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March 5, 2007 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


CHRIS DALEO NAMED FEBRUARY 2007 CBA COACH OF THE MONTH

Skyrockets launch 8-1 record into stratosphere

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that Minot Skyrockets head coach Chris Daleo has been named CBA Coach of the Month for February 2007. During that month, the Skyrockets achieved an 8-1 record and averaged 5.11 quarter points in those nine games, easily surpassing January's Coach of the Month, Paul Woolpert (Yakama averaged 4.83 QP's in six games). This is Daleo's fifth Coach of the Month award; he previously earned the honor four times as head coach of the Rockford Lightning.

During Minot's February run, the team finished off an amazing 11-game winning streak, a streak punctuated with Desmond Ferguson winning back-to-back Player of the Week honors for his stellar 3-point shooting barrage, and with Ronnie Fields joining the exclusive CBA 5,000 Point Club. The first-year franchise is currently second in league overall attendance, and at the moment sits atop the CBA's American Conference Standings, possibly securing the team a first-round playoff bye.

This is Chris Daleo's fifth season as a Continental Basketball Association head coach; prior to joining the Skyrockets, he piloted the Rockford Lightning, garnering them a 113-79 regular season win-loss record, placing him ninth among the All-Time CBA Coaches in winning percentages (.589) at the start of 2006-07 season. During his tenure with Rockford, Daleo made the playoffs in each of his four seasons, culminating with an appearance in the CBA championship finals in 2005. Daleo was named Eastern Conference CBA All-Star Coach three times, and was the first rookie coach since 1996 to be named coach of a CBA All-Star squad.

Prior to entering the CBA as a Head Coach, Daleo spent three years as Head Basketball Coach and Athletic Director at Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. As Head Coach, Daleo was responsible for transforming the program into one that ranked as high as 9th in the nation and a record of 57-15 over the last two years. They were also a Final Four participant in the NAIA Division I National Tournament in their first ever tournament appearance. The Bulldogs were 2nd in the nation scoring (avg. 98.7 ppg) for the 2001-2002 season after leading the nation in scoring (avg. 101 ppg) the prior season. Coach Daleo's record at Barat College was 66-39 and he was voted 2002 NAIA Division I Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

Prior to his success at Barat College, Coach Daleo was an Assistant Coach with the Rockford Lighting for two years. Daleo got his start in coaching basketball at Kiswaukee Junior College in Malta, IL., where he was an assistant coach.

DID YOU KNOW?

Although the 1964-65 Boston Celtics were the first NBA franchise to have an all-black starting lineup (Bill Russell, Satch Sanders, Willie Naulls, Sam Jones and K.C. Jones), they were not the first pro basketball team in an organized professional league to achieve this goal. The 1955-56 Hazleton (Pa.) Hawks of the Eastern League (the CBA's earlier incarnation) had an all-black starting lineup of Tom Hemans (Niagara University), Jess Arnelle (Penn State), Fletcher Johnson (Duquesne), Sherman White (LIU), and Floyd Lane (CCNY).

PLAYOFF SCENARIO IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY:

American Conference: First round (best of 3) Albany v. Indiana; game 1 at Anderson Wigwam; remaining games at Washington Avenue Armory, Albany

Second round (best of 3) Albany-Indiana winner v. Minot; game 1 at Albany-Indiana home court; remaining games at Minot Municipal Auditorium

National Conference: First round (best of 3) Great Falls v. Butte; game 1 at Butte Civic Center; remaining games at 4 Seasons Center, Great Falls

Second round (best of 3) Great Falls-Butte winner v. Yakama; game 1 at Butte-Great Falls home court; remaining games at Yakima SunDome

Playoff finals (best of 5): first two games hosted by team with lower regular season QPA; games 3, 4 and 5 hosted by team with higher QPA

MAGIC NUMBERS AS OF MARCH 1, 2007:

FOR YAKAMA TO CLAIM NATIONAL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP AND FIRST ROUND BYE:

37.5 QP's over Great Falls (plays Great Falls three more times) and 22.5 QP's over Butte (plays Butte three more times)

FOR MINOT TO CLAIM AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP AND FIRST ROUND BYE:

77 QP's over Albany (plays Albany two more times) and 43.5 QP's over Indiana (plays Indiana two more times)

CBA ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE REVISIONS FOR SECOND HALF OF SEASON

The Continental Basketball Association announced today that it has released the updated schedule for the remainder of the season. These changes were necessitated by the recent folding of the Utah Eagles franchise and take place immediately. A full team-by-team schedule is available elsewhere in this issue of the CBA Weekly.

3/7 Great Falls @ Yakama

3/9 Minot (Forfeit)

3/10 Butte @ Minot

3/12 Great Falls @ Yakama

3/14 Yakama @ Great Falls

3/19 Pittsburgh @ Indiana (Originally @ Pittsburgh)

3/21 Albany @ Minot (originally 2/14, then 3/15)

3/21 Yakama @ Butte

YAKAMA SUN KINGS TO HOST CBA ALL-STAR CLASSIC IN 2008

Record-breaking fourth visit to the SunDome

The Yakama Sun Kings will host the 2008 CBA All-Star Classic on January 22, 2008, as recently reported by the Yakima Herald-Republic.

This will be the fourth time the Sun Kings have hosted the CBA's annual showcase of talent; having played the All-Star Classic at the SunDome in 1992, 1997 and 2004. The announcement breaks a four-way tie for most times a team or city has hosted the event; Sioux Falls, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre have hosted the Classic three times apiece.

Ralph Sampson, chairman of the Overall Economic Committee for the Yakama Nation, which owns the Sun Kings, made the announcement to the SunDome crowd at halftime of Sunday's game against Minot.

Butte, Montana hosted the 2007 CBA All-Star Classic, which was won by Yakama head coach Paul Woolpert's National Conference team, 134-131 in overtime.

2006-07 CBA PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Each week, one player from the CBA will be chosen as Player of the Week, based on the nominations submitted by each organization. The POW award will be announced each Monday throughout the season.

Dec. 11, Galen Young, F, Yakama

Dec. 18, Chris Alexander, C, Yakama

Dec. 25, Jamario Moon, F, Albany

Jan. 2, Kevin Pittsnogle, F, Pittsburgh

Jan. 8, Shaun Fountain, G, Indiana

Jan. 15, J.J. Sullinger, G, Indiana

Jan. 22, Nick VanderLaan, C, Butte

Jan. 29, T.J. Thompson, G, Albany

Feb. 5, Ronnie Fields, G, MInot

Feb. 12, Kwan Johnson, G, Albany

Feb. 19, Desmond Ferguson, G, Minot

Feb. 26, Desmond Ferguson, G, Minot

Mar. 5, Shaun Fountain, G, Indiana

Mar. 12, TBA

Mar. 19, TBA

Mar. 26, TBA

SHAUN FOUNTAIN CBA PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Alley Cats guard wins for second time with 33.3 ppg in 3 games

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that Indiana Alley Cats guard Shaun Fountain has won the CBA Player of the Week award for the week ending March 5, 2007. This is the second award for Fountain this season; and the third time an Alley Cat has picked up the award.

Fountain scored 100 points in three road games this week for the Cats; hitting 32 points in a February 28 matchup with the Albany Patroons; scoring 36 points in a rematch with the Patroons on March 2; and 32 points in a March 4 overtime contest against the Pittsburgh Xplosion. Fountain averaged 33.3 points per game in the three contests; his 22.6 points per game is the highest among CBA players on current active rosters this season.

Other players receiving consideration for Player of the Week honors are:

John Strickland, Albany

Odell Bradley, Butte

Javon Harris, Great Falls

Desmond Ferguson, Minot

Corey Minnifield, Pittsburgh

Chris Alexander, Yakama

2006-07 CBA COACH OF THE MONTH

Each month, one coach from the CBA will be chosen as Coach of the Month, based on the team's highest quarter-point average during the month of eligibility. The award will be announced on the first of every month.

Dec. 2006, Micheal Ray Richardson, Albany

Jan. 2007, Paul Woolpert, Yakama

Feb. 2007, Chris Daleo, Minot

Mar. 2007, TBA

TEAM REPORTS

Albany Patroons (23-14, 151.0 QP,4.08 AVG, 2nd place, American Conference)

For the first time in a long time, the Albany Patroons were able to dress ten healthy players - which proved fortuitous on Wednesday night, as the Pats tore apart the visiting Indiana Alley Cats 134-111 [6-1]. Albany had a balanced lineup on the floor, as eight of ten players reached double figures on the night - led by Kareem Reid (21 pts), Kwan Johnson (20 pts), John Strickland (19 pts), and Marvin Phillips (12 pts, 12 rebs). In fact, Albany won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Indiana 51-21. Two days later, on Friday night, the Patroons took a second game from the Indiana Alley Cats at the Armory, winning 114-100 [6-1]. Jamario Moon scored 21 points to lead the Pats in points totals; Kareem Reid's 13 points were balanced with 10 assists and 3 steals; Carl Mitchell added 19 points and two blocked shots on the night. Next up for the Pats was a road game in Mellon Arena against the Pittsburgh Xplosion. Albany pulled out to an 8-0 lead, and held on for a 107-100 [5-2] victory that mathematically clinched a playoff spot for the Capital Region quintet. John Strickland was the scoring star for the Pats, leading the team with 20 points and going 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Kwan Johnson's 15 points on the night augmented his 9 rebounds in the game.

Butte Daredevils (18-21, 127.0 QP, 3.26 AVG, 3rd place, National Conference)

With Odartey Blankson leaving the Daredevils for a team in Venezuela; with Anthony Richardson on the bench in street clothes; and with John Millsap rolling his ankle in the second half, the Daredevils looked ripe for the picking by their in-state rivals Great Falls. However, thanks to efforts by reserves Kevin Steenberge (10 pts) and Anderson Ferreira (18 pts), the Daredevils prevailed with their first sweep of the season, a 120-102 [7-0] victory at the Butte Civic Center. Nick VanderLaan continued pulling down rebounds like they were apples off a tree, taking 18 boards to go with his team-high 25 points; VanderLaan also had three steals on the night. On Wednesday night, Butte hosted Great Falls again, and Anthony Richardson returned to the lineup. However, the wear and tear of the back-to-back games, compounded with a short bench, forced Butte to play their starters longer than originally planned; and eventually the Daredevils wore down and lost to the Explorers, 109-100 [5.5-1.5]. Odell Bradley led the Daredevils with 28 points on the night, while Ron Ross and David Bell added 17 points apiece; Nick VanderLaan had another double-double of 16 points and 13 boards. Butte then visited the Minot Municipal Auditorium for a game against the Skyrockets, but the Copper City quintet could only take one standings point against Minot, losing 114-100 [6-1]. Odell Bradley's 26 points led all Butte scorers; while Anthony Richardson added a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Great Falls Explorers (21-18, 142.0 QP, 3.64 AVG, 2nd place, National Conference)

Fighting to remain in second place and hopefully catch up to division-leading Yakama, the Great Falls Explorers met their in-state rivals, the Butte Daredevils, Tuesday night at the Butte Civic Center - only to walk away with a 120-102 [7-0] loss on the night. Five Explorers entered the double digit scoring column, led by point guard Malik Moore's 24 markers. Javon Harris and Harold "The Show" Arceneaux added 15 apiece, Marc Mazur scored 12 points and pulled down 10 boards, while Jamar Howard tossed in 11. Travis Garrison had an off-night, only scoring a single field goal in 17 minutes of playing time. Great Falls regrouped for the rematch on Wednesday night at Butte, and defeated the Daredevils 109-100 [5.5-1.5] at the Butte Civic Center. Javon Harris, who originally was part of the Daredevils but was released in training camp, led the Explorers with 23 points, while Marc Mazur added 17 points and 12 boards. On Friday night, Great Falls hosted the Yakama Sun Kings at the Explorers' alternate site, the McLaughlin Center at the College of Great Falls, but could not surpass the well-rested Sun Kings, who won 105-91 [6-1]. Jamar Howard's 20 points led all Explorers in scoring; while Eric Strand had 10 rebounds on the night.

Indiana Alley Cats (20-19, 137.5 QP, 3.57 AVG, 3rd place, American Conference)

With J.J. Sullinger on his way to the Philippines, and Erick Barkley leaving the team for an opportunity in Croatia, the Alley Cats were operating with a short bench and headed on the road against a revitalized Albany Patroons team. The end result was Indiana losing 134-111 [6-1] on Wednesday night. In the loss, Shaun Fountain carried the team on his back with 32 points, including hitting a season-high 15-for-15 from the charity stripe; Will Caudle improved his scoring by adding 21 points on the night. Fountain again was the leading scorer for the Alley Cats on Friday night in their 114-100 [6-1] road loss to the Albany Patroons, as he scored 36 points and dished out 8 assists. Indiana's new acquisition Josh Murray added 25 points for the Alley Cats; veteran Chandler Thompson came up with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Next up was a road game against the Xplosion at their alternate court, the Petersen Events Center. Despite another 32-point night from Shaun Fountain, the Alley Cats lost to the Xplosion 108-104 [5-2] in overtime.

Minot Skyrockets (25-13, 157.0 QP, 4.13 AVG, 1st place, American Conference)

After returning home from a 23-day road trip, the Skyrockets improved their home win streak to eight consecutive games with a 95-82 [6-1] victory over the Pittsburgh Xplosion. David Harrison led the way for the Magic City quintet, with 25 points on 9-17 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 effort from the free-throw line. He also hit a fadeaway jumper at the top of the key with time running out in the third quarter, to win the third quarter standings point for Minot. In the Skyrockets' next home game, a 92-82 [6-1] victory over the same Xplosion franchise, Minot successfully clinched the first American Conference postseason spot, guaranteeing the first postseason appearance by a Minot professional basketball team since the Magic City Snowbears of the IBA. Jason Smith cleaned house with 32 points; Desmond Ferguson's 21 points include four 3-pointers; and David Harrison put up a nice double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds). Minot's next goal is to acquire the division title and a first-round bye in the playoffs; and they began that campaign with a 114-110 [6-1] victory over the visiting Butte Daredevils. Jason Smith scored a season-high 35 points, while David Harrison added another double-double (22 pts, 11 rebs). Desmond Ferguson's 20 points included three more 3-pointers. Ferguson would add 7 more "moneyball" shots in Minot's Sunday night 101-91 [6-1] road loss against Yakama, leading the Magic City quintet with 23 points on the night. Jitim Young added 17 points on the night; David Harrison chipped in 12 markers in the Magic City loss.

Pittsburgh Xplosion (6-33, 79.5 QP, 1.96 AVG, 4th place, American Conference)

With the Steel City quintet trying to build momentum from winning two of their last three games, Pittsburgh went to the Minot Municipal Auditorium for a two-game series with the Minot Skyrockets. Pittsburgh dropped the first game, 95-82 [6-1], with Lewis Monroe leading the Xplosion with 17 points; Eric Williams and Kevin Pittsnogle each yanked down nine boards. Pittsburgh was uncharacteristically cold from behind the arc; neither Kevin Pittsnogle (0-6) nor Rob Griffin (0-10) could buy a long distance shot. The two teams met for the rematch on Wednesday night, with the Xplosion being diffused 92-82 [6-1]. Shawn Hawkins was top shooter for the Xplosion with 19 points and six rebounds; Lewis Monroe scored 14 and added six assists. Pittsburgh then hosted the Albany Patroons on Saturday night at Mellon Arena, and despite the double-double notched by Corey Minnifield (18 pts, 11 rebs), the Xplosion could not get a third victory over Albany, losing 107-100 [5-2]. Pittsburgh's final game of the week, at Petersen Events Center, ended with a 108-104 [5-2] overtime victory over the Indiana Alley Cats. Robert Griffin stepped up his game with a 30-point night, including going 9-10 from the line and 3-8 from behind the arc. Corey Minnifield led the Xplosion with 12 rebound; Lewis Monroe had 10 assists on the night. It was the first win for the Xplosion over the Alley Cats in 13 tries; a rivalry that dates back to 2005-06, when both teams were part of another league.

Yakama Sun Kings (26-9, 168.0 QP, 4.80 AVG, 1st place, National Conference)

After one arduous road trip, followed by nearly a week and a half of rest, the Sun Kings went back on the road, facing the Great Falls Explorers at the McLaughlin Center on the University of Great Falls campus. The rest certainly paid off, as the Sun Kings won 105-91 [6-1], keeping a 20 quarter-point cushion between themselves and their second-place rivals. Six Sun Kings scored in double figures, led by center Chris Alexander's 25 points and 11 boards. Yakama improved to 6-2 against second-place Great Falls with its 11th road victory of the season, just four off the Sun Kings' franchise record. On Sunday night, the Sun Kings hosted Minot in a battle of division leaders. Yakama took the game 101-91 [6-1], led by Ralph Holmes' 18 points in three quarters of play. Chris Alexander had 14 points on the night, and hit his first seven free throws to assemble 18 consecutive free throws; Alexander finished the night with 7-of-9 free throw shooting.



Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 5, 2007


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