The Raleigh Cougars was a

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

team based in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the South ...

from 1997 to 1999. The team included many well known players from local colleges. The team played its home games at

Dorton Arena J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952. Architect Maciej Nowicki of the North Carolina State University Department of Architect ...

. The Cougars were owned by Clyde "The Glide" Austin, a former

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name '' Harlem'' because of ...

and

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

basketball star, and Cozell McQueen, a former North Carolina State and Euroleague player.

History

In 1997 the team finished with a 14–12 record and advanced to the semifinals of the USBL Postseason Festival, where they lost to Atlantic City. In 1998, they had an 11–14 record and were eliminated in round one of the Festival. In 1999, their final year, the team finished with a 5–21 record.

Notable players

Lorenzo Charles Lorenzo Emile Charles (November 25, 1963 – June 27, 2011) was an American college and professional basketball player. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Charles played basketball for North Carolina State University and scored the game-winning ...

(a.k.a. "Zo") of the famous national champion N.C. State wolfpack. 6' 7" Forward. *

Greg Newton Gregory Michael Newton (born September 7, 1974) is a Canadian former professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball at Duke University and served as team captain during his senior year. College career He was a center ...

- 6' 11" Center Duke University. Cougars literature noted that Mr. Newton was 1 away from Duke's all-time top 10 in blocks. (This is no longer the case). * Amere May - After averaging 13 points per game, Amere left Division II

Shaw University Shaw University is a Private university, private Baptists, Baptist Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. Founded on Decembe ...

early to declare for the

1997 NBA Draft The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto ...

. Was quoted by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

'' as saying that he thought no one in the NBA could stop his game. One observer quipped that he was right - no one in the NBA ever would stop his game. Amere was a strong performer off the bench for the Cougars. * Chuck Kornegay - Powerful big man from

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Pen ...

(he transferred there from

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest u ...

). Cougars fans dubbed him "the Chuck-wagon", a la NBA star

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Nati ...

. *

Nate Higgs Nathan Lee "Nate" Higgs (born October 21, 1970) is an American/Spanish basketball player and coach. Personal information Higgs is 6'7" tall. Graduated from Tarboro High School in Tarboro, N.C. College Higgs played for the Elizabeth City State U ...

- Cheered on by the crowd: "Come on

Nate-Dawg Nathan Lee "Nate" Higgs (born October 21, 1970) is an American/Spanish basketball player and coach. Personal information Higgs is 6'7" tall. Graduated from Tarboro High School in Tarboro, N.C. College Higgs played for the Elizabeth City State U ...

! You're better than that!" *

Jeremy Hyatt Jeremy Hyatt (born October 16, 1974) is retired American professional basketball player, who formerly played for the Newcastle Eagles in the British Basketball League. He was a key player in the success of the Eagles, most notably the "clean sw ...

- 6' 6" sharpshooter from

* Donald Williams - 6' 3"

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

guard.

Trivia

*The Cougars drafted

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

superstar

Tracy McGrady Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two-t ...

in the fourth round of the 1997 USBL draft.

References

ASBR - History of the United States Basketball League
United States Basketball League teams Defunct basketball teams in the United States Basketball teams established in 1997 Basketball teams in North Carolina Sports in Raleigh, North Carolina