Steelheads game notes
Published on April 13, 2007 under United States Basketball League (USBL)
Gary Steelheads News Release
The Gary Steelheads dive into USBL basketball on Friday night, April 13th, when they host the Jackson Wildcats at the Genesis Center in downtown Gary. Game time is 7:05 PM CDT.
In advance of the season opener, the Steelheads announced the signing of high-flying forward Jamario Moon for the 2007 USBL season. To make room on the roster, Gary placed forward James Booyer on the team's Injured Reserve List.
Moon has been a CBA All Star the past two seasons with the Albany Patroons and was a finalist in the league's Slam Dunk competition in 2007. During the recently-completed CBA season, Moon finished 7th in the CBA in scoring with an 18.8 ppg average. He ranked 5th in the league in rebounding at 7.5 rpg, while ranking 3rd in steals (2.0), 5th in three point shooting (.401) and 2nd in blocked shots (2.4). His 9 blocks against Pittsburgh on January 26th was a league best. Moon's strong performance over the season helped lead the Patroons to the CBA Finals.
Moon was a standout for the Patroons during the 2005-2006 season, when the franchise returned to the CBA. He averaged 18.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 1.8 bpg, while hitting at a .403 percentage on three point shooting.
Moon has played with Rome and Marietta in the WBA, as well as Kentucky in the ABA, Ft. Worth in the NBDL and Dodge City in the USBL. He also attended the pre-season camp with the Oklahoma Storm prior to the 2004 USBL season.
A native of Goodwater, Alabama, Moon was an honorable mention high school All-American at Coosa Central High School in Rockford, Alabama. He played his college ball at Meridian Community College in Mississippi, where coach George Brooks said Moon was the best player he had ever coached.
With Moon as the team's latest addition, the Steelheads stand ready for their inaugural voyage in the United States Basketball League. Head coach Cliff Levingston has assembled a blend of franchise veterans and talented newcomers.
Steelheads fans will certainly remember the contributions of center Chris Alexander, swingman Rob Griffin, guard Lonnie Randolph and forward Marlowe Currie on the 2005-2006 Gary CBA Finalists. That team came within one game of winning the CBA title.
Three of the players had solid winter basketball campaigns. Alexander anchored the center spot for the CBA champion Yakama Sun Kings, while Griffin finished third in CBA scoring with the Pittsburgh Xplosion. He was among the last cuts with the Detroit Pistons of the NBA that Fall. Randolph, a Merrillville High School product and rookie with the Steelheads during their CBA Finals season, blossomed into a solid guard prospect with the Quad City Riverhawks of the ABA. For Marlowe Currie, it's a return to action in a Gary uniform. Currie provided inside and outside firepower for the Steelheads during their last CBA season.
The new faces on the Steelheads' roster include guard Eddy Barlowe, a member of this year's CBA champion Yakama Sun Kings and the MVP of the CBA Finals. Joining him on the back line will be guards Ray Cunningham, Louis White and Steve Lepore. Up front, the Steelheads will look to CBA veteran forward Jermaine Blackburn, along with power forwards/centers Adam Schaper and Chris Garnett.
The Jackson Wildcats return to action Friday night following three seasons of dormancy. The team was based in Glen Falls, New York, but moved to Jackson, Mississippi during the winter. The team is coached by Gary native and former NBA center Wallace Bryant.
The season opener will air through the SportsJuice web site (www.sportsjuice.com), with Bill Hazen calling his seventh season of Steelheads' games. Airtime will be 6:50PM CDT. For ticket information, contact the Steelheads office at (219) 883-3000.
--It's Showtime!--
Fish Hooks
- THE SERIES: This is the first USBL game for the Gary Steelheads. It is also the first USBL game for the Jackson Wildcats, following the end of their dormancy and relocation to Jackson from Glen Falls, New York. The teams are meeting for the first time.
- IT'S SHOWTIME: You'll hear the phrase, "It's Showtime" a great deal at Steelheads games. That's because the team is now owned and operated by a new ownership group, Showtime Sports and Entertainment. The following principals compose this group: Jewell Harris Jr., Esq., Darnail Lyles, Esq., Dr. Adolphus Anekwe, Dr. Olusegun Ishmael, Dr. Paul Okolocha, Dr. Basil Ubanwa and Ben Richmond (owner of Family Mobile Medical and the Beach Café Restaurant). Jewell Harris Jr. is President, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Showtime Sports and Entertainment came about in an effort to better diversify ownership of the franchise, to assure its long term stability and viability. The company also will be involved in other entertainment promotion.
- FROM CBA WORST TO CBA FIRST: The regular season performance of the Gary Steelheads during the 2005-2006 season constitutee one of the great single-season turnarounds in CBA history. During 2004-2005, the Steelheads finished at the bottom of the league with a 17-31 record and 135½ quarter points (2.8 QPA). In 2005-2006, Gary improved a net total of 24 games from 14 games under .500 to 10 games over .500 at 29-19. They raised their quarter point average to 4.10, an increase of 1.3 quarter points per game over the previous year. And the Steelheads won an incredible 25½ more quarters of basketball than the previous year.
- WATCH OUT FOR THAT CLIFF: The Steelheads named former Chicago Bulls forward Cliff Levingston to succeed Jaren Jackson as head coach on November 21st, 2006. He joined the Steelheads as an assistant 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. Two years ago, he coached the St. Louis Flight of the ABA.
- HOW THE STEELHEADS WON: The Gary Steelheads finished their last CBA season with a best-ever franchise record of 29-19. But this alone did not deliver the top seed in the playoffs. Yakama, Sioux Falls and Rockford all had more wins. But Gary was more efficient than any other team in winning quarters. The Steelheads won 110 quarters of basketball, six more quarters than any other team in the league. With each quarter having a value of one quarter point, this surplus of quarter victories made the difference. The USBL does not use a quarter point system.
- A DAY TO REMEMBER: Success over the length of a professional basketball season requires that a number of diverse elements come together. Timing and talent are key ingredients, and the Steelheads had both in abundance during 2005-2006. But, arguably, one moment may stand out among many as the key to the team's success that year. The date was December 21st, 2005, when the Gary Steelheads acquired center Chris Alexander from the Dakota Wizards and signed power forward Edmund Saunders. At that time, the Steelheads were being outrebounded by a whopping 9.8 rebounds per game. Alexander and Saunders cut into that deficit immediately, and Gary's winning percentage began to climb. Saunders played well enough that the Steelheads were able to trade him to Albany for all star forward Carl Mitchell, who has continued to anchor the power forward spot. By the end of the season, the Steelheads had shaved the rebound deficit down to 1.9 rpg. And Gary's regular season record since these roster moves was an excellent 22-11.
- BRYANT RETURNS HOME: Emerson High School's Wallace Bryant returns to Gary as coach of the Jackson Wildcats. Bryant played his college basketball at the University of San Francisco, before being drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 7th pick of the second round in 1982. He later played with the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers. He retired in 1986, after three seasons, averaging 3.2 ppg and 3.7 rpg for his career.
United States Basketball League Stories from April 13, 2007
- Steelheads game notes - Gary Steelheads
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
