Roger Powell Jr. Named CBA Rookie of the Year
March 13, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Rockford Lightning News Release
The Continental Basketball Association announced today that Rockford Lightning
forward Roger Powell has been named the CBA Rookie of the Year for the 2005-06
season, as voted on by the eight CBA head coaches.
Powell, a 2005 alum of the University of Illinois, broke the Lightning's rookie
season scoring record with 1,013 points this year, good enough for third in the CBA
with a 21.1 point average. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward also finished third in
the league in offensive rebounds with 3.3 per game (157 total) and 12th in overall
rebounds with 6.7 per game (322 total). He played in all 48 games for the Lightning
with 44 starts and was the only rookie to garner CBA Player of the Week recognition
this season, earning the award on Dec. 19 after averaging 27.0 points, 7.0 rebounds,
3.7 assists and one block in three games.
"I want to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for this award," said Powell. "It
was a lot of hard work, but I believe God helped me in many ways. I want to thank
my teammates and the Lightning coaching staff because without them this award would
not have been possible. I also would like to thank all of the coaches in the CBA
that voted for me. I really appreciate it."
Powell dished out 1.5 assists per game while shooting 57.0 pct. (361-of-633) from
the field and 73.5 pct. (266-of-362) at the free throw line. He finished with 10
double-doubles and tallied a season-high 37 points in the final game of the season
to eclipse Kendrick Warren's Rockford rookie scoring record of 1,012 by one point.
He pulled down a season-best 15 rebounds on Dec. 3 vs. Idaho.
He was drafted by Rockford in the fourth round (30th pick overall) of the 2005 CBA
College Draft and was one of 11 CBA draft picks to appear in games this season.
Marcus Campbell and Kenyon Gamble each played for the Lightning this season and are
among those eleven rookies. Gamble remains with the Lightning for the start of the
playoffs.
Powell garnered four of the possible eight first place votes from the coaches,
finishing with 29 total points. Each CBA head coach was asked to rank the top three
rookies in the league with their first pick receiving 5 points, second picking up 3,
and third collecting 1 point. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own
players on the ballot. With the highest possible point total of 35, Roger finished
highest among the rookies with 29 points (4-first place, 3-second place votes).
T.J. Thompson of the Albany Patroons finished second with 14 total points.
"It's good that the league is promoting young talent," said Lightning Head Coach
Chris Daleo, "This award is a credit to the Lightning organization and all of
Roger's hard work this season. I am very happy for him. This is the first step in
what will be a bright future for Roger."
The Lightning will travel to Yakama in a rematch with the Sun Kings on Tuesday night at 9:05 P.M. (CST). They will then return home to face the Idaho Stampede at 7:05 P.M. on Thursday, March 16th at the MetroCentre. The Lightning's first round finishes on Monday, March 20th with Rockford traveling to Sioux Falls in a rematch of last season's CBA finals at 7:05 P.M. The two teams with the highest quarter point average in the first round will face off in the 2006 CBA finals. Dates for the finals will be determined following the first round games and pending arena availability for each team. Group tickets for the playoffs can be purchased at a discounted price through the Lightning offices at 815-874-4232. For single game tickets, contact the MetroCentre box office at 815-968-5222 or online at www.centreevents.com.
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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 13, 2006
- Steelheads road playoff date changed - Gary Steelheads
- Idaho's Randy Livingston named CBA's final player of the week - CBA 1
- Idaho Stampede weekly - Idaho Stampede
- Powell Breaks 12-Year Old Lightning Record - Rockford Lightning
- Felix re-signs with Sonics - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Steelheads Playoff Dates Announced for First Round, Tickets Available - Gary Steelheads
- Roger Powell Jr. Named CBA Rookie of the Year - Rockford Lightning
- Rockford's Roger Powell Named CBA Rookie of the Year - CBA 1
- Lightning Win Final Home Game - Rockford Lightning
- Stampede playoff schedule set - Idaho Stampede
- First Round Schedule for 2006 CBA Playoffs Announced - CBA 1
- Playoff opponents announced - Sioux Falls Skyforce
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