Steelheads to battle Wizards Saturday night
Published on December 3, 2005 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Gary Steelheads News Release
The Gary Steelheads return home to the Genesis Center to meet the Dakota Wizards. Going into Saturday night's action, the Wizards lead the Western Conference of the CBA with a 4-2 record and a 4.7 quarter point average. Dakota is the first Western Conference opponent for Gary this season.
The Steelheads return home after a 98-96 loss to the Michigan Mayhem last night. Gary picked up two quarter points in the defeat. It was the first road loss of the season for the Steelheads, and the second victory of the season for Michigan.
The Steelheads started quickly, winning both the first and second quarters for a 47-35 halftime lead. But a 36-point third quarter pulled Michigan within a point going into the fourth quarter. Then Mayhem then outscored the Steelheads 27-24 in the fourth quarter for the win.
The Steelheads placed five players in double figures, paced by Jimmie "Snap" Hunter with 26 points and Randy Holcomb with 19. Michigan's Alpha Bangura paced all scorers with 38 points.
The Wizards defeated the Mayhem in Muskegon on Thursday night, 98-84. In the process, Dakota maximized the win with 7 quarter points. CBA Player of the Week Maurice Baker paced the Wizards with 26 points and 8 rebounds.
The Wizards have a number of new faces, including new head coach Dave Bliss. In 28 years of college coaching, Bliss posted a record of 526-328. His head coaching experience includes stints at Oklahoma, SMU, New Mexico and Baylor. A familiar face for Steelheads' fans is assistant coach Bryant Notree, a former Gary standout who still holds the Steelheads' single-season scoring record of 1,022 points (2002-03).
Fish Hooks
- The Gary Steelheads have now won four of their last six games, holding down second place in the Eastern Conference of the CBA. Their quarter point average of 3.9 is fourth best in the league.
- The Steelheads have been outrebounded in 6 of their 7 games this year.
- With a 4-3 record, Gary is off to a better start than last season. The Steelheads needed eight games to get their fourth win.
- Rookie coach Jaren Jackson has lead the Gary Steelheads to a winning record in the opening weeks of the 2005-06 CBA season. He has done this with only one returning player from last year's team, and with the loss of three Gary players that appeared in last year's CBA All-Star Game. Further, a majority of the roster has no previous CBA experience.
- Jackson has stressed fundamentals, particularly playing solid defense. Going into Saturday night night's game, the Steelheads have allowed just 101.9 ppg. Last year, they allowed 106.2 ppg. to be scored against them, for a net improvement is 4.3 ppg. Also, the Steelheads have dramatically reduced their turnovers from 20.0 per game last year to just 14.0 per game this year to date.
- With a 4-3 record, Gary is off to a better start than last season. The Steelheads needed eight games to get their fourth win a year ago. They did it in six games this year.
- The Dakota Wizards invade Gary leading the Western Conference with a 4.7 quarter point average and a 4-2 record. The Wizards have won three straight games.
- The Wizards are an outstanding foul shooting team (.808). Dakota features three players who are shooting over 93 percent from the line.
- On Friday, the Wizards added guard Rashi Johnson to their roster. A product of Michigan State, Johnson stands 6-2, weighs 200 pounds and has excellent quickness. He is a former Junior College All American, who played his high school ball for Sonny Cox at King High School in nearby Chicago. He led King to the city championship as a junior. According to the CBA's official roster, Johnson will wear #77.
- There has been an issue regarding several box scores generated following recent Michigan Mayhem home games. The Steelheads have been involved in two of these games, and the Dakota Wizards have been involved in one. The issue began with a game played on November 22nd (CBA Game #9). Initially, this box had several unusual statistical anomolies. It has now been corrected. The box scores from both the Wizards' game on Thursday night (CBA Game #24) and the Steelheads' game on Friday night (CBA Game #26) appear to have similar issues. We have asked the league to review these box scores.
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from December 3, 2005
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- Steelheads to battle Wizards Saturday night - Gary Steelheads
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