Steelheads start hectic stretch

Published on January 5, 2006 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release


The Gary Steelheads hit the road for the first of three games in 72 hours, visiting the Albany Patroons at the Washington Avenue Armory. The teams will meet a second time on this trip Friday night. Gary remains in second place in the CBA's Eastern Conference, while the Patroons hold the third spot.

Gary has moved back above .500 for the season with an overall record of 10-9, and is likely playing their best basketball to date. In their most recent two games, the Steelheads grabbed early control against their opponents and built huge leads on their way to victory.

Against the Rockford Lightning a week ago Wednesday, Gary lead by as many as 30 points early in the third quarter on the way to a 118-102 win. The victory ended Rockford's seven-game winning streak. Against the Patroons last Friday night, the lead was as high as 39 points, with Gary prevailing 119-95. The only blemish on those wins was that, despite the size of the victory margins, the Steelheads could amass only five quarter points from each win.

After early-season success on the road, Gary has encountered difficulty winning away from home. The Steelheads won 3 of their first 4 road games, but have not won a road game since. The team currently has a four-game road losing streak.

Fish Hooks

- This is the fourth meeting between the Steelheads and the Patroons, and the second meeting at the Washington Avenue Armory. Gary has won 2 of the 3 previous meetings, with each team winning once on the other team's home floor. Gary won the most recent meeting last Saturday at the Genesis Center, 119-95. It marks the first time the home team won a game in the series.

- The first meeting between these teams made CBA history. Rookie guard Ronald Thompson broke the league single-game rookie scoring record with a 53-point performance. The Patroons won the ballgame at the Genesis Center, 102-101. Thompson's incredible game ranks as the top scoring effort in the CBA this year.

- Two Gary Steelheads were named yesterday to the CBA's Eastern Conference All-Star team. Guard Jimmie "Snap" Hunter and forward Randy Holcomb received the two highest vote totals among Eastern Conference vote-getters. It is the first time in franchise history that Steelheads players took the top spots in the voting.

- Hunter appears on the Eastern Conference squad for the second straight season. He is currently the top scorer in the CBA, with a 26.4 ppg. average. "Snap" has contributed three of the top five individual scoring efforts in the CBA this season, including a 40-point performance against the Rockford Lightning on November 20th. In addition to his scoring, Hunter ranks 8th in the CBA in assists (5.1 apg.), fourth in steals (1.9 spg.), third in three point shooting (.453) and an incredible 7th in blocked shots (1.0 bpg.).

- Holcomb has anchored the Steelheads' front line from the beginning of the season. The last player cut in the Chicago Bulls' training camp, Holcomb ranks 9th in the CBA in scoring (20.2 ppg.) and 7th in the league in rebounding (7.8 rpg.). He also has five double-doubles, best on the team.

- Two Albany Patroons were also named to the Eastern Conference squad, rookie guard Ronald Thompson and forward Carl Mitchell. Thompson currently ranks 2nd in the CBA in scoring (25.3 ppg.), 4th in assists (5.8 apg) and 5th in three point shooting (.431). Mitchell ranks as the 3rd leading rebounder in the CBA at 9.2 rpg.

- Going into tonight's game, the Steelheads remain the best three-point shooting team in the CBA. Gary has connected on 161-of-385 shots (.418). In the most recent meeting with the Patroons on December 30th, the Steelheads shattered their single-game team record for three-point baskets by hitting 17-of-20 from beyond the arc. The previous record of 14 three pointers came against Sioux Falls on December 1st, 2001. Albany stands 4th in CBA three-point shooting, hitting 114-of-314 (.363).

- The Steelheads have a 3-1 record since the addition of two new players, 7-foot-1 center Chris Alexander and 6-foot-9 forward Edmund Saunders. Prior to their arrival, Gary was being outrebounded by 9.8 rebounds/game. Since then, they have been outrebounded only once.

- Guard Eric Chatfield finished an outstanding week by averaging a double-double. The talented 6-foot-3 guard averaged 17.0 ppg. and 10.0 apg. for the week, while shooting a blistering .632 from the field and .667 from three point range. He did not miss a free throw for the week. Based on the overall strength of this performance, Chatfield was nominated by the Steelheads for CBA Player of the Week. Chatfield is currently third on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg.) and is ranked 5th in CBA assists (5.7 apg.).

- Fox Sports Net is preparing a feature on the Steelheads and "Snap" Hunter. A video crew recorded several practices and covered a Steelheads' game at Rockford, won by the Lightning 124-123. The feature will appear within the program "Hoops," which is scheduled to air nationally on January 13th.

- Steelheads' forward Kevin Frey continues to suffer from a wrist injury and has been placed on injured reserve. The Steelheads re-signed forward Corey Minnifield.

- Gary's 137-127 overtime win over the Dakota Wizards is the CBA's top scoring performance to date this season. Incredibly, Gary was outrebounded by 34 in this game but still managed to win. Gary has also been involved in the lowest CBA score of the year, holding the Michigan Mayhem to just 81 points.

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Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from January 5, 2006


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