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Even as India look to make their own bit of history at the 11th Junior World Cup in mens hockey, which begins in Lucknow on December 8, it would be an occasion to remember for a nation that once featured regularly at the Olympics, but is now an outpost in the geography of the sport.Austria are making their first appearance at the junior level of the event, and the first in mens hockey at a global stage since the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. If you count their senior womens teams participation at the Olympics in Moscow in 1980, and the World Cup a year later in Buenos Aires, this is the first time an Austrian team is participating at the finals of a global hockey event in 35 years.Austria is a football-oriented country, and like in most other nations, hockey is competing directly against a lot of sports. In that sense, theres no pressure on the team, says head coach Cedric DSouza. The former two-time India coach took charge of the senior mens team in Austria in January 2016. Our team [ranked 21st among seniors] has the lowest ranking among all the teams participating. The most important thing here will be performance, says the former two-time India coach.DSouza, who was yet to take over when Austria qualified for the World Cup by finishing sixth at the European Junior Championship in Belgium two years ago, has brought a young side, with six of the 20-strong squad regulars of the under-18 team. The youngest of the lot, Oliver Kern, will be 17 years and 121 days when they begin their campaign against 2005 champions Argentina on Friday in a competitive Pool A, which also includes Australia and Korea.Austrian hockey has many talented youngsters, and our attempt is always to push as many players into international leagues as possible, since our Austrian league is not that strong, says DSouza, who has already integrated all the members of the junior team from 2014 into the senior setup. Five of the players in Lucknow - captain Leon Thornblom, Franz Lindengrun, Florian Steyrer , Pit Rudofsky and Oliver Binder - are regulars in the senior team, with four of them featuring in the World League Round 1 in Turkey in September where Austria finished first. Lindengren and Thornblom play club hockey abroad with Hamburg, while Binder also plays in Germany for Harvestehuder, the same club as 2013 player of the year and two-time Olympic gold medallist Tobias Hauke.The preparation for this team has been unlike any other for this junior World Cup, explains DSouza. All these players stay with their club most of the time. I would perhaps get the weekend with them, and I would do five sessions with them across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.The Austrian league concluded on October 24, and following a two-day rest, they set off on a sequence of 13 practice games across four countries, winning four and losing five of the games. The notable results were beating the Bangladesh senior team in two matches, and also notching up two wins on the tour of Netherlands, where they faced the under-21 team and also faced a couple of local clubs. It was an impressive performance from a team in which the only recognisable star is defender Benjamin Stanzl, who also plays under DSouza for the Delhi Waveriders in the Hockey India League (HIL).Playing with youth, sometimes their exuberance can get the better of them, and lead them to lose focus. Lets not forget that most of the countries here have a number of players that regularly play for the senior teams as well, says DSouza, talking of the depth of field in Lucknow. You look through the rosters of Australia, Germany, New Zealand - they have had some exposure at the highest level. And lets not forget the Indian team. Each of their players has been exposed to high-quality hockey thanks to the HIL. They have been preparing together for this event for a good while now, and they will be very hard to beat.DSouza says he took over with a clear mandate; that of seeing the senior team through to the 2020 Olympics, and that remains their target even as their younger generation take their bow at a global event. And that is what he stresses upon when asked if the team should take inspiration from having qualified for the World Cup at the expense of 2013 runners-up France.Weve had a good five weeks or so together. We are aware of our strengths and weaknesses, and well enjoy this tournament. 2020 was the vision we had when I took over, and that is the aim for this tournament. The ones who perform well will hopefully start pushing those in the senior team for places, says DSouza. Vapormax 2019 Heren . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Nike Just Do It Schoenen Dames .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. http://www.vapormaxsalenederland.com/nike-epic-react-flyknit-goedkoop-kopen/heren.html . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Sale .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Nike React Element 55 Kopen . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin Garnett has decided to retire after 21 seasons in the NBA, leaving a legacy as one of the best defensive players in league history and one of the games most influential and intense competitors.Garnett posted a farewell video on Friday, four days before the Minnesota Timberwolves are set to open training camp. He narrates the short, black-and-white video that shows him walking alone through Target Center with sunglasses on.Im just thankful. I cant even put that into words, Garnett says. Im just thankful. Im just thankful for everybody and the love. I never would have thought that people love me like this. But, for it to be reality is just something else, man. Man.Garnett informed the Timberwolves of his decision to retire Friday. The team will waive the franchise icon, which will allow him to collect his entire $8 million salary for the 2016-17 season.The San Antonio Spurs made the same move with Tim Duncan when he retired this summer.It has been a real joy to watch KG come into the league as a young man and watch him develop his skills to become one of the very best in the NBA, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. I have treasured the opportunity to see him grow as a leader. I wish him continued success in the next chapter of his life. His Minnesota fans will always cherish the memories he has provided.Team president and coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Garnett as an assistant with the Celtics during their title-winning season in 2007-08, said in a statement Saturday: His fierce competitiveness, his unequaled passion for the game, and the many ways in which he cared about this team was truly special. KG is without question the all-time best player to wear a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey, and he is also one of the best ever to play the game.The 40-year-old Garnett put the Timberwolves on the map by turning one of the most hapless franchises in professional sports into a perennial playoff team.Garnett came into the league straight from high school in 1995, the first player to do so in two decades. He was a skinny 7-footer with a bright smile and a versatile game when the Timberwolves took a chance and plucked him from Chicagos Farragut Academy with the fifth overall pick.His success opened the door for a new generation of teenagers to pour into the NBA.The decision was considered a risk at the time, but Garnetts success paved the way for Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tracy McGrady to follow him.Some of them, like James, Bryant and Jermaine ONeal, were wildly successful. Others like Korleone Young, Kwame Brown and Eddy Curry flamed out.The influx of youth into the league prompted the NBA to adopt a rule that required players to play at least one year of college, and that wasnt the only major change brought about in part because of Garnett.Through his basketball career, Garnett insisted on being listed at 6-foot-11 even though he was at least 2 inches taller. He didnt want to be pigeon-holed as a big man who needed to stay around the basket when he was so much more.Known as the Big Ticket, Garnett could handle the ball, shoot it from outside, take an opponent off the dribble and post up as well while being able to guard all five positions. He was one of five players to play at least 50,000 minutes, and his practice habits are the stuff of legend.Garnett also made more than $330 million in his career, the most by any player in league history, and owners dug their heels in during a lengthy lockout in 1997 after a 21-year-old Garnett signed a six-year, $126 million deal.He won the MVP award in 2004 after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals and later teamed with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to revive the Celtics as an Eastern Conference power. Garnett played six seasons after being traded to Boston after spending his first 12 seasons in Minnesota.dddddddddddds a Celtic, Garnett won his only championship ring in 2008.Everything changed the day Kevin arrived in Boston, Celtics co-owner and managing partner Wyc Grousbeck said in a statement. From that moment we knew we would get to the Finals and have a chance to win. Ive never met such a relentless competitor or such a great teammate.He was unyielding on the court, bumping his head on the basketball support while muttering to himself and working up a sweaty lather before the opening tip. One of his trademark moves was to block the shot of an opposing player who tried to get a freebie after a foul was called. The message was clear: Nothing was going to be easy with him prowling the paint.Very few players can affect an organization like Kevin did here in Boston, both on and off the court, Celtics president Danny Ainge said. He led our team by example every day with his drive, his passion, and his relentless commitment to winning. While always putting team ahead of individual, Kevin earned his place among the greatest players in Celtic and NBA history.He spent a forgettable season and a half with the Brooklyn Nets before the late Flip Saunders convinced Garnett to agree to a trade to return to Minnesota at the deadline in 2015.During his second stint with the Wolves, he served as a mentor to youngsters like Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine, instilling in them a sense of intensity and professionalism that helped lay the foundation for what the team hopes is a breakout year for the upcoming season.You know how much Im gonna miss playing with you and just simply having you around, Towns wrote on Instagram . Congrats on having one of the greatest careers the game has ever seen. We talked. I know what I must do. Ill take it from here.Garnett had contemplated returning for a 22nd season, which no player has ever done. But knee issues limited him to just 85 games over the past two seasons, and after Saunders died from Hodgkins lymphoma before last season, Garnett lost the man he trusted most in the organization.Garnett spoke often of his desire to one day get into ownership with the Wolves, but it remains unclear if that is still possible after Saunders passing. The Wolves have new basketball leadership in coach/president Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden, and Garnett has little sway in the organization now that Saunders and previous coach Sam Mitchell are gone.That would be a lot up to him, Taylor said. Things have changed so much and does he still want to do that? We certainly will have the opportunity to talk about that. Theres a lot of good reasons to do it and Im open to it.Garnett finishes his NBA career as one of three players with 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists. The others are Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.Garnett was the NBAs rebounding champion for four straight seasons from 2003-04 to 2006-07. The only players all time with longer such streaks are Dennis Rodman (seven straight) and Moses Malone (five straight).Kevin Garnett is one of the fiercest competitors our league has ever seen, commissioner Adam Silver said. He held himself to the highest standard of preparation and performance for a remarkable 21 seasons. On behalf of the NBA family, I thank Kevin for his sustained excellence and the enormous impact hes had on the game.As the Instagram video concludes, Garnett says: We going to be all right, man ... I dont expect this to be easy. But so far, so good. Stay tuned.Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Stats & Information was used in this report. ' ' '