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December 10, 2007 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


DERRICK ROWLAND NAMED HEAD COACH OF RIO GRANDE VALLEY SILVERADOS

Replaces head coach Steve Tucker, wins first game as head coach

On December 7, 2007, the Rio Grande Valley Silverados named Oklahoma Cavalry assistant coach Derrick Rowland head coach of the Silverados for the remainder of the season. The team also relieved current head coach Steve Tucker of his duties; Tucker compiled a 0-10 winning record for the expansion franchise.

In his first head coaching stint, Rowland guided his Silverados to an 87-82 road victory over Great Falls, taking 5½ quarterpoints in the process.

Rowland, a member of the CBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, played in the CBA from 1982 to 1992, as a member of the Albany Patroons, Rochester Zeniths and Bay State Bombardiers. He scored 5,783 points in the CBA, was selected to the 1983 and 1985 All-Star Classics, and was a member of the 1984 and 1988 Albany Patroons CBA championship squads. During his CBA playing career, Rowland suited up for such legendary CBA coaches as Phil Jackson, Mauro Panaggio, George Karl and Charley Rosen.

Commencing with the 2005-06 season, Rowland has been the assistant coach for former teammate and current Oklahoma Cavalry coach Micheal Ray Richardson.

With Rowland's hiring, the CBA now has five head coaches with NBA playing experience; Rowland was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1985-86 season. The other CBA coaches with NBA pedigrees are Micheal Ray Richardson (Oklahoma Cavalry), Kenny Anderson (Atlanta Krunk), Scott Wedman (Great Falls Explorers) and Vincent Askew (Albany Patroons).

AMAL MCCASKILL NAMED AMERICAN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Albany Patroons center CBA's leading rebounder, team's leading scorer

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that the Albany Patroons' Amal McCaskill, a 6'10" center from Marquette, was named CBA American Conference Player of the Week for the week ending December 10, 2007. McCaskill is the first member of the Albany Patroons to earn Player of the Week honors this season.

In Albany's last four games, McCaskill averaged 14 rebounds per game, spurring the Patroons to a 3-1 record. In the three victories, McCaskill notched 37 points against the Atlanta Krunk, and averaged 25 ppg in two wins against the East Kentucky Miners. McCaskill currently leads the CBA in rebounds per game (13.2) and offensive rebounds per game (4.2).

Other players receiving consideration for Player of the Week include:

James "Boo" Jackson, East Kentucky

Terrance Hunter, Atlanta

Antonio Graves, Pittsburgh

Ronnie Fields, East Kentucky

JASON SASSER NAMED NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sun Kings forward helps Yakama's winning streak remain intact

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that the Yakama Sun Kings' Jason Sasser, a 6'7 forward from Texas Tech, was named CBA National Conference Player of the Week for the week ending December 3, 2007. This is the second time a Sun Kings player has been so honored this season; Jason Forte was the first National Conference Player of the Week this season.

Sasser continues the Sun Kings' amazing unbeaten run with solid efforts in two Sun Kings contests this week; in a December 4th matchup against Great Falls, Sasser was one of six players scoring in double figures, with 19 points and six rebounds. Later that week, when the Sun Kings hosted Oklahoma in a matchup of the top teams in the National Conference, Sasser hit 30 points to lead all Sun Kings in scoring; he also added 15 rebounds in the game.

Other players receiving consideration for Player of the Week include:

Martane Freeman, Butte

Mike Dean, Rio Grande Valley

Curtis Haywood, Oklahoma

Cody Toppert, Great Falls

DID YOU KNOW?

When Pittsburgh held Minot to seven points in the opening quarter of the Xplosion's 91-82 Saturday night victory, it set a CBA record for fewest points allowed by an opponent in any quarter. The previous record of eight points in a quarter was set twice; in 2006 by Yakama against Albany, and in 2001 by Flint against Dakota.

CBA TEAM REPORTS

Albany Patroons (5-3, 34.5 QP, 4.31 AVG, 2nd place, American Conf.) The Albany Patroons traveled to Pittsburgh for their first matchup of the season against the Pittsburgh Xplosion, and the game stayed close for four quarters, until the Xplosion pulled ahead with a 91-89 [5.5-1.5] win. Nat Burton was top scorer for the Patroons with 18 points; Amal McCaskill's 15 rebounds were the most for any Patroon that night. Next up was a three-game homestand for the Pats, as they first hosted the Atlanta Krunk on Wednesday night. Amal McCaskill played his first game on the Armory court, and his 37 points, 14 boards and 6 assists helped Albany defeat Atlanta Krunk 120-111 [4.5-2.5]. Nat Burton contributed 29 points in Albany's victory, while Dajan Smith's 18 points were punctuated with a pair of alley-oop slams. Albany next hosted the East Kentucky Miners for a two-game series; on Friday night, and led by Amal McCaskill's 28 points and 14 rebounds, and a trio of three-pointers from Lucious Jordan, the Patroons defeated the Miners 118-107 [7-0]. In the rematch, Amal McCaskill would dominate in the low post, scoring 20 points in Albany's 125-120 [6-1] overtime victory on Saturday night. McCaskill was one of three Patroons with 20 points or more, joining Nat Burton (21 pts) and Chad Timberlake (20 pts); both Burton and Timberlake added a combined 5 three-pointers.

Atlanta Krunk (3-8, 28.5 QP, 2.59 AVG, 5th place, American Conf.) The Krunk continued their road trip, spending a stint at the East Kentucky Expo Center as guests of the East Kentucky Miners. In Tuesday night's match, won by the Miners 109-103 [6-1], Waki Williams led the Krunk in scoring with 37 points, including 15-28 shooting from the floor. Steve Thomas led the Peachtree State crew with 13 rebounds. Next up for the Krunk was a return match on the road with the Albany Patroons. Unfortunately for the Krunk, they lost the game 120-111 [4.5-2.5], despite 35 points from Zach Marbury, and 15 points from Miguel Mllian; Millian's points included four three-pointers. On Sunday, the Krunk hosted the Butte Daredevils for the first time; the Peachtree State crew could not get past the Daredevils, losing 101-98 [5-2].

Butte Daredevils (7-5, 44.0 QP, 3.67 AVG, 3rd place, National Conf.) The scrappy Butte Daredevils welcomed the Rio Grande Valley SIlverados to the Butte Civic Center Wednesday night, and defeated the Texas crew 113-93 [6.5-0.5], helping the Copper City crew to even their record at 5-5. Defensive play helped the Daredevils in their victory, as Marcus Jefferson's 26 points were augmented with 3 steals; Jason Miller's 16 points were matched with 13 rebounds, and Martane Freeman blocked two shots and created four steals to add to his 16 points. "We've been working on trying to close out quarters in the last 3½ minutes and not just trying to win with one shot," Pat O'Herron, Daredevils head coach, to the Montana Standard newspaper. "I thought we did that well in the third and fourth quarters. We made some free throws, executed on offense and executed on defense." The next night, with Butte again hosting the Silverados, the Daredevils dominated their visitors with a 114-87 [7-0] sweep. Claiming the final quarterpoint for the Daredevils was not easy - the Silverados led the fourth quarter by four points with ten seconds left on the clock. But when Butte's Benson Callier drew a foul from Trent Eager and sank two free throws with five seconds left, Marcus Jefferson, who had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the game, blocked a long shot and grabbed the ball, then called timeout with 2.8 seconds left on the clock. Jefferson then inbounded to Martane Freeman, whose 3-point arc was blocked out of the cylinder by RGV's Demorris Smith - who was called for goaltending, giving the three points - the quarter - and the sweep - to the Daredevils. The Daredevils then embarked on an East Coast road trip to Atlanta, beating the Krunk in a Sunday night game, 101-98 [5-2], winning the team's fifth straight contest.

East Kentucky Miners (5-6, 35.5 QP, 3.23 AVG, 4th place, American Conference) One day after scoring his first triple-double of the season, Josh Pace hit a second triple-doubles for the Miners in a win against the Atlanta Krunk 109-103 [6-1] on Monday night. Pace had 28 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists in the match. "Josh Pace is going to go out and play hard every night," said East Kentucky coach Kevin Keathley. "I couldn't be any more proud of how he's stepped up and played throughout the season." The Miners later traveled to Albany for their first two-game series against the Patroons. In the Friday night opener, the Miners were swept 118-107 [7-0] by the Patroons, despite 30 points by James "Boo" Jackson, who played all 48 minutes of the game. In the rematch on Saturday night, the Miners kept every quarter close with Albany, but despite tying the game at 109-all, the Miners fell in overtime, 125-120 [6-1]. Josh Pace notched 29 points in 53 minutes of action; while James "Boo" Jackson had 28 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, and 14 rebounds - all in 52 minutes of play.

Great Falls Explorers (3-9, 25.5 QP, 2.13 AVG, 4th place, National Conference) Despite William Maupins' double-double of 11 rebounds and 14 points, the Explorers once again bowed to the Yakama Sun Kings on Tuesday night, with a 111-97 [5.5-1.5] loss. Keith Salscheider's 16 points were tops for the Blue and White, going 6-12 from the floor and 2-4 from the three-point arc. The Explorers' fortunes changed, however, with a Wednesday night victory over the previously undefeated Oklahoma Cavalry, 107-103 [4.5-2.5], the Explorers' second victory of the season. Keith Salscheider hit both of his 3-point tries in the second half, finishing with three trifectas for the night and 23 points to lead six Explorers in double figures. Nate Johnson was 2-for-2 from behind the arc, scoring 18 markers and dishing out a game-high eight assists. Nate Green tossed in 16, Cody Toppert added 15 and Najeeb Echols chucked in 13 points and hauled down five boards. In the return match Thursday night, the Explorers fell to the Cavalry 114-104 [6-1], with Cody Toppert's 23 points and Nate Johnson's 13 assists / 6 steals the high marks for the Blue and White. Next up for the Explorers is a visit from the Rio Grande Valley Silverados. But just as the Explorers ended Oklahoma's win streak, so too did they end the Silverados' losing streak, bowing to their division rivals 87-82 [5.5-1.5] at the Four Seasons Arena. Nate Green topped the Explorers with 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Cody Toppert added 14 markers. Chavez finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Keith Salscheider, the Explorers' top scorer, didn't play because of injury. In the rematch game Sunday afternoon, Cody Toppert scored 12 of his 17 points in the final five minutes, helping the Great Falls Explorers defeat the Rio Grande Valley Silverados 96-91 [5-2]. Nate Green and Mike Harmon scored 34 and 12 points, respectively, for Great Falls.

Minot Skyrockets (6-2, 39.5 QP, 4.94 AVG, 1st place, American Conference) The Skyrockets kept their home winning streak intact, as Minot had six players finish in double figures and they outscored the Pittsburgh Xplosion in three out of four quarters in a 111-90 [6.5-0.5] win Wednesday night at the Minot Municipal Auditorium. Minot took a 29-21 lead in the first, due in part to three big plays at the end of the quarter by Marshall Phillips off the bench, and went on a big run to take the second quarter and a 60-44 lead into halftime. John Strickland led the Minot players in double figures with 20, Kevin Rice had 17 and Kellen Miliner added 11. Ronnie Fields rounded out the Skyrockets in double figures with 19 points. Minot then visited the Xplosion at Mellon Arena, and took a 97-92 [6-1] victory on the road. John Strickland continued his scoring pace with 25 points, while Ronnie Fields added 23 points; Sidney Homes' 10 points were augmented with 11 rebounds.

Oklahoma Cavalry (5-0, 27.5 QP, 5.50 AVG, 2nd place, National Conference) The Oklahoma Cavalry's undefeated season ended with a loss Wednesday night at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, with the Cavalry losing to the Great Falls Explorers 107-103 [4.5-2.5]. Daryan Selvy had 24 points to pace the Cavalry, with Marvin Phillips grabbing 11 rebounds to go with 12 points. Curtis Haywood added 20 and Albert Robinson 17 for the visitors, who shot just 39 percent from the floor in the second half. The Cavalry rebounded in the return match Thursday night, defeating Great Falls 114-104 [6-1]. Daryan Selvy sank six straight free throws to keep coach Micheal Ray Richardson's team safely in front. Selvy, who averages 26 points per game, settled for 18 points including all 10 of his charity tosses. The much bigger Cavs outrebounded the Explorers 43-28., as Curtis Haywood had 27 points, 8 rebounds and two steals. The Cavs would later visit Yakama on their road trip, but Assistant Coach Derrick Rowland stayed in Great Falls, as he was tapped to lead the Rio Grande Valley Silverados, who would play Great Falls that night. So the top two teams in the National Conference faced off at the SunDome, but the Cavalry would fall to the Sun Kings 108-105 [5-2]. Marvin Phillips pulled down a season-high 20 rebounds, while Curtis Haywood put 29 points on the board.

Pittsburgh Xplosion (6-6, 39.0 QP, 3.25 AVG, 3rd place, American Conference) Last year, the Pittsburgh Xplosion didn't win a game against Albany until February 9th - essentially halfway through the season. This year, a whole-new Xplosion franchise beat Albany in their first season matchup, 91-89 [5.5-1.5]. Shaun Fountain scored 25 points for the Black and Gold, and his jumper with 5.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter earned the Xplosion the crucial win. Unfortunately, the Xplosion's next opponent, the Minot Skyrockets, were not as charitable, and the Black and Gold succumbed to the Skyrockets 111-90 [6.5-0.5]. Antonio Graves led all scorers with 34 points and Kevin Mickens added 20 for the Xplosion, who fell to 5-5 in the loss. Pittsburgh then hosted the Skyrockets at Mellon Arena, and succumbed to the visitors 97-92 [6-1], despite Albert White's 20 points, 10 boards and 8 assists; Antonio Graves added 21 points for the Black and Gold. In the return match Saturday night, the Xplosion held Minot to just seven points in the first quarter - a CBA record for fewest points scored by a single team - in Pittsburgh's 91-82 [5-2] victory at Mellon Arena. Albert White led the way with 23 points. "Today was all about pride," said Xplosion head coach Carlos Knox. "We wanted to establish that we are a good team and that teams aren't going to just run us over. Minot is a good team and a well-coached team. It's definitely a good feeling to be able to beat them and defend our home court."

Rio Grande Valley Silverados (1-11, 16.0 QP, 1.33 AVG, 5th place, National Conference) The Silverados' frustration continued on a road trip to Montana to face the Butte Daredevils. In the first game between these two division rivals at the Butte Civic Center, the Silverados bowed 113-93 [6.5-0.5], despite 41 points from RGV sharpshooter Mike Dean. Demorris Smith hit eight rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals in the contest. The next night, the Silverados lost their tenth straight game, a 114-87 [7-0] defeat at the hands of the Daredevils. Rod Nealy's 18 points and Colin Lien's 13 rebounds weren't enough to help the Silverados, and Mike Dean had a woeful six points out of 1-14 shooting from the floor. With that loss, Silverados head coach Steve Tucker was relieved of his position, and Oklahoma Cavalry assistant coach Derrick Rowland was selected to coach the McAllen hoopsters for the remainder of the season. Rowland paid immediate dividends in the next game, with an 87-82 [5.5-1.5] win over the Great Falls Explorers. Rod Nealy led the winners with 26 points, including 14 foul shots. Demorris Smith and Mike Dean combined for 39 points. The Silverados were not able to defeat Great Falls a second time Sunday night, losing to their division rivals 96-91 [5-2].Mike Dean led all scorers in the first half with 17 points and finished with 36; RGV rallied from a 14-point deficit during the fourth quarter thanks to Dean and Rod Nealy, who finished the game with 19 points and 11 boards, but it was too little too late.

Yakama Sun Kings (10-0, 63.5 QP, 6.35 AVG, 1st place, National Conference) With Yakama's 111-97 [5.5-1.5] road victory over the Great Falls Explorers, Sun Kings head coach Paul Woolpert tied Cazzie Russell for 9th place on the coaching all-time CBA wins list. Desmond Ferguson led the Sun Kings with 23 points, including hitting 3 treys in four attempts. Jason Sasser had eight rebounds to go with his 19 points. The Sun Kings next hosted Oklahoma in a battle of the top two teams in the National Conference; in the matchup, Despite scoring just two points in a nearly five-minute span that ended with 10 seconds remaining, Yakama mustered enough defense and five foul shots in those final 10 seconds to squeeze out a 108-105 [5-2] victory at the SunDome, winning their tenth game of the season. Jason Sasser's 30 points led all Sun Kings in scoring; Sasser also added 15 rebounds to the mix.

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