Electricity Supply Board

This was later merged with Esat Telecom (now BT Ireland), although the brand partially remains as an ISP service, oceanfree.net. Even with his successes today, Lucas remains one of the greatest legends in the history of basketball. ESB has also been involved in telecommunications, as part owner of Ocean, a telecommunications company which was a joint venture with BT Group plc. He has written over 30 books on memory and image-based education, many of them best-sellers, and briefly even had his own television show. However agreement to accomplish this has been frequently delayed. Moving on from his fame in basketball, Lucas has found success in other areas; he is now a world-renowned educator and memory expert, an achievement which now dwarfs even his basketball successes. It has been policy for some years that the ESB National Grid division, which operates the national grid, is to be separated into an independent Transmission System Operator, called Eirgrid plc. Lucas, along with Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.

These are to be sold to Bank of Scotland (Ireland). He would retire after the 1974 season, which he spent largely as an unhappy 34-year-old backup seeking the minutes he felt his still-present ability deserved. ESB Retail operate a chain of high street electrical shops under the ShopElectric brand. Lucas became the first American basketball player to win championships at all four levels: high school, college, Olympic, and pro. Today the ESB consists of several distinct divisions: ESB Power Generation is responsible for electricity generation and has 19 power stations and a wind power subsidiary; ESB International (ESBI) manages projects abroad in the electricity supply, generation and distribution markets; ESB National Grid manages the National Grid, and also transmits energy from other suppliers, including Airtricity; ESBI Computing manages large government and international information technology projects. With Reed returning the following season, New York easily returned and won the NBA Championship in 1973. The company also operates a few small wind farms throughout the country through its subsidary Hibernian Wind Energy. With Reed injured, Lucas starred at his natural center spot along with guard Walt Frazier and forward DeBusschere to lead New York to the NBA Finals in 1972.

There are additional hydro-electric schemes on the rivers Clady, Erne, Lee and Liffey. Expected to back up Willis Reed and Dave DeBusschere at the two positions, Lucas fit in and became a team leader. The Ardnacrusha hydro-electric scheme and Turlough Hill pumped storage scheme are the most significant renewable energy plants. Having spent years on the courts since Middletown, Lucas began to have real knee and back problems, and his career appeared to be ending when San Fransisco traded the All-Star center/forward to the New York Knicks before the 1971-72 season. Much of the peat is supplied by Bord na Móna while Bord Gáis supplies gas via its network. Traded to the San Francisco Warriors in 1970, the uninspired Lucas had his first 'down' season ever before roaring back to All-Star form the following season. Moneypoint and Poolbeg are the two most significant fossil fuel power stations — their combined capacity accounts for over a third of total capacity. 1969, though, would see the chain go bankrupt, and the unsatisfied Lucas would also consider retirement from the NBA without the championship he coveted.

Most of the ESB's generation capacity relies on peat, coal, oil, and wind generation. He would also briefly have his own chain of fast-food restaurants, Jerry's Beef-N-Shakes. Later there was a proposal to build a nuclear power plant at Carnsore Point, and preparatory work was carried out, but these never resulted in an operational plant, owing to widespread public opposition. Lucas would have to be satisfied with his personal fame and one of the league's best paychecks. Although Ireland has no nuclear power plants, an Act of the Oireachtas in 1971 created the Nuclear Energy Board. With the star-laden Boston Celtics as clearly the league's best team, and the 7'2" (2.18 m) Wilt Chamberlain as the dominant player, the Royals and Lucas would have to take a backseat during the 1960s. Domestic equipment followed the UK British Standards for the most part with very few exceptions, perhaps the only one being that Irish bathrooms generally do not have cord-operated lights but rather a traditional light switch outside. He also earned the reputation of being arguably the most intelligent man ever to play in the NBA.

The Shannon Scheme was the start of the ESB's reliance on German electro-technology, especially for plant, in particular Siemens and the associated 220 volt supply. His intelligence also made him an effective defender, cleanly forcing opponents to take difficult shots or using his sense of timing and technique to be an underrated shot blocker. It should also be remembered that workers of the company may be "on call" after hours, weekends and at holidays because of the unpredictability of emergencies. As a shooter/scorer, rebounder and passer, Lucas showed himself to be one of the greatest players ever. National surveys show, in line with other similar semi-state sector workers, that wages are above the national average - one recent survey [1] showed that the average salary costs are twice the national average. As disappointing as that was, Lucas did post his usual amazing individual achievements, becoming a seven-time All-Pro and nine-time All-Star, and being named Rookie of the Year in 1964 and All-Star Game MVP in 1966. The last major strike was in 1991, though strike action had been threatened as recently as February 2005 and often at times of industrial dispute. Despite that, the two All-Pros were often at odds, and they failed to win a championship during their years together in the 1960s.

The company is heavily unionised with the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) being one of the largest unions in the company. Robertson was jealous of Lucas' publicity and was adamant about being the star of the team, something Jerry did not actually want for himself. The ESB is one of the largest companies in Ireland and employs over 8,500 people, it is 5% owned by its workers - this ownership is know as ESB ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) Trustee Limited. He would be reteamed with Oscar Robertson, a schoolyard and college rival as well as Olympic teammate. Existing staff are to be offered positions as bank tellers. In 1963 Lucas agreed to join the NBA's Cincinnati Royals, who had actually drafted him as a high-school junior in 1957. On 16 March 2005, the ESB announced that it is to sell its ShopElectric (ESB Retail) chain of shops, with the exception of the Dublin Fleet Street and Cork city centre outlets, to Bank of Scotland (Ireland), who will convert them into high street banks. But the ABL went bankrupt, and Lucas had to sit out the season.

Business users have already been able to choose their electricity supplier for some years. Lucas agreed to a combination player-management contract with George Steinbrenner's Cleveland Pipers of the ABL in 1962 so he could use his education. Under European Union legislation, the Irish electricity market is to be opened to full competition for domestic users in 2005. He already had his bachelor's degree by the end of his junior year of eligibility, had married, and was pursuing a post-graduate degree in business marketing when his senior year concluded. The ESB had a monopoly in the Irish electricity market for the best part of a century. Arguably the greatest amateur player of all time, Lucas had no motivation for professional basketball. Some islands are still powered by small diesel-run power stations. coach Pete Newell called Lucas "the greatest player I ever coached.".

On 8 September 2003, two of the last remaining places in Ireland unconnected to the national grid - Inishturbot and Inishturk (County Galway) islands (off the coast of Galway)- were finally connected to the mains supply. U.S. In 1991, the ESB established the ESB Archive to store historical documents relating to the company and its impact on Irish life. Lucas also was noteworthy as he had memorized paragraphs of Japanese, Italian and Russian, and would briefly converse with players speaking those languages during the Games. In 2002 and 2003, new independent stations were constructed - Huntstown Power (north Dublin) and Dublin Bay Power (Ringsend, Dublin). team roared through the international tournament to easily win the gold medal. The latter, in County Clare, remains Ireland's only coal-burning plant and can produce about 910 MW - just shy of the 1015 MW capacity of Poolbeg. The U.S.

This new demand was to be met by the construction of the country's two largest power stations — Poolbeg in 1971 and Moneypoint in 1979. The team's youngest player at age 20, Lucas was its leader and star at center. The 1970s brought about a continued increase in Ireland's industrialisation and with it, a greater demand for energy. The team, which also listed Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Walt Bellamy, and Terry Dischinger among its members, is generally considered the greatest amateur team of all time. The station can store up to 292 MW of power - making it technically the fifth largest source of energy during the day in Ireland. Olympic team for the Rome Games that year. This station, located in County Wicklow, pumps water uphill at night with the excess energy created by other stations, and releases it downhill during the day to turn turbines. In 1960, Lucas was also named to the U.S.

Aware of the substantial waste of night-time capacity, the ESB commissioned the Turlough Hill pumped storage hydro-electric station in 1968. He was considered the greatest college player ever upon graduation, and remains the only player ever to record 30 points and 30 rebounds in the same NCAA Tournament game. As in most countries, energy consumption is low at night and high during the day. The 6-9, 240-pound (2.06 m, 109 kg) Lucas was All-American all three years, Big Ten Player of the Year all three years, and was named ahead of all college and pro athletes to be Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" in 1961. The two stations have been replaced by new peat-fired stations near the same locations, and peat also used to power the independent Edenderry Power plant, in County Offaly. (Future coaching legend Bobby Knight was a reserve player.) They were national champions in 1960, and had just one loss in 1961. It is located in County Offaly. Lucas was the team's clear star, leading the nation in shooting accuracy and rebounding all three years, and leading Ohio State to three straight NCAA Finals.

In 1965 the Shannonbridge station was commissioned. When the three became sophomores in 1959 (freshman were then ineligible for varsity college sports), they teamed with junior Larry Siegfried to form a basketball juggernaut that would go 78-6 over three NCAA seasons. Located in County Longford, the plant burns peat, cut by Bord na Móna in the bogs of the Irish Midlands. Ohio State had also recruited three-sport star John Havlicek and Columbus-area star Mel Nowell that year. Because risks of becoming dependent on imported fuel sources and the potential for harvesting and utilising indiginous peat, the ESB - in partnership with Bord na Móna - established those stations and ESB also built Lanesboro power station in 1958. Lucas insisted on an academic scholarship also, as he was nearly a straight-A student and already well-known for his memory. Other power stations built around this time included the peat fired stations at Portarlington, County Laois, and Allenwood in County Kildare. Offered more than 200 athletic scholarships, it appeared Lucas might choose Adolph Rupp's legendary Kentucky program, but he instead chose more-local Ohio State - which was not well-known for basketball at the time.

The original station consisted of one 12.5 MW steam turbine that was originally purchased for a power station at Portarlington but instead used at North Wall. Lucas' team suffered its only loss in 1958 in the state playoffs. In 1947, the ESB, needing ever more generation capacity, built the North Wall station on a 7.5 acre (30,000 m²) site in Dublin's industrial Port area on the North side of the River Liffey on the site of an old oil refinery. He, Wilt Chamberlain, and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) are generally considered the greatest high school basketball players of all time. The process was greatly helped in 1955 by the Electricity Supply Amendment Act, 1955. Lucas was so popular that a radio network was set up to broadcast his games across Ohio, drawing more listeners than several Division I colleges. The Rural Electrification Scheme has been described as "the Quiet Revolution" because of the major socio-economic change it brought about. Coaches and scouts often traveled hundreds of miles to see Lucas play, swelling Middletown's gym to nearly three times its usual capacity.

Between 1946 and 1979, the ESB connected in excess of 420,000 customers in rural Ireland. Even while passing up shots, Lucas broke Wilt Chamberlain's national high school scoring record as a senior by making more than 60% of his shot attempts and 85% of his free throws, another standard for his career. With Ireland's towns and cities benefiting from electricity, the new government pushed the idea of Rural Electrification. Shying from the limelight, Lucas decided to pass more so that his scoring would not make him appear selfish; it would become his standard for the rest of his playing career. Many of these plants are still in operation — however their combined capacity falls far short of Ireland's modern needs. Lucas usually scored more than two points per minute, and his best performances were in closer games against better teams because he was allowed to play more. All these new plants were completed by 1949, and together harnessed approximately 75% of Ireland's inland water power potential. Lucas strained somewhat under the media glare, and his minutes in blowout games were usually limited.

The plans called for stations at Poulaphouca, Golden Falls, Leixlip (all in Leinster), Clady, Cliff and Cathleen's Fall (between Belleek and Ballyshannon in County Donegal), Carrigadrohid and Inniscarra (in County Cork). Crowds of as many as 10,000 were common for games in which he played. By 1937, plans were being finalised for the construction of several more hydro-electric plants. With his advanced gameplay, Lucas broke nearly every existing high school record during these two seasons, and became arguably the first high school basketball player to be known coast-to-coast at a time when television was in its infancy. The scheme was Ireland's first electricity plant - and at the time, it was believed that it would meet the total energy demands of Ireland, which proved to be an erroneus judgement. In 1956 and 1957, Lucas led Middletown High to undefeated seasons and back-to-back Ohio state high school championships. The ESB was established by the fledgling Irish Free State government under the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1927 to manage Ireland's electricity supply after the successful Shannon Scheme at Ardnacrusha. Lucas was gifted with great hands, which he could use to dazzle onlookers in an array of magic card tricks, as well as with 20-10 eyesight.

. He had developed shooting accuracy as far out as 25 feet, and had trained his leaping ability and timing to become an amazing rebounder. The ESB currently has three interconnectors with Northern Ireland Electricity and the Irish Government has recently approved the construction of a subsea East-West Interconnector between Ireland and Wales. Lucas was already a playground legend by age 15, as he was already at almost his full-grown height of 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m). The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) (Bord Soláthair an Leictreachais in Irish), sometimes called ESB Ireland to differentiate it from US utilities, is responsible for generating most of the electricity in the Republic of Ireland. Lucas was born in Middletown, Ohio, a town of 20,000 halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati which in the 1940s and 1950s boasted one of the most respected high school basketball programs in the United States. He was named to Sports Illustrated's five-man College All-Century Team in 1999.

In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Jerry Ray Lucas (born March 30, 1940) was a legendary basketball star from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a world-renowned memory education expert.