| United States Basketball League (USBL) | |
| Pixels: | 100px |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Founded: | 1985 |
| Folded: | 2008 |
| Motto: | "The League of Opportunity" |
| Country: | USA |
| Continent: | FIBA Americas (Americas) |
| Champion: | Kansas Cagerz (1st title) |
| Most Champs: | Atlantic City Seagulls Dodge City Legend Miami Tropics (3 titles each) |
| Website: | www.USBL.com (archived) |
The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to early-summer schedule. The league quickly became known as a development league for players, with many players moving up to the National Basketball Association (NBA) and many more playing in Europe after stints here.[1] [2] [3] In 1996, the league made a stock offering, a rarity among sports leagues. However, in later years, the league declined as rival leagues appeared and USBL had a tougher time replacing teams that folded. In the last two seasons, the league was mainly a midwestern league, with teams mainly in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. After speculation that the USBL might fold after the 2007 season,[4] the league announced that it would sit out the 2008 season and consider its options for the future.[5] In January 2010, the league expressed hopes to resume play in April 2010.[6] However, no further news has surfaced from the league. The final champions are the Kansas Cagerz, who won the title game on July 1, 2007.
The United States Basketball League was founded in December 1984 by Daniel T. Meisenheimer, a stockbroker from Connecticut.[7] [8] [9] The league management initially planned to schedule about 40 games during the summer, and started to look for new teams to join the newly formed USBL.[10] Former NBA referee Richie Powers was named the league's vice president and director of operations, while Earl Monroe was the commissioner. Meisenheimer introduced a salary cap of $250,000 per team. The teams for the first season were the Connecticut Colonials from New Haven, Connecticut; the New Jersey Jammers from Jersey City, New Jersey; the Long Island Knights from Long Island, New York (owned by Meisenheimer himself); the Rhode Island Gulls from Warwick, Rhode Island; the Springfield Fame from Springfield, Massachusetts; the Westchester Golden Apples from Westchester, New York; and the Wildwood Aces from Wildwood, New Jersey. Several players with NBA experience joined the USBL: among them Ken Bannister, Jim Bostic, Tracy Jackson, Lowes Moore, Eddie Lee Wilkins and Sam Worthen. Other players who played in the 1985 USBL season would later play in the NBA, such as Michael Adams, Manute Bol, Ron Crevier, Spud Webb and John "Hot Rod" Williams. After the regular season ended after each team played 25 games, the league management decided not to organize postseason games, since many players were going to join other teams for the start of the regular season of other leagues such as the NBA or the CBA.[11] The first USBL champions were the Springfield Fame, that had ended the regular season leading the league with a 19–6 record. Hot Rod Williams and Tracy Jackson were named co-MVPs, while Manute Bol led the league both in rebounds per game (14.2) and blocks per game (11.2).
In 1986 two teams, the Long Island Knights and the Rhode Island Gulls, left the league, and three new franchises joined the USBL: the Gold Coast Stingrays from West Palm Beach, Florida, the Staten Island Stallions from Staten Island, New York and the Tampa Bay Flash from Tampa, Florida. In the same year Nancy Lieberman joined the Springfield Fame and became the first female player to play in a professional league with men.[12] Lieberman debuted in June 1986 in a game against the Staten Island Stallions, playing 3 minutes during which she did not score. In 1987 another woman joined the USBL: Lynette Richardson, who had played college basketball at Florida International, signed for the Miami Tropics.[13] On June 13, 1987, Richardson and Lieberman played against each other during a game between the Miami Tropics and the Long Island Knights: Richardson scored 3 points while Lieberman scored 2.[14] [15]
The top teams of the regular season advanced to the USBL Postseason Festival, a playoffs system that saw teams play single elimination games in order to advance to the final game. On three occasions (1985, 1986 and 1990) no postseason was held, and the team with the best regular season record won the championship. In 1989 the USBL ceased operations temporarily in order to improve its organization, and resumed the following season, in 1990.[16]
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Teams played a single championship game at the end of the playoffs to name the league champions
| Season | Player | Pos | Team | Points per game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | John "Hot Rod" Williams | C | Rhode Island Gulls | 23.1[27] | |
| 1986 | Don Collins | F/G | Tampa Bay Stars | 31.8[28] | |
| 1987 | Don Collins (2) | F/G | Tampa Bay Stars | 31.0[29] | |
| 1988 | Richard Rellford | F | Palm Beach Stingrays | 31.4[30] | |
| 1990 | Lewis Lloyd | G/F | New Haven Skyhawks | 26.8[31] | |
| 1991 | Norris Coleman | F | Jacksonville Hooters | 29.3[32] | |
| 1992 | Roy Tarpley | C | Miami Tropics | 32.2[33] | |
| 1993 | Ken Bannister | F/C | Miami Tropics | 30.2[34] | |
| 1994 | Mark Brisker | G | Jacksonville Hooters | 26.9 | |
| 1995 | Jerry Reynolds | G/F | Atlanta Trojans | 26.3[35] | |
| 1996 | Brent Scott | C | Portland Mountain Cats | 29.8 | |
| 1997 | Dennis Edwards | F | Florida Sharks | 32.8 | |
| 1998 | Ochiel Swaby | F | Tampa Bay Windjammers | 26.2 | |
| 1999 | Mike Lloyd | G | Atlantic City Seagulls | 27.3 | |
| 2000 | Sean Colson | G | Dodge City Legend | 28.2 | |
| 2001 | Jermaine Walker | C | Lakeland Blue Ducks | 27.5[36] | |
| 2002 | Jason Lampa | G | Brooklyn Kings | 25.9 | |
| 2003 | Lenny Cooke | G | Brooklyn Kings | 28.8[37] | |
| 2004 | Jason Lampa | G | Brooklyn Kings | 26.7 | |
| 2005 | Kareem Reid | G | Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs | 27.4 | |
| 2006 | Brian Chase | G | Nebraska Cranes | 19.9 | |
| 2007 | Anthony Richardson | F | Kansas Cagerz | 20.0 |
| Season | Player | Pos | Team | Rebounds per game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Manute Bol | C | Rhode Island Gulls | 14.2 | |
| 1986 | Jim Bostic | F | Westchester Golden Apples | 10.1 | |
| 1987 | Hank McDowell | F/C | Rhode Island Gulls | 10.7 | |
| 1988 | Michael Brooks | F | Philadelphia Aces | 13.5 | |
| 1990 | Alex Roberts | F | New York Whitecaps | 15.3 | |
| 1991 | Anthony Mason | F | Long Island Surf | 11.2 | |
| 1992 | Roy Tarpley | C | Miami Tropics | 17.0 | |
| 1993 | Fred Lewis | F | Daytona Beach Hooters | 9.3 | |
| 1994 | Keith Lee | F/C | Memphis Fire | 14.5 | |
| 1995 | Brent Scott | C | Miami Tropics | 12.0 | |
| 1996 | Shawnelle Scott | C | Long Island Surf | 13.5 | |
| 1997 | Brent Scott (2) | C | Atlantic City Seagulls | 11.4 | |
| 1998 | Andre Perry | F | Atlanta Trojans | 11.0 | |
| 1999 | Andre Perry (2) | F | Atlanta Trojans | 11.6 | |
| 2000 | Andre Perry (3) | F | Florida Sea Dragons | 11.4 | |
| 2001 | John Jackson | F | Kansas Cagerz | 12.0 | |
| 2002 | John Jackson (2) | F | Kansas Cagerz | 11.7 | |
| 2003 | Antonio Smith | C | Dodge City Legend | 11.3 | |
| 2004 | Mario Woodson | F | Florence Flyers | 10.5 | |
| 2005 | Roderick Riley | C | Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs | 10.2 | |
| 2006 | Steve Castleberry | F | Northeast Pennsylvania Breakers | 10.7 | |
| 2007 | Jason Miller | F/C | Kansas Cagerz | 8.0 |
| Season | Player | Pos | Team | Assists per game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Sam Worthen | G | Springfield Fame | 8.5 | |
| 1986 | Leroy Witherspoon | G | Tampa Bay Flash | 15.1 | |
| 1987 | Leroy Witherspoon (2) | G | Tampa Bay Flash | 9.6 | |
| 1988 | Duane Washington | G | New Haven Skyhawks | 8.3 | |
| 1990 | Jerry Johnson | G | Jacksonville Hooters | 8.8 | |
| 1991 | Michael Anderson | G | Philadelphia Aces | 10.3 | |
| 1992 | Tony Smith | G | New Jersey Jammers | 9.2 | |
| 1993 | David Cain | G | Long Island Surf | 9.4 | |
| 1994 | Jean Prioleau | G | Long Island Surf | 10.3 | |
| 1995 | Charles Smith | G | Florida Sharks | 11.9 | |
| 1996 | Charles Smith (2) | G | Florida Sharks | 11.4 | |
| 1997 | Mark Baker | G | Atlantic City Seagulls | 7.2 | |
| 1998 | Curt Smith | G | Washington Congressionals | 7.4 | |
| 1999 | James Blackwell | G | Tampa Bay Windjammers | 7.4 | |
| 2000 | Sean Colson | G | Dodge City Legend | 8.0 | |
| 2001 | Jermaine Jackson | G | Kansas Cagerz | 9.6 | |
| 2002 | Duane Simpkins | G | Kansas Cagerz | 6.2 | |
| 2003 | Kareem Reid | G | Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs | 9.6 | |
| 2004 | Tyson Patterson | G | Florence Flyers | 8.4 | |
| 2005 | Kareem Reid (2) | G | Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs | 8.9 | |
| 2006 | Tory Cavalieri | G | Northeast Pennsylvania Breakers | 8.1 | |
| 2007 | Kareem Reid (3) | G | Albany Patroons | 6.4 |
On 21 July 2005 the League announced the players of its "Top 20 and Beyond Anniversary Team" were chosen by a vote of executives, coaches, and administrators that have served over the years in the USBL.[38]
An alphabetical listing of 20 voted players is as follows:
Michael Adams - Guard Herman Alston - Guard Darrell Armstrong - Guard Ken Bannister - Forward
Manute Bol - Center Don Collins - Forward Tyrone Bogues - Guard Adrian Griffin - Guard Johnny Jackson - Forward Avery Johnson - Guard Kwan Johnson - Guard Jason Lampa - Guard Michael Lloyd - Guard Anthony Mason - Forward Andre Perry - Forward Brent Scott - Forward Charles Smith - Guard John Strickland - Forward Roy Tarpley - Center John "Hot Rod" Williams - CenterHonorable mention by USBL (2005):
Chris Childs - Spent two years with the Miami Tropics and then a long NBA career. Norris Coleman - Second All-Time leading scorer in the USBL. Lloyd Daniels - "Sweet Pea" first showed the world his talents in the USBL. Richard Dumas - Proved that his troubles were behind him with the 1992 Miami Tropics. Mario Elie - A short stint in 1987 was parlayed into a 12 year NBA career. Dennis Edwards - The 1998 Player of the Year. Darrin Hancock - Is one of only two players with 3 USBL Championship Rings. Damon Jones - The Miami Heat guard played on a talented 1998 Jacksonville squad. Tim Legler - The ESPN analyst played 4 great seasons with the Philadelphia franchise. Sam Mitchell - Toronto Raptors Head Coach played two season in Westchester in 1985-85. Kareem Reid - Known as "The Best Kept Secret". Lazarus Sims - Known as "Z". Curt Smith - The 1998 Player of the Year. Jermaine Walker - A scoring force for 5 seasons for Rex Morgan's coached teams. Spud Webb - Set the stage for Arkansas Little men becoming a force in the NBA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Ken Charles Darryl Dawkins Francis Flax Gordon Gibbons Ray Hodge John Lucas Rex Morgan Eric Musselman Gerald OliverSource[39]