Steelheads Look to Continue Win Streak
February 10, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
The Gary Steelheads hope to build on their current four-game win streak as they host the Albany Patroons at the Genesis Center in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday night. The Steelheads enter this weekend as the hottest team in the CBA, having reached their season high water mark of five games over .500 at 20-15.
Over the past nine days, the Steelheads have been on an incredible roll. They picked up their first 7-point road win at Dakota last Wednesday. Gary then returned home to face the Rockford Lighting, leaders in the Eastern Conference with the best record and quarter point average in the CBA. Over the next five days, the Steelheads turned Rockford's eight game win streak into a three-game losing streak, winning twice in Gary and once in Rockford in an overtime thriller.
The victory over the Lightning was only Rockford's third defeat on their home floor all season. Two of the losses have come against Gary. The Steelheads were paced by guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter, who scored 41 points against the Lightning for the second time this year at the MetroCentre. His was a double-double performance, with 10 rebounds and 6 assists.
Guard Brian Chase hit a game-winning three pointer to ice the game with two seconds on the clock. He set a new individual career high with 32 points, narrowly missing a double-double with 9 assists. Newly-acquired forward Carl Mitchell contributed a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds for the winners, hitting 10-of-11 shots from the field. Forward Randy Holcomb added 17 points and five rebounds.
---get hooked--- Fish Hooks
- Tonight's game is the 7th meeting between the Steelheads and the Patroons, and the Steelheads have a 4-2 lead in the series. This is the fourth meeting at the Genesis Center. Each team has won once in Gary. During the first meeting, Albany prevailed 102-101. The game made CBA history, as rookie guard Ronald Thompson scored 53 points for the winners. Not only does this performance rank as the top scoring performance in the league this year, but it also stands out as the top rookie individual game scoring performance in CBA history. In the most recent meeting on January 29th, the Steelheads defeated The Patroons, 100-84. The Steelheads have won four straight games and five of their last six, beginning with the Patroons victory. - Guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter leads the CBA in scoring with a 27.4 ppg. average. "Snap" 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 (1.9 spg.), three point shooting (.426) and blocked shots (1.0 bpg.). "Snap" was nominated for CBA "Player of the Week" this past week. The award went to forward Kasib Powell of the Dakota Wizards. - 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 5th in the CBA in rebounding at 8.8 rpg. During the season he has ranked among the leading three point shooters in the league, currently hitting at a .400 clip. Mitchell also shoots .507 from the field and .788 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. He also added 2 steals and a blocked shot. Then, 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. - Center Chris Alexander's streak of double-double ballgames was stopped at four on Saturday night against the Lightning, as he scored 2 points with 4 rebounds in 27 minutes. He now has six double-doubles on the season, tied for the 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 9.5 ppg. and 10.7 rebounds. He currently ranks second in the CBA in rebounding at 9.1 rpg., and he is third in the league in blocked shots at 1.5 bpg. Alexander was the Steelheads' nominee for CBA Player of the Week three weeks ago. He turned in two double-double performances in Gary's victories over Idaho and Yakama. He averaged 16 ppg. and 13.5 rpg. for the week. Rockford guard Marlon Parmer won the award that week, averaging 23 ppg. and 11 apg. for the week. - 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. Holcomb has anchored the Steelheads' front line from the beginning of the season. 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 six double-doubles is tied for the team. - Guard Brian Chase now ranks third in the CBA in three-point shooting with a .460 percentage. He is the league's leading free throw shooter at .949, having hit 56-of-59 on the year. His 32 point performance at Rockford Tuesday is a career high. Chase hit 7-of-13 three pointers against the Lighning, including the game winner. - Don't look now, but Lonnie Randolph is starting on a roll. After scoring 3 points in 6 minutes at Dakota on Wednesday night, the Steelheads' rookie turned in 17 solid minutes Friday night in the victory over the Lightning. Randolph scored a career best 8 points, with 4 assists and 3 rebounds. He also had a steal and a blocked shot. - 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 by 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' forward Edmund Saunders has increased his scoring output since joining the Patroons. He is averaging 19.5 ppg. in four games with Albany, nearly 5 ppg. over his season average. He currently ranks 8th in CBA rebounding at 8.0 rpg., and his 7th in offensive rebounding at 2.7 rpg. ---get hooked---
Gary Steelheads Roster #13 2/9/2006 # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. DOB School 3 Randolph, Lonnie * G 6-1 170 1/11/1983 Drake '05 4 Holcomb, Randy F 6-8 235 9/8/1979 San Diego St. '02 5 Chase, Brian G 5-10 170 10/8/1981 Virginia Tech '03 10 Hunter, Jimmie G 6-5 190 12/24/1977 Life '00 12 Chatfield, Eric G 6-3 200 12/07/1979 New Mexico '02 14 Mitchell, Carl F 6-9 215 9/18/1979 Northern Kentucky '02 20 Major, Renaldo F 6-7 215 5/7/1982 Fresno St. '03 22 Currie, Marlowe F 6-8 220 6/10/1978 S. Indiana '02 23 Griffin, Robert G/F 6-6 213 3/14/1978 Iowa '00 44 Alexander, Chris C 7-1 260 7/20/1980 Iowa State '03
Head Coach: Jaren Jackson Assistant Coaches: Cliff Levingston Trainer: Matthew Drake Equipment Manager: James "Twin" Johnson
* Rookie Gary Steelheads Player Biographies
03 Lonnie Randolph G Height: 6-1 Weight: 170 Birth Date: 1/11/1983 School: Drake '05 BACKGROUND: A Northwest Indiana prep product, Randolph was a backcourt standout at Drake University. Playing in the rugged Missouri Valley Conference, he averaged 10.3ppg. during his senior year, while adding 3 assists and 2 steals per game. An outstanding football and basketball player at Merrillville High School, Lonnie turned down college football scholarship offers from Illinois and Wisconsin to play basketball at Drake. Randolph benefitted from the teachings of his high school coach, Jim East. As a freshman, Lonnie earned a starting guard position with the Bulldogs - a position he retained all four years in Des Moines. He was named to the All-MVC 2nd Team in 2004. This summer, he competed in the Chicago Pro Showcase Camp. 04 Randy Holcomb F Height: 6-8 Weight: 235 Birth Date: 9/8/1979 School: San Diego St. '02 BACKGROUND: A native of Chicago (Lincoln Park High School), Holcomb was named MVP of the 2006 CBA All Star Game. Having just returned from a ten day call-up with the Chicago Bulls, Holcomb contributed a double-double performance of 22 points and 14 rebounds in a losing cause. Holcomb participated in the Chicago Bulls NBA camp this Fall. He was released prior to the opening of the NBA season. This summer, Holcomb played in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Washington Wizards. Holcomb was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the NBA Draft of 2002 (57th overall). He was also selected by the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the third round of the CBA Draft the same year (23rd overall). Holcomb has played extensively overseas. During 2002-03, he played for Idea-Slask Wroclaw in Poland, averaging 14.6 ppg. During 2004-05, Holcomb played in Venezuela with Cocodrilos de Caracas, where he averaged 18.5 ppg. and 6.7 rebounds. As a collegian, Holcomb was the first nationally prominent player to sign with San Diego State during the Steve Fisher era. He helped the Aztecs advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2002 for the first time since 1986. During his tenure, SDSU posted a 35-26 record after going 9-45 the two prevous seasons. As a senior, Holcomb lead the Mountain West Conference in rebounding (9.0 rpg.), while finishing fourth in scoring (16.9 ppg.) and seventh in field goal percentage (.516). He was named to the All-MWC first team and was MVP of the MWC Tournament. For his career, he averaged 16.4 ppg. with the Aztecs. 05 Brian Chase G Height: 5-10 Weight: 170 Birth Date: 10/8/1981 School: Virginia Tech '03 BACKGROUND: Last season, Chase played with the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association. In 13 games, he averaged 18.4ppg and 2.3apg, while shooting 45% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Maryland made it to the league quarterfinals. Chase, a prep standout from Washington D.C., played for Ricky Stokes at Virginia Tech. He averaged 10.8ppg, 2.8 rpg and 1.9 apg in 103 games with the Hokies. 10 Jimmie Hunter G Height: 6-5 Weight: 190 Birth Date: 12/24/1977 School: Life '00 BACKGROUND: The 6-foot-5 Hunter played with the Steelheads during the 2004-05 season, leading the team in scoring with a 20.8 ppg. average and 3.8 apg. in 19 games. On February 1st, 2005, he scored a single-game franchise record 48 points at Rockford. He also poured in a team record 20 field goals in the same game. Hunter was one of four Steelheads named to play in the 2004-05 CBA All-Star Game, which was played at the Genesis Center. In early February of 2005, he signed with Sebastiani Rieti of the Italian League, where he averaged 17.8 ppg. and 5.2 rpg. in 16 games. "Snap" went to camp with the Indiana Pacers and was released him prior to the NBA season. Hunter established himself as a CBA standout during the 2003-04 season, when he averaged 20.3 ppg., 4.9 rpg. and 4.2 apg. in 48 games with the Rockford Lightning. He competed in the CBA All-Star Game, winning the three-point shooting competition. The Lightning reached the CBA Quarterfinals that season. During the summer of 2004, Hunter averaged 26.7 ppg. and 5.0 rpg. with the Adirondack Wildcats of the USBL. This earned him a spot on the All-USBL team. He then went to camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who released him prior to the 2004-05 season. Hunter was NAIA Player of the Year at Life College in Georgia, leading the school to an NAIA championship in 2000. He hit the winning shot in the closing seconds of the championship game, earning him NAIA Tournament MVP honors that year as well. He was also MVP of four other tournaments in which Life College competed during his tenure. 12 Eric Chatfield G Height: 6-3 Weight: 200 Birth Date: 12/07/1979 School: New Mexico '02 BACKGROUND: Eric was the first player to sign with the Steelheads for the 2005-2006 season. Chatfield averaged 20.5 points per game for the Nebraska Cranes of the USBL during the 2005 season. His season was limited to 13 games due to an injury. Chatfield has an extensive overseas résumé. In the 2004-05 season, he tossed in 26.1ppg. while handing out 5.2apg. for Division-A Champville in Lebanon. Prior to that, he spent two seasons with powerful Sagesse Beirut in Lebanon, averaging 17.5ppg. and 5.0apg. during 2003-2004 season; and 17.9ppg. and 5.2apg. during 2002-2003 campaign. Sagesse won the Lebanese title each year. A native of New York City, Chatfield played his college ball for Brooklyn-born Fran Fraschilla at New Mexico, where the Lobos made it to the Mountain West Conference Tournament Finals in 2000-2001. He started 63 of 64 games in his two seasons with the Lobos and holds career averages of 12.5ppg., 3.2rpg. and 2.9apg. Prior to New Mexico, Chatfield was a Junior College All-American at Angelina JC, where he averaged 29.5ppg. 14 Carl Mitchell F Height: 6-9 Weight: 215 Birth Date: 9/18/1979 School: Northern Kentucky '02 The Gary Steelheads acquired CBA All Star forward Carl Mitchell from the Albany Patroons in exchange for forward Edmund Saunders on 2/1/2006. Mitchell is one of the more intriguing players in the CBA, possessing quickness, strength and shooting skill. Mitchell played with the Las Vegas Rattlers of the ABA, prior to joining the Patroons. During the 2003-2004 season, he played with the Columbus Riverdragons of the NBDL. He has also played overseas in Italy and Hungary, winning a WBA title with the Rome Gladiators. Mitchell played two years at Northern Kentucky (NCAA-Division II) and two years at Gulf Coast Community College (NJCAA). As a senior, he average 13 ppg., 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots. 20 Renaldo Major F Height: 6-7 Weight: 215 Birth Date: 5/7/1982 School: Fresno St. '03 BACKGROUND: Renaldo Major returned to the Steelheads on January 28th, being acquired from the Sioux Falls Skyforce for a fourth round draft choice in 2007. Major played his rookie season with the Steelheads, averaging 7.2 ppg. and 3.4 rebounds in 36 games (8 starts). He won the 2005 Slam Dunk Contest at the 2005 CBA All-Star Classic played at the Genesis Center. Renaldo played in the USBL for the Dodge City Legend where he averaged 16.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 29 games (28 starts)...his play earned him All-USBL Second Team honors...he went on to average 12.7 points in the USBL Postseason Classic, helping lead the Dodge City Legend to the 2005 Championship. 22 Marlowe Currie F Height: 6-8 Weight: 220 Birth Date: 6/10/1978 School: S. Indiana '02 BACKGROUND: During 2005, Marlowe Currie played for the Gainesville Knights of the WBA. In 12 games, he averaged 4.5 ppg. and 2.3 rpg. A native of St. Louis, Currie played two years of college ball at Florissant Valley Community College. During his sophomore year, he averaged 25.5ppg., while grabbing 12.8 rpg. That earned him a scholarship to Southern Indiana, where as a senior he averaged 20.3 ppg. and 7.6 rpg. 23 Robert Griffin G/F Height: 6-6 Weight: 213 Birth Date: 3/14/1978 School: Iowa '00 BACKGROUND: Griffin played briefly with the Michigan Mayhem during the 2004-05 CBA season. During 2003-04, he played in England with Pertemps Birmingham Bullets, where he averaged 17.6 ppg. and 4.7 rpg. He also had a stint with the Harlem Globe Trotters during 2003. Griffin played two years of college ball at Southeastern Community College, before transferring to Iowa. He averaged 12.2 ppg. in his year with the Hawkeyes. 44 Chris Alexander C Height: 7-1 Weight: 260 Birth Date: 7/20/1980 School: Iowa State '03 BACKGROUND: The Steelheads acquired 7-foot-1, 260-pound center Chris Alexander from the Dakota Wizards for cash considerations. Before coming to Gary, Alexander had his best game of the year in a game against the Steelheads on December 3rd, scoring a season-high 16 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in 42 minutes. He also blocked two shots. Gary won the game in overtime, 137-127. Alexander has had professional stops in China, the USBL and the ABA. He played his college basketball at Iowa State and Indian Hills Community College, and his high school ball at nearby Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois.
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