CBA Weekly

Published on January 21, 2003 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release

CBA ALUM SMART NAMED CAVS HEAD COACH

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Monday, January 20 that former Continental Basketball Association head coach and player Keith Smart has been promoted from assistant to head coach, replacing former CBA player John Lucas. Smart is one of nine current NBA head coaches that played and/or coached in the CBA.

Smart joined the Cavaliers in 2000 as assistant coach and director of player development after spending the previous three years as head coach of the CBA's Fort Wayne Fury (85-83, .515). In his first season (1997-98) as a head coach, the Indiana ('88) standout led Fort Wayne to an American Conference regular-season title (31-25, .554).

Prior to his coaching career, the 6-1 guard played seven seasons in the CBA (1988-97). Smart averaged 10.3 ppg in 297 games with four different clubs, ranking 23rd all-time on the CBA's games played chart.

In college he scored 12 of the Hoosiers' final 15 points in the 1987 title game versus Syracuse, earning him Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. He was originally drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the second round (41st overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft, but was claimed off waivers by the San Antonio Spurs just prior to the 1988-89 season. Smart appeared in two games with the Spurs before joining the CBA's Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets.

CBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Yakima Sun Kings forward Damien Cantrell was named National Conference Player of the Week, while Gary Steelheads guard Bryant Notree garnered American Conference honors, for the period of January 12-18.

Cantrell came up one assist shy of his first CBA career triple-double in a 105-100 (5-2) road victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Jan. 17. He posted 22 points on 9-13 (.692) shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and three steals in Yakima's only contest last week.

Notree, winner of the 2003 CBA Slam Dunk Championship, posted 28.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 5.7 apg, and 2.3 spg in three games for the Steelheads (2-1) last week. In Gary's 118-112 (5-2) victory over the conference leading Rockford Lightning on Jan. 17, the 6-4 guard tallied 37 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals.

Other players receiving consideration for National Conference honors were Dakota Wizards forward Andy Panko (22.0 ppg, 19.0 rpg), Idaho Stampede center John Coker (12.5 ppg, 14.0 rpg), and Sioux Falls Skyforce forward Victor Thomas (22.5 ppg, 15-27, .556 fgp). The three other players receiving consideration in the American Conference were Rockford Lightning guard Joe Crispin (34.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Grand Rapids Hoops forward Kevin Simmons (16.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg), and Great Lakes Storm guard Cory Hightower (36.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg).

CBA TRANSACTIONS

· 01/20/03
-Dakota signed John Linehan.
-Yakima placed Maurice Carter on the Inactive Reserve List, retroactive to 1/2/03.

· 01/19/03
-Great Lakes waived Willie Simms.
-Yakima signed Anthony Miller, and traded Rosell Ellis and Tyson Wheeler to Great Lakes for a 2003 CBA first and second round draft pick.

· 01/18/03
-Dakota signed Chris Porter.

· 01/17/03
-Sioux Falls signed Mario Bennett; placed Kelley McClure on the Active Roster; and waived Ray Weathers and George Reese.
-Yakima signed David Dixon and Ike Harmon; and placed Anthony Goldwire on the Active Roster.
-Grand Rapids signed Kareem Reid; placed Ira Bowman on the Active Roster; and waived Rashad Tucker.

· 01/16/03
-Dakota placed Shawn Daniels on the Active Roster; placed John Thomas on the Injured Reserve List; and waived Curtis McCants.
-Great Lakes placed Jermaine Jackson on the Active Roster; placed Justus Thigpen on the Injured Reserve List; waived Marvin Gay, Eric DeYoung, and Lazarus Sims.
-Gary placed Nate Blessen on the Injured Reserve List, retroactive to 1/12/03.
-Grand Rapids placed Larry Ayuso on the Inactive Reserve List; and placed Eric Murdock on the Inactive Reserve List, retroactive to 1/12/03.
-Yakima placed Nick Rivers on the Inactive Reserve List, retroactive to 1/6/03.

AROUND THE CBA (Team notes contributed by the respective team's media relations department)

DAKOTA WIZARDS: The Dakota Wizards defeated the Sioux Falls Skyforce 115-114 (5,2) on Saturday night. Sioux Falls' record against the Wizards is now 0-10. The Wizards had exactly one lead in the game - the last, coming when Courtney James got free inside for a layup with eight seconds remaining. Sioux Falls got one last chance, but Kelley McClure's running layup did not bounce in. Dakota was led by Malik Dixon and Andy Panko. Both scored 22. Panko also had 19 rebounds. The Wizards (18-8) are currently in first place in the CBA's National Division and lead the league in quarter-point averages (4.6). The Wizards next take on the Idaho Stampede, Monday night at the Bismarck Civic Center. Tip-off is at 7:05.

GARY STEELHEADS: Guard Bryant Notree won his second American Conference Player of the Week award in three weeks. A Steelheads' player has won the award four times in the last five weeks. Notree also won the 10th CBA Slam Dunk Championship final on Monday in Sioux Falls. Notree defeated Great Lakes' Cory Hightower in the finals ... Point guard Jemeil Rich was added to the American Conference All-Star squad... Rich joins Notree and Oliver Miller as the Steelheads have three All-Stars – tying Rockford for the most in the American Conference ... Notree scored 21 points and had nine rebounds in the All Star Game. Miller scored seven points, had seven rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots. Rich scored six points ... The Steelheads' Jan. 11 game was televised live on Chicagoland's Television (CLTV) and again drew well in the ratings as CLTV is seen in over 1.8 million homes throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana ...The Jan. 11 "Teddy Bear Donation Night" was a success. This Saturday's game (Jan. 18) vs. Idaho is a partnership with the American Red Cross for blood donation. The Red Cross will have a blood drive during the Steelheads' game. Those donating blood will receive two tickets to a future Steelheads' game. The Steelheads partnered with American Red Cross for a blood drive on Jan. 4 at the Merrillville Blood Donation Center. Those donating blood received two ticket vouchers to this Saturday's game ... Thursday, Jan. 30 is Kiwanis Club Night as clubs from Northwest Indiana are invited to have a fun night out. The Steelheads host Rockford that evening ... Dane Fife will be featured at halftime on the telecast of Wednesday's Indiana-Northwestern basketball game ... Darrin Hancock's 30 points and 10 rebounds on Jan. 11 vs. Rockford were season highs for the 6-foot-7 forward. He also made a season-high 11 field goals in the 133-132 loss ... Rich's five steals in that game tied a season high set on Dec. 30 vs. Grand Rapids ... Merrillville girls coach Bob Maicher and Chesterton boys coach Tom Peller are the Gary Steelheads/Indiana High School Basketball Guide coaches of the week for the week of Jan. 6-11.

GRAND RAPIDS HOOPS: Last week, Grand Rapids dropped two games at home, dropping their record to 1-4 on their current six-game home stand. On Friday, Grand Rapids fell to the Idaho Stampede for the third time this season. The two teams had not met since facing each other in the first three games of the 2002-03 season. Kevin Simmons and Immanuel McElroy led the way with 19 points and 12 rebounds a piece, however, the Stampede played a strong all-around game in grabbing their eighth win of the season. The Great Lakes Storm came to town on Saturday night and promptly outplayed Grand Rapids by the score of 120-98. Corey Hightower scorched the Hoops for 36 points, while Jermaine Jackson scored 19 points in coming one rebound short of a triple-double. Alex Scales led Grand Rapids with 22 points, while newly-acquired Kareem Reid also posted 15 points and ten assists. The Hoops host the Sioux Falls Skyforce Tuesday, January 21, before traveling to Birch Run to square off with the Storm on Thursday evening.

GREAT LAKES STORM: After winning 6 out of their 7 last games the Storm have forced their way into second place in the American Conference...Yesterday, a record-breaking crowd of 2,216 people saw the Storm victory that pushed their team to second place. The noon showdown was the first home game for the Storm after the CBA All-Star game. The Storm defeated the Sioux Falls Skyforce 114-107 (5.5,1.5). The game was so close that it took an overtime to nail the coffin shut on any Skyforce hopes. Cory Hightower led all scorers with 35 points. The Storm's overall record is 3-1 against the Skyforce...The Storm featured two players at the 19th CBA All-Star Classic, which occurred on January 14th, in Cory Hightower and James Head...Cory Hightower was the second leading scorer for the American Conference with 27 points ...On January 26th forward Antonio Smith will be appearing on TV5 Sunday Show at 12:30 P.M. with Sports Director Art Neil...On the 28th of January, the Storm will be introducing its Read to Succeed program to area schools during player appearances. The Storm's Read to Succeed program will officially kick off Feb. 3rd...The next home game for the Storm is January 23rd at 7:05 P.M. versus the Grand Rapids Hoops.

IDAHO STAMPEDE: The Idaho Stampede started out the second half of the season with a three-game road trip, which began on January 17 against the Grand Rapids Hoops. The Stampede rode the back of guard Danny Johnson, who led the team with 25 points, as Idaho won 107-100 (5,2). The following night, the Stampede traveled to Gary, where the Steelheads ended any hopes that Idaho had of their first winning streak of the season. Gary won 126-117 (5,2), as Idaho failed again to win two games in a row this season...On Monday night, January 20, the Stampede battled the Dakota Wizards in Bismarck, and for the fourth time in seven games, Dakota ended the night with a 7-0 quarter point sweep of Idaho, after a 121-107 (7,0) win. The Stampede is now 1-6 against the Wizards this season, and trail the conference leaders by 58 quarter points...On the bright side, the newest addition to the Stampede has made his presence felt so far. Center John Coker, from Boise State University, has notched four double-double's in his first six games with Idaho. On the season, Coker is averaging 12.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He's also added eight blocked shots and five assists.

ROCKFORD LIGHTNING: The Lightning established two Rockford franchise records in Thursday's 159-117 win over the Gary Steelheads. The 159 points broke the mark of 155 set in a December 23rd victory over the Great Lakes Storm. The 159 points is also the most scored by any CBA team in a non-overtime game since the Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets put up 161 against the Yakima Sun Kings on February 1st 1991. The 42 point win equaled the Lightning's margin of victory mark originally set in a 128-86 Rockford win over Gary on December 15th 2001. The old regular season Lightning record for margin of victory was 34 points set in a January 19th 1992 win over the Columbus Horizon... Joe Crispin's 44 points is the most by a Lightning player this season and the most by a bolt basketballer since at least the 1998-99 season. Joe Crispin started his Lightning career just 3-of-6 from the free throw line. Since then, Crispin has hit 55-of-58 attempts from the charity stripe to move into first place in the CBA in that category (90.6%). Crispin is 30-30 from the free throw line in the month of January... On Sunday The Lightning cut a 21 point fourth quarter deficit down to one before falling to the Yakima Sun Kings 133-128 before 2,480 fans at the Rockford MetroCentre. Yakima improves to 2-0 against Rockford and they remain the only CBA team that the Lightning have yet to beat this season. Fred Vinson scored 31 points and Darrick Martin scored 10 of his 29 points in the final minute and a half from the free throw line as the Sun Kings become just the second team to beat the Lightning more than once this season. Martin finished 13 of 13 from the line and added 7 assists while Damien Cantrell contributed 23 points and 20 rebounds to the Sun Kings cause. Ronnie Fields, Albert White and Brian Wardle ignited the fourth quarter comeback for the Lightning. Fields finished with a team high 31 points, White added 29 and Wardle scored 21 on 7-10 shooting from the field, 2-2 from the three point line and 5-5 from the charity stripe. Of the 17 positive team categories tracked by the CBA the Lightning rank 1st in seven (Points, Blocked Shots, Steals, Forced Turnovers, Offensive Rebounds, Field Goals made and Field Goals attempted.)

SIOUX FALLS SKYFORCE: Skyforce newcomer, Victor Thomas had a spectacular week after averaging 24.3 ppg in three games. In addition, Sioux Falls hosted the All-Star classic on Tuesday, where Force fan favorite Versile Shaw collected MVP honors. Shaw finished the Classic with 27 points in 22 minutes of action. He also grabbed 9 rebounds in route to leading the National Conference to a 140-125 victory in front of 4,051 fans. On Friday night, the Force fell 105-100 to the Yakima Sun Kings in front of 3,142 fans at the Sioux Falls Arena. Victor Thomas and Corsley Edwards led the way with 18 points as Sioux Falls picked up 2 quarter points....The Force hosted the defending CBA Champions, the Dakota Wizards on Saturday night before 3,749 fans. Despite jumping to an early lead, Sioux Falls was defeated 115-114 and picked up 2 quarter points. Kelley McClure and Victor Thomas led the way with 27 points each. Thomas was also 11 of 11 from the free throw line...On Monday afternoon, Sioux Falls traveled to Great Lakes where they were defeated 114-107 in overtime. The Skyforce were outscored 18-11 in the five minute extra period. Victor Thomas once again paced the way for Sioux Falls with 28 points. McClure chipped in with 25. Sioux Falls plays at Grand Rapids Tuesday before hosting the Gary Steelheads on Thursday.

YAKIMA SUN KINGS: Damien Cantrell continues to put up great numbers for the Sun Kings. The 5-foot-5 forward has posted 10 straight double-doubles and his 15 double-doubles on the year has Cantrell trailing only Gary All-Star Oliver Miller for the CBA lead. In the Sun Kings' 133-128 (6,1) road win over Rockford on Sunday, Cantrell scored 23 points and grabbed 20 rebounds...Darrick Martin has shown his worth since being signed by the Sun Kings earlier this month. The former NBA guard is averaging 21ppg, 4.6apg and 1.8rpg. He has scored 20 or more points in his last three games, including a season-high 29 points against Rockford on January 19th. Martin has hit 32-of-33 free throw attempts (97%) and went 12-for-12 at the line against the Lightning...On January 21st Yakima fans will get to see Anthony Goldwire in a Sun King uniform for the first time in six years. Goldwire was a rookie on the Sun Kings' 1994-95 CBA Championship season and was a CBA All-Star the next year. But the University of Houston product received an NBA call-up prior to the end of the 1996-97 campaign and has spent most of the last six seasons in the NBA. Goldwire resigned with Yakima this year and played in two games, both on the road, before receiving a call from the San Antonio Spurs.

PRIMETIME PERFORMANCES

Joe Crispin poured in 44 points, the most ever by a Lightning player since the team moved to Rockford in 1986, on January 16 in a 159-117 (7-0) win over the Gary Steelheads. He shot 14-23 (.609) from the field, 9-9 (1.00) from the foul stripe, and 7-11 (.636) from the arc.

Damien Cantrell of the Yakima Sun Kings came up one assist shy of his first CBA career triple-double in a 105-100 (5-2) victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce on January 17. He posted 22 points on 9-13 (.692) shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and three steals.

Bryant Notree tallied 37 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals in the Gary Steelheads' 118-112 (5-2) victory over the conference leading Rockford Lightning on January 17.

Andy Panko posted 22 points, 19 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Dakota Wizards, in a 115-114 (5-2) win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce on January 18.

Malik Dixon of the Dakota Wizards scored 22 points that included 6-6 (1.00) shooting from the free-throw line and 4-6 from the three-point line, in a 115-113 (5-2) victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also dished 9 assists and nabbed 2 steals.

THIS WEEK IN CBA HISTORY

On January 21, 2002 Dakota Wizards guard Miles Simon scored 17 points, nailing 9 of his last 11 free throws, to help lead his team to an 111-98 (6-1) win over the Fargo-Moorhead Beez. Simon would go on to hit 51 more free-throws without a miss, breaking the CBA record for consecutive free-throws made. He missed his 61st attempt on February 5. The record was previously held by Robert Smith of the Toronto Tornados, who made 56 straight from Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1984.

Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from January 21, 2003

• CBA Transactions - CBA 1
• CBA Weekly - CBA 1

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