Sports stats



CBA 1 Continental Basketball Association 1

CBA Weekly Notes

February 14, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


NBA All-Star Weekend to Have CBA Flavor

The 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend will have a CBA flavor to it this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Several veterans of the Continental Basketball Association will take part in the festivities to be held at the home of the Houston Rockets.

The Eastern Conference squad will be led by former CBA and current Detroit Pistons head coach Flip Saunders. Saunders has earned the right to coach in his second NBA All-Star game by leading Detroit to the best record in the NBA at 41-9 (.820 pct.). Saunders is in his 11th season as head coach in the NBA (first with Detroit) after coaching seven seasons in the CBA with Rapid City, La Crosse and Sioux Falls. Saunders led La Crosse to two CBA Championships in 1990 and 1992. Additionally, Saunders' coaching stint for the Eastern Conference squad Feb. 19 will make him just the sixth coach in NBA All-Star history to coach both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Star teams, joining among others fellow CBA coaching alum Phil Jackson on that list.

Former CBA player and Detroit Pistons assistant coach Sidney Lowe will lead the Eastern Conference All-Rookie team in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge on Friday, Feb. 17. Lowe played in the CBA for Tampa Bay (1984-86), Albany (1987-88) and Rapid City (1988-89). He was a two-time CBA All-Star and All-CBA First Team and All-CBA Defensive Team member in 1988. Also sitting on the bench for the game will be Pistons assistant and former CBA coach Don Zierden.

The Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout will be held Saturday, Feb. 18. One of the six participants in this year's contest will be former CBA player Raja Bell. Bell plays for the Phoenix Suns and is second in the NBA in 3-point field goals made (117), eighth in 3-point accuracy (43.0 pct.), and eighth in 3-point field goals attempted (272). Bell was drafted by Yakama in the fourth round of the 1999 CBA Draft and was named to the CBA All-Rookie Team that year after averaging 11.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 52 games. In the 2000-01 season, Bell played in nine games for the Sun Kings (19.1 ppg./4.3 rpg.) before playing five games with the Philadephia 76ers. Since that time he has played for Dallas (2002-03) and Utah (2003-05).

Competing against Bell will be Ray Allen (Seattle), Chauncey Billups (Detroit), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), defending champion Quentin Richardson (New York), and Jason Terry (Dallas).

Three former CBA players have captured the NBA's Shootout Championship, including Voshon Lenard (Denver-2004), Tim Legler (Washington-1996), and Craig Hodges (Chicago-1990, 1991, 1992). Legler owns the record for best three-round score with 65 while Hodges tallied 61 in 1991. The highest score of any single round belongs to Hodges who registered 25 in 1986. Hodges, a former Rockford Lightning player, also holds the record for most consecutive shots made with 19 in the 1991 semifinals. Lenard owns the record for most "bonus balls" made with five in the 2004 Finals.

Gary Guard Jimmie Hunter Earns CBA Player of the Week Honor for Third Time This Season

The Continental Basketball Association announced Feb. 13 that Gary Steelheads guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter has been named the CBA Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 6 through Feb. 12. Hunter picks up his third CBA Player-of-the-Week honor this season and sits just four points away from establishing a new Gary single-season scoring record. Hunter has 1,019 points this season, just three points back of current record-holder Bryant Notree with 1,022 (2002-03).

Hunter averaged 33.7 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals in helping Gary finish 3-0 last week and extend their season-best winning streak to six games. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard, who leads the CBA in scoring at 27.5 ppg., poured in 41 points on Feb. 7 in a 127-124 overtime victory over Eastern Conference-leading Rockford. It was his fourth 40-plus performance this season with other scoring outbursts of 40 points (Nov. 20 vs. Rockford), 41 points (Jan. 26 vs. Rockford), and 50 points (Jan. 6 vs. Albany). Hunter added a season-best 10 rebounds and six steals to go with six assists and two blocks in Gary's sixth victory over Rockford this year.

Hunter also contributed 30 points apiece in two victories over Albany later in the week. In a 126-101 win on Feb. 10, he added five assists, four rebounds and three steals, while in a 127-97 win over the Patroons on Feb. 11, he contributed eight assists, two assists and one steal. Hunter shot 54.9 pct. from the field (39-of-71), 41.2 pct. from behind the 3-point arc (7-of-17), and was perfect from the charity stripe ((16-of-16) for the week.

Besides leading the CBA in scoring, the 2000 Life University (Ga.) alum also is third in steals (1.9 pg.), fifth in assists (5.4 pg.), tied for seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (43.2 pct.), and tied for eighth in blocked shots (1.0 pg.). Hunter is the only player in the CBA this season and just the second in Steelheads franchise history to go over the 1,000 point barrier. He was in the Cleveland Cavaliers training camp prior to the 2004-05 season and in the Indiana Pacers training camp this past season.

Hunter was named to his third-straight CBA All-Star Classic this past January, tallying 15 points, two assists and two blocked shots for the Eastern Conference squad.

Gary Steelheads Name Former Chicago Bull Cliff Levingston Assistant Coach

The Gary Steelheads named former Chicago Bulls forward Cliff Levingston to fill their vacant assistant coaching position. Levingston succeeds another NBA veteran, Kelvin Upshaw, who resigned for personal reasons.

"Obviously we are very excited to have Cliff join our coaching staff," said Steelheads' Chief Operating Officer/General Counsel Jewell Harris Jr. "Like Jaren, Cliff is a proven winner who will help us remain focused down the stretch heading into the playoffs."

Levingston played on the Chicago Bulls' first two championship teams and was a fan favorite. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1982 NBA Draft, going ninth in the first round. He played two seasons, before being traded with Antoine Carr to the Atlanta Hawks for Dan Roundfield. In 1990, Levingston signed with the Bulls as a free agent. He played the next two seasons in Chicago. After two years playing overseas in Greece and Italy, Levingston returned to the NBA with the Denver Nuggets in 1994. He retired from the game in 1995.

In 2000, Levingston began his coaching career as an assistant coach in the CBA with the Ft. Wayne Fury. In 2001, he served as an assistant coach with the Dodge City Legend of the USBL. After a year as a college assistant at St. Francis, he returned to Dodge City as head coach. His Legend team won the USBL title, and Levingston was named USBL Coach of the Year. During 2003-04, Levingston served as an assistant for the Harlem Globe Trotters. Last season, he coached the St. Louis Flight of the ABA.

Levingston was a college standout at Wichita State University between 1979-82. He majored in communications, with an emphasis on Television, Film and Radio. He was a recipient of the Martin Luther King Individual Service Award in 1995.

"I'm very excited, to be joining a team with so much talent," said Levingston. "I'm feeling good about this team and looking forward to getting ready for the playoff stretch."

Former CBA Coaches Continuing Success in the NBA

There are 10 current NBA head coaches that developed their basketball roots in the Continental Basketball Association. Heading up that list is nine-time NBA Coaching Champion and one-time CBA Coaching Champion Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson led the Albany Patroons to the 1984 CBA title. Another former Patroon head coach who has gone on to have tremendous success in the NBA is Denver Nuggets Head Coach George Karl. Karl coached five seasons in the CBA with Montana (1980-83) and Albany (1988-89, 1990-91). One of the more decorated CBA coaches who is tranferring his success onto the NBA hardwood is Detroit Pistons head man Flip Saunders. Saunders led La Crosse to two CBA titles in 1990 and 1992 and currently has the Pistons with the best record in the NBA.

Other NBA coaches with ties to the CBA include; Rick Carlisle (Indiana), Maurice Cheeks (Philadelphia), Bob Hill (Seattle), Eddie Jordan (Washington), Sam Mitchell (Toronto), Jerry Sloan (Utah), and Terry Stotts (Milwaukee).

Playoff Format for 2006 CBA Playoffs Announced, Quarter Points to Play Key Role

The Continental Basketball Association announced Jan. 20 the format for this year's 2006 playoffs, set to begin following the conclusion of the regular season Sunday, March 12. The format was approved at league meetings during the CBA All-Star Classic by the CBA Board of Directors.

Among the unique changes in this year's playoffs will be the addition of the CBA's one-of-a-kind quarter point system. For the first time since the CBA began using quarter points to determine regular-season standings in the 1981-82 season, the league will be using quarter points to decide which teams advance from the first round of the playoffs. The two teams that accumulate the most total quarter points in their respective three first-round games will advance to play in the CBA Finals. Potential ties will be broken first by head-to-head playoff play. If two or more teams are tied, or if two teams that did not play each other in the playoffs are tied, then the team that is the higher seed will advance.

The finals will be a two-out-of-three game series using a (1-2) home-court format, with the lower seed hosting game one and the higher seed hosting games two and three (if necessary). Quarter points will not be used in the CBA Finals.

The other unique aspects of this year's CBA postseason will be that three teams from each conference will qualify and inter-conference play will be a factor.

The top three teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences (six total teams) with the highest quarter-point averages in their respective conferences will qualify for the playoffs. The six teams will play three contests each in the first round in a round-robin format versus the three playoff qualifiers from the opposite conference. The three teams from each conference will be seeded one through three based upon their quarter-point averages during the regular season. The two top teams in each conference, along with the second-place team with the better quarter-point finish, will play two home games and one road game. The two third-place teams in each conference and the second-place team with the lower quarter-point finish will play two road games and one home game.

Playoff dates and times will be determined based on order of finish and arena availability.

The two teams with the most quarter points accumulated during this round-robin format will advance to the CBA Finals and play a best two-out-of-three game series using a (1-2) home-court format.

If the CBA Playoffs were to begin today (Feb. 14, 2006), here are the first-round matchups...
Eastern Conference Western Conference
1A-Rockford (4.2 avg.) 1B-Yakama (4.2 avg.)
2A-Gary (4.0 avg.) 2B-Sioux Falls (3.8 avg.)
3B-Albany (2.7 avg.) 3A-Idaho (3.6 avg.)

Rockford (1A) would host Yakama and Sioux Falls, travel to Idaho
Yakama (1B) would host Gary and Albany, travel to Rockford
Gary (2A) would host Sioux Falls and Idaho, travel to Yakama
Sioux Falls (2B) would host Albany, travel to Rockford and Gary
Idaho (3A) would host Rockford, travel to Gary and Albany
Albany (3B) would host Idaho, travel to Yakama and Sioux Falls

CBA Alum Spotlight - Minnesota Timberwolves' Mark Blount

Former Yakama Sun Kings guard Mark Blount is in his sixth NBA season. He was recently traded from Boston to Minnesota on Jan. 26, 2006, and is averaging 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 50 total games this season for the Celtics and Timberwolves. Blount, a Pittsburgh alum, has played in 403 NBA games with career averages of 7.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 21.8 minutes per game. He played five games for the Sun Kings during the 1997-98 season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 64 total minutes of action.

Albany Patroons (14-25, 3rd Eastern Conference, 102.5 points, 2.7 QP Avg.)

Albany began this week with a 110-102 road victory at Michigan on Valentine's Day. It was just its fifth road victory this season. T.J. Thompson led with a game-high 30 points while newly acquired Chet Mason contributed 17 points and five assists. Last week, Albany went 1-2 with one win at home against Michigan (119-91) and back-to-back losses at Gary, Ind... the Patroons' Player-of-the-Week was Edmund Saunders, who scored 34 points and had 10 rebounds in the first game against Gary, contributing to this week's average of 23.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg. Solid performances this week also came from Reggie Jessie who had a double-double in points (14) and assists (10) against Michigan, Jamario Moon tallied a double-double in points (25) and rebounds (11) against Gary, while T.J. Thompson had a weekly scoring average of 25.0 ppg. The Patroons play a mid-day special against Michigan at 11 a.m. (EST) on Feb. 14 before returning home Feb. 17 for a contest against Eastern Conference-leading Rockford. The Patroons are still in position for the final playoff spot, sitting 26 points ahead of Michigan prior to Tuesday's showdown in Muskegon.

Dakota Wizards (17-21, 4th Western Conference, 123.0 points, 3.2 QP Avg.)

Dakota is in the middle of a five-game road trip and is looking to snap a three-game losing streak as it heads to Sioux Falls for two games this Thursday and Friday (Feb. 16 & 17). Playing with a depleted roster (7 players) last Tuesday evening in Idaho, the Wizards hung tough but couldn't pull out the win as the Stampede beat Dakota 102-99... five of Dakota's seven healthy players put up double figures and the Wizards were led by guard/forward Kasib Powell with 19 points. The Wizards then dropped two contests to the Western Conference-leading Yakama Sun Kings, losing 117-95 on Wednesday and 109-90 on Friday. Powell led the way once again for the Wizards posting 18 points in Wednesday's loss and 25 points on Friday.

Gary Steelheads (22-15, 2nd Eastern Conference, 149.0 points, 4.0 QP Avg.)

Gary won all three games this week, extending their current win streak to six straight games. The week began on the road, where the Steelheads defeated the Eastern Conference-leading Rockford Lightning for the third time in five days, 127-124 in overtime. Gary then defeated the Albany Patroons in back-to-back games at the Genesis Center, 126-101 (Feb. 10) and 127-97 (Feb. 11). The Steelheads earned 17 quarter points for the week (an average of 5.7 quarter points per game). With three victories, Gary improved to a high water mark of 22-15, seven games over .500. Guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter tossed in 41 points against the Lightning, one of the five top scoring performances in the league this year. He also handed out 10 assists. It's the second time this year "Snap" has scored 41 points on the road at the MetroCentre. For his efforts, he was tabbed the CBA Player of the Week for the third time this season. Forward Randy Holcomb matched his CBA career-high with 32 points against the Patroons Saturday night. He paced all Steelheads' rebounders with 13.

Idaho Stampede (19-18, 3rd Western Conference, 135.0 points, 3.6 QP Avg.)

Guard Randy Livingston has returned to the Idaho Stampede. Livingston was previously with the Stampede during the shortened 2001 season and the 2004 season when the Stampede went to the CBA Championship game. Livingston didn't take long to make his presence known. In his first game back with Idaho, he dished out 13 assists and had 10 points in a 120-76 victory over Michigan on Feb. 12. In that same game, the Stampede matched and broke two franchise records. They tied the mark of 3-pointers made in a game when they made 13 (tied the mark set Dec. 25, 2004 at Sioux Falls) and set a new mark of points allowed with 76 (previously 78 on Jan. 24, 1999 vs. La Crosse)... on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 17-18), the Stampede will be helping two local causes during their home games against Western Conference-leading Yakama. Friday is "Bring a Snack Item" night to be donated to the local Ronald McDonald House and Saturday is Military Night where fans can bid on players' camouflage jerseys with the money donated to the Stampede's Operation Opening Doors.

Michigan Mayhem (7-29, 4th Eastern Conference, 76.5 points, 2.2 QP Avg.)

Michigan played six games over an eight-day period, with four of them being on the road... the Mayhem hosted their second annual "Field Trip Day" on Valentine's Day, dropping a 110-102 decision to visiting Albany. Guard Jason Boucher led the Mayhem with 27 points and seven assists. The Mayhem started off the week with their first road victory of the season in Albany, N.Y., defeating the Patroons by the score of 103-89. Albany struck back the next night by defeating the Mayhem 119-91... playing their third game in three days, the Mayhem traveled home to host the Eastern Conference-leading Rockford Lighting where they were defeated 113-97. After two days rest, the Mayhem went on the road again to play the Western Conference-leading Yakama Sun Kings on Feb. 11, losing 117-101, and on to Boise, Idaho the next day where they lost 120-76. Center Darrell Johns led the Mayhem in points for the week averaging 20.8 ppg and added one more double-double to his season with 24 points and 11 rebounds vs. Albany. Marcus Wallace also averaged 13 ppg and 3.1 steals. Michigan hits the road again for back-to-back games versus Gary this Thursday and Friday (Feb. 16-17).

Rockford Lightning (25-13, 1st Eastern Conference, 158.5 points, 4.2 QP Avg.)

Rockford remains at the top of the Eastern Conference standings after a 1-3 record last week. The team is currently in the biggest drought of the season, having lost five of its last six games. Rockford will finish the season with six of their final 10 games at home, and their only road competition remaining is at Albany and Michigan. The Lightning are a combined 15-0 against those two Eastern Conference teams. Guard Ronnie Fields averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.5 steals for the Lightning last week while moving up to fourth in the CBA in points (20.9), and second in steals (2.0). Marlon Parmer was nominated as the Lightning's Player of the Week after averaging 22.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.5 steals over the four games. The 6-3 guard picked up his 10th double-double of the season on Feb. 8 in Michigan after recording 30 points and 10 assists in a 113-97 Lightning win. Rookie Roger Powell is averaging 23.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over his last three games. The forward needs to average 18.8 points a game over the final 10 games of the season to break Kendrick Warren's Lightning rookie scoring record of 1,012 points. Brant Bailey has rejoined the Rockford Lightning and is averaging 10.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 16.0 minutes over the teams last four games.

Sioux Falls Skyforce (21-16, 2nd Western Conference, 141.5 points, 3.8 QP Avg.)

Sioux Falls won two home contests against the CBA-leading Rockford Lightning last week... the 'Force won on Friday night 120-119 (5,2) after squandering a 24-point lead in the second half night and also won on Saturday night 129-117 (6,1) behind a season-high 29 points from Billy Thomas. Skyforce newcomer Chris Owens was nominated for CBA Player of the Week after 21.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, and 5.0 bpg in the two wins against the Lightning. Mark Sanford sat out the game this past Saturday night with an injury and Joe Dabbert came up big as his replacement in the lineup with a season-high in both points (21) and rebounds (12). Former 'Force forward Stephen Graham made his debut with the Cavaliers on Friday night as he scored two points in six minutes of action. The 'Force play two home contests this Thursday and Friday night against rival Dakota.

Yakama Sun Kings (24-12, 1st Western Conference, 150.0 points, 4.2 QP Avg.)

After the Feb. 13 victory over the visiting Idaho Stampede, 121-93 (7,0), the Yakama Sun Kings improved their Western Conference-leading record to 24-12 on the season and 14-4 in the Yakima Valley SunDome. In the Idaho win, Yakama players recorded one triple-double and three double-doubles. The Sun Kings outrebounded Idaho, 69-47, and in the process established season highs in defensive rebounds (45) and total rebounds. The Sun Kings are currently riding a five-game winning streak, the second time this season Yakama has won at least five games in a row. The Sun Kings won eight straight in December. Four of the wins have been 6-1 quarter-point victories while one was a 7-0 sweep. The average margin of victory has been 18.2 points. Yakama has the best intraconference record among Western Conference teams this season, going a combined 14-9 against Sioux Falls, Idaho and Dakota. Sioux Fall is next at 13-11, followed by Dakota at 10-13, and Idaho at 9-14. Veteran point guard Anthony Goldwire had a phenomenal week, averaged 13.8 assists in four games. Goldwire tied his CBA-season high with 20 assists in the Sun Kings 117-95 (6,1) win over Dakota on Feb. 8. He topped that performance with a triple-double vs. Idaho on Feb. 13 with 29 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds. The University of Houston-product is now leading the CBA in assists at 7.7 per game. Elvin Mims has also stepped up his game. The top pick in the 2002 CBA College Draft shot 63.5 pct. from the field in four games last week, averaging 19.3 ppg and 9.0 rpg. Those numbers are well over Mims' season averages of 10.1 ppg and 5.4 rpg. He recorded only his second double-double of the season vs. Idaho with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Sun King forwards Leonard White and Anthony "Pig" Miller have both recorded double-doubles in their last two games.

• Discuss this story on the Continental Basketball Association 1 message board...

Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from February 14, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central