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CBA Weekly

December 17, 2007 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


CAVALRY NAME CLIFF LEVINGSTON HEAD COACH

Replaces Micheal Ray Richardson, who gave team 6-3 start

Lawton, OK (December 16, 2007) - The Oklahoma Cavalry announced today that Cliff Levingston will take over the head coaching duties for the remainder of the season. Levingston takes over for former head coach Micheal Ray Richardson, who is relieved of his duties immediately by the Cavalry. Levingston is no stranger to the CBA, as he served as an assistant coach with the Gary Steelheads in the 2005-06 season.

Levingston was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1982 NBA Draft, selected with the ninth selection in the first round. He played two seasons in Detroit before being traded with Antoine Carr to the Atlanta Hawks for Dan Roundfield. In 1990, Levingston signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent. He played the next two seasons in Chicago, winning two NBA Championships. 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, where his Legend team won the USBL title. Levingston was named USBL Coach of the Year. During 2003-04, Levingston served as an assistant for the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the Steelheads in 2005. Levingston served as the Steelheads head coach in the USBL for the 2007 season.

"Cliff is a natural choice to take over the reins of our franchise," said Cavalry Owner Baron Hopgood. "Cliff has extensive head coaching experience and is familiar with the CBA and the players needed to be successful for the remainder of the season. We thank Micheal Ray for his time and effort here in Oklahoma, but I feel a change is needed at this time to insure success both on and off the court."

WAKI WILLIAMS NAMED AMERICAN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Atlanta Krunk forward instrumental in team's three-game winning streak

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that the Atlanta Krunk's Waki Williams, a 6'9" forward from Memphis, was named CBA American Conference Player of the Week for the week ending December 17, 2007. This is the first time a player from the Atlanta Krunk organization has earned Player of the Week honors.

In Atlanta's three contests, Williams either led his team in scoring, or was instrumental in the team's victory. On December 12, against the Butte Daredevils, Williams had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Williams would then score a combined 58 points in two road contests against the Rio Grande Valley Silverados, including notching 40 points in a 101-99 [5-2] win.

Other players receiving consideration for Player of the Week include:

Chad Timberlake, Albany

Mike Crain, East Kentucky

Antonio Graves, Pittsburgh

John Strickland, Minot

ODELL BRADLEY NAMED NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Butte guard returns to Daredevils, becomes top scorer for team

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that the Butte Daredevils' Odell Bradley, a 6'4" guard from IUPUI, was named CBA National Conference Player of the Week for the week ending December 17, 2007. This is the first time a Daredevil player has been so honored this season; and the first since Nick VanderLaan received Player of the Week honors on January 22, 2007.

Upon his return to the Daredevils, the popular guard scored 22 points in a close-fought 85-82 loss to Yakama. He then compounded those points by scoring 35 more points, six assists, a block and three steals, in a 115-80 victory over Great Falls. Bradley began the 2007-08 season with the Pittsburgh Xplosion, and was traded to the Daredevils, where he was the team's leading scorer in the 2006-07 season.

Other players receiving consideration for Player of the Week include:

Demorris Smith, Rio Grande Valley

Harvey Thomas, Yakama

Marvin Phillips, Oklahoma

Cody Toppert, Great Falls

CBA TEAM REPORTS

Albany Patroons (5-3, 34.5 QP, 4.31 AVG, 2nd place, American Conf.) In the Patroons' only game of the week, a late fourth quarter run gave the Green and Gold a 111-102 victory over the Pittsburgh Xplosion Monday night at Mellon Arena. The score was tied at 93 with 5:36 to play, but a 14-2 run by the Patroons over the next 4:05 fueled the victory. Albany took five of seven quarter-points in the win, the Pats' fourth victory in a row. Guard Chad Timberlake scored a team-high 25 points. Amal McCaskill had 18 points and nine rebounds, as six Patroons scored in double figures against their division rivals. The Pats received some good news, as guard Jamaal Miller is scheduled to return after suffering a broken nose; he will wear a Rip Hamilton-like face mask to protect his nose for future games.

Atlanta Krunk (3-8, 28.5 QP, 2.59 AVG, 5th place, American Conf.) The Krunk broke their long losing streak by defeating the Butte Daredevils 106-96 [5-2] at John H. Lewis Gymansium. Waki Williams put together a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds; Steve Thomas blocked five shots; and Andre Owens converted five steals. Grayson Boucher, the AND1 Mixtape star, had 16 points, including four 3-pointers. The Krunk then traveled to McAllen, Texas for a series with the Rio Grande Valley Silverados, and held off the home team for a 101-99 [5-2] victory. Waki Williams scored 40 points in the victory for the Krunk, while Steve Thomas had 16 rebounds and 13 points. Zeck Marbury and Andre Owens each had 18 points for Atlanta in the contest. The Krunk would win the second game against RGV, 104-89 [4.5-2.5], to build a three-game winning streak.

Butte Daredevils (7-5, 44.0 QP, 3.67 AVG, 3rd place, National Conf.) The Butte Daredevils visited Morris Brown Gymansium for the first time this season, and faced the Atlanta Krunk - only to have the Daredevils' winning streak broken, 106-96 [5-2]. Benson Callier had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds; while Martane Freeman led all Daredevils with 21 points. The Daredevils then went north to take on the Great Falls Explorers Wednesday night at the Four Seasons Arena, and the score remained close all night, until 6'8" forward Lionel Davis, who hadn't made a field goal all night, hit a game-winning buzzer-beater to give the Daredevils a 97-95 [5-2] victory. Aaron Cook's 24 points included six three-pointers; Cook also assembled 3 steals and six assists. Back to the Butte Civic Center to face the Yakama Sun Kings, the Daredevils re-signed Odell Bradley, last season's points leader, and a season-high crowd of over 1,400 cheered on the Copper City crew in the hopes that they would finally give Yakama a losing mark. No such luck; the Sun Kings won 85-82 [5-2], despite the returning Bradley putting 22 points on the board; Jason Miller's 18 points and 12 rebounds; and a pair of three-pointers from Jibril Hodges. "I was impressed with how hard we played," said Bradley after the game to reporters from the Montana Standard. "I take a little of the blame (for the loss). No excuse about getting here late. We need make better plays down the stretch, especially me. We gave away too many points. Coach and I are not going allow that to happen. It was a tough defensive game. But we're going to beat Yakama. You can put that in the paper." Bradley paid immediate dividends in a Sunday night matchup against Great Falls, in which the Daredevils won 115-80 [6.5-0.5]. Bradley scored 35 points (with 6-9 shooting from behind the 3-point line), had three steals and a block in the win. Jibril Hodges had 21 points, while Aaron Cook had 12 points and 10 assists.

East Kentucky Miners (5-6, 35.5 QP, 3.23 AVG, 4th place, American Conference) At full strength for the first time in two weeks, the East Kentucky Miners hosted the division leading Minot Skyrockets at the East Kentucky Expo Center. Unfortunately, the Pikeville quintet fell to the Skyrockets 108-96 [6-1]. James "Boo" Jackson led all Miners with 19 points; Marcus Heard had 16 points to go with his 11 rebounds. That would be the first of four games against the Skyrockets; with two games left at the Minot Municipal Auditorium; and the Sunday finale scheduled for the East Kentucky Expo Center. In the Thursday night opener, it was Jason McLeish's last-second reverse jumper with only 6.3 seconds left in the game, that gave East Kentucky a 103-102 [6-1] victory over their division rivals. Again for the Miners, it was the Josh and Boo show, as Josh Pace (21 pts) and James "Boo" Jackson (20 pts) spun the scoreboard for the visitors. Both McLeish and Pace accounted for six steals (3 apiece) for the Miners. "To come up here and get a win like that against a team coached by Chris Daleo is saying something," Miners head coach Kevin Keathley said to reporters from the Minot Daily News. "He's an excellent coach and he really prepares his guys better than anyone else, so to come on the road and get a win against a good basketball team, you have to feel very good about yourself." Unfortunately, "feeling good" didn't carry over to Friday's contest, as the Miners were clobbered 104-92 [7-0] by the Skyrockets. Josh Pace led the team with 27 points; James "Boo" Jackson's 20 points and 13 rebounds gave him a nice double-double; Bryant Northern added five steals for the Miners. The final game of the four-game run, at the East Kentucky Expo Center, saw Minot jump out to an early 30-23 lead, but the Miners pulled back to lead 55-52 at the half. In the end, the Miners prevailed 101-98 [5-2], with Mike Crain's 31 points (including three 3-pointers) providing the added spark for the Bluegrass State quintet. Josh Pace scored 16 points, pulled down 12 boards and handed out six assists on the night.

Great Falls Explorers (3-9, 25.5 QP, 2.13 AVG, 4th place, National Conference) Great Falls and Butte battled in a Montana skirmish at the Four Seasons Arena, and the Explorers trailed by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter before Michael Peeples, a 6'7" rookie forward from Fairleigh Dickinson University, led a comeback that tied the game at 95-all. But a buzzer-beating field goal by Butte's Lionel Davis cost Great Falls the game, and the Explorers were defeated 97-95 [5-2]. Cody Toppert's 18 points led all Explorers in scoring; Toppert had 3 3-pointers in his scoring total. William Maupins assembled 14 rebounds in the game. Next up was a Saturday evening contest against the mighty Yakama Sun Kings; and Great Falls put together a 24-20 first quarter win in the game, marking the first time all season the Sun Kings would start the second quarter of a game without the lead. Unfortunately, the Sun Kings then rattled off a 16-2 run en route to a 109-86 [6-1] pounding of the Explorers. William Maupins and Nate Johnson each had 16 points apiece; Tyler Hughes had 15 rebounds to go with his 15 points. Next to visit were the Butte Daredevils, who came to the Four Seasons Center and took apart the Explorers 115-80 [6.5-0.5]. Najeeb Echols was top scorer for the Explorers with 16 points; William Maupins had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Minot Skyrockets (6-2, 39.5 QP, 4.94 AVG, 1st place, American Conference) Still holding on to first place in the American Conference, the Magic City crew visited East Kentucky for a showdown with the Miners. In the Skyrockets' 108-96 [6-1] victory over the Miners, "The Amazing One," Ronnie Fields, dropped 29 points on the board, earned six assists and two steals. Kevin Rice had 18 points and five rebounds in the contest. The Skyrockets then hosted the Miners for a two-game series at the Minot Municipal Auditorium, where the Skyrockets remained undefeated at home. Unfortunately, the Skyrockets lost a last-second heartbreaker to the Miners 103-102 [6-1], despite 27 points from Ronnie Fields for the Magic City crew. Minot shot well in the first half, hitting 51% of their shots, but 45% shooting in the second hurt their chances of holding on for the win. "We had a terrible game, there's nothing more to say about it," said Daleo to reporters from the Minot Daily News. "Hopefully, we do a better job (Friday)." That they did; as Minot and East Kentucky battled to a Friday night war, with the Skyrockets sweeping the game 104-92 [7-0], a contest that saw six technical fouls distributed among both squads. John Strickland's 30 points, the team high, were scored on 13-20 shooting from the floor. Minot's big man scored two key buckets in fourth quarter down the stretch, helping the Skyrockets take the final quarter point. The Skyrockets then traveled to East Kentucky for one more contest with the Miners; although the game remained close throughout the four quarters, Minot lost in the final seconds 101-98 [5-2]. Sidney Homes and Ronnie Fields earned 21 and 20 points, respectively, for the Magic City quintet; both Homes and John Strickland pulled down eight boards apiece.

Oklahoma Cavalry (5-0, 27.5 QP, 5.50 AVG, 2nd place, National Conference) The Oklahoma Cavalry's attempts to defeat the Yakama Sun Kings fell by the wayside on Tuesday night at the Yakima SunDome, as the Cavalry bowed 94-83 [6-1]. Daryan Selvy and Walt Walters both had 20 points apiece for the Lawton squad, while Marvin Phillips' 15 rebounds matched nicely with his 14 points. This would be the last Cavalry game that Micheal Ray Richardson would coach for the team; on Sunday Richardson was replaced by former Gary Steelheads assistant coach Cliff Levingston.

Pittsburgh Xplosion (6-6, 39.0 QP, 3.25 AVG, 3rd place, American Conference) In the Xplosion's only game of the week, the Black and Gold hosted the Albany Patroons on Monday night, and were leading 65-60 at halftime before Albany came from behind to tie the contest at 93-all with 5:36 to play, then snapped off a 14-2 run to seal the victory 111-102 [5-2]. Albert White poured in a game-high 31 points, while Chaz McCrommon scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. DeGroat finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

Rio Grande Valley Silverados (1-11, 16.0 QP, 1.33 AVG, 5th place, National Conference) After returning to McAllen after a long road trip, the Silverados hosted the Atlanta Krunk on Wednesday night, and although RGV tied the second and third quarters, and actually won the fourth quarter, the Silverados lost 101-99 [5-2]. Mike Dean led the Silverados with 34 points and 4 steals on the night; while Demorris Smith had 20 points and 10 rebounds. RGV's second match against the Krunk ended with a 104-89 [4.5-2.5] loss; however, the Silverados were able to take two quarters and tie a third in the match.

Yakama Sun Kings (10-0, 63.5 QP, 6.35 AVG, 1st place, National Conference) The Sun Kings increased their unbeaten streak to eleven straight games with a 94-83 [6-1] win over the Oklahoma Cavalry Tuesday night. While Jason Sasser led all scorers with 26 points, both Elvin Mims (12 pts, 11 rebs) and Jason Forte (11 pts, 10 rebs) finished the game with double-doubles. Elvin Mims also had two blocks, while Ray Weathers had three steals in the game. With two more three-pointers, Desmond Ferguson tied Tracy Moore for 8th place on the CBA's all-time 3-pointers career list. Ferguson would hit four more treys in Yakama's next game, an 85-82 [5-2] win over the Butte Daredevils on Friday night. Harvey Thomas garnered three blocked shots and three steals in the game. Victory #13 came against the Great Falls Explorers, as Yakama won 109-86 [6-1], despite losing the first quarter of the match - the first time all season that Yakama did not win the first quarterpoint. Seven of the nine Sun Kings in the lineup scored in double figures, led by Elvin Mims (18); Harvey Thomas (15 pts, 10 rebs) and Tim Ellis (15 pts, 10 assists).

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