Steelheads game notes
February 16, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
The Gary Steelheads take a season best seven-game winning streak into back-to-back meetings Thursday and Friday night with the Michigan Mayhem at the Genesis Center. With a Valentine's Day 120-111 win at Rockford, Gary has pulled even with the Lightning at a 4.1 quarter point average. The Steelheads picked up six quarter points with the victory and stand at a high water mark of eight games over .500 at 23-15.
Gary broke out to an early lead, winning the first two quarters handily. Things tightened up in the third quarter, before the Steelheads edged out the Lightning 29-28. Gary had a 19-point lead going into the final quarter, when Rockford made its move. Using full court pressure defense, the Lightning roared back and pulled within two points before the Steelheads were able to stop the run and secure the victory.
Gary was paced by CBA Player of the Week Jimmie "Snap" Hunter, who tossed in 30 points for the winners. His second field goal of the evening broke the franchise record for individual scoring in a season, as "Snap" passed Bryant Notree's previous record of 1,022 points (2002-03). Hunter got plenty of help from forward Carl Mitchell, who contributed a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Brian Chase added 19 points and 4 assists for the winners, while reserve forward Marlowe Currie added 15 points and 6 rebounds.
The Mayhem once again this season have posed a problem for the Steelheads. Although they have won just 7 games on the season, 3 of those wins have been over Gary.
Tonight's game will air over WJOB in Hammond (1230khz) and WIMS in Michigan City (1420khz), as well as through the Internet over Sportsjuice (www.sportsjuice.com). The Gary feed will also air over "The Champ" radio in Muskegon.
Fish Hooks
- Tonight's game is the 19th meeting between the Steelheads and the Mayhem. Each team has won 9 games, with the Steelheads victorious in 4 of the 7 meetings this season. Michigan has played well against the Steelheads, with 3 of their 7 wins this year coming at the expense of Gary at the L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon. During their expansion season last year, Michigan posted a winning record against the Steelheads, claiming 6 of the 11 meetings.
- The last meeting between the two teams took place in Muskegon on January 15th, with Michigan winning 95-94 on a last-second bank shot by veteran forward Willie Simms at the buzzer. The following week, Simms was named CBA Player of the Week.
- The Gary Steelheads are the hottest team in the CBA. They have won 7 straight and 8 of their last 9 games. Over an 11-day period, they have beaten the division-leading Rockford Lightning 4 times. Two of the wins were at the MetroCentre. Rockford has lost only 4 games on their home floor this year, with 3 of those losses being to Gary.
- Guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter has scored 1,049 points for the season, the only player in the league to crack the 1,000 point barrier so far. He scored 101 points in 3 games last week, which placed him just 4 points away from breaking Bryant Notree's single-season individual scoring record of 1,022 points (2002-03). Hunter then broke the record with his second field goal at Rockford Tuesday night. He finished the game with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots.
- "Snap" Hunter leads the CBA in scoring with a 27.6 ppg. average. He now has logged three of the CBA's top five individual game scoring performances this year, including a 50-point effort at Albany and two 41-point efforts at Rockford. "Snap" ranks among the league leaders in assists (5.3 apg.), steals (2.0 spg.), free throw shooting (.846) three point shooting (.415) and blocked shots (1.1 bpg.). He is the current CBA Player of the Week, the only player in the league to win the award three times.
- Steelheads' coach Jaren Jackson believes "Snap" is ready for the NBA. "Snap has proven that he belongs in the NBA," said Jackson, an NBA veteran himself. "He has improved his defensive game to compliment his great scoring ability. Since the beginning of this season, he has shown that he is the best guard in the CBA. I am happy to have been a part of his improved play this season. I have been in awe of Snap's basketball skills since becoming his coach. I mention him in the same light as many of the top NBA guards I played against in my own NBA career. Any NBA team will be lucky to have him."
- On February 1st, 2006, the Steelheads traded forward Edmund Saunders to the Albany Patroons for All Star forward Carl Mitchell. Mitchell is one of the more intriguing players in the CBA, possessing quickness, strength and shooting skill. He currently averages 13.7 ppg. and ranks 4th in the CBA in rebounding at 8.6 rpg. During the season he has ranked among the leading three point shooters in the league, currently hitting at a .412 clip. Mitchell also shoots .511 from the field and .783 from the foul line. Against the Lightning last Saturday night. Mitchell picked up his first double-double in a Steelheads' uniform with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Three days later, he added another double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Lightning in Rockford. He hit 10-of-11 shots from the field. He hit the Lightning with another double-double Tuesday night, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
- Center Chris Alexander had a streak of four straight double-double ballgames, stopped by the Rockford Lightning at the Genesis Center a week ago Saturday night. He now has six double-doubles on the season, second best on the team. During his double-double string, he averaged 13.3 ppg. and 12.3 rpg. Since joining the Steelheads, Alexander has averaged 9.2 ppg. and 10.3 rebounds. He currently ranks second in CBA offensive rebounding at 3.6 rpg, ranks second in the CBA in overall rebounding at 9.2 rpg., and he is third in the league in blocked shots at 1.7 bpg.
- The Steelheads received a big lift as the second half of the CBA season began. Forward Randy Holcomb finished a ten-day call-up with the Chicago Bulls prior to the All Star Game. He flew to Boise for the mid-season classic and was named the game's MVP, the first player in Steelheads' history to earn an MVP award in the mid-season classic. Holcomb earned the honor, even though his Eastern team fell to the Western stars, 119-110. The 6-foot-8 forward scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a losing cause. The last player cut in the Chicago Bulls' training camp, Holcomb ranked 9th in the CBA in scoring (20.2 ppg.) and 7th in the league in rebounding (7.8 rpg.) when he was signed to a 10-day contract. His seven double-doubles leads the team.
- Guard Brian Chase now ranks third in the CBA in three-point shooting with a .4640 percentage. He is the league's leading free throw shooter at .942, having hit 65-of-69 on the year. His 32 point performance at Rockford a week ago Tuesday was a career high. Chase hit 7-of-13 three pointers against the Lighning, including the game winner.
- The Steelheads' victory over the Lightning last Friday night marks the second time this year that Gary has broken a Lightning win streak. Friday night's win broke an 8-game streak, while the Steelheads' 118-102 win over the Lightning on December 30th ended a 7-game streak for the Bolts.
- The Steelheads adjusted their roster a week ago Thursday by releasing forwards Kevin Frey and Darius Rice. They named former Chicago Bulls forward Cliff Levingston to fill their vacant assistant coaching position. Levingston played on the Chicago Bulls' first two championship teams and was a fan favorite. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1982 NBA Draft, going ninth in the first round. 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. His Legend team won the USBL title, and Levingston was named USBL Coach of the Year. During 2003-04, Levingston served as an assistant for the Harlem Globe Trotters. Last season, he coached the St. Louis Flight of the ABA.
- Former Steelheads' assistant coach Kelvin Upshaw has taken an assistant coaching position with the Harlem Globetrotters.
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