Hakeem Olajuwon Essays - Houston Rockets, , Term Papers

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Olajuwon was raised in Nigeria, a country in Africa. Hakeem had never stepped on a basketball court until he was 17 years old, and the head of the Nigerian basketball team urged him to give the sport a try. The very first shot he took missed the hoop totally, so did the second shot, and his third shot was an air ball as well. Hakeem had lots to learn about American basketball. Coach Guy Lewis said He just flat out didnt know how to play. Before he could learn how to play, he had to get in shape. In practice he got tired after 2 or 3 minutes and after he dunked the ball his back hurt so badly he had to stop playing. Coach Lewis said Olajuwon had to strecth before he plays in practices or games. I didnt know about this stretching, said Olajuwon, but when he strecthed before practice his back problems disappeared. Hakeem got a scholarship at University of Houston and played for the Houston Cougars. Fans called the Houston Cougars The Slamma Jammas because of the way its players slammed and jammed the ball through the hoop. No team in college basketball dunked the ball like the Cougars. Once Hakeem started to play, he realized that being tall is a big advantage. The University of Houston, ranked number 1, met the University of Louisville, ranked number 2, in the semifinals of the 1983 NCAA playoffs. At the half the Louisville Cardinals was leading 41-36. Houston had 14 dunks before the game ended in a 94-81 with the Cougars coming out on top. Hakeem had an awesome game, he had 21 points, 22 rebounds, and 8 shots blocked. By the spring of 1983 Hakeem was recognized as one of the finest shot blockers and dunkers in college basketball. NBA star Mosses Malone practiced basketball with Hakeem at the gym in Houston. Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown University Hoyas met the University of Houston in the 1984 NCAA finals. Hakeem led the Cougars to two NCAA finials and was the number one pick in the 1984 NBA draft. Ralph Sampson was the center for the Houston Rockets until Hakeem joined the team. Bill Flinch was Olajuwon's first coach in the NBA. Larry Bird was already recognized as one of the NBA finest players when he and the Boston Celtics met the Rockets in the 1986 NBA finals. They lossed in the NBA finals and it was a big disappointment for Hakeem and the rest of the Houston Rockets. Bill Cartwrights collision with Hakeem resulted a serious injury. Hakeem missed 26 games while his eye injury healed. Once again the Rockets got in the playoffs and went to the NBA championship to face the New York Knicks. The best-of-seven series was a battle between Olajuwon and the Knicks star center Patrick Ewing. Houston grabbed an early lead, winning game 1, 85-78. But New York came back, winning game 2, 91-83. Houston managed to squeak by New York for a 93-89 victory in the third game. Rockets lead 2-1 before the Knicks won game 4, 91-82. Knicks also took the fifth game, 91-84, taking a lead with three games to two. Game six was close the whole game up until the final seconds. When the clock ran out, Houston led 86-84. In game seven, Hakeem led the Rockets to a 90-84 victory, making them the NBA champions for the first time in the teams history. Olajuwon also became the first player ever to be named regular season MVP, playoff MVP, and Defensive Player of the year. Speech and Communcations

An Explanation of Chain Migration

An Explanation of Chain Migration Chain migration has several meanings, so its  often misused and misunderstood. It can refer to the tendency of immigrants to follow those of a similar ethnic and cultural heritage to communities theyve established in their new homeland. For example, its not unusual to find Chinese immigrants settling in Northern California or Mexican immigrants settling in South Texas because their ethnic conclaves have been well-established in these areas for decades. Reasons for Chain Migration   Immigrants tend to gravitate to places where they feel comfortable. Those places often are  home to previous generations who share the same culture and nationality.   The History of Family Reunification in the U.S. More recently,  the term chain migration has become a pejorative description for immigrant family reunification and serial migration.  Comprehensive immigration reform  includes a pathway to citizenship that critics of the chain migration argument often use as a reason to deny unauthorized immigrants legalization. The issue has been at the center of U.S. political debate since the 2016 presidential campaign and throughout the early part of Donald Trumps presidency. The U.S. policy of family reunification began in 1965 when 74 percent of all new immigrants were brought into the U.S. on family reunification visas. They included unmarried adult children of U.S. citizens (20 percent), spouses and unmarried children of permanent resident aliens (20 percent), married children of U.S. citizens (10 percent), and brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens over age 21 (24 percent). The government also increased family-based visa approvals for Haitians after a devastating earthquake in that country in 2010. Critics of these family reunification decisions call them examples of chain migration. Pros and Cons   Cuban immigrants have been some of the prime beneficiaries of family reunification over the years, helping to create their large exile community in South Florida. The Obama administration renewed the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program in 2010, allowing 30,000 Cuban immigrants into the country the previous year. Overall, hundreds of thousands of Cubans have entered the U.S. through reunification since the 1960s. Opponents of reform efforts often are  opposed to family-based immigration as well. The United States allows its citizens to petition for legal status for their immediate relatives- spouses, minor children,  and parents- without numerical limitations. U.S. citizens also can  petition for other family members with some quota and numerical restrictions, including unmarried adult sons and daughters, married sons and daughters, brothers, and sisters. Opponents of family-based immigration argue that it has caused migration to the U.S. to skyrocket. They say it encourages overstaying visas and manipulating the system, and that it allows too many poor and unskilled people into the country. What the Research Says   Research- especially that performed by the Pew Hispanic Center- refutes these claims. In fact, studies have shown that family-based immigration has encouraged stability. It has promoted playing by the rules and financial independence. The government caps the number of family members who can immigrate each year, keeping the levels of immigration in check. Immigrants with strong family ties and stable homes do better in their adopted countries  and theyre generally a better bet to become successful Americans than immigrants who are on their own.