CBA Weekly

Published on February 4, 2008 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release

PAUL WOOLPERT NAMED COACH OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY 2008

The CBA is pleased to announce that Yakama Sun Kings head coach Paul Woolpert has earned Coach of the Month honors for the month of January, 2008. This is Woolpert's second Coach of the Month award this season; he previously won the title in November.

Woolpert's Sun Kings went undefeated this month, going a perfect 12-0 in January. Seven of the twelve wins occurred away from the Sun Dome, as the Sun Kings are still perfect, 15-0 on the road this season. The Sun Kings earned 71.5 quarter-points for a 5.95 average in January.

Woolpert also passed his mentor Mo McHone to move into seventh all-time in CBA wins with 233. Woolpert won his 200th game as a Sun King Head Coach on January 30. He trails only Mike Thibault (236), Eric Musselman (270), and Dan Panaggio (313) for most victories with one franchise as a head coach.

As if that was not enough effort for the month, Woolpert was also the winning head coach of the All-Star Classic. He guided the National Conference to a 125-123 victory. With the win, Woolpert tied Eric Musselman for most All-Star Classic victories with four, and became the first coach to win the All-Star Classic in three consecutive years.

Other head coaches receiving consideration were Chris Daleo of the Minot Skyrockets (13-3, 5.15 QP average) and Carlos Knox of the Pittsburgh Xplosion (10-4 4.53 QP average).

CBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR JAMARIO MOON IN NBA ALL-STAR GAME SLAM DUNK CONTEST, ROOKIE GAME

The Continental Basketball Association today announced, along with the NBA, that former CBA All-Star and alum Jamario Moon will participate in the Rookie Challenge. This event will be held Friday, February 15 in New Orleans.

For the past two seasons, Jamario Moon was a star in the Continental Basketball Association and a key player in the success of the Albany Patroons. While playing for the Patroons in the '05-'06 and '06-'07 seasons, Moon participated in a CBA All-Star event. Moon finished second in the 2006 Slam Dunk Contest in Boise, Idaho. Moon will also be participating in the NBA Slam Dunk contest Saturday, February 16.

Moon has left off right where he started since leaving the CBA to jump to the NBA. He has had a solid first half with the Toronto Raptors and a big reason why the Raptors are having such a great season. Jamario is averaging 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 28.9 minutes a game, and has started 39 out of the 41 games he has played in for the Raptors.

Jamario joins a very elite group of players who have played in the CBA then jumped to the NBA and played in an All-Star game or All-Star contests. Anthony Mason and John Starks both played in the CBA All-Star Game and participated in an NBA All-Star Game. Mason (Tulsa Fast Breakers '91 and Miami Heat '01) and Starks (Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets '90 and New York Knicks '94) are the only players to accomplish this feat in CBA history.

Tim Legler (Omaha Racers) and Voshon Lenard (Oklahoma City Calvary) participated in the both the CBA and NBA Long Distance Shootout. Legler was a CBA All-Star in '90, '92, '93, and '95. He won the 1993 CBA Shootout championship, and captured the NBA Shootout title in 1996 and Lenard won the NBA Shootout in 2004.

Jamario joins fellow CBA players Matt Maloney (Grand Rapids Mackers '96) and former CBA MVP Adrian Griffin (Connecticut Pride '99) as the only men to play in the rookie game. Maloney played in the 1997 game while Griffin suited up in the 2000 rookie game.

Moon can be seen showing his skills at the Rookie Challenge Friday night on TNT and can be heard on ESPN radio. Jamario and his rookie teammates will be up to a challenging task as the 2nd year players hold a 6-2 record over the rookies.

"This is another great accomplishment for Jamario," said CBA Deputy Commissioner Dennis Truax. "He has positioned himself as one of the premier talents in this rookie class."

DID YOU KNOW?

Until the Atlanta Krunk won the second quarter of their February 2, 2008 game against Albany, the team had gone 18 consecutive quarters without winning a quarterpoint outright (the Krunk did tie one quarterpoint during that stretch). The record for most quarterpoint losses, not counting ties, was 14, set by the 1997 LaCrosse Bobcats.

CBA TEAMS HAVE HOME RECORD ATTENDANCE

Miners, Xplosion, Cavalry have single-game attendance records this week

Thanks to shrewd promotions and local sponsorships, several CBA teams experienced record-setting crowds this week.

As part of a special promotion with local telecommunications company Appalachian Wireless, the East Kentucky Miners announced a record-setting crowd of 3,547 for their January 30 game against the Albany Patroons. That figure represents the largest crowd in over 25 years, and only the second-largest crowd ever to watch a CBA game in Kentucky, a streak which stretches back to December 1, 1983, when the Louisville Catbirds drew 4,191 fans to Louisville's Broadbent Arena for that franchise's home opener.

In cooperation with the Fort Sill Apache Casino, the Cavalry hosted "Lawton / Fort Sill Appreciation Day" on February 1, 2008, and 2,389 basketball fans, the Cavalry's largest crowd of the season, filled the Great Plains Coliseum for Oklahoma's 89-83 victory over the Butte Daredevils. This represents the largest crowd to watch a CBA basketball game since the 1996-97 season, when the original Oklahoma City Cavalry won the 1997 CBA Championship.

Thanks to several promotions and partnerships, the Pittsburgh Xplosion drew 2,582 fans to the Petersen Events Center for the team's 158-110 rout of the Atlanta Krunk. The 2,582 fans represents a record high for the two-year-old Xplosion franchise, and the largest crowd to watch a CBA game in the Steel City since the 1994-95 CBA Finals, when 3,960 Pittsburgh Piranhas fans watched the team play against the Yakima Sun Kings.

RECENT CBA TRANSACTIONS

January 31, 2008

Yakama Sun Kings traded G Jason Forte to the Rio Grande Valley Silverados for a 2008 3rd and 5th round pick and cash considerations.

Rio Grande Silverados waived F Joseph Works at 10 am EST.

February 1, 2008

Pittsburgh Xplosion signed G Lincoln Glass. Placed G Carl Krauser on Injured Reserve.

Atlanta Krunk waived F Steve Thomas 10 am EST.

February 2, 2008

Pitsburgh Xplosion waived F John Strickland at 1 pm EST.

Albany Patroons signed G Ashanti Cook and G Ian Young. Placed F Rashaad Powell on Injured Reserve. Placed C Amal McCaskill on Inactive Reserve.

Great Falls Explorers signed G Pele Paelay, C Lamont Arrington, and F Junior Burrough. Waived G Vinson Smith at 1 pm EST.

DARYAN SELVY EARNS CBA NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Second time Oklahoma forward has won award

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that Oklahoma Cavalry forward Daryan Selvy is the CBA National Conference Player of the Week for the week ending February 3, 2008. This is the second time that Selvy has received this honor, he previously won the award on December 3, 2007.

In three games this week, Selvy helped the Cavalry win two games over Butte and keep the score close in a loss to Pittsburgh. Selvy averaged 18 points per game, as well as 6.5 rebounds per contest. Selvy also had three steals in Oklahoma's 118-84 victory over the Daredevils Saturday night.

Other players given consideration for National Conference Player of the Week include Desmond Ferguson, Yakama Sun Kings; Odell Bradley, Butte Daredevils; and Demorris Smith, Rio Grande Valley Silverados.

RAY CUNNINGHAM EARNS CBA AMERICAN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Second time in three weeks for Skyrocket forward

The Continental Basketball Association is pleased to announce that Minot Skyrockets forward Ray Cunningham is the CBA American Conference Player of the Week for the week ending February 3, 2008. This is the second time in three weeks that Cunningham has earned this award.

In three games for the Skyrockets this week, all victories for Minot, Cunningham averaged 25.6 points and 8 rebounds. He also averaged 2.7 steals in those three wins. Cunningham was also credited with six blocked shots in two Minot victories over the Atlanta Krunk.

Other players under consideration for the award included Chad Timberlake, Albany; Jason McLeish, East Kentucky; Kevin Mickens, Pittsburgh; and Miguel Millian, Atlanta.

CBA TEAM REPORTS

Albany Patroons (17-12, 112.0 QP, 3.86 AVG, 3rd place, American Conference) The Patroons looked as if they would lose a road game against the Miners on Wednesday night; their top rebounder, Amal McCaskill, left the team for an overseas contract. Still, the Patroons were able to achieve a come-from-behind victory against the Miners, with Chad Timberlake's jump shot that banked off the glass and into the basket, earning the Patroons a 109-108 [4-3] road win. Nat Burton finished with 26 points, while Chad Timberlake and Rashaad Powell each scored 23 points. Thursday night in the rematch with the Miners, Rashaad Powell went down after catching an opponent's finger in his eye, causing him to leave the game with a lacerated eyelid. The Patroons eventually lost the game to the Miners, 113-108 [5-2], even with Nat Burton's 29 points and Chad Timberlake's double-double of 12 points and 12 boards. Returning home to a large crowd at the Washington Avenue Armory, the Patroons improved their fortunes with a 118-97 [5-2] victory over the Atlanta Krunk. Nat Burton and Jason "J-Bird" Williams each had 30 points apiece, Williams also finished the night with 9 rebounds. Albany's new signee, Ashanti Cook, had six steals in his first game with the Capital District crew.

Atlanta Krunk (9-23, 70.0 QP, 2.19 AVG, 5th place, American Conference) The Atlanta Krunk went through one of the roughest road trips any CBA team has ever amassed. Starting in Minot, the Krunk fell 138-92 [6.5-0.5], with 34 points - one-third of the Krunk's total output in the game - coming from the returning Miguel Milian, who also finished with 10 rebounds. Atlanta's second game of the week, a Wednesday night affair with the Skyrockets, also resulted in defeat, this time with a 148-115 [7-0] score. Only five Krunksters dressed for this game, and four of them - Waki Williams (26 pts), Terrance Hunter (26 pts, 10 rebs), Miguel Milian (26 pts) and Bilel Simmons (28 pts) scored 20 or more in the game. The Krunk next traveled to Pittsburgh, where the Xplosion handed Atlanta another 7-0 quarterpoint sweep, with a 158-110 [7-0] Pittsburgh victory. Bilel Simmons had 29 points on the night; while Terrance Hunter had 24 points and 13 rebounds in the Krunk loss. Next up was a trip to Albany, where the Krunk managed to at least remain competitive against the Patroons, by taking two quarterpoints in a 118-97 [5-2] loss. Waki Williams had 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Terrance Hunter ended the game with 25 points and 17 rebounds in the Atlanta loss. During that stretch, the Krunk set a new CBA record by going 18 consecutive quarters without winning a quarterpoint outright.

Butte Daredevils (13-18, 95.0 QP, 3.06 AVG, 3rd place, National Conference) Butte took a road trip to Minot to face the Skyrockets, only to get swept 127-91 [7-0] to the American Conference division leader. Martane Freeman put 28 points on the board, while Glean Eddy amassed a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Odell Bradley finished with 25 points on the night. The Daredevils next traveled to the Great Plains Coliseum, where they faced Micheal Ray Richardson and the Oklahoma Cavalry. Despite 31 points from Odell Bradley, the Daredevils fell 89-83 [5-2] to their division rivals. Blake Sholberg and Carl Boyd each amassed eight rebounds apiece. Glean Eddy had three three-pointers to finish with 11 total points. In the return match at Lawton, the Daredevils started off the game with a 23-15 deficit, and could not catch up to the Cavalry, falling 114-98 [7-0]. Odell Bradley was the Daredevils' leading scorer with 34 points, while Martane Freeman finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds in the Copper City quintet's loss.

East Kentucky Miners (17-16, 114.0 QP, 3.45 AVG, 4th place, American Conference) The Miners hosted Albany for two games at the East Kentucky Expo Center, with the Wednesday night affair being a close matchup. The Miners held the lead for most of the contest, but fell in the final seconds 109-108 [4-3] to the Patroons. Jason McLeish was the top scorer for the Miners, with 22 points; while James "Boo" Jackson finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Pace finished with 16 points and three blocked shots. The rematch at the Expo Center on Wednesday night was more favorable to the Miners, as they came from behind and took a 113-108 [5-2] victory over the Patroons. Jason McLeish was again the top scorer for the Miners, with 31 points, while Reo Logan's 10 rebounds was tops for the Pikeville crew. James "Boo" Jackson finished up with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals in the Miners triumph.

Great Falls Explorers (8-19, 62.5 QP, 2.31 AVG, 4th place, National Conference) The Great Falls Explorers did not play this week.

Minot Skyrockets (24-8, 157.5 QP, 4.91 AVG, 1st place, American Conference) Talk about a strong week - the Minot Skyrockets went through a three-game stretch against the Butte Daredevils and Atlanta Krunk, winning 20.5 of a possible 21 quarterpoints. The Skyrockets first defeated Butte at the Launchpad 127-91 [7-0], where the top three scorers for Minot each amassed double-doubles - Sidney Holmes (22 pts, 16 rebs), Ray Cunningham (23 pts, 11 rebs) and Marshall Phillips (26 pts, 10 rebs). Ronnie Fields finished with 11 assists on the night. On Tuesday night, the Atlanta Krunk arrived for two games. Minot took the Tuesday night opener, 138-92 [6.5-0.5], with 27 points from Ray Cunningham to lead the Skyrockets in scoring. Sidney Holmes finished with 22 points and 19 rebounds. Ronnie Fields had a double-double of 17 points and 12 assists. The Skyrockets finished the series with the Krunk, taking a 148-115 [7-0] win against the Peachtree City crew. Ray Cunningham's 27 points were the most scored by the Skyrockets that night, Sidney Holmes had another double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds. Kevin Rice handed out twelve assists.

Oklahoma Cavalry (13-14, 96.5 QP, 3.57 AVG, 2nd place, National Conference) Micheal Ray Richardson's Cavalry hosted the Pittsburgh Xplosion for the second of a two-game series, but after winning the Sunday opener 104-98, the Cavalry could not complete the sweep, losing to the Xplosion 100-92 [5-2]. Daryan Selvy finished the game with 16 points, while Marvin Phillips had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. DeAnthony Bowden finished with six assists, while Brandon Dean stole the ball four times. On Friday night, the Cavalry hosted the Butte Daredevils, defeating their division rivals 89-83 [5-2] in front of a season-high 2,389 at the Great Plains Coliseum. Curtis Haywood put 19 points on the board to lead the Cavs in that category, while Daryan Selvy grabbed eight rebounds. A stronger effort was realized on Saturday evening, as the Cavalry defeated the Daredevils in a return match 118-84 [7-0], as Brandon Dean finished the evening with 28 points and 6 rebounds; Daryan Selvy backed him up with 22 points and three steals.

Pittsburgh Xplosion (20-15, 138.5 QP, 3.96 AVG, 3rd place, American Conference) Finishing up a two-game series with the Oklahoma Cavalry, the Pittsburgh Xplosion took a 100-92 [5-2] road win to salvage a series split against the Cavs. Carl Krauser's 25 points teamed with Kevin Mickens' 22 points in the Pittsburgh victory; Krauser also garnered four steals. Chaz McCrommon pulled down eight of the Xplosion's 35 rebounds in the victory. Friday night, the Xplosion returned home to their largest crowd - 2,582 at the Petersen Events Center - and the fans were rewarded when Pittsburgh scored the most points in franchise history, in a 158-110 [7-0] demolishing of the Atlanta Krunk. Chaz McCrommon hit 41 points on the night, while Darnell Miller assembled a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists. Tyrone Anderson had a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds; Anderson also stole the ball from the Krunk five times.

Rio Grande Valley Silverados (5-28, 64.0 QP, 1.94 AVG, 5th place, National Conference)With the Yakama Sun Kings arriving in McAllen for a two-game series, conventional wisdom suggested that the Sun Kings would pick up two easy victories from the Silverados. Actually, Tuesday night's contest almost turned into the upset of the season, as the Silverados were behind 101-100 with seconds left in the contest. But when Yakama's Desmond Ferguson made the final free throws, Yakama pulled away with a 104-100 [6-1] victory. Trent Eager was the top scorer for the SIlverados, with 26 points, including notching 11 of 12 from the free-throw line; Demorris Smith put up 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double. Wednesday night, the Silverados hosted Yakama again, but this time the Silverados were ice-cold from the floor, putting up only four points in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter, en route to a 105-80 [6-1] loss. Renaldo Norman put up 18 points for the Silverados, while Andre Owens and Nate Johnson had seven rebounds apiece. The Sun Kings did give the Silverados one thing before they left - Jason Forte, who started with Yakama earlier in the season, was traded to Rio Grande Valley for two draft picks and cash considerations. The trade was made effective after the two-game series, so that Forte would not face his old mates.

Yakama Sun Kings (28-1, 168.5 QP, 5.81 AVG, 1st place, National Conference) With a two-game trip to South Texas to face the Rio Grande Valley Silverados, the division-leading Yakama Sun Kings looked to add to their winning totals. On Tuesday night, however, the Silverados came ready to play, and almost stole the victory before Desmond Ferguson hit three of four final free throws, sealing Yakama's 104-100 [6-1] in McAllen. Ferguson's 28 points included three more 3-pointers, while Jason Sasser added 25 points of his own. Harvey Thomas pulled down 7 rebounds to lead the Sun Kings on the boards, while Moochie Norris dished out six assists to go with his 17 points. The second game of the series, on Wednesday night, proved more conducive to the Sun Kings fans, as their team raced to a 105-80 [6-1] win over Rio Grande Valley. With the win, Sun Kings head coach Paul Woolpert notched his 200th career victory with the franchise. "First, we realized that (Rio Grande Valley) is an improved team," said Woolpert to the Yakima Herald-Republic. "They put a scare into us (Tuesday) night. Also, we talked about how everyone has to be accountable. Everyone on this team relies on everyone else, so everyone has to come ready to play each night." Anthony Washington was the leading scorer for Yakama with 23 points; Desmond Ferguson notched 21 points. Four players - Moochie Norris, Elvin Mims, Tim Ellis and Jason Sasser - each scored 6 rebounds apiece.

Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from February 4, 2008

• Xplosion Beat Atlanta, 164-119 - Pittsburgh Xplosion
• Cavs Two for One Night Special February 11 - Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry
• CBA Weekly - CBA 1

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