Steelheads open playoffs

March 16, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release


For the first time in franchise history, the Gary Steelheads enter the CBA Playoffs with the top seed and the Eastern conference title. They achieved this milestone by accumulating the highest number of quarter points in the CBA this year at 197.

Tonight, the Steelheads host the Western Conference champion Yakama Sun Kings in the first of three games with Western Conference playoff teams. The Sun Kings led the West by virtue of their 195½ quarter points, logging the league's best record at 31-17 (.646).

The Sun Kings are already off to a good start in the playoffs, earning six quarter points in a 114-108 victory over the Rockford Lightning at the Yakima Valley Sun Dome Tuesday night. Yakama placed seven players in double figures, paced by Ralph Holmes with 18 points and Elvin Mims with 17 points. The Sun Kings forced 26 Rockford turnovers in the victory. The Lighting played without the services of MVP candidate Ronnie Fields, who apparently missed a flight to Seattle and was not with the team at gametime.

This is the first playoff game for the Steelheads, who finished the regular season with three straight wins. In the regular season finale at the Genesis Center last Saturday night, the Steelheads defeated the Michigan Mayhem 104-94. In the process, Gary won its first CBA Eastern Conference crown.

The moment came at the end of the third quarter, when the Steelheads earned ½ of a quarter point when they played the Mayhem to a 23-23 tie. In the process, the Steelheads reached 193 quarter points, tying the maximum number that the Rockford Lightning could earn in their remaining game with Dakota. With the tiebreaker favoring Gary, the Steelheads won the East.

Once again the Steelheads placed six players in double figures, paced by guard Brian Chase with 21 points and guard Eric Chatfield with 17. Forward Randy Holcomb tossed in 16 points with 9 rebounds, forward Carl Mitchell contributed a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, swingman Robert Griffin added 14 and forward Renaldo Major chipped in 11 points. Center Chris Alexander grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 2 shots, along with his 7 points.

Tonight's game will be airing in Northwest Indiana over WJOB in Hammond (1230khz) and WIMS in Michigan City (1420khz). The stations will carry the first half of the ballgame live and will air the second half delayed following Indiana University basketball. The feed of the ballgame will also be carried by KIT in Yakima (1280khz). SportsJuice (www.sportsjuice.com) will air the game over the Internet, beginning at 7:00PM CST.

Fish Hooks

- THE SERIES: The Steelheads and the Sun Kings have met 20 times, with the Steelheads having a 12-8 lead in the series largely on the strength of their performance in the 2003-2004 season. That year, Gary won 6 of the 7 meetings between the two teams. This season, the two teams split their four games. Yakama won the first meeting 102-99 at the Genesis Center in Gary on Tuesday, December 6th. They also won the second meeting between the two teams at the Yakima Valley Sun Dome, 106-97 on December 18th. The Steelheads bounced back for a 120-101 victory at the Genesis Center on January 22nd. Gary then won the final meeting at the Sun Dome on Friday, February 24th, 102-92. The two teams have never met in the post-season.

- FROM CBA WORST TO CBA FIRST: The performance of the Gary Steelheads this season constitutes one of the great single-season turnarounds in CBA history. Last year, the Steelheads finished at the bottom of the league with a 17-31 record and 135½ quarter points (2.8 QPA). This year, 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 a year ago.

- HOW THE STEELHEADS WON: The Gary Steelheads finished the 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.

- STREAKING STEELHEADS: The Steelheads' nine-game winning streak during February propelled the team into the lead in the Eastern Conference. The streak, second longest in the CBA this year, ended in overtime at the MetroCentre in Rockford on February 21st when the Lightning prevailed 123-120. The loss began a challenging road trip, which included another overtime loss at Sioux Falls just 24 hours later. Midway through the trip, Gary lost guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter on an overseas contract. Yet, the Steelheads bounced back and finished the trip 3-4. They finished the season winning 13 of their last 17 games, including their last three in a row.

- LIGHTNING STRUCK FOUR TIMES: During the nine-game win streak, the Steelheads defeated the Rockford Lightning four times in 11 days. Two of the wins were at the MetroCentre. Rockford has lost only six games on their home floor this year, with three of those losses being to Gary.

- THE MERRY MONTH OF FEBRUARY: February was indeed a merry month, as the Gary Steelheads ran off a win streak of nine straight games. 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 was sidelined for nine games with a groin injury.

- ANOTHER FRANCHISE FIRST: 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 rated 6th. Despite the team's success, coach Jaren Jackson still 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.

- THEN AND NOW: Gary Steelheads fans remember the 2003-2004 team with great fondness, and for good reason. Prior to this year, the 2003-2004 Steelheads were the only team in franchise history to participate in the CBA Playoffs. And, perhaps as important, it was a team that captured the imagination of basketball fans in Northwest Indiana. Below is a comparison of that team with this year's Steelheads.

Team Comparisons 2005-2006 2003-2004
Records 29-19 27-21
Quarter Points 197 (4.10 QPA) 177 (3.7 QPA)
Quarters Won 110 (1st) 96 (4th)
Scoring Average 108.4 ppg. 105.2 ppg.
Points Allowed Average 103.5 ppg. 105.0 ppg.
Scoring Differential +4.9 ppg. +0.2 ppg.
Rebounds 42.5 42.3
Assists 21.4 24.8
Turnovers 15.5 19.4

- A DAY TO REMEMBER: Success over the length of a CBA season requires that a number of diverse elements come together. Timing and talent are key ingredients, and the Steelheads have had both in abundance this year. But, arguably, one moment may stand out among many as the key to the team's success. The date was December 21st, 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.

- THE FINAL SCORE IN MICHIGAN: Last week, the Gary Steelheads requested that the CBA review the third quarter of Gary's 100-80 victory in Muskegon March 9th. The Steelheads earned six quarter points with the win, but a question was raised regarding the scoring in the third quarter (won by Michigan 28-27). A review of the quarter verified that the score for the quarter was correct, and the quarter point scoring on the game was accurate.

- THE NEWEST STEELHEAD: The Gary Steelheads signed former Mayhem guard Karlton Mims on Friday, March 10th. He made his debut in a Gary uniform against his former team and is playoff eligible. 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.

- HOLCOMB RETURNS: 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. On March 15th, Holcomb was named to the CBA All-Defensive team, as voted by the eight CBA head coaches. 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.

- ON THE CHASE: Guard Brian Chase stepped forward in the absence of both "Snap" Hunter and Randy Holcomb with an incredible 47-point performance against Albany on March 2nd, 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 won the regular season foul shooting crown at .913. Chase finished third in the CBA in three-point shooting as well with a .454 percentage. He finished 13th among league scorers at 15.1 ppg. 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.

- DOUBLE-DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: All star forward Carl Mitchell has had a tremendous impact since joining the Gary Steelheads in February. 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. Since joining the team on February 3rd, Mitchell has achieved seven double-doubles and come within one digit of three others. He turned in two of his best performances in back-to-back victories over the Michigan Mayhem March 9th and 11th. In the first game he scored 20 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and 4 steals. In the second game, scored 13 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out 4 assists. Mitchell averaged 15.7 ppg. and 9.1 rpg. after joining the Steelheads. He finished the season 4th in the CBA in rebounding (8.8 rpg.) and offensive rebounding (3.1 rpg.). His 14.4 ppg. scoring average was 4/10ths of a point outside of the league's Top 16 scorers.

- CENTER OF ATTENTION: Center Chris Alexander has 10 double-doubles this season. Since joining the Steelheads, he has averaged 9.4 ppg. and 10.1 rpg. He finished the regular season ranked 2nd in the CBA in rebounding (9.2 rpg), first in offensive rebounding (3.8 rpg.), seventh in field goal percentage (.551) and fourth in blocked shots (1.7 bpg). 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. The Steelheads are 22-11 since he joined the ball club.

- MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: Guard Eric Chatfield has demonstrated he is one of the most flexible guards in the CBA. He joined the Steelheads with a strong reputation as a scorer, but soon adjusted his game to a lead guard role with Jimmie "Snap" Hunter. Chatfield finished the year 5th in the CBA in assists (5.4 apg.), with an assist-to-turnover ratio in excess of 2-to-1. 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 scored 23 points, while handing out 7 assists and grabbing 9 rebounds.

- STREAK BREAKER: 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.

- WATCH OUT FOR THAT CLIFF: 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.

- UP, UP(SHAW) AND AWAY: Former Steelheads' assistant coach Kelvin Upshaw has taken an assistant coaching position with the Harlem Globetrotters.

- THE MVP WHO WILL NOT BE: On March 1st, 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). Although "Snap" played 44 games with the Steelheads, his acceptance of an overseas contract disqualified him from consideration for the CBA's MVP Award.



Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from March 16, 2006


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