Gokham City Knights is one of the teams, which played in the first
season.
NRL
Suspends Operations for 2002 Season - April 13, 2002
The National Rookie league said bye to the
2002 season with an official statement from League President Bruce Stern
posted on th eofficial league website. See the text down:
The National Rookie League has decided to suspend operations for the 2002
season. The league set out certain objectives and criteria that we wanted
to meet for our third year of play and, unfortunately, we did not meet
them. Rather than try to play a season with underfunded teams, we opted to
suspend play this year.
We would like to begin play again in 2003 and have already started the
process to make that a reality. We will be looking to supplement some of
our existing ownership groups and add some new ones.
I think the league has made a difference in the lives of the young men who
have played in the NRL -over half used the league as a spring board to
play overseas - and those behind the league's inception who worked
tirelessly (and without pay) for six years were truly trailblazers. We
look forward to beginning play again in 2003 and will update this site as
more information becomes available.
Force fall short in title quest,
Aug.10, 2001
Louis White of the Baltimore Blaze hit a jump shot with 22 seconds remaining in the game to thwart a comeback by the Force and give the visitors a 100-93 victory last night in the championship game of the National Rookie League at the Community College of Philadelphia.
It was the first loss of the season for the Force, who had entered the game with a 9-0 record. Baltimore finished at 7-3.
Before the 6-foot-4 White got free to sink the jumper that sank the Force, the hosts had rallied from a 78-62 deficit at the end of the third period to trail by 96-93 with less than a minute left.
Behind the scoring of 6-4 Fred Warrick, who scored 33 points and was the NRL's most valuable player, the Force closed to within 86-80 with six minutes to go. The Blaze had to fight furiously to keep the Force at bay.
White, who scored 27 points, deflated the Force with his final basket, however, and sealed the victory for the Blaze, who lost to Washington in the inaugural NRL title game last summer in Upper Marlboro, Md.
NRL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - AUGUST 9, 2001
Baltimore Blaze - Philadelphia Force 100-93
SEMI-FINALS - AUGUST 7, 2001
Baltimore Blaze - Washington Justice 104-96
Philadelphia Force - Delaware Destroyers 106-95
The National Rookie League is an unaffiliated minor league for the NBA
that completed its inaugural season in August 2000. The NRL is
limited to athletes under the age of 24 and is designed to help prepare
the nation's best young basketball players for a professional basketball
career.
The
National Rookie League will be posting its 2001 Season Schedule in March.
