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Tampa Bay Thrillers
The Tampa Bay Thrillers were a franchise in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1984–1987. They won back-to-back championships in 1984–85 and 1985–86. At the end of the 1986–87 CBA regular season the team relocated to Rapid City, South Dakota, and went on to win a third consecutive CBA title. History 1984–85 season In the team's inaugural season, head coach Bill Musselman led the Thrillers to a 35-13 record with a roster featuring Coby Dietrick, Sidney Lowe, Brian Martin, Freeman Williams, Ronnie Valentine, Charles Jones, and Perry Moss. With an advertising budget somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000, the team set a regular season record of 2,946 fans per game that first year. Their cheerleaders were called the Thrillseekers, and dressed in top hats, tails and long black stockings. The Thrillers' original owner was Jeff Rosenberg, a Sarasota restaurateur, who marketed the team heavily. In the postseason, Tampa Bay swept the Lancaster Lightning in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States from 1946 to 2009. History The Continental Basketball Association was founded on April 23, 1946 under its previous name, the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League. It billed itself as the "World's Oldest Professional Basketball League"; its founding pre-dated the founding of the National Basketball Association by two months. The league fielded six franchises – five in Pennsylvania ( Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Allentown, Lancaster, and Reading) – with a sixth team in New York ( Binghamton, which moved in mid-season to Pottsville, Pennsylvania). In 1948, the league was renamed the Eastern Professional Basketball League. Over the years it would add franchises in several other Pennsylvania cities, inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lancaster Lightning
The Rockford Lightning was a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association. They were based in Rockford, Illinois. History The Lightning were the oldest team in the CBA, originally existing as the Lancaster Red Roses from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That team changed their name to the Lancaster Lightning, then the franchise moved to Baltimore for a year before relocating in Rockford. Their home arena was the MetroCentre. They were the runners-up in the 2001-02 and 2004-05 CBA seasons, losing a winner-take-all championship game to the Dakota Wizards 116–109 in 2002, and a best-of-5 series to the Sioux Falls Skyforce 3–1 in 2005. On January 20, 2006, the team's owner announced that the Lightning would cease operations after the season unless other investors purchased the team and continued its operations. An attempt was made to constitute a new local ownership group, but it was unsuccessful, and the team folded. The Lightning's main rival was the Quad C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linton Townes
Linton Rodney Townes (born November 30, 1959) is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6 '7" (201 cm) 190 lb (86 kg) swingman from Richmond, Virginia, he played collegiately at James Madison University from 1978 to 1982. At James Madison, he helped lead the Dukes to their first NCAA tournament in program history. He played for four National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. He also starred in high school at Covington High School in Covington, Virginia. Covington is also the same city where fellow NBA alum Bimbo Coles was born. After college, Townes was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 10th pick in the second round of the 1982 NBA draft. , ''basketballreference.com'' In his first season ( [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ed Nealy
Eddie Carl Nealy (born February 19, 1960) is an American retired basketball player. At 6'7" and 238 pounds, he played as a power forward. After a standout college career, during which he won the Big Eight tournament title in 1980, he went on to play professionally for 11 years. During his professional career, he won the Continental Basketball Association championship in 1986 as a member of the Tampa Bay Thrillers and the NBA championship in 1993 as a member of the Chicago Bulls. College career Born in Pittsburg, Kansas, Nealy attended Kansas State University. Although he was not expected to be a factor for the Wildcats as a freshman, he started 30 of the team's 31 games, averaging 10.2 points and team leading 8.2 rebounds per game en route to Big Eight Newcomer of the Year honors. During his sophomore season, he was a vital part in helping the team win the 1980 Big Eight tournament championship and reach the Elite Eight of the 1980 NCAA Tournament after averaging 9.8 points and 8 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Mitchell (basketball)
Samuel E. Mitchell Jr. (born September 2, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Playing at small forward, Mitchell's 18-year professional basketball career spanned three decades, and was most notable for his ten seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA), whom he also coached as an interim for the 2015-16 season. Mitchell coached for the Toronto Raptors 2004 to 2008 as well, winning Coach of the Year Award in 2007. Mitchell has since worked as an analyst for TSN, NBA TV, and works as a talk show co-host/analyst on SiriusXM NBA Radio. Early years Mitchell graduated from Columbus High School in 1981. He spent the next four years playing college basketball at Mercer University (1981–85), and scored nearly 2,000 points, becoming the leading scorer in Bears history. He led the team to both the regular-season and postseason Trans-American Atlantic Conference championships in 1985. Averaging 25 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as a senior, Mitchell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rod Higgins
Roderick Dwayne Higgins (born January 31, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who formerly served as president of basketball operations for the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Hornets. He is also the father of former Charlotte Bobcats point guard Cory Higgins. A 6'7" forward from California State University, Fresno, Higgins played 13 seasons (1982–1994) in the NBA as a member of the Chicago Bulls, the Seattle SuperSonics, the San Antonio Spurs, the New Jersey Nets, the Golden State Warriors, the Sacramento Kings, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 9 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game during his NBA career. After his playing career ended Higgins served as an assistant coach with the Warriors until 2000 when he was named assistant general manager of the Washington Wizards. He was re-hired by the Warriors on May 20, 2004 joining former teammate Chris Mullin in the team's front office. On May 31, 2007, he was hired as the second gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Hayes (basketball)
Steven Leonard Hayes (born August 2, 1955) is a retired American basketball player and coach. He played for several years for a variety of teams in the National Basketball Association, as well as in the Continental Basketball Association and in Europe. He is also known for his standout college career at Idaho State University, where he is recognized as one of the best players in the school's history. College career Born in American Falls, Idaho, Hayes attended Aberdeen High School in Aberdeen. A center, he enrolled at Idaho State University in nearby Pocatello. As a freshman, Hayes averaged 9.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and was a valuable contributor to a Bengals team that went won a share of the Big Sky Conference title, and won a tiebreaker playoff game to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. As a sophomore, he developed into one of the top players in the conference, averaging 20.4 points and 13.3 rebounds. Hayes led the Big Sky in scoring and rebounding and earn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Collins
Donald Collins (born November 28, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player. Collins was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, in the first round (18th pick), of the 1980 NBA draft. Collins played in 303 National Basketball Association (NBA) games for four teams, over six seasons, averaging just under 10 points per game for his career. College career Collins, a 6'6" tall Scott High School standout, was selected as the Pac-10 Player of the Year, after averaging 23 points per game for Washington State University, in 1980 and leading the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1941. In a 2011 story, Cougfan.com recounted Collins' sterling career at Washington State and made the case that he is the greatest player in school history. USBL and CBA Collins starred in basketball minor leagues, averaging more than 30 points per game, in the United States Basketball League (USBL). A member of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA's) 50th Anniversary Team, Coll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Basketball Association
The International Basketball Association (IBA) was founded in 1995 by a group of businessmen led by Tom Anderson. The original owners of franchises in the league were George Daniel (Black Hills Posse-Rapid City, SD), John Korsmo, Al Gardner, and Al Hovland (Fargo Beez), Jeff McCarron (St. Cloud Rock 'n Rollers), Bill Sorensen (Dakota Wizards - Bismarck) and Earl Barish (Winnipeg Cyclones). Earl Barish of Winnipeg directed the IBA as League President and the league eventually grew to ten franchises. In the fall of 2001, CBA and IBL teams merged with the IBA and purchased the assets of the defunct CBA, including its name, logo and records from the bankruptcy court and restarted operations, calling itself the CBA. This group continued to operate until June 2009, when it was forced to cease operations. Teams League championships :''The IBA merged with the International Basketball League and the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) to "restart" the CBA for the 2001–2002 sea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three-peat
In North American sports, a three-peat is winning three consecutive championships. The term, a portmanteau of the words ''three'' and ''repeat'', originated with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, during their unsuccessful campaign for a third consecutive championship during the 1988–89 season, having won the previous 2 NBA Finals. The Lakers, however, were swept by the Detroit Pistons in the 1989 NBA Finals. The term is a registered trademark owned by Pat Riley, the Lakers' head coach from 1981–1990, although it was coined by L.A. player Byron Scott immediately after their successful championship defense against the Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals. The Lakers finally achieved a three-peat over a decade later, winning the NBA title in 2000, 2001, and 2002. It was their second in franchise history, and only the first since moving from Minneapolis. As of 2022, the Lakers are the last team of the 4 major American professional sports (NHL, MLB, NFL, & NB ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rockford Lightning
The Rockford Lightning was a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association. They were based in Rockford, Illinois. History The Lightning were the oldest team in the CBA, originally existing as the Lancaster Red Roses from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That team changed their name to the Lancaster Lightning, then the franchise moved to Baltimore for a year before relocating in Rockford. Their home arena was the MetroCentre. They were the runners-up in the 2001-02 and 2004-05 CBA seasons, losing a winner-take-all championship game to the Dakota Wizards 116–109 in 2002, and a best-of-5 series to the Sioux Falls Skyforce 3–1 in 2005. On January 20, 2006, the team's owner announced that the Lightning would cease operations after the season unless other investors purchased the team and continued its operations. An attempt was made to constitute a new local ownership group, but it was unsuccessful, and the team folded. The Lightning's main rival was the Quad C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Crosse Catbirds
The La Crosse Catbirds was an American basketball team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin and member of the Continental Basketball Association. The Catbirds were the 1990 and 1992 CBA champions. The team moved to La Crosse from Louisville in 1985, and left La Crosse for Pittsburgh in May 1994. La Crosse would see the CBA return in 1995 when the La Crosse Bobcats took to the court. Widely known as the training ground for future NBA coach Flip Saunders, who led the team to both championships. Several future and previous NBA players played for the Catbirds, including Andre Turner, David Rivers, Mark Davis, Derrick Gervin, Elliot Perry, Jaren Jackson, Kevin Lynch, Dennis Nutt and Kenny Battle. Season By Season Notable players *Brad Leaf Brad Leaf ( he, ברד ליף; born May 17, 1960) is an American-Israeli basketball coach and former player. He played 17 years of professional basketball in Israel, first for Hapoel Galil Elyon and later for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israel Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |