Petitionen & Spendenaufrufe » the Academies focusing on education,

SALT LAKE CITY -- Chase Hansen was considered the quarterback of the future when he arrived at Utah in 2012, but circumstances pushed him to safety last season. What was thought to be a temporary move has become a full-time job as the No. 24 Utes now have one of the budding young safeties in the Pac-12.Hes playing as good as any safety in the conference, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. Hes all over the place. Hes a big-play guy. Hes stripping the ball, hes recovering fumbles. Hes doing a great job in coverage. Hes physical. Hes a great tackler. Hes exceeding my expectations.I believed he was going to be very good. But I didnt know hed be this good this quickly.The redshirt sophomore made the switch last midseason as the 6-foot-3, 212-pound dual-threat quarterback was wasting away behind Travis Wilson and Kendal Thompson. Whittingham insisted the move was temporary, but Hansen played well and was promoted to starter against Washington, where he had a career-high 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup before a lower leg injury ended his season.Hansen had a decision during the offseason -- stay at safety or go try to win the quarterback job. With former Washington quarterback Troy Williams transferring in and 2015 Florida Gatorade Football Player of the Year Tyler Huntley signing, Hansen believed he would help more at safety. Additionally, he enjoyed playing defense.When I was in high school, even when I was at quarterback, I loved to run, I loved to run hard, said Hansen, who served a two-year Mormon mission in Australia. I loved the contact. It just feels more like football to me.Theres something therapeutic about hitting people really hard and kind of going crazy out on a football field.The Utes host Arizona on Saturday and Hansen enters as the No. 3 tackler on the team with 26. He also has 1.5 tackles for loss, a fumble forced, a fumble recovered and a pass breakup. Hansen is still learning the intricacies of the position -- proper technique, footwork, running backward, covering tight ends. Hes also trying to become more instinctive where he can instantly react to what he sees instead of hesitating.Hansen wants to hit like Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor and cover like Baltimore Ravens safety and former Ute Eric Weddle.Two things, hes smart and hes athletic, Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley said. You cant play safety here if youre not athletic and hes athletic and fast and is able to do it. So the physical ability is No. 1. Then No. 2, how bright he is. ... We ask a lot of our strong safeties in terms of knowing the defenses and being able to do a bunch of different things and communicate that to the rest of the defense. Hes perfect for that.Utah cornerback Dominique Hatfield added, Coming from quarterback you probably wouldnt think a guy would be as physical as him, but he works hard.Whittingham believes playing quarterback helped because the position requires a high football IQ. Hansen got plenty of study time during the spring while recovering from the injury. He acknowledged learning was difficult, but there was a level of relief in switching positions. Theres so much that goes into playing the quarterback position, but safety allows him to let loose, fly around and hit people.It was more of just switching the switch to my more aggressive mindset, Hansen said. Which I feel like Ive always kind of had.I guess Ill never know what kind of quarterback I would have been, but I feel like I can become a better safety. I have more potential as a safety, I guess.Its all safety all the time these days, but Hansen is technically the emergency quarterback. Williams and Huntley are the lone quarterbacks on the roster after Brandon Cox decided to transfer in the fall. That chapter of his playing career appears over, but those memories do linger.Id be lying if I said I didnt think about whether or not Id still ever play the position, Hansen said. Because they even told me if something happens you have to be ready to come play some quarterback as well. Which I was all for. ... The reason I loved it so much is because you can have a huge impact on the game. Bigger than any other position, obviously.But at this point I dont think Ive looked back, especially seeing as well as Troy is doing, seeing the type of quarterback Tyler is, I havent looked back. Houston Astros Jerseys .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Custom Houston Astros Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. 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The NBA and Basketball Australia (BA) have on Thursday announced the launch of the NBA Global Academy, an elite training centre at BAs Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.The centre will serve as a hub for top international prospects from around the world to train with NBA-level coaches, in elite sports facilities and play in elite competitions.This will be the NBAs fourth elite training centre with the organisation launching NBA Academies in Hangzhou, Jinan and Urumqi, China, with prospects from around the world expected to start enrolling in coming weeks.Basketball Australia is thrilled to partner with the NBA on the development of promising young talent from around the world, said Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Anthony Moore.Our Centre of Excellence has a wonderful track record of producing athletes who can compete on the world stage, and we welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge and experience with the NBA.Previously operated by the AIS, the Centre of Excellence has produced top-level players Lauren Jackson, Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Penny Taylor and Dante Exum.NBA Academies will include educational development for top international male and female prospects and mark the NBAs most significant investment in elite player development.NBA Global Academy will allow top prospects from around the world to train with and compete against their peers in a structured environment unnder the supervision of NBA-trained coaches and in collaboration with BAs internationally recognized coaches, said NBA Vice President, International Basketball Operations Brooks Meek.ddddddddddddOn behalf of the NBA, we look forward to working with Basketball Australia on this initiative and helping elite prospects reach their full potential.The Academies will focus on more than just on field success with BA announcing they would focus on a holistic approach to player development with the Academies focusing on education, leadership, character development and life skills, building off the initiatives of the NBAs already existing grassroots programs including Jr. NBA and NBA 3X, which engaged with more than 12 million youth during the 2015-16 season.Each centre will house under-16 and under-18 teams that will compete against top competition throughout the year, while top students will be given opportunities to be selected for international touring teams for tournaments and exhibition matches.Housed in Australias world-renowned AIS, the training centre will be central to world-class, elite high performance facilities and leading sports practitioners in the fields of sports science, sports medicine and coaching.The NBA also reportedly has plans to expand its Global Academy operations into Africa and India. 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