Steelheads game notes
March 11, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
For the first time in franchise history, the Steelheads lead the Eastern Conference entering the final weekend of the regular season. They stand nine games above .500 at 28-19, with a quarter point average of 4.07. The Steelheads now have the second best home court record in the CBA at 18-5.
The Steelheads finally return home to the Genesis Center following their longest and most challenging road trip of the year to face the Michigan Mayhem in the regular season finale at the Genesis Center Saturday night. The Steelheads defeated the Mayhem 100-80 Thursday night at the L.C. Walker Arena in Muskegon. Gary earned six quarter points in the final game of a seven-game road trip, in which the Steelheads went 3-4 with two of the losses being back-to-back in overtime at Rockford and Sioux Falls.
In a tightly-played first quarter, Gary prevailed 20-17 to secure the first quarter point of the game. The Steelheads opened up their lead with a 28-14 second quarter, earning the second quarter point and taking a 48-31 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Steelheads only stumble came in the third quarter, when the Mayhem earned their only quarter point 28-27. Gary recovered for a 25-20 fourth quarter, earning their third quarter point along with three more for the victory.
The Steelheads placed six players in double figures, with three of them registering double-double performances with the win. Forward Carl Mitchell paced all scorers with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Guard Brian Chase added 19 points, while handing out 11 assists. Forward Renaldo Major contributed 15 points with 10 rebounds, while forward Randy Holcomb returned to the roster and added 14 points, swingman Robert Griffin 13 and forward Marlowe Currie 10. The Steelheads outrebounded Michigan 58-47 and committed only 14 turnovers.
Michigan was paced by forward Dubrey Black, who fired in 19 points. Former Steelheads' center Lonnie Jones scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Jamar Brown and Keith Salscheider each added 11 points.
Historically, the Mayhem have always given the Steelheads a challenge. Michigan has just seven wins on the season, but three of those have come against Gary in Muskegon. During their expansion season last year, Michigan posted a winning record against the Steelheads, claiming 6 of the 11 meetings.
Tonight's game will be airing in Northwest Indiana over WJOB in Hammond (1230khz) and WIMS in Michigan City (1420khz), following high school tournament basketball coverage. SportsJuice (www.sportsjuice.com) will air the game live, beginning at 7:00PM CST.
Fish Hooks
- Tonight's game is the 22nd meeting between the Steelheads and the Mayhem. Gary leads the series 12-9, with the Steelheads victorious in 7 of the 10 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 Gary Steelheads have the opportunity to make franchise history by winning their first Eastern Conference title this evening. Gary has earned 191.5 quarter points for the season, with one game to play. With Rockford's 120-108 loss at Albany Friday night, the Lightning have 186 points with one game to play (Sunday vs. Dakota in Rockford). The magic number stands at 1½ quarter points for the Steelheads to win the conference title. In this case, a quarter point tiebreaker between Gary and Rockford would favor the Steelheads 42-28. Any combination of quarter points won by the Steelheads or lost by the Lightning totaling 1½ would assure Gary of the Eastern Conference title.
- Gary remains in the running for the best quarter point average in the league. The Sioux Falls Skyforce have 192 quarter points with two road games remaining at Idaho and Yakama Saturday and Sunday. The Skyforce have won 11 straight games, improving their quarter point average to a league-best 4.17. The magic number for Sioux Falls currently stands at 6½ quarter points to secure the top playoff position. In this scenario, a quarter point tiebreaker between Gary and Sioux Falls would favor the Skyforce 16½-11½. Any combination of quarter points won by the Skyforce over their next two games or lost by the Steelheads in tonight's game totaling 6½ would assure Sioux Falls of the top seed for the upcoming CBA Playoffs.
- What was the score of Thursday's game? The official box score, which represents the CBA's official report of the game from a statistical perspective, lists the final score of the game as Gary 100 - Michigan 80. The DakStats live box score (also known as the webcast) listed the final score as Gary 100 - Michigan 79. The post-game release was written from this box, which was copied along with the release to the various media. A third report from Al Hamnik of The Times indicated that the DakStats live box final he saw was actually Gary 99 - Michigan 80. The discrepency appears to be around forward Dubrey Black of the Mayhem, who scored 20 points in the official box but scored 19 in the webcast box. The scoring on this game is being reviewed by the league office in Boise. At particular issue is the scoring in the third quarter of the game. Officially, Michigan is shown as winning the third quarter 28-27. In light of the importance of quarter points to playoff seeding, the Steelheads have asked that the scoring in this quarter be reviewed and verified.
- The Steelheads' nine-game winning streak may be history, but despite the difficult road trip Gary has still won 12 of their last 16 games. The nine-game streak was the longest streak in the league, eclipsing a pair of eight-game win streaks by the Lightning and the Yakama Sun Kings. Rockford also had a seven-game streak this season. Both of their streaks were broken by the Steelheads. The Sioux Falls Skyforce have since eclipsed the Steelheads' streak with their current win streak which stands at 11 games. They visit the Idaho Stampede tonight and play at Yakama Sunday night.
- During the streak, the Steelheads defeated the Rockford Lightning four times in 11 days. Two of the wins were at the MetroCentre. Rockford has lost only 6 games on their home floor this year, with 3 of those losses being to Gary.
- The streak began on February 1st, as Gary achieved their first 7-point road win at Dakota, 113-97. At that time, Gary's quarter point average stood at 3.6. Rockford, sprinting at full speed with what would be an eight-game winning streak, weighed in at 4.5. Twenty-two days later, Gary improved to what was then the highest quarter point average in the CBA at 4.2. Rockford stood second in the league at 4.0. The last three wins in the streak came without the services of forward Randy Holcomb, MVP of the CBA All Star Game, who has been sidelined for 7 games with a groin injury.
- The Gary Steelheads achieved a franchise first on February 21st, when the ProBasketballNews.com web site elevated Gary to the top of its minor league basketball power ratings. In this week's poll, the Steelheads are ranked 4th. Ironically, Steelheads' coach Jaren Jackson hasn't been mentioned among the site's "Best Pro Coaches Not in the NBA"...yet. Former Steelheads' coach Duane Ticknor is listed by the site among its "10 Best Minor League Coaches of All Time." Ticknor won four championships and four Coach of the Year awards in the International Basketball Association prior to his tenure in Gary.
- The Gary Steelheads signed former Mayhem guard Karlton Mims Friday. He makes his debut in a Gary uniform this evening and will be playoff eligible when Gary enters the CBA Playoffs next week. He was released by the Mayhem March 8th. Mims averaged 12.5 ppg. for the Mayhem this season, along with 2.9 assists. The athletic 6-foot-2 guard had some of his best games against the Steelheads. On December 2nd, he tossed in 14 points while grabbing five rebounds and five steals in a 98-96 Michigan win. On Christmas Day he connected for 16 points in another Mayhem win, 96-85. But his best game may have come in a losing cause at the Genesis Center on January 12th, when he turned in a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. He also had 5 steals, but Gary prevailed 109-101.
- Thursday night's game marked the return of forward Randy Holcomb to the Steelheads' lineup. He scored 14 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Gary had played without him for the previous nine games. Holcomb finished a ten-day call-up with the Chicago Bulls prior to the January 17th CBA 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. He has seven double-doubles.
- Guard Brian Chase stepped forward last week in the absence of "Snap" Hunter and Randy Holcomb with an incredible 47-point performance against Albany, his career-best performance in the CBA. Chase was razor sharp from three point range, hitting 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. On the evening, he connected on 17-of-27 field goals and 6-of-7 free throws. Chase continues to lead the league in foul shooting at .917. Chase is second in the CBA in three-point shooting as well with a .459 percentage. He has also moved into the CBA's Top 16 scorers at 14.9 ppg. (14th). His 32 point performance at Rockford February 7th was his previous career high. Chase hit 7-of-13 three pointers against the Lightning, including the game winner. He also handed out 9 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds. February 24th against the Yakama Sun Kings, the 5-foot-10 playmaker not only scored 16 points and handed out 6 assists, but he tied for the team lead in rebounding with 9.
- Forward Carl Mitchell turned in one of his best performances to date March 9th at Michigan. He scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and 4 steals in the victory over the Mayhem in Muskegon. The Steelheads acquired Mitchell from the Albany Patroons for forward Edmund Saunders on February 1st, 2006. The trade has worked out well for both teams. Mitchell is one of the more intriguing players in the CBA, possessing quickness, strength and shooting skill. He currently averages 14.4 ppg. and ranks 3rd in the CBA in rebounding at 8.7 rpg. Since joining the team on February 3rd, Mitchell has achieved six double-doubles and come within one digit of three others.
- Center Chris Alexander has 10 double-doubles this season. On February 21st at Rockford, he scored a CBA career high 19 points with 11 rebounds. He turned in two of his finest performances against the Michigan Mayhem February 16th and 17th. He tied his career high with 18 points and grabbed 20 rebounds on the 16th, while going for 10 points and 17 rebounds the following night. Since joining the Steelheads, Alexander has averaged 9.5 ppg. and 10.1 rebounds. He currently leads the CBA offensive rebounding at 3.89 rpg, ranks second in the CBA in overall rebounding at 9.1 rpg., and he is fourth in the league in blocked shots at 1.7 bpg.
- Guard Eric Chatfield is coming off one of his very best games of the year against the Albany Patroons March 3rd. He contributed a double-double of 23 points and 11 assists, along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Against the Yakama Sun Kings February 24th, he also score 23 points, while handing out 7 assists and grabbing 9 rebounds. He currently ranks 5th in the CBA in assists at 5.3 apg.
- The Steelheads' victory over the Lightning February 3rd marked the second time this year that Gary had broken a Lightning win streak. That 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 named former Chicago Bulls forward Cliff Levingston to fill their vacant assistant coaching position on February 8th. 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.
- Last week, guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter signed an overseas contract to play basketball in Italy. He left an incredible impact on the Steelheads and the CBA, including leading the league in scoring (27.6 ppg.) and ranking among the league leaders in five other categories (assists, steals, foul shooting, three point shooting and blocked shots). Hunter finished his Steelheads' season with 1,213 points. He was the first player in the CBA to crack 1,000 points. His 50-point effort at Albany on January 6th ranked as the second best individual scoring effort in the CBA this season. He scored 41 points or more on five different occasions, with three of them being in key conference games against the Rockford Lightning. "Snap" shattered Bryant Notree's single-season individual scoring record of 1,022 points (2002-03) in Rockford on Valentine's Day, February 14th. Hunter broke the record with his second field goal at the MetroCentre in a 120-111 victory. He finished the game with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. He was named CBA Player of the Week for the third time the following week. "Snap" also hit 77 of his final 79 foul shots with the Steelheads (.974).
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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 11, 2006
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