as well as percent fat mass, in 16 male basketball athletes. Blood samples were obtained before intensive training and 24h after intensive training to measure plasma zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), and leptin levels. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), triglyceride (TG), total and cholesterol (TC) levels were determined using commercially available kits for humans. Subjects presented similar values in terms of age (21.1±2.2 years old), body mass index (23.9±2.00kg/m2), percent body fat (14.40±1.52%), plasma hemoglobin (150.1±9.4g/L), plasma Zn (17.47±1.28μmol/l), plasma Cu (13.42±1.40μmol/L), plasma Ca (2.41±0.14mmol/L), and plasma Mg (0.96±0.02mmol/L). The correlation analysis between degree of plasma leptin and plasma element contents was performed using the SPSS 16.0 software. Plasma Zn correlated positively with plasma leptin (r=0.746, P<0.01), Cu–Zn SOD (r=0.827, P<0.01), and negatively with percent fat mass (r=–0.598, P<0.05) under no-training conditions. Meanwhile, plasma Cu, Ca, Mg, and Fe did not correlate with plasma leptin or percent fat mass (P>0.05). In conclusion, plasma Zn may be involved in the regulation of plasma leptin and may serve as a lipid-mobilizing factor in Chinese men's basketball athletes.

Medical Expenditures in Division I Collegiate Athletics: An Analysis by Sport and Gender

Objective: Medical expenses for collegiate athletics include providing a training room with its supplies, equipment, personnel costs, and insurance coverage. Additional expenses beyond the training room include imaging, diagnostic testing, specialty consultations, and surgeries. We hypothesized that there would be no difference in average expenses or number of claims between male and female athletes over a 5-year period. Design: Prospective patient cohort. Setting: A sports medicine center serving athletes in Big 10 Conference intercollegiate sports. Assessment of Risk Factors: All medical claims and charges for 36 varsity teams were analyzed from 2005 to 2010. The teams were categorized into 3 groups: female-only teams, male-only teams, and coed teams. Analysis of sports with corresponding male and female teams was also performed. Main Outcome Measurements: Claims and charges for medical care for 36 intercollegiate athletic teams over 5 years. Results: Individual team claims and charges were stable over the study period. In 11 of the 14 sex-matched sports, the female teams had higher average annual charges. After normalizing for roster size in the sex-matched sports, females had 0.97 more average annual claims (P < 0.01) and $1459 higher annual charges (P = 0.001) than their male counterparts. The charges per claim were similar between the sexes. The 5 teams with the highest average annual charges were football, wrestling, softball, women's crew, and men's lacrosse. When normalized for roster size, the 5 sports with the highest average annual charges per athlete were softball, women's diving, men's basketball, wrestling, and men's gymnastics. Conclusion: Charges per claim were similar between the sex-matched sports, but the female sports had a higher number of annual claims per athlete and thus higher total charges per athlete/year. Football had the highest average annual total charges as a team, but when normalized for roster size football charges per athlete/year were similar to those of other sports.

An Approach to Evaluating the Chinese Male College Student Basketball Players' Specialized Physical Constitution with Fuzzy Information

With the league development, the improvement of college students' man basketball player movement level is important. The men's basketball athlete's special physical quality is to influence basketball level, one of the important factors in college basketball player development stage of special physical quality is good or bad will directly affect the movement to raise the level of college students. According to the characteristics of b asketball players, as well as characteristics of the modem basketball movement, the present situation and trend, the establishment of college students in our country male basketball players special physical quality evaluation items and standards, in order to provide the reference for the future training. In this paper, we investigate the multiple attribute group decision making problems for evaluating the C hinese male college student basketball players ’ specialized physical constitution with f uzzy information . We utilize the f uzzy weighted average ( FWA ) operator to aggregate the f uzzy information corresponding to each alternative and get the overall value of alternatives, then rank the alternatives and select the most desirable one (s) by using the formula of the degree of possibility for the comparison between two fuzzy variables. Finally an illustrative example has been given to show the developed approach . Keywords: Multiple Attribute Group Decision Making (MAGDM),FuzzyInformation,FuzzyWeighted Average (FWA)Operator,Chinese Male College Student, Specialized Physical Constitution

The moderating role of brand reputation and moral obligation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the influences of theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs (i.e. attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC)) on individuals’ volunteer intention for future sporting events, and second, to investigate the moderating effects of brand reputation and moral obligation in the relationships between TPB constructs and volunteer intention. Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 107 volunteers at the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationships of the model. Findings – Subjective norm and PBC were significantly associated with volunteer intention. Brand reputation was found to be a moderator in the relationships between attitude and volunteer intention and between subjective norm and volunteer intention, and moral obligation moderated the relationship between PBC and volunteer intention. Practical implications – Sporting events/volunteer managers must understand individuals’ decision-making process with respect to volunteering at sporting events and important insights into new strategies to increase volunteer recruitment, retention, and reliability. Social implications – Because sporting event managers face considerable obstacles in recruiting and retaining a volunteer workforce, an enhanced understanding of volunteering may highlight new ways to remove obstacles to being a volunteer to the benefit of individuals and society. Originality/value – This paper emphasizes the importance of brand reputation and moral obligation as moderators of the effects of the TPB constructs on volunteer intention in the context of sporting events.

How Predictable Is the Overall Voting Pattern in the NCAA Men's Basketball Post Tournament Poll?

After the completion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) men's basketball tournament in 1993, a poll of coaches was taken so those results—as well as those from the National In...

EPIDEMIOLOGIC REVIEW OF COLLEGIATE ACL INJURY RATES ACROSS 14 SPORTS: NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION INJURY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM DATA 2004-05 THROUGH 2011–12

BackgroundExtensive effort has been put into awareness and prevention programs to decrease the overall rate of injury and the difference between sexes.ObjectiveThe objective of this review is to document the...

Racism and Stereotyping on Campus: Experiences of African American Male Student-Athletes

Reported cases of racially charged occurrences continue on college campuses. With Blackface party incidents and noose hangings making news at numerous universities all over the country, African American students at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) may face challenges beyond the academic scope of tests, papers, and projects (Costello, 2010; Strausbaugh, 2006; Teaching Tolerance, 2002; Van Kerckhove, 2007; Wade, 2011). Facing and coping with racism has been identified as a risk factor and an impediment of achievement for African American students at PWIs (Feagin, Hernan, & Imani, 1996).Graduation rates of college students are the most tangible measures of student outcomes and success. By this measure, African American male college students are considered one of the most at risk students on campus, having the lowest graduation rates of any other demographic group (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 2012). Similarly, as a faction of this group, African American male student-athletes' graduation rates are also of concern (Lapchick, 2010). In a recent longitudinal study of 76 universities in major Division I-A athletic conferences, only 50.2% of African American male student-athletes graduated within six years and 55.5% of African American men overall; this is in comparison to 66.9% of all student-athletes, 72.8% of undergraduate students overall (Harper, Williams, & Blackmon, 2013).Less than 4% of students at Division I universities are African American, while 61% of men's basketball players and 46% of football players are African American (Harper, Williams, & Blackmon, 2013; Lapchick, 2010). These statistics suggest that further study of African American male student-athletes is important because they comprise a substantial proportion of African American students on many college campuses. This study adds to the current body of literature by presenting a glimpse into experiences and possible risk factors of one of the most at-risk student groups on Division I campuses.Purpose of the StudyAfrican American male student-athletes have a unique experience on predominantly White college campuses (Anderson, 1996; Beamon, 2008). In addition to the isolation that many student-athletes often experience, African American male student-athletes must also contend with negative racial, gender, and athletic stereotypes. Due to the overrepresentation of African American males participating in collegiate and professional sports, it may appear that the athletic world is free from racial discrimination. However, racism and exploitation exist in several areas of college and professional sports. Examples are found in the lack of effort given to improve the educational success of African American student-athletes in comparison to their White counterparts, stacking African American athletes at skilled positions as opposed to thinking positions, the absence of African Americans in decision-making and leadership positions at universities and in professional leagues, labor exploitation, and even in the salaries and endorsement opportunities of professional athletes (Edwards, 2000; Eitzen, 2000; Hall, 2001; Hoberman, 1997; Kahn 1991). Student-athletes of color are said to face specific difficulties such as social and academic integration and racism (Person, Benson-Quaziena, & Rogers, 2001 ; Person & LeNoir, 1997).Scholarship exploring the experience of African Americans on predominantly white campuses has been presented by several researchers (Davis, 1995; Feagin & Sikes, 1995; Marcus et al., 2003; Smith, 2007; Thompson et al., 1990). However, this study fills a gap in the literature by acknowledging the uniqueness of high-profile African American male studentathletes' experiences. For the purposes of this study, high-profile is conceptualized as Division I athletes in revenue-generating sports such as men's basketball and football. College sports and sports history in general seems to be filled with stories and images of cultural pluralism, fairness, racial harmony, and color-blindness (Hylton, 2009); but what do the student-athletes themselves think? …

Glory Out of Reflected Failure: The examination of how rivalry affects sport fans

Most studies on participant or fan rivalry have employed quantitative methods to investigate the phenomenon (Kilduff, Elfenbein, & Staw, 2010; Kimble & Cooper, 1992; Smith & Schwartz, 2003). The current study adds to the existing literature by using qualitative analysis to investigate the way fans make meaning of the rivalry. Intercollegiate football and men's basketball fans in the United States were interviewed about their perceptions of their favourite and rival teams, and the enjoyment they experienced when someone other than their favourite team defeated the identified rival. Social identity theory guided the investigation (Tajfel, 1974), and four themes were identified regarding fan reactions to rivalry: (1) socialisation, (2) in-group bias, (3) sense of satisfaction and (4) out-group indirect competition. Further, Glory Out of Reflected Failure (GORFing) extends research on disidentification (Elsbach & Bhattacharya, 2001), in-group bias (Tajfel, 1969; Turner, 1982), and schadenfreude (Heider, 1958) and asserts that fans will rejoice when their rival team has been defeated in indirect competition. Findings from the current study provide academics and administrators many avenues to further the understanding of fan social psychology and sport rivalry. Theoretical and practical implications of the current study along with areas for future research are presented.

Comparative Review of Statistical Parameters for Men's and Women's Basketball Leagues in Serbia

Basketball is one of the most popular sports. During a basketball game, statisticians note a large amount of information, helping coaches and players to improve their game and to analyse opponents in order to prepare for the following games. Due to amount and complexity of the information, basketball is the ideal discipline for the application of data mining techniques, especially neural networks that enable one to extract conclusions and knowledge from these data. In this paper, we compared the First senior leagues for men and for women in Serbia during the 2011/2012 season, and from these statistics, we calculated influence of certain parameters on a game's outcome. We concluded that the most influential parameter, in both leagues, is the offensive rebound. In men basketball then follows the three-point shot, the two-point shot and the one-point shot. In women's basketball, after the defensive rebound, the two-point shot follows, and then turnovers.

The Differential Effects of Racially Homophilous Sponsorship Ties on Job Opportunities in an Elite Labor Market: The Case of NCAA Basketball Coaching

We examine how an assistant coach's race and the race of his supervisor (the head coach) interact to affect future job quality. While past research argues that homophily is beneficial to job mobility, we find differential effects based on the race. OLS and OLR regression analyses on the quality of one's first head coaching job in NCAA men's basketball indicate that black assistant coaches working under black head coaches (black homophily) are significantly disadvantaged compared to all other racial combinations: white assistants with white supervisors (white homophily), white assistants with black supervisors (white heterophily), and black assistants with white supervisors (black heterophily). In contrast, there is no significant difference in job quality among the latter three groups: white homophily, white heterophily, and black heterophily. This indicates that while homophily is neither advantageous nor disadvantageous for whites, it is disadvantageous for black job candidates. This racially based disadvantage makes it difficult for minority job candidates to break through the glass ceiling and has real‐world financial implications.

The influence of physical and cognitive factors on reactive agility performance in men basketball players

This study explored the influence of physical and cognitive measures on reactive agility performance in basketball players. Twelve men basketball players performed multiple sprint, Change of Direction Speed Test, and Reactive Agility Test trials. Pearson’s correlation analyses were used to determine relationships between the predictor variables (stature, mass, body composition, 5-m, 10-m and 20-m sprint times, peak speed, closed-skill agility time, response time and decision-making time) and reactive agility time (response variable). Simple and stepwise regression analyses determined the individual influence of each predictor variable and the best predictor model for reactive agility time. Morphological (r = –0.45 to 0.19), sprint (r = –0.40 to 0.41) and change-of-direction speed measures (r = 0.43) had small to moderate correlations with reactive agility time. Response time (r = 0.76, P = 0.004) and decision-making time (r = 0.58, P = 0.049) had large to very large relationships with reactive agility time. Response time was identified as the sole predictor variable for reactive agility time in the stepwise model (R2 = 0.58, P = 0.004). In conclusion, cognitive measures had the greatest influence on reactive agility performance in men basketball players. These findings suggest reaction and decision-making drills should be incorporated in basketball training programmes.

Sport and Team Differences on Baseline Measures of Sport-Related Concussion

With the advent of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA's) mandating the presence and practice of concussion-management plans in collegiate athletic programs, institutions will consider potential approaches for concussion management, including both baseline and normative comparison approaches. To examine sport and team differences in baseline performance on a computer-based neurocognitive measure and 2 standard sideline measures of cognition and balance and to determine the potential effect of premorbid factors sex and height on baseline performance. Cross-sectional study. University laboratory. A total of 437 NCAA Division II student-athletes (males = 273, females = 164; age = 19.61 ± 1.64 years, height = 69.89 ± 4.04 inches [177.52 ± 10.26 cm]) were recruited during mandatory preseason testing conducted in a concussion-management program. The computerized Concussion Resolution Index (CRI), the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (Form A; SAC), and the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS). Players on the men's basketball team tended to perform worse on the baseline measures, whereas soccer players tended to perform better. We found a difference in total BESS scores between these sports (P = .002). We saw a difference between sports on the hard-surface portion of the BESS (F6,347 = 3.33, P = .003, ηp(2) = 0.05). No sport, team, or sex differences were found with SAC scores (P > .05). We noted differences between sports and teams in the CRI indices, with basketball, particularly the men's team, performing worse than soccer (P < .001) and softball/baseball (P = .03). When sex and height were considered as possible sources of variation in BESS and CRI team or sport differences, height was a covariate for the team (F1,385 = 5.109, P = .02, ηp(2) = 0.013) and sport (F1,326 = 11.212, P = .001, ηp(2) = 0.033) analyses, but the interaction of sex and sport on CRI indices was not significant in any test (P > .05). Given that differences in neurocognitive functioning and performance among sports and teams exist, the comparison of posttraumatic and baseline assessment may lead to more accurate diagnoses of concussion and safer return-to-participation decision making than the use of normative comparisons.

MVP Model Prevents Gender Violence on Campus

MVP Model Prevents Gender Violence on Campus

Heart rate and time-motion analyses in top junior players during basketball matches

Background: Basketball performance can be classified as an intermittent physical activity due to the changing situational game conditions and the number of intervening variables. It is necessary to have detailed knowledge about the performance of basketball players during a match as a background for more specific planning of the training process. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the indicators of internal and external load of basketball player's performance during a match of U18 top men basketball players as a background for the planning of specific training processes. Methods: Thirty-two Czech top junior basketball players (male, aged 16.88 ± 0.72 years) participated in this research. The heart rate was recorded and time-motion analysis was conducted during six warm-up matches. Results: The average heart rate was measured to be 167.47 ± 13.01 beats * min.-1, which corresponded to 85.06 ± 6.40% of peak heart rate. The percentages of the total time spent over and under 85% were 63.12% and 36.88%, respectively. Average distance covered was measured to be 5,880.91 ± 831.01 meters. The average work : rest ratio was 1 : 7.95 ± 1.83, ranging from 1 : 4.80 to 1 : 10.92. Conclusions: The results from these matches suggest that the exercise intensity and sprint activity observed during junior basketball are dependent on the player's position and partly on the level of the performance. The heart rate during a match was not dependent on the positions, however, time-motion analysis revealed significant differences between three basketball positions during a match. The combination of heart rate and time-motion analysis is recommended.

Ball possession effectiveness in men's and women's elite basketball according to situational variables in different game periods

The aim of the present study was to identify the importance of basketball performance indicators in predicting the effectiveness of ball possessions in men's and women's basketball, when controlling for situational variables and game periods. The sample consisted of 7234 ball possessions, corresponding to 40 games from the Spanish professional leagues. The effects of the predictor variables on successful ball possessions according to game period were analysed using binary logistic regressions. Results from men's teams show interactions with number of passes and ending player during the first five minutes, with starting and ending zone, defensive systems, screens used and possession duration during the middle thirty minutes, and there were interactions with passes used, possession duration and players involved during the last five minutes. Results from women's teams show interactions with starting and ending zone, passes used, defensive systems and ending player during the first five minutes, and with starting and ending zone, and screens used during the middle thirty minutes. The results show no interaction with situational variables in men's basketball, while league stage was important during the middle thirty minutes and last five minutes in women's basketball, whereas match status was only important during the last five minutes.

The influence of event quality on revisit intention

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between spectators’ event quality perceptions and revisit intention in both men's and women's basketball events by focusing on gender influence.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes structural equation modeling (SEM) on data collected by questionnaire survey from a total of 623 spectators of two college men's basketball events (n=292) and two college women's basketball events (n=331).FindingsThe results indicate that for men's basketball events, game performance and staff quality had a significant influence on the revisit intention of spectators, regardless of the spectator's gender. For women's basketball events, game performance and in‐game entertainment were significant determinants of spectator revisit intentions, again regardless of gender.Research limitations/implicationsThe current research collected data from division I‐A men's and women's basketball events in only one higher education institution. Further the current research adopted only four salient event quality factors (i.e., game performance, in‐game entertainment, staff quality, and physical surrounding). Finally, current research measured only revisit intention as a dependent variable.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that game performance was found to be the most significant event quality factor regardless of gender in both men’s and women’s sporting events. Furthermore, in‐game entertainment was another critical event quality factor for the revisit intention for women’s basketball events. In addition, females have more sensitive event quality perceptions in both men’s and women’s basketball events.Originality/valueThis study investigated the moderating role of gender in the relationship between specific event quality factors (i.e., game performance, in‐game entertainment, staff quality, and physical surrounding) and revisit intention for both men's and women's college basketball events. The study's findings yield insight into service research and offers meaningful implications to managers for future improvements of their services and development of marketing strategies in this context.

Beyond the Geotag? Deconstructing 'Big Data' and Leveraging the Potential of the Geoweb

This paper presents an overview and initial results of geoweb analysis performed by our group as the foundation for a continued discussion of the potential impacts of geodata for the practice of critical human geography. While Haklay’s (2012a) observation that social media content is generated by a tiny fraction of participants (outliers) is correct, we explore the methods and limits of going beyond geotagged datasets to overcome these issues. The results suggest a cautious approach towards the use of big geodata that is as mindful of its shortcomings as its potential.The principal case study focuses on the widely reported riots following the University of Kentucky men's basketball team’s 2012 championship, and its manifestation within the geoweb. Drawing upon a Twitter database we have been developing — which among other things has collected all geo-tagged tweets (about 5 million a day) since December 2011 — we analyze the geography of tweets that used a specific hashtag (#LexingtonPoliceScanner). The hashtag refers to the online feed of the Lexington Police Department (LPD) and by itself sheds light on spatially-determinable events as news of them diffuses over time and space.We propose five extensions to the typical practice of mapping georeferenced data that we call going beyond the geotag: (1) examining social media that is not explicitly geographic; (2) spatialities beyond the here and now; (3) going beyond the proximate; (4) going beyond the human to data produced by bots and automated systems and (5) leveraging tweets against ancillary data (such as news reports and census data). These extensions create an information-amplifier effect that — at least partially — overcomes the partiality of geoweb social media.We discuss our effort to develop a geoweb big data analytic engine which provides basic geovisualization functionality for a range of geo-tagged big data, enabling the combination of more conventional, “top-down” datasets or qualitative methods with user-generated geo-data.

Understanding Price Movements in Point-Spread Betting Markets: Evidence from NCAA Basketball

We analyze point-spread changes and betting volume for National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's basketball games using survival analysis techniques. Estimates based on point-spread changes from 2,548 games at the Hilton sports book and 1,681 games at the Mirage sports book in the 2007 season indicate that observed changes in point spreads are not related to imbalances in bet volumes. Sports books do not appear to change point spreads to induce equal volumes of bets on either side of propositions; the “balanced book” model of sports book behavior does not describe observed point-spread changes in this market.