Santa Barbara Islanders
| Santa Barbara Islanders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Conference | National (1989–90) | ||
| Division | Western (1989–90) | ||
| League | CBA | ||
| Established | 1989 | ||
| Folded | 1990 | ||
| Arena | SBCC Sports Pavilion | ||
| Capacity | 2,500 | ||
| Location | Santa Barbara, California | ||
| Team colors | purple, white, orange | ||
| President | Craig A. Case | ||
| Team manager | Curt Pickering | ||
| Ownership | Shirley Otto, Howard Schneider | ||
|
| |||
The Santa Barbara Islanders were a professional basketball team based in Santa Barbara, California. They played only one season in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA).
History
[edit]In 1989 the CBA decided to expand the league to the West Coast, and admitted expansion teams: on May 18, 1989 the CBA board approved the addition of two teams, the San Jose Jammers and the Santa Barbara Islanders,[1] and on June 10, 1989 it was announced that the league had admitted the two franchises.[2] The idea of a team in Santa Barbara was already being discussed in 1987 between Shirley Otto, Bill Bertka and Craig Case, a local investor.[3] A total of four expansion franchises entered the CBA for the 1989–90 season: in addition to the Islanders and the Jammers, the other two were the Grand Rapids Hoops and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The league then held a 12-round expansion draft on June 22, 1989: the Islanders selected Rod Foster, Brad Wright, Herb Johnson, Cedric Henderson, Mike Phelps, Steve Burtt, Bobby Lee Hurt, Eddie Hughes, Devin Durrant, Steffond Johnson, Ron Cavenall and Larry Spriggs.[4] Only Johnson, Cavenall, Phelps and Spriggs actually played for the team.
Sonny Allen was appointed as head coach, and Don Ford was his assistant coach;[5] the Santa Barbara City College Sports Pavilion was chosen as the home arena.[3] The team was assigned to the Western Division of the National Conference and debuted on November 14, 1989 at home against the Columbus Horizon, winning the game 123-113. The Islanders ran a fast offense and led the CBA in scoring through the first games of the season.[3] They had a very successful season, ending with a 37-19 record (the fourth-best in the entire CBA), winning the Western Division and qualifying for the playoffs.[6] Derrick Gervin led the league in scoring with a 31.7 points per game average. In the playoffs the Islanders won the National Conference semifinals against the Tulsa Fast Breakers in five games (3-2, including two overtime wins), but lost the finals against the Rapid City Thrillers in six games (4-2).[6] On March 22, 1990 Jim Les set a CBA single game playoff record for assists in a game with 24 in a 137-133 win against the Tulsa Fast Breakers.[7]
Despite their success on the court, the franchise had developed severe financial issues throughout the season, and debt ultimately forced the dismissal of the team from the league.[3]
Season-by-season records
[edit]| Years | Wins | Losses | Winning percentage | Head coach(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–1990 | 37 | 19 | .661 | Sonny Allen | [8] |
All-time roster
[edit]- Luther Burks
- Ron Cavenall
- Brian Christiansen
- Stan Easterling
- Antoine Ford
- Kevin Francewar
- Derrick Gervin
- Cedric Hunter
- Craig Johnson
- Steffond Johnson
- Jim Les
- Carlton McKinney
- Mitch McMullen
- Jawann Oldham
- Mike Phelps
- Mike Ratliff
- Larry Spriggs
- Rory White
- Leon Wood
- Sources [8]
Awards
[edit]- CBA scoring champion: Derrick Gervin
References
[edit]- ^ "CBA approves new franchises". United Press International. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. May 18, 1989.
- ^ Waddel, Ray (June 10, 1989). "CBA adds Santa Barbara & San Jose, approves move of Flyers to Omaha". Amusement Business. Vol. 101, no. 23. VNU. p. 13.
- ^ a b c d "The Team Santa Barbara Evicted : Basketball: The Islanders of the Continental Basketball Assn. won games, but their investors lost $610,000, and one called the former club president a crook". The Los Angeles Times. April 14, 1990.
- ^ "CBA holds expansion draft". United Press International. Denver, Colorado. June 22, 1989.
- ^ "Santa Barbara Islanders". santabarbarabasketball.com. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Bradley, Robert; Anderson, Chris; Astolfi, Mark; Bradley, Robert; Foster, Marc; Grasso, John; Smith, John Z. "History of the Continental Basketball Association". apbr.org.
- ^ "CBA Weekly". OurSportsCentral.com.
- ^ a b "1989-90 Santa Barbara Islanders Statistics". StatsCrew.com. Retrieved November 26, 2018.