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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.[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.
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| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 |
| Ceased | 2008 |
| Motto | "The League of Opportunity" |
| Country | US |
| Continent | FIBA Americas (Americas) |
| Last champion(s) | Kansas Cagerz (1st title) |
| Most titles | Atlantic City Seagulls Dodge City Legend Miami Tropics (3 titles each) |
| Official website | www.USBL.com (archived) |
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.[1] Meisenheimer introduced a salary cap of $250,000 per team.[1][8] 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.[12] 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
- 1985 Springfield Fame (19–6) won regular season, no playoffs
- 1986 Tampa Bay Flash (22–8) won regular season, no playoffs
- 1987 Miami Tropics 103 Rhode Island Gulls 99
- 1988 New Haven Skyhawks 134 Palm Beach Stingrays 126
- 1989 USBL suspended operations
- 1990 Jacksonville Hooters (15–1) won regular season, no playoffs
- 1991 Philadelphia Spirit 110 Miami Tropics 108
- 1992 Miami Tropics 116 Philadelphia Spirit 114
- 1993 Miami Tropics 139 Westchester Stallions 127
- 1994 Jacksonville Hooters 117 Atlanta Trojans 109
- 1995 Florida Sharks 109 Atlanta Trojans 104
- 1996 Florida Sharks 118 Atlantic City Seagulls 115
- 1997 Atlantic City Seagulls 114 Long Island Surf 112
- 1998 Atlantic City Seagulls 100 Long Island Surf 96
- 1999 Atlantic City Seagulls 83 Connecticut Skyhawks 77
- 2000 Dodge City Legend 89 Oklahoma Storm 86
- 2001 Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs 100 Dodge City Legend 91
- 2002 Oklahoma Storm 122 Kansas Cagerz 109
- 2003 Dodge City Legend 97 Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs 96
- 2004 Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs 118 Brooklyn Kings 116
- 2005 Dodge City Legend 97 Kansas Cagerz 84
- 2006 Nebraska Cranes 100 Dodge City Legend 92
- 2007 Kansas Cagerz 95 Brooklyn Kings 92
- 2008 USBL suspended operations
Player of the Year
- 1985: John "Hot Rod" Williams, Rhode Island Gulls & Tracy Jackson, Springfield Fame
- 1986: Don Collins, Tampa Bay Flash
- 1987: Don Collins (2), Tampa Bay Stars
- 1988: Lewis Lloyd, Philadelphia Aces
- 1990: Jerry Johnson, Jacksonville Hooters
- 1991: Michael Anderson, Philadelphia Spirit
- 1992: Roy Tarpley, Miami Tropics
- 1993: Ken Bannister, Miami Tropics
- 1994: Stan Rose, Atlanta Trojans
- 1995: Charles Smith, Florida Sharks
- 1996: Brent Scott, Portland Mountain Cats
- 1997: Dennis Edwards, Florida Sharks
- 1998: Curt Smith, Washington Congressionals
- 1999: Adrian Griffin, Atlantic City Seagulls
- 2000: Sean Colson, Dodge City Legend
- 2001: Jason Lampa, Brooklyn Kings
- 2002: Kwan Johnson, Brevard Blue Ducks[17]
- 2003: Albert Mouring, Oklahoma Storm[18]
- 2004: Chudney Gray, Brooklyn Kings[19]
- 2005: Nate Johnson, Kansas Cagerz[20]
- 2006: Quannas White, Oklahoma Storm[21]
- 2007: Anthony Richardson, Kansas Cagerz[22]
Postseason MVP
- 1987: World B. Free, Miami Tropics
- 1988: Bobby Parks, New Haven Skyhawks
- 1991: Paul Graham, Philadelphia Spirit
- 1992: Duane Washington, Miami Tropics
- 1993: Ken Bannister, Miami Tropics
- 1994: Fred Lewis, Jacksonville Hooters
- 1995: Charles Smith, Florida Sharks
- 1996: Charles Smith (2), Florida Sharks
- 1997: Mark Baker, Atlantic City Seagulls & Brent Scott, Atlantic City Seagulls
- 1998: Adrian Griffin, Atlantic City Seagulls[23]
- 1999: Adrian Griffin (2), Atlantic City Seagulls[24]
- 2001: Frantz Pierre-Louis, Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs & Ace Custis, Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs
- 2002: Joe Ira Clark, Oklahoma Storm[17]
- 2003: Darrin Hancock, Dodge City Legend[18]
- 2004: Marcus Fleming, Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs[19]
- 2005: Jermaine Boyette, Dodge City Legend[20]
- 2006: Alex Sanders, Nebraska Cranes[25]
- 2007: Nate Johnson, Kansas Cagerz
Rookie of the Year
- 1985: John "Hot Rod" Williams, Rhode Island Gulls
- 1986: Marty Embry, Jersey Jammers
- 1987: Muggsy Bogues, Rhode Island Gulls
- 1988: Ricky Grace, Jersey Shore Bucs
- 1990: Randy Henry, Jacksonville Hooters
- 1991: Greg Sutton, Empire State Stallions
- 1992: Fred Lewis, Jacksonville Hooters
- 1993: Khari Jaxon, Palm Beach Stingrays
- 1994: Randy Carter, Memphis Fire
- 1995: Roger Crawford, Memphis Fire
- 1996: Mike Lloyd, Atlantic City Seagulls
- 1997: Mikki Moore, Atlanta Trojans
- 1998: Kerry Thompson, Tampa Bay Windjammers
- 1999: Adrian Pledger, New Hampshire Thunder Loons
- 2000: Jason Lampa, Long Island Surf
- 2001: George Evans, Maryland Mustangs
- 2002: Devin Brown, Kansas Cagerz & Corsley Edwards, Adirondack Wildcats[17]
- 2003: Lenny Cooke, Brooklyn Kings[18]
- 2004: Tony Bland, Brevard Blue Ducks[19]
- 2005: Badou Gaye, Westchester Wildfire & John Allen, New Jersey Flyers[20]
- 2006: Tristan Smith, Long Island PrimeTime[21]
- 2007: Adam Schaper, Gary Steelheads[26]
Coach of the Year
- 1985: Gerald Oliver, Springfield Fame
- 1986: Henry Bibby, Springfield Fame
- 1987: Gordon Gibbons, Tampa Bay Stars
- 1988: Dave Ervin, Philadelphia Aces
- 1990: Rex Morgan, Jacksonville Hooters
- 1991: Bill Lange, Philadelphia Spirit
- 1992: Al Outlaw, Atlanta Eagles
- 1993: John Lucas II, Miami Tropics
- 1994: Al Outlaw (2), Atlanta Trojans
- 1995: Mike Mashak, Jersey Turnpikes
- 1996: Eric Musselman, Florida Sharks
- 1997: Kevin Mackey, Atlantic City Seagulls
- 1998: Ray Hodge, Connecticut Skyhawks
- 1999: Darryl Dawkins, Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs & Kevin Mackey (2), Atlantic City Seagulls
- 2000: Kent Davidson, Dodge City Legend
- 2001: Robert Parish, Maryland Mustangs
- 2002: Francis Flax, Kansas Cagerz & Harvey Grant, Brevard Blue Ducks[17]
- 2003: Cliff Levingston, Dodge City Legend[18]
- 2004: Dale Osbourne, Dodge City Legend[19]
- 2005: Ken Charles, Brooklyn Kings[20]
- 2006: Bryan Gates, Oklahoma Storm[21]
- 2007: Dale Osbourne (2), Dodge City Legend[22]
Defensive Player of the Year
- 2002: Johnny Jackson, Kansas Cagerz[17]
- 2003: Kevin Freeman, Westchester Wildfire[18]
- 2004: Immanuel McElroy, Dodge City Legend[19]
- 2005: Eric Coley, Oklahoma Storm[20]
- 2006: Anthony Johnson, Kansas Cagerz[21]
- 2007: Ronald Ross, Albany Patroons[22]
Man of the Year
- 1986: Jim Bostic, Westchester Golden Apples
- 1987: World B. Free, Miami Tropics
- 1988: Michael Brooks, Philadelphia Aces
- 1992: John Lucas II, Miami Tropics
- 1993: Al Outlaw, Atlanta Eagles
- 1996: Roy Jones Jr., Jacksonville Barracudas
Scoring leaders
| 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 |
Rebounding leaders
| Season | Player | Pos | Team | Rebounds per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Manute Bol | C | Rhode Island Gulls | 14.2[27] |
| 1986 | Jim Bostic | F | Westchester Golden Apples | 10.1[28] |
| 1987 | Hank McDowell | F/C | Rhode Island Gulls | 10.7[29] |
| 1988 | Michael Brooks | F | Philadelphia Aces | 13.5[30] |
| 1990 | Alex Roberts | F | New York Whitecaps | 15.3[31] |
| 1991 | Anthony Mason | F | Long Island Surf | 11.2[32] |
| 1992 | Roy Tarpley | C | Miami Tropics | 17.0[33] |
| 1993 | Fred Lewis | F | Daytona Beach Hooters | 9.3[34] |
| 1994 | Keith Lee | F/C | Memphis Fire | 14.5 |
| 1995 | Brent Scott | C | Miami Tropics | 12.0[35] |
| 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[36] |
| 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 |
Assists leaders
| Season | Player | Pos | Team | Assists per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Sam Worthen | G | Springfield Fame | 8.5[27] |
| 1986 | Leroy Witherspoon | G | Tampa Bay Flash | 15.1[28] |
| 1987 | Leroy Witherspoon (2) | G | Tampa Bay Flash | 9.6[29] |
| 1988 | Duane Washington | G | New Haven Skyhawks | 8.3[30] |
| 1990 | Jerry Johnson | G | Jacksonville Hooters | 8.8[31] |
| 1991 | Michael Anderson | G | Philadelphia Aces | 10.3[32] |
| 1992 | Tony Smith | G | New Jersey Jammers | 9.2[33] |
| 1993 | David Cain | G | Long Island Surf | 9.4[34] |
| 1994 | Jean Prioleau | G | Long Island Surf | 10.3 |
| 1995 | Charles Smith | G | Florida Sharks | 11.9[35] |
| 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[36] |
| 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]
Players
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 - Center
Honorable 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.
Coaches
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Ken Charles- Darryl Dawkins
- Francis Flax
- Gordon Gibbons
- Ray Hodge
- John Lucas
- Rex Morgan
- Eric Musselman
- Gerald Oliver
Source[39]
Michael Adams – (Springfield Fame)
Bong Alvarez - (Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs)- Michael Anderson – (Philadelphia Aces, Philadelphia Spirit)
Nate Archibald – (Jersey Shore Bucs)- Darrell Armstrong – (Atlanta Trojans)
- Raja Bell – (Tampa Bay Windjammers)
- Henry Bibby - (Springfield Fame)
- Mark Blount – (Atlantic City Seagulls, New Jersey Shorecats)
- Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues – (Rhode Island Gulls)
Manute Bol – (Rhode Island Gulls)- Devin Brown – (Kansas Cagerz)
- Chris Childs – (Miami Tropics)
- Lloyd Daniels – (Miami Tropics)
Yinka Dare – (New Jersey Shorecats)- Mark Davis – (Long Island Knights)
- Waliyy Dixon – (Atlantic City Seagulls)
- Richard Dumas – (Miami Tropics)
- Mario Elie – (Miami Tropics)
- LeRon Ellis – (Connecticut Skyhawks)
- World B. Free – (Miami Tropics)
- Doug Gottlieb – (Oklahoma Storm)
- Darrin Hancock – (New Jersey Shore Cats, Dodge City Legend, Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs, Kansas Cagerz)
- Antonio Harvey – (Atlanta Eagles)
- Vince Hizon – (Pennsylvania Valleydawgs)
- Craig Hodges – (Washington Congressionals)
- Anderson Hunt – (Miami Tropics)
- Mike James – (Long Island Surf)
- Keith Jennings – (Jacksonville Hooters)
- Avery Johnson – (Palm Beach Stingrays)
- Anthony Jones – (Palm Beach Stingrays)
- Roy Jones Jr. – (Brevard Blue Ducks)
- Eddie Jordan – (Jersey Jammers)
- R. Kelly – (Atlantic City Seagulls)
- Shawn Kemp - Oklahoma Storm
- Rusty LaRue – (Carolina Cardinals)
- Nancy Lieberman – (Springfield Fame)
- Anthony Mason – (Long Island Surf)
- Cheryl Miller – (Staten Island Stallions)
- Jamario Moon – (Dodge City Legend), (Gary Steelheads)
Marcelo Nicola – (Long Island Surf)- Moochie Norris – (Washington Congressionals)
- Kevin Ollie – (Connecticut Skyhawks)
- Terrell Owens – (Adirondack Wildcats)
- Victor Page – (Washington Congressionals)
- Simeon Rice – (Philadelphia Power)
- Lynette Richardson – (Miami Tropics)
- Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson – (Long Island Knights)
- Cliff Robinson – (Miami Tropics)
- LaMont "ShowBoat" Robinson - (Long Island Knights)
- Jim Rowinski - (Long Island Surf)
- Shawnelle Scott – (Long Island Surf)
- Charles Smith – (Florida Sharks)
- Curt Smith – (Washington Congressionals)
- Mark Strickland – (Philadelphia Spirit, Atlanta Trojans, Atlantic City Seagulls)
- Derek Strong – (Miami Tropics)
- Roy Tarpley – (Miami Tropics)
- Kelvin Upshaw – (Palmbeach Stingrays)
- Chris Washburn – (Miami Tropics, Westchester Stallions)
- Anthony "Spud" Webb – (Rhode Island Gulls)
- Freeman Williams – (Miami Tropics)
- John "Hot Rod" Williams – (Rhode Island Gulls)
- Lorenzo Williams – (Palmbeach Stingrays)
- Ime Udoka – (Adirondack Wildcats)
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