Xplosion Hit Halfway Point At Full Speed
January 11, 2008 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
Pittsburgh Xplosion News Release
PITTSBURGH, January 11, 2008 - As the Pittsburgh Xplosion begin the second half of their 2007-2008 CBA schedule tonight in Rio Grande Valley, they can't help but be pleased with the way the first half ended.
"I think our team is gelling right now," Xplosion head coach Carlos Knox said.
And why would he think it any other way? Pittsburgh is riding a season best four-game win streak into tonight's matchup with the Silverados, a team the Xplosion beat twice in November. The Xplosion have had a couple of three-game win streaks so far, but Tuesday's win over Great Falls put Pittsburgh in some uncharted waters.
This is the Xplosion's first four-game win streak in their two seasons in the CBA. Pittsburgh finished 2006-2007 at 10-38. With that season a distant memory and the prospects of 2008 upon us, Knox knows the importance of this long road trip.
"This is one of the key points of the season - around the beginning of January - where you want to start down the path of conquering a championship," he said.
The Xplosion sit in second place in the American Conference after Albany's loss to Great Falls last night. The Xplosion have defeated Albany in three of the teams' five meetings, with two games still left on the schedule in Pittsburgh.
Former Robert Morris Colonial Chaz McCrommon joined the Xplosion in early December, and he has scored in double figures in 13 of his 16 games with the team. He scored a single game team-high of 35 points against Great Falls on Tuesday night.
"That's why we brought him here," Knox said. "We know what kind of player he is and that he's capable of putting up big numbers."
The Xplosion started the season with three former Pitt Panthers - Carl Krauser, John DeGroat and Antonio Graves. While Krauser and DeGroat are still contributing for Pittsburgh, Graves played his way into a contract with Pau-Orthez of the France Pro A League. Graves led the team with a 19.5 scoring average while starting just five of his 13 games with the Xplosion.
"Antonio Graves is one of my favorite players in the CBA, period," Knox said at the time of his departure. "And I hate to lose him, but that's what the minor leagues are about."
This ten-game road swing will likely define the Xplosion's second half, and probably their entire season. Pittsburgh is 2-6 on the road this season, but Knox feels that the team he is putting on the floor is better prepared for this strenuous trip and the second half.
"I feel like we've worked many of the kinks out, and we really have a solid chance."
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