INTRODUCTION The words may seem a bit strange now, but a story by Bob Palmer Jr. in the sports section of the Waterbury Republican from Dec. 8, 1970 – exactly 54 years ago Sunday – opened with the following sentence: “The unusual arrangement of having three Waterbury high school basketball teams playing at home in three different gymnasiums – which could very well be a first – is on the agenda for tonight.” There was a time when some of the city’s schools did not have their own snazzy gymnasiums expansive enough to accommodate crowds of a decent size to watch a high school game. Sites such as the Crosby Palace and Wilby’s Reggie O’Brien gym that now regularly hosts the Naugatuck Valley League tournament had not yet been built. Both of those high schools were still in downtown Waterbury, in older buildings with tiny gyms by today’s standards. The lack of top-grade gymnasiums in the city was not an indication that high school basketball had yet to command a following among local sports fans. To the contrary, the State Armory on Field Street had regularly drawn crowds of more than a thousand or two to doubleheaders involving Waterbury schools throughout the 1940s, ’50s and early ’60s, with Bob Markovic, Dick Clary and Billy Finn among the standouts who dazzled the crowds with their hoop skills. Sacred Heart and Wilby captured state titles during the Armory era, while Leavenworth’s 1947 squad provided Waterbury with its only New England champion. Future Major League Baseball player Jimmy Piersall led the Engineers past Durfee High of Fall River, Mass., 51-44, in the final before a crowd of 13,000 at Boston Garden. That storied period in the city’s hoops history had begun to give way when Kennedy High replaced the Armory as host site for most city games, upon the school’s opening in 1965. By the end of the 1970s, less than 15 years later, – three more new high schools with new gymnasiums had been built in the city, which helped to transition Waterbury basketball into the modern era. The 1970s as a decade of change began with a new Catholic school added to the host of rivalries among city teams. As noted in Palmer’s article previewing the scholastic schedule for that December evening 54 years ago, the night’s action included home games for Kennedy, Kaynor Tech and Holy Cross, with Holy Cross competing on the varsity level for the first time, in the school’s third year of operation. Both Crosby (in 1974) and Wilby (in 1978) would move into impressive new school complexes and gyms on the outskirts of town. And by 1980, a trio of new basketball coaches would take over at city schools – Jack Taglia, Ed Generali and Nick Augelli – with each to eventually have city gyms renamed in their honor after outstanding and impactful coaching careers. For two of those three venues, both gyms were officially opened on the same calendar date, Dec. 6, nine years apart, and the two men whose names now adorn each court happened to be on hand for each gym’s first contest, decades before the sites were dedicated in their honor . WATERBURY — Crosby High School hosted a gathering Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of the first high school basketball game played at the school gymnasium. Bulldog teams have won 16 Naugatuck Valley League basketball titles and three state championships since moving from a downtown location to the building on Pierpont Road for the 1974-75 school year. The venue, considered among the finest gyms in the state upon its opening, is now named for longtime head coach Nick Augelli, who was an assistant to the late Bob Brown when Crosby High’s gym opened for play on Dec. 6, 1974. Waterbury Schools Superintendent Michael F. Wallace was among the city dignitaries on hand that night when the Bulldogs hosted Watertown. Center Dave Wiggins (with 20 points) and star guard Steve Johnson (18 points) were among six double-figure scorers as Crosby routed the visitors, 114-74. “Dr. Wallace threw up the opening jump ball and we were off and running,” recalled Brown, Crosby’s head coach from 1968 to 1979, when asked about that 1974-75 season opener for this reporter’s 2021 book about the history of high school basketball in Waterbury. Brown’s deep and athletic Bulldog squad captured city and NVL titles with a 17-2 record and reached the Class L quarterfinals in the initial season in its new home. Dubbed Crosby Palace, the gym was part of an impressive complex that housed the high school and Wallace Middle School, as the city moved away from K-8 elementary school system in the 1970s. The need to accommodate space for simultaneous physical education classes for Wallace and Crosby students called for an extra-large space, along with a seating capacity adequate for various school events. “It was quite a gym with movable, portable baskets and probably one of the largest seating-capacity gyms in the state at the time,” said Nick Augelli, who had joined Brown’s staff in the 1969-70 season. “For years we had to practice at Kennedy and were fit in between Kennedy’s team and Mattatuck Community College. So, having the new school and gym open up was a great advantage for us. We could practice more and truly have a home court.” Its original bleachers have since been replaced, with a reduced capacity, but Brown in a 2021 interview estimated the original setup “was built to hold 2,800 sitting fans. ... We sold out for many games and I remember a few nights having over 3,000 fans, with many of them standing all around the court.” Brown died one day shy of his 79th birthday in November 2021. To borrow theater terminology, you need a successful and entertaining show to draw big crowds, and the 1974-75 Bulldogs’ running and pressing style fit the bill. Crosby hit the 100-point mark four times that season – including a 125-71 romp over West Haven that set a city scoring record – and went 12-2 in league games to stage a winning show to open the Palace, a year after playing most of its games at Kennedy. “The new school and gym were great ... having our own house, earlier practice time, getting home in time for dinner,” said Pete Anton, who hit 12 of 13 shots in Crosby’s regular-season finale, an 82-63 win over Wilby that clinched the city and league titles. “I’m sure we played in front of much bigger crowds that year, but I’m not sure if it had to do with the new gym or because we had the best team in the city. “Above all else, it was just great having our own hostile home court advantage for the first time,” added Anton, who along with junior classmate Johnson was named to the 1974-75 All-NVL team. Crosby collected a couple of wins in the 1975 state tournament before running into state power Warren Harding High of Bridgeport, whose roster included future NBA player Wes Matthews, All-Stater Aldo Samuel and Mike McKay, who would go on to star at UConn. The Bulldogs held their own in the first half of the Class L quarterfinal before Harding rallied for a 70-66 victory. Steve Johnson scored 13 points, including the 1,000th point of his scholastic career, in the season-ending loss. Harding would again prove Crosby’s nemesis the next season, in a Class L semifinal played at the New Haven Coliseum, when McKay and Matthews combined for 39 points in a 69-59 win. “It was so disappointing to end the season that way. We were up by five at the half,” noted Anton about the final game of his high school career. “We could have won it.” Brown would coach the Bulldogs to one more NVL title before handing the reins over to Augelli for the 1979-80 campaign, when Crosby again fell just one game short of a CIAC final appearance. The elusive state title would come in 1998, the first of Crosby’s three CIAC championships during the Augelli era. Dhaamin Hill and Marvin Rountree were top ‘Dogs that season, which culminated in a victory over Notre Dame of West Haven in the Class L championship game. Augelli would guide Crosby teams to five CIAC final appearances over the 12 seasons between 1998 and 2009, winning again in 2005 and 2008. He has amassed 750 wins in 45 seasons as head coach at Crosby. “The 2015 dedication of Coach Nick Augelli Court and the naming of the gym a few years later in my honor is something that I really cherish,” said Augelli, who has been on the Crosby sidelines since the gym’s opening in 1974. Asked if there’s one game at the venue that might stand out among the rest, Augelli recalled the 1987 Crosby-Wilby matchup that determined the NVL champion that season. Both teams were 18-1 at the time and both were ranked in the Top 10 poll of state teams; Wilby coach Reggie O’Brien had called it the “biggest game ever in the city” in an article previewing the game in the Waterbury Republican. “A portion of the bleachers had broken and the Park Department had to bring in extra bleachers. But they just let everybody into the gym. There were over 3,000 people, with many standing on the sidelines and under the basket,” recalled Augelli. “As the game turned out, we were down by 22 at halftime and then scored 60 points in the second half to win by one point in overtime.” Besides all the games that were played over the years at the gym, “the practices and the times spent with the many players and seeing them achieve their goals is what stands out the most for me,” said Augelli, who now ranks second on the list of all-time winningest basketball coaches in CIAC history, with 750 victories. “Someday I would like to calculate the number of hours I have spent in that gymnasium – between practices, games and preparation for the season,” he said. “It would be quite a number.” Mike Griffin, a copy editor for the Republican-American, Sunday Republican and rep-am.com, is the author of “Hoops History: Fifty Years of High School Boys Basketball in Waterbury.” A 1983 Crosby High graduate, he also is a member of the Crosby Sports Hall of Fame committee.AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - IKO, a worldwide leader in the roofing, waterproofing and insulation industries for residential and commercial markets, is thrilled to announce the outstanding success of its recent Profit Power events. 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US prosecutor asks judge to dismiss 2020 election subversion case against TrumpThe Seattle Kraken were one of a couple teams who didn’t have any players named to the four rosters of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. The Kraken and Washington Capitals were the only two teams without a representative at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but that shouldn’t alarm Kraken fans. In fact, it’s really a comment only on where the Kraken are in their development. And if another best-on-best-type tournament is going to be played down the line – 2026 Olympics, anyone? – we’re much more likely to see a Kraken player wearing their home country’s jersey. For Seattle, the list of potential best-on-best players begins with star center Matty Beniers. At 22 years old, Beniers , but a year-and-a-half from now, Beniers is going to be a more well-rounded player, and someone who will be making a strong case to be included at the next Olympic Games. Now, we’re not saying Beniers will be a lock to represent America. There’s plenty of first-rate depth down the mille for the U.S., including Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Brock Nelson and Jack Eichel. But Nelson is currently 33 years old, and by the time the Olympics rolls around, Beniers could easily replace Nelson in America’s lineup. Similarly, on the Canadian side of things, Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour didn’t get named to the 4 Nations Face-Off. But , and the same could be true for changes between the 4 Nations Face-Off and the next Olympics. Remember, Montour is a Stanley Cup champion, and if Canada’s more senior blueliners including 34-year-old Alex Pietrangelo are omitted from the Olympic roster, the 30-year-old Montour would be a solid choice to replace him for the next Olympics. The 4 Nations Face-Off is going to provide plenty of great hockey for fans of all stripes. And while Kraken fans are no doubt disappointed to not have a Seattle player to root for at the tournament, it likely won’t be long before that changes and the Kraken have one or two representatives of their respective country at a best-on-best-type showdown. Things can change with either injuries or sub-par play, and an opportunity for a player like Montour or Beniers could be right around the corner. Time will tell whether a Kraken player or two gets the nod at the next Olympic Games – or as an injury replacement at the 4 Nations – and if they do, it will heighten the viewing experience for Kraken fans. For now, though, Seattle fans should sit back and enjoy the 4 Nations Face-Off for what it is – a fan-friendly tournament that will thrill any hockey-watcher.

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Trump says he's a 'believer' in polio vaccine, and other news conference takeawaysWhat happens when 'The Simpsons' join 'Monday Night Football'? Find out during Bengals-CowboysAUSTIN, TEXAS / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2024 / Monogram Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:MGRM) ("Monogram" or the "Company"), an AI-driven robotics company focused on improving human health with an initial focus on orthopedic surgery, today announced completed purchases of MGRM common stock on the open market by certain related parties including Chief Financial Officer Noel Knape, totaling approximately $1 million. Additional details can be found on the Form 8-K filed today by the Company under Item 8.01 Other Events. "Our senior management team has purchased shares in the open market, reflecting high confidence in our strategy and expectation to create long-term shareholder value," said Ben Sexson, Chief Executive Officer of Monogram. "With the funding secured from our recent offering, we are optimistic about our ability to reach our key milestones in the months ahead."

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TV’s Dr. Oz invested in businesses regulated by agency Trump wants him to leadST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — PGA Tour rookie Patrick Fishburn played bogey-free for an 8-under 64 for his first lead after any round. Joel Dahmen was 10 shots behind and had a bigger cause for celebration Friday in the RSM Classic. Dahmen made a 5-foot par putt on his final hole for a 2-under 68 in tough conditions brought on by the wind and cold, allowing him to make the cut on the number and get two more days to secure his PGA Tour card for next year. He is No. 124 in the FedEx Cup. “I still got more to write this weekend for sure,” said Dahmen, who recently had said his story is not yet over. “But without having the opportunity to play this weekend, my story would be a lot shorter this year.” Fishburn took advantage of being on the easier Plantation course, with trees blocking the brunt of the wind and two additional par 5s. He also was helped by Maverick McNealy, who opened with a 62 on the tougher Seaside course, making two bogeys late in his round and having to settle for a 70. Fishburn, who already has locked up his card for next year, was at 11-under 131 and led McNealy and Lee Hodges (63) going into the weekend. Michael Thorbjornsen had a 69 and was the only player who had to face Seaside on Friday who was among the top five. What mattered on this day, however, was far down the leaderboard. The RSM Classic is the final tournament of the PGA Tour season, and only the top 125 in the FedEx Cup have full status in 2025. That's more critical than ever with the tour only taking the top 100 for full cards after next season. Players like Dahmen will need full status to get as many playing opportunities as they can. That explains why he felt so much pressure on a Friday. He didn't make a bogey after his opening hole and was battling temperatures in the low 50s that felt even colder with the wind ripping off the Atlantic waters of St. Simons Sound. He made a key birdie on the 14th, hitting a 4-iron for his second shot on the 424-yard hole. Dahmen also hit wedge to 2 feet on the 16th that put him on the cut line, and from the 18th fairway, he was safely on the green some 40 feet away. But he lagged woefully short, leaving himself a testy 5-footer with his job on the line. “It was a great putt. I was very nervous,” Dahmen said. “But there's still work to do. It wasn't the game-winner, it was like the half-court shot to get us to halftime. But without that, and the way I played today, I wouldn't have anything this weekend.” His playing partners weren't so fortunate. The tour put three in danger of losing their cards in the same group — Zac Blair (No. 123), Dahmen and Wesley Bryan (No. 125). The cut was at 1-under 141. Blair and Bryan came to the 18th hole needing birdie to be assured of making the cut and both narrowly missed. Now they have to wait to see if anyone passes them, which is typically the case. Thorbjornsen in a tie for fourth and Daniel Berger (66 at Plantation) in a tie for 17th both were projected to move into the top 125. Dahmen, indeed, still has work to do. Fishburn gets a weekend to see if he can end his rookie year with a win. “I've had a lot of experience playing in cold growing up in Utah, playing this time of year, kind of get used to playing when the body’s not moving very well and you’ve got to move your hands,” said Fishburn, who played college golf at BYU. “Just pretty happy with how I played.” Ludvig Aberg, the defending champion and No. 5 player in the world competing for the first time in more than two months because of knee surgery, bounced back with a 64 on Plantation and was back in the mix. Aberg played with Luke Clanton, the Florida State sophomore who looks like he belongs each week. Clanton, the No. 1 player in the world amateur ranking who received a sponsor exemption, had a 65 at Plantation and was two shots off the lead. Clanton already has a runner-up and two other top 10s since June. “Playing with him, it's pretty awesome to watch,” Clanton said. “We were kind of fanboying a little it. I know he's a really good dude but to be playing with him and to see what he's done over the last couple years, it's pretty inspirational.” ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf The Associated Press