Serge Zwikker

Serge Zwikker (born April 28, 1973) is a Dutch-American basketball player. Serge came to the United States in 1988, and played for Don Kent at MSGR MClancy in Queens, New York. Serge then transferred to Flint Hill Prep and then Harker Prep. Zwikker played four years of college basketball for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under coach Dean Smith. Though he saw limited playing time his first two years, relieving starter Rasheed Wallace from the bench, the game of Zwikker's college career came March 17, 1995 against Murray State University. Plagued by an ankle injury, Wallace scored only six points before Smith benched Wallace for good, three minutes into the second half. Zwikker finished with 19 points (including 7 of 8 free throws) as he and Jerry Stackhouse led the Tar Heels to an 80-70 win. Zwikker became the Tar Heels' starting center following Wallace's departure in the 1995 NBA Draft.

Zwikker was selected by the Houston Rockets with the first pick of the second round (29th overall) in the 1997 NBA Draft, and spent one season on the Rockets' bench. To date, he has not recorded minutes in a single NBA game. Due to the 1998 NBA lockout Serge Zwikker signed a three-year contract with TAU Cerámica in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

North Carolina

North Carolina (ⁱ/ˌnɔːrθ kærəˈlaɪnə/) is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west, Virginia to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. North Carolina is the 28th most extensive and the 9th most populous of the 50 United States. North Carolina is known as the Tar Heel State and the Old North State.

North Carolina is composed of 100 counties. Its two largest metropolitan areas are among the top ten fastest-growing in the country: its capital, Raleigh, and its largest city, Charlotte. In the past five decades, North Carolina's economy has undergone a transition from reliance upon tobacco, textiles, and furniture-making to a more diversified economy with engineering, energy, biotechnology, and finance sectors.

North Carolina has a wide range of elevations, from sea level on the coast to 6,684 feet (2,037 m) at Mount Mitchell, the highest point in North America east of the Mississippi River. The climate of the coastal plains is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the state falls in the humid subtropical climate zone. More than 300 miles (500 km) from the coast, the western, mountainous part of the state has a subtropical highland climate.

Basketball

Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3.048 m) high mounted to a backboard at each end.

A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the shooting team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line, and two points if shot from in front of the line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, after the other team was assessed with certain fouls. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time (overtime) is issued when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by throwing it to a teammate, or by bouncing it while walking or running (dribbling). It is a violation to lift, or drag, one's pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling.

Vince Carter

Vincent Lamar Carter (born January 26, 1977) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is 6'6" and can play both shooting guard and small forward.

A high school McDonald's All-American, Carter played three years at the University of North Carolina. While there, he twice reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before being selected as the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Toronto Raptors. He won the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and won the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2000 NBA All-Star Weekend. That summer, he represented the United States in the Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal.

He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his leaping ability and slam dunks, earning him nicknames such as "Vinsanity", "Air Canada", and "Half-Man, Half-Amazing".

He led the Raptors to their first three playoff appearances. In 2004, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, and he helped lead them to three playoff berths. In July 2009, Carter was traded to the Orlando Magic, and helped them advance to the Eastern Conference finals before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in December 2010. He joined the Mavericks in 2011 and the Grizzlies in 2014.