CBA Research Project

[Chuck the Writer]

Hey everybody, I could really use your help.

I am currently working on a research project involving the history of the CBA. And when I say "research project," I'm talking going back to 1946, the first year of the Continental Basketball Association's original incarnation as the Eastern Professional Basketball League.

For example, there are several NBA Hall of Famers who played in the CBA - including George Gervin (Quad City Thunder), Paul Arizin (Camden Bullets), Temple coach John Chaney (played for Sunbury Mercuries, coached Williamsport Billies), Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim (Scranton Miners / Apollos), ABC color analyst Hubie Brown (Rochester Colonels, 1958), former Celtics great Arnie Risen (Rochester Colonels, Baltimore Bullets), among others.

What I need from everybody who lives either in a current CBA city or a former CBA outpost to help me out. I'm looking for game programs, pocket schedules, scrapbooks, media guides, newspaper clippings, anything that will tell the story of the league. Programs are a fantastic source of determining player positions, heights and colleges attended; media guides will have season-long reports of each team. Pocket schedules will have the team's original season schedule (sometimes a franchise moves in mid-season or the team folds), and scrapbooks tell the story of a team from a fan standpoint.

Please contact me regarding this project, either through personal messages here, or through my personal homepage, http://www.chuckthewriter.com. The history of the CBA is a fascinating subject, and I hope to be ablre to tell its entire 60-year history some day.

Besides - it's time to do something positive with this bulletin board, I'm getting sick of bashing Unca Joe and Worth Christie. Aren't you?

[patmc16]

I'm getting sick of bashing Unca Joe and Worth Christie. Aren't you?

Uh, no. Unfortunately, its idiots like those 2 that drive these boards. Just look at the hockey boards as an example. It wasn't too long ago that hockey dominated the OSC message boards. Ever since Killbreath (oops, I wasn't supposed to mention that name) went back into hiding to plan his next scheme to screw over young hockey players, the hockey boards have died a slow death. There used to be dozens of posts every day, now there is a few every dozen days. In this format, it is much more interesting to talk about the things people like them do then about how a team is performing.

Back on topic. Good luck with the project. That is a book I would buy in a second.

[mzracing76]

Chuck,

I am a Former Season Ticket Holder of the Sioux Falls Skyforce (1993-1997). And Have followed the CBA from 1989-present. I consider myself one of the Most Biggest Fans of the CBA, as used to take notes on many Skyforce Games (on my own time) from 1989-1995.

I have CBA Guide & Registers from 1989-1995, as well as CBA Newsletters from 1993-1995 or so. I also have Skyforce Game Programs from 1989-present, although mostly from 1989-1995, as now i only attend maybe 2-3 games a year from 2000-present.

I feel I can help you alot if you want me too. I have studied this League ever since Sioux Falls was awarded a Franchise back in 1988 to begin play in 1989.

I know that Albany was one of the Best Organizations in the League having had Bill Musselman, George Karl, and Phil Jackson all coach them, and they still hold many of the CBA Season Records such as their impressive 50-6 record in 1990-91. Hey, not to burst your bubble, Sioux Falls lead by Mo McHone almost broke that record in 1996-97 going 47-9 before losing to Omaha (22-34) in the first round.

Sioux Falls also appeared in the CBA Finals vs your Former Franchise (Connecticut Pride *aka Albany Patroons) in 1998-99 losing 4-1 in the finals.

Dont Forget...in the 1995-96 CBA Season, Sioux Falls had Darryl Dawkins, and the Florida Beachdogs (Rapid City Thrillers) had Manute Bol. THese were very entertaining Games between SIoux Falls and Florida (Mo McHOne vs Eric Mussleman). I beleive Dawkins averaged 13.7ppg and 6-7rpg,and appeared in the All Star Game that year, then left to play over seas. Manute Played maybe 15-25 games i beleived never really having a impact. And, I also beleive during the 1994-95 CBA Season, the Rockford Lighting had Ralph Sampson on their roster, but he never was a impact, more of a Showcase Player averaging 4-5 ppg,and 3-4 rpg.

For More Information Contact:
Mike Zitterich
(605) 330-9547 (after 6pm central time)
zitterich76@msn.com

[Chuck the Writer]

Mike -

Thanks very much for contacting me. I will be in touch with you later today or this week. Those CBA newsletters are extremely important; they may give some clues as to what happened to the Hartford Hellcats (hosted the CBA ASG in 1995; folded a week later) and the Harrisburg Hammerheads (folded midway through first season).

There were several NBA stars that signed up with the CBA at one time or another; besides the ones you mentioned, George "Iceman" Gervin played 14 games for the Quad City Thunder, including one game against the Santa Barbara Islanders where he scored 40 on Derrick Gervin.

The CBA does count the Connecticut Pride as the direct line from the Albany Patroons, but most fans in Albany feel that the team died in 1992, and that the renamed "Capital Region Pontiacs" of 1992-93 were another team entirely. The league does, however, count the Patroons' lineage right through to the end of the Pride in 2001; however, the current 2005-06 incarnation of the Patroons counts only those Albany stats from 1982-1992.

As an example of what my research has uncovered, I have found that Sioux Falls was the third city in league history to host three All-Star Games (Scranton PA had three in four years, from 1969 to 1972; Wilkes-Barre PA hosted the first three ASG's in 1958, 1959 and 1961). In fact, I have uncovered EIGHTEEN All-Star Games that were played in the CBA's Eastern Pro/EBA days, featuring such stars as John Chaney, Jim Boeheim, Julius McCoy, Stacy Arceneaux, Rich Cornwall, Paul Arizin and others.

My research has also uncovered such long-forgotten franchises as the Rochester Colonels (1958, included ABC analyst Hubie Brown at center), the Springfield Hall of Famers (1968, died with an 0-7 record), the Binghamton Triplets (1946, went 1-5 and moved to Pottsville PA in mid-season), among others.

The goal of this CBA research project will be to either produce a book on the league's history, or a detailed fan-based website featuring images, statistics, and other fun stuff. More information on that as I get closer to completion of the project.

Thanks for everybody's help on this board.

[mzracing76]

Here is a LInk to a very cool website. It must have Every Logo of every team to ever play in the CBA. Eastern or CBA.

http://www.logoserver.com/CBA.html

Mike

[mzracing76]

HARTFORD HELLCATS (1994-95): They Hosted the All Star Game that year, then later Fell Apart. This was much to do with no Fan Support and Poor Management by the Original Owners of the Hellcats. Brian Foley Purchased the Franchise during the summer of 1995 and re-named them the Connecticut Pride. But the Stability of the Franchise was always on the verge of Bankruptcy and when the Isaiah Thomas fiasco hit in 2001, the Team never came back.

HARRISBURGH HAMMERHEADS (1994-95): This was the same Franchise that was Located in Rochester, MN (Renegades) from 1992-94. Before that it was the Birmingham Bandits (1991-92) at the same time as Mo McHone was the coach, and before that they were the Pensacola Tornadoes. and CHuck, you probally know the downline from there on back. As for the Down Fall of the Hammerheads Franchise, this was just basically a Bad Situation getting worse for this Franchise since moving from Pensacola to Birmingham to Rochester then finally Harrisburgh. They Never really came to grips with the Financial Problems it had since the Birmingham years and finally they ceased operations. I just call it "**** Poor Business Management" from the word GO. Bill Mussleman almost saved the organization during its time in Rochester, MN when he guided them to a 31-25 record and its first playoff season since the Pensacola Years. But reality hit when the attendance in Rochester fell to about 100-200 people per game, and never really picked up momemtum in Harrisburgh where it got even worse. but they also played in a Very Bad Building, where they had dirt floors and all. so the atmosphere wasnt all that great in Harrisburgh.

That is Just My Scenerio in what happened to these two teams.

I have also heard of a Second Comng to the Connecticut Pride in the future, is there any truth to that rumor? Chuck. I was always a fan of the Pride even as a Skyforce fan.

Another team i would love to see come back to the CBA is the Grand Rapids Hoops. I see that on OUR SPORTS, they have the Hoops as listed as Inactive, so does that mean that they may come back one day soon? I really enjoyed the HOOPS franchise, after all, they are Our "Brotheran" so to speak, as they were part of the expansion year that brought Sioux Falls, Santa Barbara, San Jose, and Finally Grand Rapids to the CBA. SIoux Falls and Grand Rapids were the cornerstone of this league for much of the early 90s i really felt. And I would welcome Grand Rapids back with open arms.

Also, Chuck, do you foresee any scenerio (any chance) of all that the CBA would bring back the Rapid City Thrillers if a Group came forward to place a team back in Rapid? To this day, i still beleive the Rivalry between the Skyforce & Thrillers was the Greatest Rivalry in the history of the Modern CBA Glory Years (1980-present). We have Dakota now to the north, but the current Force vs Wizard rivalry just doesnt have the zeal and the flare that our once Proud South Dakotan Rivalry had during the early 90s.

And Finally...

what is the deal with the Omaha Racers Franchise. i see at one time ove the summer, if typed in Omaha Racers in the search engine, the website came up. I beleive it was the Omaha Racers Website. so is that Franchise in the works for a future expansion city again? I have often wondered.

I very much want this League to expand and get stronger. I beleive we are the better Minor League for Basketball in the Nation, and i say that even with the NBDA formed by the NBA. we have the stronger fan base, the clout, and the NBA Coaches beleive in us alot better. I would very much like to see the CBA as a 16-20 team league again, but not in the way that the ABA is doing it. that league has issues, and i feel they expand to much (100 teams??).

Thank You
Mike

[Aaronhere]

From what I can remember (and I attended games from 1982-86), here is a summary of the Wisconsin Flyers, who spent most of their lifetime in Oshkosh, WI:
ROOTS: Killian Spanbauer, the owner of a sporting good chain based in Oshkosh, had publicly stated as early as 1981 that he wanted to form a minor league baksetball circuit with 6-8 teams across Wisconsin. I found this information in an interview he did with the local paper. Nothing more appeared in the media until the winter of 1981-1982 when Spanbauer announced he was seeking a franchise in the CBA for Oshkosh. The area had a rich history of basketball, dating back to the All-Stars of the National Basketball League (1937-1949). At the time, Spanbauer made it quite clear that the CBA needed more than one franchise in the Midwest in order to expand. In May 1982, it happened, as the league added the Wisconsin Flyers (based in Oshkosh, WI), the Detroit Spirits, and the Ohio Mixers (based in Lima, OH). All three teams would be placed in the same division - the Central.
1982-1983 - The Flyers suffered a setback immediately, when head coach Dave Wohl took an assistant's position with the New Jersey Nets before the season began. Dave Harshman was tabbed to take over the team. As an expansion team, Wisconsin never jelled, though it sent Joe Kopicki to the NBA. Steve Burks led the team in points, assists, steals and minutes played.
CBA MOVES - Most of the Western Division (Billings, Montana and Reno) folded. The two remaining teams, Albuquerque (who had moved from Las Vegas during the season) and Wyoming, were placed in a new Western Division with Wisconsin, Detroit, Ohio and Louisville (an expansion team). In the East, Rochester folded, while Maine moved to Bay State. The Bombardiers joined Albany and Lancaster - holdovers from the Eastern Division - and three expansion teams, Sarasota, Toronto and Puerto Rico.
1983-1984 - Gene "Torchy" Clark, who had been coaching collegiate basketball in Florida, was named the third head coach of the Flyers in the off-season. He had ties to the area as a successful high school coach in the 1960s and 1970s, but he never coached an actual game for Wisconsin. A few weeks before training camp, Clark and owner Killian Spanbauer had a falling out. The rumors were over certain player signings, but the facts were never revealed in the local media. Bill Klucas, who was CBA coach of the year with Anchorage in 1979-1980, was available and came on board. The 1983-84 Flyers featured an exciting cast of players - Jose Slaughter, Greg Jones (CBA Rookie of the Year), Steve Lingenfelter (CBA Newcomer of the Year), and Kevin Graham. Graham was namd to the CBA Second-Team and the First-Team All-Defense. Slaughter was named to the Second-Team All-Defense. Wisconsin started out sluggish, then turned redhot down the stretch and held off the defending champion Detroit Spirits for the Western Division title.
PLAYOFFS - Wisconsin (27-17) defeated the Ohio Mixers (23-21) in five games to win the Western Division semi-final series. The Mixers would announce they were moving to Cincinnati, as the Slammers, shortly afterwards. In the Western finals, Wyoming (23-21) shocked the Flyers by winning three of four. The Wildcatters would go on to lose to Albany and head coach Phil Jackson in the CBA finals.
LEAGUE MOVES - Ohio became the Cincinnati Slammers and stayed in the Western Division, which welcomed the Evansville Thunder (who had Jerry Sloan as their first head coach). The Tampa Bay Thrillers joined the East.
1984-1985 - For the first time, there were rumblings that the Flyers could be moving to greener pastures if attendance did not improve. They still played a majority of their games at Oshkosh North Fieldhouse. Bill Klucas returned, as did Jose Slaughter (24.0 PPG). Slaugher was named to the CBA All-League team and the All-Defensive team. Greg Jones was lost to Evansville in the expansion draft and would lead the Thunder to the playoffs. Dale Wilkinson would add to the offensive firepower before being called to the Clippers. His loss would send the Flyers from the top of the West to a battle for a playoff spot. Wisconsin would manage to hold off Louisville for the fourth and final berth. Another factor which hurt the Flyers down the stretch - in addition to Wilkinson being called up - was Killian Spanbauer annoucing the franchise was up for sale in February. The remainder of the season would be played under the shadow of who was going to buy the team and where they would be in 1985-1986.
PLAYOFFS - Wisconsin (21-27) faced the Western Division champion Wyoming Wildcatters (24-24). The 'Catters won the first two games in Wyoming, before the series swung back to Oshkosh. The Flyers won Game Three and then made it interesting with a Game Four win, which included a bench-clearing brawl which involved the fans. With a heavy police presence, Wisconsin crushed Wyoming in Game Five, 98-84. The Detroit Spirits (23-25) were rested after dowing Evansville (23-25) in four games. Detroit would crush Wisconsin in three games to win the Western Division title, but would lose the CBA title to the expansion Tampa Bay Thrillers in seven games. It would be the last playoff appearance in Wisconsin history, and the last of Bill Klucas. He would replace Jack Schalow in Wyoming, after he could not agree on a contact extension with Spanbauer.
LEAGUE MOVES - Albuquerque would fold, but not before claiming Jose Slaugher in a complicated transaction with Wisconsin. Most of the Silvers' players would be dispersed to Kansas City, where the Sizzlers joined the league after the Kings moved to Sacramento. Elsewhere, Louisville moved to the La Crosse Catbirds (eliminating one possible site for Wisconsin to relocate), the Puerto Rico Coquis (who played in an open-air arena) became the Maine Windjammers, the Lancaster Lightning moved to Baltimore, and the Sarasota Stingers became the Florida Stingers.
1985-1986 - The Flyers appeared to be on the right track, as Killian Spanbauer added five partners after turning down offers from La Crosse and Milwaukee to buy the franchise. Dean Moede, who was president of the team's fan club, was named GM, and former player Joe Merten, who was 27, was named head coach. McKinley Singleton picked up the offense after the loss of Jose Slaughter, averaging 20.0 PPG. Bryan Warrick led the CBA in assists with 9.9 PPG, and set a franchise record with 24 in one game. Cozell McQueen finished in the top ten in rebounding (9.9 PPG) and blocked shots (2.1 PPG). Tommy Davis was second in the CBA with 46 three pointers. In the end, the season was a disaster. Needing 1800-2000 fans per game to break even, the team drew 1,492 to its home opener, and it never got any better. Season ticket sales dropped from 560 to 250. Moede resigned as GM before the season began, and was replaced by former Ohio Mixer head coach John Nillen. Merten even had to suit up for the second half of the season due to roster problems and a lack of money.
PLAYOFFS - None
LEAGUE MOVES - During the season, the Toronto Tornados (owned by former NBA owner Ted Stepien) moved to Pensacola. During the off-season, they became the Jacksonville Jets. It was a turbulent off-season in general, as the CBA shrunk to 12 teams. Evansville and Maine folded. The Bay State Bombardiers moved to Pensacola, to become the second version of the Tornados. The Florida Stingers became the Charleston Gunners, the Detroit Spirits moved to Savannah, the Kansas City Sizzlers moved to Topeka and the Baltimore Lightning moved to Rockford.
1986-1987 - The end was in sight for the Wisconsin Flyers. Bill Klucas, who had led Wyoming to a 21-27 record in 1985-86, returned as head coach. Greg Jones also returned and led the team in scoring (21.9 PPG). He led the CBA in three-pointers - 68. Jones was third in the CBA in steals (2.2 PPG) and assists (7.3 PPG), replacing Bryan Warrick, who was sent to Rockford, as point guard. McKinley Singleton was still an offensive force (19.3 PPG). He had the best free throw percentage in the league - 87.2 percent. T. Tony Brown finished in the top ten in rebounding (10.3 PPG) and blocked shots (2.3 PPG), and was named to the second team All-Defense. In the end, all of these positives could not contribute to a winning season. Wisconsin finished 22-26, and had 153.5 standings points, eight behind Rockford for the final Western Division playoff berth. Wyoming finished fifth with a 21-27 record, but had 160.5 points.
PLAYOFFS - None
LEAGUE MOVES - Things turned bizzare in the CBA, as the Tampa Bay Thrillers, who won two titles in their two seasons in Florida, moved to Rapid City, SD just prior to the playoffs. The Thrillers would lose just two post-season games and become the only franchise in CBA history to win three consecutive titles. The only other move was the Flyers. The CBA did expand back to 14 teams, with the Quad City Thunder (no relation to Evansville) and the Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets (who were the old Cincinnati Slammers, whose franchise had been inactive).
THE END - All through the 1986-87 season, it was apparent that the Wisconsin Flyers were in trouble. Killian Spanbauer and the minority owners placed the team back on the market during the season. The most serious offer came from Rochester, MN. With no prospect of an arena being built in the Fox Valley, the franchise was moved for the 1987-88 season. The Rochester Flyers would finish fifth their first season, and last in 1988-89. In 1989, the team moved again to Omaha. Under head coach Mike Thibault, the Omaha Racers went 29-27 in 1989-90 and made the CBA playoffs in the National Conference, where they lost to the San Jose Jammers in the first round. It was the first post-season appearance for the franchise since Detroit swept them in the 1984-1985 Western Division final. The 1990-91 Racers would have the best record in franchise history (39-17), but lost to Quad City in the American Conference finals. Moving back to the National Conference in 1991-92, Omaha finished second in the Northern Division (37-19) to Rapid City. After defeating the Oklahoma City Calvary in the second round of the playoffs, the Racers lost to the Thrillers in the conference finals, 3 games to 2. The 1992-93 Racers finally made it to the top, after finishing second in the Northern Division (28-28) again to Rapid City. Omaha beat the Wichita Falls Texans in the first round, then slipped past Rapid City in a five-game conference final. In the CBA championship, Omaha defeated the Grands Rapids Hoops in six games. A 106-98 win on May 1, 1993 in Grand Rapids would be the highwater mark of the franchise. Rapid City finished ahead of Omaha (30-26) in the Northern Division for the third straight year in 1993-94. Omaha made it back to the CBA finals, after defeating the Tri-City Chinook in round one and Rapid City in the conference finals. The Quad City Thunder defeated Omaha in five games to win the league title. Omaha (26-30) moved to the Southern Division in 1994-95 and finished second to Oklahoma City. They beat the Sioux Falls SkyForce in the first round, but fell to Oklahoma City in the second round. Thibault missed seven games as head coach, being replaced by Eric Chapman, as he coached the US in the 1995 Pan American games in Argentina. Omaha (28-28) moved back to the Northern Division of the National Conference in 1995-96, and finished second again, this time to Sioux Falls. The Florida Beachdogs swept the Racers out of the playoffs in round one. With the CBA shrinking to 11 teams in 1996-97, Omaha was placed in the 5-team National Conference and finished in fourth place (22-34). In one of the biggest upsets in CBA playoff history, the Racers defeated Sioux Falls (47-9) in five games, winning the clincher in South Dakota, 98-92. Oklahoma City brought them back down to earth, winning the conference finals, 3 games to 1. It proved to be the last hurrah for the franchise. With a record of 375-413, plus a 42-49 mark in the playoffs, and one CBA title (1992-1993), the Wisconsin Flyers-Rochester Flyers-Omaha Racers franchise was declared inactive in the summer of 1997. At the time, there was some faint hope that the franchise may start up again in 1998-99. The two teams who had the made the CBA finals in 1997, Oklahoma City and Florida, also folded. The only remaining link on the net - http://www.allsports.com/basketball/opb/index.html - appears to not have been updated in years.

TOP DRAFT CHOICES
WISCONSIN
1985 - David Cook (St. Mary's) - 6th overall
1986 - Kevin Catron (St. Cloud State) - 2nd overall
ROCHESTER
1987 - Leon Bass (E.Carolina) - 4th overall
1988 - Tim Legler (LaSalle) - 5th overall
OMAHA
1989 - Paul Graham (Ohio) - 2nd overall
1990 - Rick Calloway (Kansas) - 18th overall (2nd round)
1991 - Patrick Tompkins (Wisconsin) - 16th overall
1992 - Marques Bragg (Providence) - 13th overall
1993 - Parrish Casebier (Evansville) - 48th overall (3rd round)
1994 - Nate Higgs (Elizabeth City State) - 2nd overall1995 - Nate Driggers (Montevallo) - 2nd overall
1996 - Reggie Geary (Arizona) - 12th overall
BOLD - Played in CBA

BEST PLAYER IN FRANCHISE HISTORY - TIM LEGLER
1988-1989 - Legler was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization out of high school but chose college basketball instead. After finishing a standout career at La Salle in 1988, Legler went undrafted by an NBA franchise. The Boston Celtics invited him to training camp, but he failed to make the Celtics' opening-day roster for the 1988-89 season. Legler then signed with the Rochester Flyers and played out the year in the CBA. He averaged 12.6 points for the Flyers, connecting on 34 of 91 three-point attempts.
1989-1990 - Legler returned to the CBA for the 1989-90 season, this time playing for the Omaha Racers. He averaged 22.6 points in 40 games with the Racers, earning an invitation to the CBA All-Star Game. The Phoenix Suns took notice, signing Legler to the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts on March 21. He played in 11 games for Phoenix, averaging 2.5 points, but was excluded from the Suns' playoff roster.
1990-1991 - Legler was having a good training camp with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1990, but he was edged out by a fellow he was aware of from his days in Philadelphia. Indeed, Legler graduated from La Salle one year earlier than Doug West graduated from Villanova. Now here was West-the Timberwolves' second-round draft pick-winning a roster spot. Legler returned to Omaha in the Continental Basketball Association and averaged 25.3 points in 45 games, earning a berth on the CBA All-League First Team at the end of the season. In the midst of his stellar CBA season, Legler played briefly in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, who signed him to a pair of 10-day contracts in December. He averaged 5.8 points and 14.8 minutes in 10 games with the Nuggets.
1991-1992 - The Washington Bullets invited Legler to training camp but cut him before the season began. He then returned to the Continental Basketball Association's Omaha Racers, playing in 39 games and averaging 20.3 points. He made his second appearance in the CBA All-Star Game.
1992-1993 - Legler played three games with the Utah Jazz before Mark Eaton returned from the injured list. Legler then returned to familiar surroundings, playing with the Continental Basketball Association's Omaha Racers for the fourth straight season. He lit up the CBA in 1992-93, averaging 27.2 points on .546 shooting from the floor. In his final four games with Omaha he scored 30, 35, 37, and 38 points-and then signed the first of two 10-day contracts with the Dallas Mavericks. Legler played 30 games for Dallas and made significant contributions as the season neared its end. In his final five games he averaged 13.2 points, including a 20-point performance against the Denver Nuggets on April 21.
1993-1994 - After toiling in the Continental Basketball Association for most of the previous five seasons, Legler finally spent a full year in the NBA in 1993-94. He became a regular in new coach Quinn Buckner's rotation and established career highs in virtually every category. Appearing in 79 games, all as a reserve, Legler contributed 8.3 points in 16.7 minutes per game. In January he had a five-game run of 15.6 points per game on .558 shooting from the field. One of those games was a team-high 21-point effort against the Atlanta Hawks on January 14. Less than two weeks earlier, on January 2, he had poured in 25 points in a game against the Sacramento Kings.
1994-1995 - The fourth-leading scorer in CBA history, Legler found himself a home in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors for the late stages of the 1994-95 campaign. Signed in early March after Tim Hardaway went down with a season-ending wrist injury, Legler played well as a backup to Keith Jennings and Latrell Sprewell for about 15 minutes per game. Legler began the year with the CBA's Omaha Racers. At midseason he tied a CBA record by playing in his fourth CBA All-Star Game. Before his call-up by the Warriors on March 7, Legler appeared in 42 games for the Racers and averaged 24.9 points and 4.0 assists. He ranked second in the CBA in scoring at the time of his promotion. His lofty numbers earned him a place on the CBA All-League Second Team following the season. With the Warriors, Legler saw action in the season's final 24 games, averaging 7.3 points and 1.7 assists while shooting .522 from the floor and registering a whopping .520 mark from three-point range. His playing time increased during the Warriors' late-season collapse: in the last 10 games of the year, Legler played almost 22 minutes per outing and averaged 11.1 points to go with 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He led the Warriors in scoring four times and registered a season-high 24 points against the Houston Rockets on April 6. That was only a single point below Legler's career high, set in 1993-94 when he played most of the year for the Dallas Mavericks.

[Chuck the Writer]

HARTFORD HELLCATS (1994-95): They Hosted the All Star Game that year, then later Fell Apart. This was much to do with no Fan Support and Poor Management by the Original Owners of the Hellcats. Brian Foley Purchased the Franchise during the summer of 1995 and re-named them the Connecticut Pride. But the Stability of the Franchise was always on the verge of Bankruptcy and when the Isaiah Thomas fiasco hit in 2001, the Team never came back.

Part of the problem for the Hartford Hellcats was the same problem the franchise faced in Albany - trying to make 4,000 fans look cozy in a 16,000 seat arena. It just didn't work, and overhead at the Hartford Civic Center was tremendous. When the team was rebranded the Connecticut Pride, I believe they played in a much smaller building (the 3,000 seat Hartford Armory), although they did play several games a season at the Hartford Civic Center (with a basketball configuration of approx 7,000, according to one of the CBA media guides).

HARRISBURGH HAMMERHEADS (1994-95): This was the same Franchise that was Located in Rochester, MN (Renegades) from 1992-94. Before that it was the Birmingham Bandits (1991-92) at the same time as Mo McHone was the coach, and before that they were the Pensacola Tornadoes. and CHuck, you probally know the downline from there on back. As for the Down Fall of the Hammerheads Franchise, this was just basically a Bad Situation getting worse for this Franchise since moving from Pensacola to Birmingham to Rochester then finally Harrisburgh. They Never really came to grips with the Financial Problems it had since the Birmingham years and finally they ceased operations. I just call it "**** Poor Business Management" from the word GO. Bill Mussleman almost saved the organization during its time in Rochester, MN when he guided them to a 31-25 record and its first playoff season since the Pensacola Years. But reality hit when the attendance in Rochester fell to about 100-200 people per game, and never really picked up momemtum in Harrisburgh where it got even worse. but they also played in a Very Bad Building, where they had dirt floors and all. so the atmosphere wasnt all that great in Harrisburgh.

Farm Show Arena was not designed for basketball. I'm not sure if I've got this information correct, but apparently the Arena has a dirt and ground floor, and the basketball floor was placed on top of the dirt floor, creating uneven and unlevel spots on the court. I want to make sure I confirm this with news reports before I go any further with that theory.

I have also heard of a Second Comng to the Connecticut Pride in the future, is there any truth to that rumor? Chuck. I was always a fan of the Pride even as a Skyforce fan.

My feeling is that the only way any teams like the Connecticut Pride come back is if the Albany Patroons become successful and profitable, and will need "bus travel" teams for games to reduce overhead (right now, all the CBA teams are plane trips from Albany, which is why CBA teams coming to Albany will be playing two-game series per road trip). I wouldn't mind seeing the Pride in the league, but I would also like to see if teams from Rochester, Allentown, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Trenton could join the league as well. Maybe the people involved in the old New Jersey SkyCats might want to pool their resources and join up?

Also, Chuck, do you foresee any scenerio (any chance) of all that the CBA would bring back the Rapid City Thrillers if a Group came forward to place a team back in Rapid? To this day, i still beleive the Rivalry between the Skyforce & Thrillers was the Greatest Rivalry in the history of the Modern CBA Glory Years (1980-present). We have Dakota now to the north, but the current Force vs Wizard rivalry just doesnt have the zeal and the flare that our once Proud South Dakotan Rivalry had during the early 90s.

Right now, the biggest obstacle for any new expansion in the league is that the CBA is no longer the official developmental league of the NBA, which means the NBA isn't pumping in "X" number of dollars a year, or providing referees. This means the teams are all fronting the bill themselves. <spitting on picture of Isiah Thomas>

what is the deal with the Omaha Racers Franchise. i see at one time ove the summer, if typed in Omaha Racers in the search engine, the website came up. I beleive it was the Omaha Racers Website. so is that Franchise in the works for a future expansion city again? I have often wondered.

I'm not seeing Omaha back in the CBA while a team exists in the D-League. Right now the situation with the CBA and the NBA is very cold. Yeah, it would be nice to see all those old teams back in the league, but I want to see the teams that had a strong legacy and were Isiahed out of the CBA - Quad City and Fort Wayne and Connecticut are three examples. Maybe more will come in the future; we don't know if this new Colorado franchise for 2006-07 will be stable or Newmanesque.

I like your ideas, Mike. Let's keep this going.

[mzracing76]

THat was a Very Nice post on the Omaha Racers (wisconsin flyers) franchise. one of these days when i have some time, i will put a piece together for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

CHuck,

What about a Franchise being placed back in the Tri-Cities to compte with the Yakima Sunkings? is there any hope to that city ever getting a team again. they had great fan support if i can remember.

Do you know why teh Oklahoma City Franchise ever folded, when they had some of the best Crowds in the League? or was there more to it that meets the eye.

In the Future, i would like to see Franchises in....

Rapid City
Wichita Falls
La Crosse
Quad City's
Fort Wayne

and new cities such as...

SIoux City, IA
Lincoln, NEB
Great Falls, MON


And Perhaps maybe some teams placed in Canada...
Winnipeg
Van Couver
Regina

along with some the cities that suround the Albany Patroons cities.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

This info is fascinating - keep up the good work!

As for future expansion in the east - it seems that some of the better prepared ABA teams are in region near Albany; Rochester, Buffalo, NE PA. If they can manage to build and maintain their base, those teams can be the RimRockers for this season, and go on to a more stable situation than Joe's folly.

[Chuck the Writer]

This info is fascinating - keep up the good work!

As for future expansion in the east - it seems that some of the better prepared ABA teams are in region near Albany; Rochester, Buffalo, NE PA. If they can manage to build and maintain their base, those teams can be the RimRockers for this season, and go on to a more stable situation than Joe's folly.

Definitely worth considering.

Last Wednesday I drove to the University of Scranton to go through their newspaper microfilms regarding the Scranton Miners (1958-1970), the Scranton Apollos (1970-1977) and the Scranton Aces (1979-80). Fascinating material, especially covering the 1967-68 season, where the Miners' top player at the time, Willie Somerset, played two games for the Miners before jumping leagues and playing in the ABA. At that time, the Eastern League had several of their players "poached" by the ABA, including Willie Somerset, Levern Tart and others. This was also the year in which the Bridgeport (Conn.) Flyers moved to Binghamton NY in mid-season (Bridgeport had a 1-11 record; the team finished the season in Binghamton with a cumulative 7-20 record).

In the mail yesterday arrived three vintage programs - a 1965-66 Wilkes-Barre Barons program, a 1972-73 Scranton Apollos program, and the rare treat - a 1951 Sunbury Mercuries/York (Pa.) Professionals playoff program. As soon as I get these images scanned and photopainted, I'll provide a link at OSC for a look at this online museum / research project.

Thanks to all who have helped.

[Pounder]

Is anyone else with me on getting the sense that, rather than a merger of the CBA and D-League, that the NBA is going to try to edge in on CBA territory, slowly, then kill the CBA, then take the remnants they want? Talk about spitting on pictures...

Perhaps I have to figure out why I get that sense.

If it's simply a case of bad management, better management often finds value in a devalued product and picks up the slack. Chuck's writings on Hartford and Harrisburg are very telling to me. Perhaps I need to figure out why I'm annoyed when someone posts about trying to resurrect old dead CBA teams... but it again needs to be said that the answer is to shop for other markets where the conditions for success would be better.

[mzracing76]

Pounder.

its not that we are wanting old dead CBA Markets to come back. You have to do your research better than that. I think what Chuck and I are talking about are the Markets that were once "proud" venues of the CBA. Here are my Top Ten Greatest CBA Cities & Top Ten Worst CBA Cities.

1) Rapid City (thrillers), this was a great franchise much like the SIoux Falls Skyforce and what Albany was before they moved into their new stadium (1990). this franchise practically sold out all of their games (5000-6000 fans a game) from 1990-1995. it wasnt the fans fault that the Owner moved the team to Florida then later selling it after a year. He moved casue he didnt like the Revenues from the Rapid City Civic Center at the time. at that time, i beleive that Sioux Falls had a very unique partnership with the SF Arena where they got like 25-30% of the concesions, and pretty good clip of the Ticket Sales. They also had a decent Rent Payment also. And i beleive that was an issue with the Rapid City Owner. I wold love to see Rapid City Get a local ownership group together in the next 3-5 years or so and come back. The Sioux Falls vs Rapid City Rivalry was very intense, and compared favorably to the Lakers vs Celtics Rivalry of the 1980s.

2) Fort Wayne (Fury), This was a very good Franchise as well. They had the Fan Support (4000-5000 per game), they had great Business partners much like the Skyforce and Thrillers. They just didnt have a very good Basketball Program until about the 1995-96 season when they actually started to win. I would love to see this city come back to the CBA.

3) Quad City (Thunder), This was a great and Proud franchise that never actually had a losing record (1987-2001) until its final season, and they only had two coaches (Mauro Pannaggio and his son Dan). This Franchise went to the the CBA Finals in 1991, 1994, and 1998. Winning Two Titles (1994 & 1998). For as great a franchise the Thunder were, i dont beleive they will come back anytime soon based on the fact that their Fan Support just wasnt there. I dont know if they just didnt have a great Business Department or what, but what i do know, was that they had a Great Basketball Department. I am kind 50-50 on this city getting another team in the CBA.

4) Grand Rapids (Hoops), This was one of the Finest Basketball Markets in the history of the CBA (1979-present). Before they moved into the Van Andel Arena (10,000 seats) they actually sold out almost every game of their Old Stadium (chuck? help me) that sat roughly 3500 people. THis Franchise produced many outstanding Rookie of the Year award's and Newcomer's that they were probally the Top Notch Basketball Program from 1993-2001 before the league fell on hard times. I would love to see this City get another chance.

5) Albany (Patroons), I will let Chuck tell us their rich history.
<glad they are back>

6) Connecticut (Pride), This Franchise was one of the worst for a long perdiod of time. They were finally starting to come together as a Franchise (1998-2001) right before the league folded. They did manage to accrue many debts, losses, etc over the years. but i think that this city deserves one more chance. whether it will work, its up to the people to find out. But i would be willing to give them a second chance to improve on what they had going before Isaiah Thomas did his thing.

7) Tri City (Chinook), I would definately place another team in this area of Washington State. Yakima much like Albany needs a brotheran up there to help with Travel Expenses and this market was good to the CBA. To me, this was a big mistake letting this franchise fold. I never did really get a good answer to why this franchise folded, other than the usual answers, IN DEBT. But these Fans deserve a second chance. i think the League is looking at them real closely as of late.

8) La Crosse (Catbirds & Bobcats), Lacross never really had its own team. But the one thing they had in La Crosse was Great Fan Support. These Fans Twice gotten "relocation teams". The Catbirds came from Louisville i beleive and the Bobcats were the remnants of the Chicago Rockers/Wichita Falls Texans Franchise. With the Latter never really panning out to tell you the truth. WHile THe Catbirds were one of the CBAs Greatest Franchises of all time. Before Sioux Falls & Rapid City came along, this franchise was the Premier Franchise of the league averaging 4000-5000 fans a game. These Fans Deserve what would be a Third Chance. Their Second Chance wasnt really much of a chance. I woul place a team back in La Crosse, Wis, only this time, give them their very own Expansion Team.

9) Omaha (Racers), This Franchise agin, i am 50-50 on this team. Omaha had a very Outstanding Basketball Program, but the Business Side of the Operations was not well ran. they could have done a much better job with the fans. But also remember they also played in a spacious stadium. if they had a Arena that capped out at 5000 fans, this would suit Omaha's interests just fine. I would attempt another team in Omaha at the right time.

10) Wichita Falls (Texans), I woul love for the CBA to place a team back in this market. I used to call this the "Black Hole of the CBA" it always seemed to me that teams came to Wichita Falls to Die there. For SIoux Falls, that was the case, we were like 4-11 in that Arena. They had fan suport also. Much Like Grand Rapids, they had a very small, but Decent Arena to play in, it suited them just fine. I never really aggreed with the move to Chicago from the word go. Wichita Falls after all are the 1991 CBA CHAMPS.

-----

10) San Jose (Jammers), this was not a Basketball City from the word go, they never really had a Great Following, and their Basketball PRogram lead by the Legendary Corey Russell was one of the best. This Franchise averaged 125+ points a game for 2 years under Russell, I wish that Corey Russell would have had another chance to coach in this league. he was one of the greatest Offensive Coaches i ever saw. But as for the location of this franchise, it was a bad experience.

9) Santa Barbara (Islanders), Good Team, Lousy Fan Suport. They were 37-19 in their only season in the League (1989-90) Again, they had a Awesome Coach (Sonny Allen) and a Awesome Offense (49er style). Again, when you played the Islanders, there was no defense. I remember Skyforce scores like 148-132, 139-133, 132-119. those were some pretty darn good offenses. But again, no Support at all. Bad Location

8) Bakersfield (Jammers), WHen San Jose didnt pan out for the Jammers, they moved down state to Bakersfield. IT didnt get much better, in fact it got worse, they averaged something like 400 fans a game. and the Basketball Program wasnt too as good either, Bad Management, and Bad Fan Support. Bad Location.

7) Columbus (Horizon), Never a good location as well as Basketball Program. They had some great Players such as Chris Jent, Jerome Harmon, and Kermit Holmes, as well as some great coaches such as Cazzie Russell. But the Owner did little to make this a great and proud franchise. Maybe the Fans might have supported them better if the Basketball Program was better. but they only averaged 1200-1500 fans a game. Bad Location

6) Shreveport (Crawdads aka Horizon), Same Situation as in Columbus, Same Owner, so maybe the whole Franchise wasnt the fans fault, but rather the Ownership. You Have to Spend MOney to get a Fan Base. Although i feel that the Crawdads did have some extra Support by the fans than in Columbus, but the Product sucked. I will always remember this Franchise that pretty much ended the Career of Legendary CBA Mentor Mauro Pannagio. he was like 18-20 with the team in 1995-96, but even Mauro couldnt save this hapless franchise. Perhaps a Great Location, bad Ownership.

5) Rochester-MN (Flyers & Renegades), Bad Fan Support for both Franchises. The FLyers who were the Racers (Omaha) were actually a great franchise with little or none support. The Renegades, which came from Birminghan and Pensacola were a lousy franchise from the word go. Didnt really give the fans anything to get excited about other than Legendary Bill Mussleman coaching the Renegades (1993-94). But even Bill couldnt draw the Fans. Bad Location

4) Tampa Bay (Thrillers), The Franchise Moving to Rapid City explains what the Fan Support was like in Tampa, FL. Pathetic. Great Franchise, bo Support. Bad Location

3) West Palm Beach (Thrillers), YOu would think this Franchise would have learned from their Toddler years. But they didnt. They went from a great situation to a lousy one then fell apart. The only thing they had going for them was that Eric Mussleman put West Palm Beach on the Map. Bad Location.

2) Tulsa (Fast Breakers & Zone), Great Franchise, no Fans. This Club did everything they could to fill this place, but just couldnt get any fans. they had some pretty darn good ball clubs from 1988-1992 behind Head Coach Henry Bibby, but in the end, Tulsa just wasnt ready for Minor League Basketball, and the Franchise moved to Fargo, ND.

1) Rockford (Lightning), I have always loved this Franchise. but their fans are some of the worst fans in the League. The Franchise is one the Greatest CBA Teams ever and they rarely ever make it out of the bottom 2-3 teams in attendance. Maybe its the ownership group (Business side), but you would think after 20+years this city would rally behind the team a little. But they consistantly average 1000-2000 fans a game. I dont get this Franchise. Hats off to Wayne Timple for staying with the City of Rockford as long as he has. He could actually move the team to a place like Rapid City or La Crosse and get more support than he does not. This Franchise is the Time Line of the CBA right here in Rockford.

-----

MY ALL TIME CBA TEAM
<I am going from my days involved with the CBA (1989-present)

Point Guard............................................. .....................Cedric Hunter
.................................................. .................................AJ Wynder

Shooting Guard............................................. ...............Tim Legler
.................................................. ................................Tracy Moore

Small Forward........................................... ..................Henry James
.................................................. ...............................Kermit Holmes

Power Forwards.......................................... .................Richard Hollis
.................................................. ................................Jerome Lane

Centers........................................... .........................Jerome Henderson
.................................................. .............................Jim Lampley

11th Man............................................... ...................Carl Thomas
12th Man............................................... ...................Barry Sumpter

-------

ALL TIME GREATEST COACHING STAFF............................................. ...
Head Coach............................................. ...............Mauro Pannaggio
Assistant Coach............................................. .........Flip Saunders
Assistant Coach............................................. .........Eric Mussleman
Assistant Coach............................................. .........Mike Thibault

[mzracing76]

MY ALL TIME SKYFORCE TEAM:

Point Guard............................................. ....................Cedric Hunter
.................................................. ...............................Reggie Jordan

Shooting Guard............................................. .............Tony Harris
.................................................. ..............................Tharon Mayes

Small Forward........................................... ...............Henry James
.................................................. ............................. Ralph Lewis

Power Forward........................................... ..............Brian Howard
.................................................. ............................Jason Sasser

Center............................................ ........................Adrian Caldwell
.................................................. ............................Rich King

ALL TIME HEAD COACH...........................................Fl ip Saunders
**I give Flip Saunders all the Credit in turning around this once Stagment Franchise and making us a Winner. I beleive it was Flip Saunders that gave SIoux Falls its first CBA Title, although Mo McHone was the Head Coach. 5 of the 10 players in 1995-96 were all hold overs from the Flip Saunders regimy in 1994-95. I dont know why, i never really was a big fan of Mo McHone's system. Dont get me wrong, but he was a Great Coach, i just for some reason favored Flip Saunders as a Better Coach. Probally cause we averaged 25 assists to only 14.1 turnovers (which is still a CBA All Time Record for the Fewest in a Season).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SKYFORCE TIME LINE:

Head Coach: Ron Ekker (20-36, 0-0)
1989-90...This was the only season that Ron was our coach. He basically is only remembered for being our Expansion Head Coach. Sioux Falls had lost their First 9 games (0-9) this season. We got our first win all time vs teh Omaha Racers in Omaha. Some of the good Players on this team was Ralph Lewis (22.1ppg, 7.4rpg), Eric White, Adrian Branch, Fan Favorite Dennis Nut (a great 3-pt shooter), and there was someone named Leonard Harris who would become one of our best Rebounders.

Head Coach: Kevin McKenna (76-92, 0-0)
1990-93...Kevin McKenna was a Product of the Flip Saunders school of Coaching. Kevin Played and was a Assistant Coach for Saunders in LaCrosse from 1989-90 season. McKenna was probally our best Head Coach in terms of Offense. He drafted the likes of Tharon Mayes (25.1ppg in 1990-91), Ken Redfield (18.7ppg, 8.1rpg in 1989-90). Both Players scored over 1000 points that season, while both claiming First Team ALl Rookie Honors. Leonard Harris had a great Season going in 1990-91 (12.2ppg, 11.8rpg) until we traded him to Albany late in the season. The 1991-92 team had the likes of Richard Rellford, Ralph Lewis, Corey Gaines, and Bobby Phills. Phills came over from LaCross in the Ken Redfield trade and made a immediate impact scoring 23.1 ppg and receiving a NBA Call Up to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ralph Lewis came back to have a pretty fair season (16.7ppg) and Relford was our go to man this year averaging 22.7ppg. Corey Gaines led the team from the Point. The HIghlight of this year was the Setting of the CBA ALL TIME 3-PT Record the night in Tulsa, Oklahoma when the Force went 17/33 this night. 6 years later the Grand Rapid Hoops broke our record going 19/28 against none other than Sioux Falls. Go Figure. Kevin McKenna's last year was 1992-93, this year we got off to a 4-1 start, then ran into a 7 game losing streak. We had players such as Tony Watts, Cedric Hunter, Jimmy Oliver, Kelby "Kelbinator" Stuckey, Clifford Lett, Tim Breaux, and Jerry Stroman. Breaux earned all rookie honors, and earned a NBA Call Up to the NBA Champion Houston Rockets, while Kelby Stuckey led the team in scoring with a 15.5 Scoring average. Lee Cambell became our Best Rebounder over L. Harris averaging 9.8 per game, while Jerry Stroman was our Deep Threat knocking down 3-ptrs.

HEAD COACH: Roger Lyons (24-32, 1-1)
1993-94...New Local Ownership purchased the team this summer, Hiring Roger Lyons to become our 3rd coach in team history. We had Players such as Tony Farmer, Cedric Hunter, Carlton McKinney, Darryl McDonald, and Kelby Stuckey. This team got off to a great start going 18-17 late in the season. McDonald was having his best year in the CBA (18.8ppg, 6.4apg, 2.7spg) before he left to go over seas Stuckey was the team Leader (18.2ppg, 8.8rpg) before being traded for a draft pick with Fargo. Carlton McKinney set the CBA All Time 3-PTR Record for a player netting 147/414 treys and playing 60 games between Grand Rapids and Sioux Falls. Tony Farmer was aquired in a late season trade with Fort Wayne to and scored 20.1 ppg, and 7.8rpg forming a great tandem with Rookie Sensation Bill "Dollar Bill" Edwards who averaged 20.1ppg and recieved a late season call up to the Philadelphia 76ers. Sioux Falls ended up in the First Ever CBA PostSeason Play In Tournament in Bismark, ND where Sioux Falls beat Yakima before falling to Rochester led by Bill Mussleman.

HEAD COACH: Phil "Flip" Saunders (34-22, 1-2)
1994-95...Sioux Falls finally signed a Big Named Coach in Saunders, who had won 2 titles with Lacrosse (1990 & 1992). He brought in Players such as Henry "Hammertime" James, Brian Howard, Cedric Hunter, Carlton McKinney, Deryl "DC" Cunningham, and Tony Harris. THis team set records for most wins in a season, its first playoff season, and the highlight was a 158-88 blow out of the Omaha Racers in December. That to this day is the Biggest winning margin in Pro Basketball History (70-Points). Every (10-Players) Player that ngiht scored in Double Figures. Henry James quickly became a house hold name. Sioux Falls placed three players on the All Star Team (James, Adrian Caldwell, Derrick Martin) as well as the coaching Staff (Flip Saunders, Tommy SMith, and Monte Towe). But in the end, SIoux Falls bowed out to the Omaha Racers 2-1 in the first round in a tightly matched series.

HEAD COACH: Mo McHone (142-82, 28-20)
Morris "mo" McHone became the winniest coach in team history from 1995-1999. He took the Franchise to Three (3) CBA Finals Appearances beating the Fort Wayne Fury 4-1 in 1996, Losing to Quad City Thunder in a classic 7 game series (4-3) in 1998, then losing to the Connecticut Pride 4-1 in 1999. Mo McHone signed on to become a Assistant Coach with the Detroit Pistons for the 1999-00 season. Some of our great players during these years were: Henry James, Carlton McKinney, Tony Harris, Reggie Fox, Corey Beck, Darryl Dawkins, Jason Sasser, Stacey King, Tim Breaux. 1995-1999 were to become known as the Glory Years for the Skyforce as we led the CBA in Attendance in 1995-96, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2001-02. The Skyforce became the CBA's Version of the Atlanta Braves during these times.

1999-present:
Head Coaches: James Sleeper, Stacy King, Dave Joeger, Trevor Gleeson, Paul Woolpert

Five Coaches since 1999 have tried to reclaim the Storied Franchise back to where FLip Saunders and Mo McHone left off after the 198-99 season. Dave Joeger finally brought back a CBA Title to the Sioux Empire for the first time in 10 years.

***CBA FINALS***
1995-96......................CBA CHAMPS, Defeated Fort Wayne, 4-1
1997-98.....................RUNNER UPS, Lost to Quad City, 4-3
1998-99....................RUNNER UPS, Lost to Connecticut, 4-1
2004-05....................CBA CHAMPS, Defeated Rockford, 3-1

[Chuck the Writer]

One of the parts of my research involves restoring statistics and game reports of the CBA's "classic" era, the time period between 1946 and 1978 when the league was called the Eastern Pro Basketball League (later in the 1970's the Eastern Basketball Association). That being said, once this project gets further inward, I can tell stories about the Wilkes-Barre Barons - won eight EPBL championships; its owner actually helped start the CBA/EPBL; Barons actually played in several other leagues, including the 1930's version of the American Basketball League, and was considered a powerhouse of its day; or the Allentown Jets - won eight EPBL championships, three in four years. Actually played a one-game contest in 1964 against the Grand Rapids Tackers of the old Continental League and won, becoming the first and only champions of Minor League basketball; or the Rochester Zeniths - first stable New York franchise, helped bring Mauro Panaggio and his family into the CBA - among other stories.

There were also teams that would make sense as a new division for Joe Newman's league. How about the Springfield Hall of Famers of 1968 (0-7, folded in mid-season), the Rochester Colonels of 1958 (0-8, folded in mid-season), the Binghamton Triplets of 1946 (1-5, moved to Pottstown PA in mid-season), the Reading Keys of 1957-58 (1-26), the Asbury Park Boardwalkers of 1966-67 (2-26), the Bridgeport Flyers of 1967 (1-11, moved to Binghamton), the Binghamton Flyers of 1967-1970 (in the cellar for three years, would have been a fourth but the team moved to Trenton and became the Pat Pavers); and the Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds of 1978 and the Utica Olympics of 1979 (Utica had two teams fold in their city in consecutive seasons).

Just the other day I uncovered evidence of a CBA team in Wildwood NJ, which contradicts CBA media guide information that the team was actually the Atlantic City Hi Rollers (the Hi Rollers played in AC in 1980-81, but this game program not only says that the team moved to Cape May County in 1981-82, it also shows stats and a location - the Wildwood Convention Hall, while the CBA media guide still says the team was in Atlantic City for that season).

I also want to thank the person who put up that detailed Wisconsin Flyers / Omaha Racers thumbnail bio, and Mike for putting up the Sioux Falls bio. At some point in the next week or two, I will be uploading sample information and photographs to a dedicated website, so stay tuned!

[mzracing76]

CHuck, i am, and have always been cursious. I have always wondered why the NBA has never tried the Quarter Point System like the CbA has done. I feel that i the CBAs point system makes it alot more interesting for the fans cause it makes the individual quarter scores mean something to the fans, and could this be the one reason why the scores are higher in the CBA and not the NBA? I know that the Hieght & Weight difference in both leagues control the scores a litle also, as the CBA is a Smaller but quicker league, and the NBA is getting bigger and SLower with a few exceptions like the Seattle & Phoenix teams. But i would think the Point System in teh NBA would promote the game to an extent that you may see players/teams not giving up in certain quarters such as the 4th quarter expecially. what is your oppinion on this subject?

CHuck, if we were to place each Basketball League in a System much like Baseball, how would they rank?

1) NBA........................................MAJORS

2) CBA.......................................TRIPLE A
NBDL.............................................. .......

4) ABA......................................Double A

5) IBL.........................................Single A
<that is how i think the Leagues are Ranked in my book>

[Chuck the Writer]

I have always wondered why the NBA has never tried the Quarter Point System like the CbA has done.

I believe a coach one time was asked if the NBA would ever consider adding a quarter point system, and he said it wouldn't happen, becuase the players might think they're playing four games a night and would want to be paid accordingly.

No, actually the reason the CBA instituted the quarter-point system in 1981 was to keep the few fans that attended from leaving in blowout contests. It was touted as four "mini-games," and the strategy could be adjusted so that a team might "steal" a quarter-point in a blowout, or a coach might grumble that he only took four of seven standings points in a close contest.

It works in the CBA, where fans can see the rising stars of today playing hard for four quarters, in the hopes of making the NBA. It would not work in the NBA, as major league basketball fans might find the scoring too convoluted - similar to the playoff point situations in hockey over the years. The NBA also plays a longer schedule than the CBA, and the overuse of its top stars to secure every quarter point could cause more injuries and burnout.

The NBA isn't using the CBA for development any more, so they're not pulling in any more CBA innovations like snap-back basketball rims. They would more likely test any prospective rules or scoring changes in the D-League.

I know that when Isiah Thomas owned the league in the 1999-2000 series, he did away with the quarter point scoring system; it returned a season or two after he left.

As for the delinations of minor league levels in basketball, it should be like this:

Premier Division - NBA

Secondary Division - CBA, NBDL

Division III - USBL, ABA2000

NAIA Level - IBL, WBA, etc

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Chuck,
I haven't gotten back to you because I've been a bit overwhelmed lately. You can have my old Steelheads newsletters, programs, and season ticket cards though.

Couldn't disagree with you more about Isiah Thomas, however. CBA franchises were folding left and right LONG before Isiah came on the scene. You know the history of the CBA. The well-funded franchises regrouped after the Isiah Thomas reign. The weak sister franchises became a footnote to history (as they always do).

mzracing76,
Fort Wayne Fury was a solid franchise? I don't think so. The Fury's owner didn't just walk away from the team after the Thomas reign. He RAN away to Florida in a cloud of dust.

Ranking the leagues:
Can the ABA actually be included in any rankings? Shouldn't a pro league keep league stats before it can be considered professional? Just wondering.

[Chuck the Writer]

Ken -

While I don't disagree that the CBA was struggling with franchises, there were still plenty of teams that had long histories and solid relations with the fans (Connecticut, Quad City, Fort Wayne, LaCrosse). And while Isiah Thomas may have had good intentions when he purchased the league in its entirety, the fact of the matter is that he turned around and tried to sell the league to the NBA with the hopes of making a profit - similar to someone buying distressed property in Florida and "flipping" it to a new customer. When the NBA essentially offered Zeke the same price he paid for the CBA, Isiah demanded more - and the NBA said screw it, we're going to form our own developmental league. Which they did.

And maybe Isiah thought he could keep the league afloat, the fact is that once he accepted the Pacers coaching job, he had to divest his interest in the CBA - an NBA coach cannot own a league or another team, it's a conflict of interest. That's why George Karl has to sell his interest in the Idaho Stampede.

And while it's not considered elegant discussion to rank the ABA2000 in any rankings of leagues, just remember - today's successful ABA2000 franchise could be tomorrow's successful CBA or D-League franchise. :D

[Chuck the Writer]

Hi, the first two "bare bones" pages are up, just some examples of what the CBA online museum will hold. This page has a gallery of selected game programs:

http://www.chuckthewriter.com/CBA/cbaprograms.html

And this page has a gallery of CBA pocket schedules:

http://www.chuckthewriter.com/CBA/cbaskeds.html

I realize it's not much on the page, but right now I'm putting this up bit by bit.