2003-2004 CBA Season Recap

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

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2003 Steelheads' Draft Party. Who was the Steelheads' first round pick? Answer: Willie Chandler...has yet to play a day of CBA ball.

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Genesis Center: Home of the Steelheads. If you look closely at the big orange disk (partially obscured by the tree), you will see that it is a large rendering of a CBA basketball. There is huge push by the media to bring the NCAA Mid-Con tournament to Gary starting in 2007. The tournament is currently held at Kemper Arena, then will move to Tulsa for two years. The reason Gary is being touted for the tournament is because Valparaiso, Chicago State, and IUPUI are a reasonable commute to Gary.

...attendance has been terrible for the Mid-Con tournament in recent years.

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The first and only time the Steelheads wore 'road' uniforms at home. The team in white (visitors) is Yakima.

[WIZ Kid]

Looking at that Draft Board,................ I see quite a few names on there that have " YET " to play. in fact ,....none of em even look familiar !

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Yeah, but Willie Chandler actually DID show up to camp--but was cut around the second day of training camp. Most of the other picks on those boards went elsewhere. I don't recognize any of the names either. The ones that played in the CBA this season are to the far left and can't be seen in the photo.

Dane Fife, the Steelheads' 2002 first rounder, was present for that year's draft. The 2003 first round pick was not present, but Leon Smith and Jemeil Rich were on hand to work the crowd. Boy! I really thought Leon had gotten his act together after seeing him at the draft party. Just think--Leon Smith and Shelly Clark together all season and it's the Steelheads getting sized-up for rings.

I hope this year's draft party is a true draft party and free drafts are served to patrons who arrive before the draft begins.

[WIZ Kid]

I actually took the time to look up the Draft picks. ( Hey it was a boring day )
I can only find 2 players that actually made it into line up's for any of the teams.
First Round

1. Sioux Falls -- Josh Powell, North Carolina State, 6-9, 225, F.

2. Yakima (from Great Lakes) -- Rick Anderson, Arizona, 6-9, 225, F.

3. Idaho -- Stephane Pelle, Colorado, 6-8, 240, F.

4. Gary -- Willie Chandler, Misericordia, Pa., 6-5, 125, G.

5. Yakima -- Wayne Wallace, Virgina Union, 6-9, 187, F.

6. Idaho (from Rockford) -- Marcus Hatten, St. John's, 6-1, 165, G.

7. Wizards -- Desmond Penigar, Utah State, 6-7, 245, F.

Second Round

8. Sioux Falls -- Matt Bonner, Florida, F, 6-10, 240.

9. Yakima (from Great Lakes) -- Hiram Fuller, Fresno State, 6-9, 245, F.

10. Idaho -- Kirk Penney, Wisconsin, 6-5, 220, G.

11. Gary -- Ronald Dupree, Louisiana State, 6-7, 210, G.

12. Wizards (from Grand Rapids) -- Melvin Sanders, Oklahoma State, 6-5, 210, G-F.

13. Yakima -- Henry Domercant, Eastern Illinois, 6-4, 200, G.

14. Rockford -- Nick Neumann, Florida Atlantic, 7-0, 245, C.

15. Gary (from Wizards) -- Louis Truscott, Houston, 6-6, 245, F.

Third Round

16. Sioux Falls -- Damon Jackson, Fresno State, 6-4, 210, G.

17. Great Lakes -- Tahj Holden, Maryland, 6-10, 253, F-C.

18. Idaho -- Steve Moss-Kelly, Bowie State, 6-6, 230, F-G.

19. Gary -- Britton Johnsen, Utah, 6-10, 210, F.

20. Yakima -- Ryan Randle, Maryland, 6-9, 255, F-C.

21. Rockford -- Travis Watson, Virginia, 6-8, 250, F.

22. Gary (from Wizards) -- Mike Mackell, San Diego State, 6-9, 250, C.

Fourth Round

23. Sioux Falls -- Marlon Parmer, Kentucky Wesleyan, 6-2, 190, G.

24. Great Lakes -- Kevin Johnson, Tulsa, 6-7, 225, F.

25. Idaho -- Carl English, Hawaii, 6-5, 205, G.

26. Gary -- Tim Szatko, Holy Cross, 6-8, 220, F.

27. Yakima -- Leonard Stokes, Cincinnati, 6-5, 200, G.

28. Rockford -- Terence Gulley, Barat, Ill., 6-1, 170, G.

29. Wizards -- Quinton Ross, Southern Methodist, 6-6, 195, G-F.

Fifth Round

30. Sioux Falls -- Koko Archibong, Pennsylvania, 6-8, 215, F.

31. Great Lakes -- Darlon Johnson, UNLV, 6-9, 210, F.

32. Idaho -- Brooks Hall, Dayton, 6-6, 205, G.

33. Gary -- Phil Ricci, Oregon State, 6-8, 250, F.

34. Yakima -- Quannas White, Oklahoma, 6-1, 180, G.

35. Rockford -- Robert Jackson, Marquette, 6-10, 260, F.

36. Wizards -- Ron Slay, Tennessee, 6-8, 240, F.

Sixth Round

37. Sioux Falls -- Rick Rickert, Minnesota, 6-11, 215, F.

38. Great Lakes -- Lamar Castile, Beaver County, 6-2, 210, G.

39. Idaho -- David Bailey, Loyola, 5-8, 165, G.

40. Gary -- Terrell Riggs, Detroit Mercy, 6-7, 225, F.

41. Yakima -- Wayne McClinton, Hartford, 6-2, 170, G.

42. Rockford -- Brian Colbert, Cameron, 6-3, 195, G.

43. Wizards -- Jerry Holman, Minnesota, 6-9, 240, C.

Stephen Moss-Kelly and Melvi Sanders.
And neither of them were in The starting line up for their team.

So is this draft a waiste of time and money or do we actually need to do this ?

[Wizard57]

Actually there were a few more!

1. Steve Moss-Kelly, 21 games, two teams, Idaho-Rockford
2. Melvin Sanders-Dakota-44 games
3. Louis Truscott-Gary-12 games
4. Marlin Parmer-Sioux Falls-39 games
5. David Bailey-Idaho-48 games-rookie of the year
6. Wayne McClinton-Yakama-17 games[/list]

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Check out the article below. Gary is in the early stages of attempting to land Snap Hunter in the one guard spot for the upcoming season. I only hope he can un-learn his Rockford one-on-one habits if he comes to Gary.

Unrelated: Check out the third photo from the first post. Is Yakima playing a soft zone or what?


Rich leaving for France, but he might return to Steelheads
March 31, 2004

By Michael Osipoff / Post-Tribune staff report



GARY — Steelheads point guard Jemeil Rich has signed a contract to play in France.

And that could bolster the chances of returning to Gary for the 2004-05 CBA season.

The 1993 Roosevelt graduate joins Adecco ASVEL Villeurbanne of the France Pro A League; the team has won the most championships in that league, among the best in Europe.

He is expected to play in France for the next two-and-a-half months, aiding the team in its quest to make the Euroleague playoffs.

Rich, who left over the weekend and could not be reached on Tuesday, was expected to make between $40,000 and $50,000 during his time in France, which financially could make it feasible for him return to the Steelheads for a third season, if he does not make an NBA roster.

“There is a desire on both sides for him to come back to the team, and hopefully we’ll work something out,” Steelheads chief operating officer Jewell Harris Jr. said. “This is a step in that direction because he can get a considerable amount money in his pocket in a brief period of time.”

Rich would return from France in time to hook on with an NBA summer league team, which ideally would lead to a spot in a training camp in the fall and ultimately a roster spot. If he didn’t make an NBA team, Rich then likely would have to decide between pursuing a more lucrative option in Europe or re-joining the Steelheads.

“We don’t anticipate him being back,” Steelheads coach Duane Ticknor said. “He just can’t afford to.

“Do we want him back? Of course. But he’s at the point where he has to make his money.

“He gave us two tremendous years.”

Rich is the Steelheads all-time scoring, assists and steals leader. This season, he averaged 15.5 points, a CBA-high 10.6 assists and 2.7 steals, second in the league. He was a CBA All-League second-team selection, and was an All-Defensive team and All-Star selection for the second consecutive season.

Rich helped the Steelheads make the playoffs for the first time, averaging 22.0 points, 10.5 assists and 4.3 steals in their four-game loss to the Idaho Stampede.

In addition to the offer in France, Rich also had been considering playing in Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

As a contingency plan for the point guard spot, at this early stage, the Steelheads have been in contact with Hammond graduate Jermaine Boyette and Snap Hunter, who shined with Rockford this season. With about a month left in the CBA season, the Steelheads had come close to reaching an agreement with Boyette after he had returned from playing in Poland. Last fall, Boyette had made a good showing in training camp with the Utah Jazz, and he was expected to sign with the Adirondack Wildcats of the USBL for the spring.

n In other Steelheads matters, the team continued to try to finalize a contract to bring back Ticknor for a third season, as the parties talked on Tuesday. Both sides would prefer to have the situation resolved as soon as possible; it is possible a deal could be reached as soon as next week, but it could take considerably longer.

Ticknor’s wife Mary, the principal of Yankton (S.D.) High School, has interviewed for administrative positions in the Chicagoland area and has others scheduled. Ticknor, whose contract was extended into next month, said his wife’s job status might not be known until May.

“We’ll see what happens,” Ticknor said. “She’s ready to move, (his son) David’s ready to move — we’re all ready to move. It’s not that we want to leave (South Dakota), but it’s just so hard being apart.”

Financial terms have not been an issue; it is a family matter for Ticknor.

“He said he was going to have a conversation with his wife if her getting a job in the area is make-or-break,” Harris said. “From his point of view, it’s not. But it’s about his wife, not him.

“She’s committed to getting something here. With her background and experience, she probably will, but you don’t know for sure.”

Ticknor will scout the Portsmouth Invitational next week for the Steelheads and then watch the Dodge City Legend, coached by Dale Osbourne, as it opens its USBL season the following weekend. Especially if he does well with Dodge, Osbourne, the Steelheads associate head coach, could be in line for one of the four CBA head coaching vacancies.