Steelheads Hit the Road: Begin Seven-Game Road Trip With Two at Jackson
April 29, 2007 - United States Basketball League (USBL)
Gary Steelheads News Release
GARY, Indiana (4/30/2007) - The Gary Steelheads hit the road for the first time in the United States Basketball League as they visit Jackson, Mississippi to take on the Wildcats in back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday night. Gary carries with them a league-best 5-1 record.
This will be the Steelheads' third game against the Jackson Wildcats, who provided the opposition for Gary's first game in the United States Basketball League on April 13th. The Steelheads prevailed 114-79. Two days later, it was Gary again in a rematch, 117-95. In both cases, the Steelheads never trailed from start to finish.
But these teams meet on Jackson's home turf this time. In 13 USBL games reported to date, the home team has won 11 of them. And this road trip promises to be grueling, with 7 games in 11 days.
Late last week the Gary Steelheads added forward Corey Minnifield to their roster. Minnifield played with the Steelheads during the early portion of their 2005-2006 CBA season. In 13 games, he averaged 5.4 ppg and 2.7 rpg. He played part of his collegiate career at Loyola University of Chicago. The Steelheads removed guard Akeem Clark from the active roster to make room for Minnifield.
Gary is holding its opponents to 88.5 ppg through its first six games. No team has reached the century mark against the Steelheads thus far this season. Part of the reason has been the team's ability to defend the shot. Opponents are shooting just .371 against Gary.
Fish Hooks
- THE SERIES: This is the third meeting between the Gary Steelheads and the Jackson Wildcats, with Gary prevailing in the two previous contests played at the Genesis Center. The Steelheads defeated the Wildcats in their opening USBL game on Friday, February 13th, 114-79. Then, on Sunday, February 15th, the Steelheads prevailed in a rematch, 117-95.
- MISSING IN ACTION: The Gary Steelheads are still without the services of two of their key players, guard Rob Griffin and center Chris Alexander. Both are out due to injuries. The Steelheads have also played without forward Jamario Moon, who rejoined the team prior to a 98-86 victory over the Albany Patroons. Moon left the team due to a death in his family. During the three games without these players, the Steelheads posted a 2-1 record. Griffin was the second leading scorer in the USBL at the time of his injury, while forward Jamario Moon was among the league leaders in six different categories. Center Chris Alexander, a strong rebounder and defensive presence, was among the league's leading shot blockers at the time of his injury.
- DOUBLE-DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: To date, the Gary Steelheads have seven double-double performances. The latest came from forward Jamario Moon (16 points, 10 rebounds) in Gary's 98-86 victory over the Albany Patroons a week ago Sunday. In a 105-94 victory over the Patroons the previous Friday night, three Steelheads players contributed double-double performances: Jermaine Blackburn (15 points, 10 rebounds), Marlowe Currie (10 points, 13 rebounds) and Chris Garnett (10 points, 10 rebounds). Through six games, Blackburn and Garnett have two double-doubles apiece, with Currie, Moon and Adam Schaper one each.
- DOUBLE YOUR DIGITS: The Gary Steelheads have placed seven players in double figures three times this year. The most recent occurrence was against the Albany Patroons, where seven Steelheads reached double figures in Friday night's 105-94 victory. And guard Louis White (9 points vs. Albany) came within one point of making it eight players! Gary also placed six players in double figures in their second win over the Jackson Wildcats. In the Steelheads' most recent victory, 98-86 over the Patroons, Gary had four players in double figures. All four of them (Ray Cunningham, Carl Edwards, Jamario Moon and Adam Schaper) came off the bench!
- BLOCK PARTY GROWS AGAIN: The Gary Steelheads' Block Party is continuing to make life difficult for opponents. The Steelheads' Jamario Moon leads the USBL in blocked shots with 3.0 bpg. Adam Schaper and Louis White are tied for 8th in the league at 1.0 bpg. Center Chris Alexander would be tied for 5th in the league at 1.5 bpg, were he on the active roster. Swingman Ray Cunningham has also been rated as high as 4th in the league in this category. After the first Albany game, Gary had five of the top six shot blockers in the USBL.
- A SPECIAL ROOKIE: Bethel College product Adam Schaper isn't playing like a rookie in the USBL. The Kansas game was his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring performance, and his first USBL double-double. Schaper (pronounced "Shopper") scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while picking up 2 steals against the Cagerz. The 13 rebounds tied teammates Jermaine Blackburn and Marlowe Currie for the best performance in the USBL this year. Schaper made it six straight double-digit games a week ago Sunday, with 14 points against Albany.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
• Discuss this story on the United States Basketball League message board...
United States Basketball League Stories from April 29, 2007
- Steelheads Hit the Road: Begin Seven-Game Road Trip With Two at Jackson - Gary Steelheads
- Steelheads Hit the Road With Two Games At Jackson - 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.
