CBA 1 Continental Basketball Association 1

New coaches prepare for CBA draft

Published on September 20, 2004 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


Boise, ID (September 20, 2004) — With three head coaches entering their first season at the helm of a CBA team, one coach returning to a team he led to the 2000 CBA Title, and another returning to the league after winning a CBA Title in 1997, the 19th Annual CBA College Draft will provide the first opportunity for these new and returning faces to piece together what they hope will be a championship caliber team for the 2004-05 season. The 2004 Draft, which will be conducted live via teleconference, begins Tuesday, September 21, at 8 pm (EST), and will originate from CBA League Headquarters in Boise, Idaho.

"With the addition of two former CBA championship coaches, a veteran NBA player, a former CBA player, and the promotion of a top assistant coach, along with the quality coaches already in place from last season, we are very excited about the upcoming year," stated CBA Commissioner Gary Hunter. "Having produced 20 CBA-to-NBA call-ups last season was a great accomplishment and gave our league something to continue to build upon. With the quality on-court leadership we have in the league this year, our fans will be rewarded with great CBA action."

The expansion Michigan Mayhem will utilize the number one overall selection in the draft to pick its first-ever player. First year Head Coach and CBA veteran player Reggie Fox will lead the Mayhem in their inaugural season. The Mayhem owns six total picks (one in each round), with each pick coming as the first selection in every round.

"We are not as concerned about what position we draft as we are in wanting to get the best players and the best people available, and establish an identity for our team," stated Fox, who won a CBA Title as a player with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 1996. "All things being equal, we would love to have homegrown talent on the court, but our main goal is to win, and to do it the right way, and the draft is one part of the puzzle."

Joining Fox in the CBA's Eastern Conference will be the new Head Coach of the Great Lakes Storm, Russ Bergman, who is returning to the league after leaving the Idaho Stampede in 2000 to accept a job with the Utah Jazz as an advance and talent scout. Bergman reached the CBA postseason in four out of five seasons with both the Stampede and the Oklahoma City Cavalry, winning a CBA Championship in 1997 with the Cavalry.

"Every team in the league wants to draft a quality player that is from the surrounding area," remarked Bergman. "It gives the fans a chance to identify with the team if you can pick a local kid."

In the Western Conference, the most successful coach in Yakima Sun Kings history returns to the Yakima Valley. Paul Woolpert, who last coached in the CBA with the Sioux Falls Skyforce during the 2001-02 season, was a member of both Sun Kings Championship teams, serving as an assistant coach in 1995, and leading the club to its second CBA Championship in 2000 as the head coach.

In the 1999 CBA Draft, under the direction of Woolpert, the Sun Kings selected current Utah Jazz guard Raja Bell en route to a 33-23 season and the second CBA Championship for the franchise. As a rookie, Bell posted 11.5 points and 2.7 assists per game, while showing off his multi-faceted game, which eventually earned him a permanent spot in the NBA.

"As always we are looking for an athletic player who can defend multiple positions and will excel in an up-tempo game," stated Woolpert, who has an 89-71 record as the head coach in Yakima. "He should be a player who will demonstrate that he is a great fit for this team."

One state east of Yakima's home in Washington, the Idaho Stampede is heading into the season with its third head coach in as many seasons. NBA veteran Joe Wolf is set to begin his head-coaching career, and the CBA Draft is his first opportunity to mold the Stampede to his liking.

Last season, then head coach Larry Krystkowiak drafted rookies Stephen Moss-Kelley, Brooks Hall, and David Bailey, all of whom played for the Stampede during the season. Bailey participated in all 48 regular season games for Idaho, averaging 12.9 points and 7.5 assists per game on the way to being named CBA Rookie of the Year. Last year's draft day success has the Stampede organization hoping it will be able to continue its drafting trends, which has Wolf enthused about his first CBA experience.

"I am excited to be taking part in my first CBA draft and recruiting young talented players who have a passion for good basketball," said Wolf, who was an assistant coach at the College of William and Mary in Virginia before taking over as the Stampede head man. "Draft time is an exciting time for a young player's future and for a coach looking to build a strong foundation for his team's continued success."

The final addition to the CBA's head coaching ranks is no stranger to the league. As assistant coach the past three seasons, Casey Owens has been an instrumental part of the Dakota Wizards winning two CBA Championships. With the departure of Dave Joerger to Sioux Falls over the summer, Owens now takes over the reins of the Wizards, and he has no intention of settling for anything less than another championship.

"With the CBA draft, you are looking for a player who can make an impact in this league as a rookie," stated Owens, who helped assemble a Wizards team that led the league with seven CBA-to-NBA call-ups during last year's campaign. "You are looking for guys who will fit into your system and will represent the CBA well."

Last season, Melvin Sanders, a 2nd round (12th overall) selection in the 2003 Draft, was the rookie that the Wizards depended on during their title run. He averaged 14.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 44 contests played, finishing second in balloting for Rookie of the Year, and added 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in four postseason games.

"We kind of hit the jackpot with that one," added Owens.

The five new additions join veteran coach Duane Ticknor (Gary Steelheads), who guided the Steelheads to their first CBA postseason last year, 2002-03 CBA Coach of the Year Chris Daleo (Rockford Lightning), and two-time CBA Coach of the Year Dave Joerger (Sioux Falls Skyforce) as members of the 2004-05 CBA coaching fraternity.

All eight coaches hope that Tuesday's 19th Annual CBA College Draft will pay off for them, as they begin the building process for the 2004-05 season.

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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from September 20, 2004


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