CBA Playoff Preview
Published on March 25, 2002 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release
PLAYOFF PREVIEW
The 2002 Playoffs will tip-off at 7:05 p.m. CST Tuesday, March 26 in the Fargo Dome (Fargo, N.D.) when the Fargo-Moorhead Beez host the National Conference regular season champion Dakota (Bismarck, N.D) Wizards. The Rockford (Ill.) Lightning, the American Conference regular season champs, will begin their quest for their first CBA championship in 16 seasons Thursday, March 28 when they host the Sioux Falls Skyforce at the Rockford Metro Centre. Tip-off is also set for 7:05 p.m. CST. See the complete playoff schedule and final regular season standings listed below.
The top two teams in each conference qualified for the best-of-five conference championships. Regular season conference champs Dakota and Rockford have home-court advantage. The team with the highest regular season quarter-point average will host the one-game championship.
The fate of the American Conference playoff contenders was determined on March 23. Grand Rapids kept its hopes momentarily alive with a 126-111 victory (6,1) over the Flint Fuze. Those hopes were extinguished, however, when the Lightning took five quarter points in a 117-109 win over the Gary Steelheads. Dakota then helped clinch Rockford's fourth American Conference regular season title with a 94-87 (6,1) victory in Sioux Falls. Rockford and Sioux Falls each finished with 213.5 quarter points, and even though Sioux Falls won the season series 7-6, Rockford won the tie-breaker by capturing more quarter points (47.5-43.5) in their head-to-head matchups.
This marks just the second time since the CBA implemented the quarter point system in 1981 that a regular season conference champ has been determined by a tie-breaker. Rockford and the Quad City Thunder each finished with 227 quarter points in the 1995-96 regular season, but Rockford won the tie-breaker and, subsequently, the Mideast Division and American Conference regular season titles.
Rockford has now made it to CBA postseason play in nine straight seasons, while the Skyforce is in the postseason for the eighth consecutive season. Sioux Falls has reached the CBA Finals three times ('96, '98, '99), winning its lone title in 1996. This is the first time the Lightning and Skyforce have met in postseason play.
The Lightning will enter the playoffs behind the frontcourt duo of Dickey Simpkins (20.5 ppg, 11.9 rpg) and four time Player of the Week Jeff Sanders (18.4 ppg, 10 rpg). The Skyforce will counter with a host of recent acquisitions in Carl Thomas (17.1 ppg), Eric Taylor (15.9 ppg), Ricky Moore (15.1 ppg) and veteran sharp shooter Henry James (12.4 ppg).
In the National Conference, the top-seeded Dakota Wizards are led by four-time Player of the Week award winner Miles Simon (23 ppg, 5.1 apg). The Beez will answer with the high-octane backcourt of Ruben Nembhard (22.1 ppg, 6.6 apg), Rico Hill (14.6 ppg, 6 rpg) and Billy Keys (15.7 ppg, 5.6 apg).
The Beez won the season series 5-3, including a 93-90 victory in the regular season finale on March 24.
2002 NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
The CBA announced on March 25 that guard Miles Simon of the National Conference regular season champion Dakota Wizards was named the 2002 Newcomer of the Year.
Simon, the 6-4 University of Arizona ('98) standout, ranked second in scoring average (23 ppg), and led the league in 3-point field goal percentage (63-136, .463) and free throw percentage (190-207, .918). He also ranked 7th in assists per game (5.1) and 8th in field goal percentage (310-602, .515). On Feb. 5, 2002 Simon set a CBA record with his 60th consecutive free throw. The streak, previously set in 1984 by Robert Smith of the Toronto Tornados with 56, began on January 21, 2002.
The 26-year-old guard scored 30 points in the 1997 NCAA Championship game versus Kentucky on his way to Final Four MVP honors. During his senior season he was named a First-Team All-American and was subsequently selected by the Orlando Magic with the 42nd pick of the 1998 NBA draft. Simon played five games with the Magic in 1998-99 and spent the last several seasons in Europe, averaging 23.3 points per game in the Italian league last season. In his first CBA season he tied Rockford's Jeff Sanders for the most Player of the Week Awards (4) over the course of the 2001-02 campaign.
The Newcomer of the Year award was voted on by the CBA head coaches. Second in the balloting was Rockford's Kelley McClure (17.9 ppg) followed by Gary's Leon Smith (16.8 ppg, 15.2 rpg) and Grand Rapids' Reed Rawlings (9.8 ppg). To be eligible for the award the player must have played in at least half of their team's 2001-02 games, must be in good standing with the CBA, must not be a rookie and has not played in the CBA before the 2001-02 season. Coaches could not vote for their own players.
CBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The CBA announced on March 25 that Fargo-Moorhead Beez guard Ruben Nembhard was named National Conference Player of the Week and Gary Steelheads center Oliver Miller earned American Conference honors for the period of March 17-25. The week was extended to include the final two regular season games on Sunday March 25.
Nembhard, whose three Player of the Week awards trails only Rockford's Jeff Sanders and Dakota's Miles Simon (4) for the most this season, posted 22.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals in four games (3-1) including two victories over the regular season National Conference champion Dakota Wizards. In a 112-100 win over the Saskatchewan Hawks on March 22, the Weber State (Utah, '96) alum came up two rebounds shy of his second triple double this season, tallying 28 points and 10 assists to go along with his 8 rebounds.
The Beez earned six Player of the Week awards in 2001-02, the most in the National Conference. The Dakota Wizards and the Flint Fuze each earned four and the Saskatchewan Hawks had two.
Miller, a veteran of eight NBA seasons from 1992-2000, joined the Steelheads on March 9 to fill a void at center partially due to the NBA call-up of Leon Smith (Atlanta Hawks). Over the last week he led Gary to a 3-2 mark behind his 19.6 points and league high 20 rebounds per game. He also averaged 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals and a league high 3.2 blocks. In a 117-109 loss to the regular season American Conference champion Rockford Lightning the Arkansas ('92) product posted a triple double of 20 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Steelheads earned four Player of the Week awards this season, second in the American Conference to the Lightning's nine. The Sioux Falls Skyforce picked up three and the Grand Rapids Hoops had two.
Other players considered for Player of the Week honors in the American Conference were Sioux Falls' Eric Taylor (21.3 ppg, 14.8 rpg), Rockford's Ray Weathers (27.8 ppg, 14-26 (.538) from the three-point line) and Grand Rapids' Sean Colson (26.8 ppg, 11 apg). The other three players considered in the National Conference were Dakota's Miles Simon (15 ppg, 5 apg), Flint's Kenyada Dent (25.3 ppg, 9 rpg) and Saskatchewan's Willie Murdaugh (21.3 ppg, 8 apg).
CBA COACHES OF THE MONTH
The CBA announced on March 25 that Gary Steelheads Head Coach Barry Stevens was named American Conference Coach of the Month and Dakota Wizards Head Coach Dave Joerger earned National Conference honors for March.
Going into the month, Gary had an American conference worst 15-32 record (.319 winning percentage) and 2.63 quarter point average. Stevens raised the Steelheads' winning percentage by .074 and their quarter point average by .370 after posting league highs in both categories (.778 winning percentage and 4.67 quarter point average) during March. The NBA veteran and Iowa State ('85) alum also helped produce Player of the Week awards in March for forward Damian Owens and center Oliver Miller.
Joerger became the first coach since 1998 Coach of the Year Dan Panaggio of the Quad City Thunder, now an assistant with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, to win three Coach of the Month awards in one season. He did it by guiding his team to a second consecutive six-win (6-4)/four-plus quarter point average (4.1) month. The Wizards closed out the season with a league high 4.3 quarter point average and .650 winning percentage (26-14). They face their conference rival, the Fargo-Moorhead Beez, Tuesday, March 26 in the first game of the National Conference Playoffs.
Also receiving consideration for Coach of the Month honors in the American Conference was Rockford's Stacey King (8-3, 4.41 quarter point average). In the National Conference, Fargo-Moorhead's Rory White (4-3, 3.43 quarter point average) was the other candidate.
CBA TRANSACTIONS
03/24/02
-Gary signed Barry Bradford and placed Shelly Clark on the Inactive Reserve List, retroactive to March 17, 2002. 03/22/02
-Rockford waived Tony Martin.
03/19/02
-Fargo-Moorhead signed Victor Page.
-Flint signed Brian Woodland and placed James Head on the Inactive Reserve List.
-The CBA League Office fined Head Coach Paul Woolpert and David Harrison (Sioux Falls) for criticism of officials.
PRIMETIME PERFORMANCES
James Collins of the Grand Rapids Hoops scored 45 points, at the time a season high, on 18-29 shooting from the field (.620) in a 108-104 loss to the Rockford Lightning on March 21.
Ruben Nembhard came up two rebounds shy of his second triple double this season, tallying 28 points and 10 assists to go along with his 8 rebounds in a 112-100 Fargo-Moorhead Beez win over the Saskatchewan Hawks on March 22.
Oliver Miller posted a triple double of 20 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists in a 117-109 Gary Steelheads loss to the Rockford Lightning on March 24.
Sean Colson broke the season scoring high that was set three days prior, with a 56-point performance versus the Gary Steelheads on the final day of the regular season, March 24. Colson's Grand Rapids Hoops lost the game 138-121. He also set CBA season highs of 22 field goals and 43 field goal attempts.
Darrin Hancock of the Gary Steelheads broke a CBA record with 10 three-point field goals in a 138-121 win over the Grand Rapids Hoops on March 24. He finished with 38 points.
THIS WEEK IN CBA HISTORY
On March 27, 2000 the 21-35 (.375) La Crosse Bobcats defeated the Idaho Stampede (19-37, .339) 107-94, in the 2000 CBA Playoffs Play-In Game to claim the eighth playoff spot. In the first round of the single elimination tournament they upset the top-seeded Quad City Thunder (35-21, .625) 111-101 and in the semifinals they took down the Sioux Falls Skyforce (30-26, .536) 99-90. The Bobcat's improbable run hit the wall on April 2, however, when they fell to the Yakima Sun Kings 109-93 in the CBA finals.
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 25, 2002
- Murdaugh named 2002 CBA Defensive Player of the Year - CBA 1
- CBA Playoff Preview - CBA 1
- Beez' Nembhard earns his third CBA Player of the Week Award - Fargo-Moorhead Beez
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