George Mikan: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Line 88: Mikan dominated his peers from the start of his [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) career at DePaul. He intimidated opponents with his size and strength and was unstoppable on offense with his hook shot. Mikan established a reputation as one of the hardest and grittiest players in the league, often playing through injuries and punishing opposing centers with hard fouls.<ref name="csrjeffdavis"/> In addition, Mikan surprised the basketball world with his ability to [[goaltending (basketball)|goaltend]], swatting balls in flight before they could reach the hoop. "We would set up a [[zone defense]] that had four men around the key and I guarded the basket," Mikan later recalled. "When the other team took a shot, I'd just go up and tap it out." As a consequence, the NCAA (and later the NBA) outlawed touching a ball either after it had reached its apex in flight or after it had touched the backboard and had a chance of going in the hoop.<ref name="nbacomsummary"/> [[Bob Kurland]], a {{height|ft=7|in=0}} tall center for [[Oklahoma State University–Stillwater|Oklahoma A&M]], was one of the few opposing NCAA centers to have any success against Mikan.<ref>Michael Schumacher. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=JiMUHHirvs0C&q=kurland Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA]''. University of Minnesota Press, 2008. 47.</ref> Mikan was named the Helms NCAA College [[Helms Foundation Player of the Year|Player of the Year]] in 1944 and 1945 and was an [[All-American]] basketball player three times. In 1945, he led DePaul to the [[National Invitation Tournament|NIT]] title, which at that time was more prestigious than the NCAA title.<ref name="reed">{{Cite book| last = Reed | first = Billy | title = Final Four | publisher = Host Communications | year = 1988 | page = 40| isbn = 0962013102}}</ref> Mikan led the nation in scoring with 23.9 [[points per game]] in 1944–45 and 23.1 points per game in 1945–46. When DePaul won the 1945 NIT, Mikan was named [[Most Valuable Player]] for scoring 120 points in three games, including 53 points in a 97–53 win over [[University of Rhode Island|Rhode Island]] ==Professional career== | |||