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*** UNITED STATES BASKETBALL LEAGUE MAIN PAGE ***
 | Its Official;No Cagerz THIS YEAR | |
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| |  | COURTESY oursportscentral.com The Kansas Cagerz nine year run in Salina is on hold at least for a year. Whether their hiatus becomes their demise remains to be seen. One thing does appear certain-the Cagerz will be under new ownership if and when they return. 'The Kansas Cagerz will not return to Salina,Kansas this season,' OWNER Gordon Kasparson said on Monday.'The USBL has folded and that puts us out of a place to play. Kasparson also said he is no longer interested in owning the franchise and would entertain offers from interested parties. |
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| Proliga Finals Highlighted by New York Natives | |
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| | | Vitoria won its decisive fifth game against Academica in the Proliga semifinals and will now face off against Fiscia who finished fifth during the regular season. The match up will also be between two of the best imports in all of Portugal in Tommie Eddie  (6'7''-F/C-82, college: Mississippi) and Marcel Momplaisir (6'9''-C-81, college: Rhode Island). Eddie, a former member of the Brooklyn Kings (USBL) and Strong Island Sound (ABA) and a native of Brooklyn, was named MVP of the Proliga after amassing an MVP index of 828 while leading the league in scoring (23.1ppg) and finishing second in rebounds (11.4rpg). The physically imposing forward had his multitude of talents on full display this season, scoring from inside while also connecting on 34% of his attempts from behind the arc. In his third full year out of Mississippi (NCAA) Gunzz as he is affectionately referred to has emerged as a force in the international basketball scene and an impressive showing in the finals will further lead to his ascension up the basketball ranks.
Momplaisir, a Queens, NY native out of Rhode Island manned the interior for Fiscia with impressive results. Finishing third in the MVP race with a 607 rating, the 69 big man averaged 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds while posting a league-leading 1.6 blocks per game. Still relatively young at 26, Momplaisir is in his second season in the Proliga after having spent half of the 2006-07 season with Angra / Susiarte / Samsung. This is Marcels most action in a season (26 games) since leaving Rhode Island in 2005.
While the big men will be key focal points in the Championship series, let us not forget about two NY bred point guards who will be dictating the pace of the finals, in Vitorias John Winchester (6'4''-G-83, college: Robert Morris) and Fiscias Kendell Craig (6'2''-G-80, college: Adelphi). Winchester, who was born in Connecticut, cut his teeth on the playgrounds of New York and New Jersey while splitting his time collegiately between Tennessee and Quinnipiac, finally finishing up at Robert Morris (NAIA). Winchester has excellent size for a point guard, measuring in at 64 and has all the poise of a veteran guard 10 years his elder. Winchester averaged 18 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 53% on two-point field goals and 37% from three.
Kendell Craig the veteran of the group, turning 28 in a week, also has the least heralded background, coming from DII Adelphi in New York. The Queens native had an impressive run in college, averaging over 16 points and five rebounds a game over four years. He also played briefly for the now defunct Westchester Wildfire of the USBL. This season for Fiscia, Craig averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds while shooting 52% on two-point field goals. In two head to head meetings with Vitoria, Craig scored 16 and 17 points respectively.
It will be interesting to see how these heavily relied upon imports meet the challenge and pressure of Championship basketball in Portugal. |
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| Nate Brown Shines Once Again in Iceland | |
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| | | Former Strong Island Sound guard Nate Brown (6'0''-G-80, college: St.Peter's) has been named the Eurobasket.com Icelandic Defensive Player of the Year. Brown, who was an All-Defensive First Team Selection in 2006 with Ungmennafelagio Snaefell and in 2007 with IR Reykjavik, stepped up his ball-hawking abilities even more this season, leading the Express league in steals (3.5) as well as assists (7.7) while taking IR to the Semi-Finals of the playoffs. Brown did all he could to get his team to the Finals, totaling 17 points and 11 assists in a 79-97 loss against top seeded Keflavik in the decisive game five of the series. The heady point guard from the Bronx, started off this season in France prior to heading to Iceland. His five year pro career has seen Brown man the point guard spot of teams in the USBL and ABA, but his true success has been in Iceland where he is a crowd favorite and the leader of IR. |
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| USBL Alum Rack up Awards in LigaA and TNA Leagues in Argentina | |
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| | | Though suspended for 2008, past USBL players are still plying their trade and finding success all over the globe. The latest set of Alum to wrap up successful seasons brings us to Argentina where Robert Battle (6'7''-C-81, college: Drexel), Cleotis Brown (6'6''-G/F-77, college: Illinois), William McFarland (6'7''-F-76, college: St.Thomas Aquinas) and Brice Assie (6'7''-F-83, college: W.Connecticut) where recipients of Latinbasket.com All-Argentinean awards for the 2007-08 season. Battle, who played for the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs during the spring of 2003 after a successful career at Drexel, was named to the LigaA 1st Team and All-Imports Team as well as being selected LigaA Import and Center of the year. Joining Battle on the LigaA 1st Team is former Kansas Cagerz mainstay Cleotis Brown who plays for Asociacion Quimsa Santiago del Estero. A member of possibly the last ever USBL Championship squad, Kansas in 2007, Brown was named USBL 6th Man of the Year in 2004. The final USBL Alum to be honored on the LigaA All-Import Team is former Brooklyn King big man William 'The Beast' McFarland. A dominant force in Argentina over the last two seasons, McFarland is a name well known on the playgrounds of NYC as he is a regular in New York's summer street-ball circuit. Teaming with Brown on Quimsa, the St. Thomas Aquinas (NAIA) product was an All-USBL 1st Team selection in 2004 and 2005. Rounding out the USBL alum to receive awards this season in Argentina, is Brice Assie. Assie teamed with McFarland on the 2007 Brooklyn Kings squad that lost in the finals to Kansas, and played this season with San Martin Corrientes of the Argentinean TNA league where he was a 1st Team selection. A relative youngster on the international basketball scene, Assie has played professionally in Finland prior to Argentina after a successful career at NCAA DIII Western Connecticut. |
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| Interview with John “Mookie” Thomas | |
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| | | Currently helping lead Zain in the Excellent League Finals against Orthodox (Up 1-0 in series after 96-89 victory on Friday) John III Thomas (5'9''-G-76, college: St.Francis,NY) or 'Mookie' as he is affectionately known, is half-way across the world doing what he does best….balling. The Brooklyn born point guard out of St. Francis College took some time to answer a few questions in the days leading up to the Championship series. Starting point guard for the Strong Island Sound (ABA) in their last weeks of operation (ceased operations in December '07) I had the pleasure of getting to know Mook personally and wanted to catch up with him during this very exciting and important time of his career.
Hey 'Mookie' congratulations on reaching the Finals. How did you end up playing in Jordan with Zain?
‘I ended up in Jordan because of this guy that I played for when I graduated from college named 'Shoes' Vetrone. He found out that I was home so he said he has a job for me and the coach for the Zain team is a close friend of his and he just hooked me up. Thanks again Shoes.'
How has the transition been with your teammates and coach?
‘The transition has been good between me and the team and coach. I came in a little bit out of shape and didn't have much time to get ready but we(me and coach) made it work.. Coach has put me through extra workouts, extra running, extra shooting… and extra minutes! When I got here we were down 0-1 in the series (Semi-Finals against Al Riyadi) and we needed to win the next game. Nate Johnson (6'7''-F-77, college: Louisville), superstar of the team and league, didn't play so I had to play 40 minutes and I did it for the first two games and we won both. I have a great team and my teammates are great guys too. They welcomed me in with open arms.'
What were you doing to keep busy after the Sound ceased operations?
‘After the sound ceased operations I was playing with the Harlem Wizards. I traveled with them to Taiwan (Thanks again E. Jones). It was fun and a way for me to keep in shape a little bit.'
Did the situation with the Sound catch you by surprise?
‘The situation with the Sound really broke my spirit for this game because me and Darren (the owner) spoke and that he wanted me all season so I left France (Quimper) to come home and play at home and be with my family. When it ended I couldn't even get a phone call or an apology. Luckily I had a cool coach who kept me posted…thanks Dytanya Mixson (Sound Head Coach). I could see if he would have paid us up to date and then let us go but he said no money. The crazy thing about it is that some people on the team were really affected by it because everything happened around Christmas time and they were counting on those pay checks, but I guess he didn't care because from what I understand he didn't reach out to anyone. That lack of communication really hurt but I understand that this is a business and it is what it is, so I moved on.'
Ok, now focusing on your present situation…What are you doing to prepare for the upcoming championship series against Orthodox?
‘Well what I'll be doing to prepare myself for the championship is making my way back to 100%, so that means extra hard work this week and getting mentally prepared and focused.'
You have won championships in Britain and the USBL. Is there anything you can use from those experiences for this upcoming series?
‘Yes there are plenty of things I can use. I know that I have to be aggressive and every possession counts, so if I mess up I have to get it back. In championship games, defense wins so I have to get back to my defense. The saying is that offense wins games and defense wins championships, so I really want to up my defense.'
How has the competition been in Jordan?
‘The competition in Jordan has been good. Every game I am either playing against an American or a Jordan national team player, so my game has to be at its very best each and every time out.'
How have the fans/arenas been...typically excited/frantic international crowds that we are used to hearing about?
‘The crowds been decent but I know that for the championship series it will get crazy.
I hope the crowds get more excited… I really thrive in that atmosphere.'
Is there anything you have had to change in your approach in this league?
‘Yes and no. I have to be more of a passer at times here because either I have the best player in the league to give the ball too in Nate Johnson or the tallest in Soumaila Samake (7'1''-C-78,) But on the other hand I still have to be aggressive at times and I also have Jordan national team players as teammates that can really play so it's not all about me…basically I am running a great team!'
What are your plans once the series is over?
‘Once the series is over I plan on going home and being with my family and seeing my newborn nephew Shawn John (Former teammate and close friend Shawn 'Murder' Simpson's newborn son) Also staying in the same great shape I've gotten into thanks to coach Maz!
I want to give a shout out to my family.. Tammie, Jawon Tyriek Jaida... My mother and step father (get well soon) and all my brothers and sisters. My son Matthew and finally to my Diamond family 100%.' |
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| Marcus Campbell Earns Deal with Italian Club Air Avellino | |
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| | | Anaheim Arsenal center Marcus Campbell (7'0''-C-82, college: Mississippi St.) has signed with Air Avellino of Italy's SerieA league. Currently sitting in a tie for third at 19-10, Avellino will look to the former Mississippi State Bulldog big man for interior reinforcement. On the season Campbell is averaging 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in 39 games between Idaho and Anaheim. March was Campbell's best month of the season as her averaged career highs of 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in 32 minutes per contest (12 games). After posting modest numbers in his four years at Mississippi State (2001 - 2005 where he teamed with former D-League stars such as Lawrence Roberts, Derrick Zimmerman and Timmy Bowers), Campbell worked the circuit of the US minor leagues, working his way up the ranks from the WBA, CBA, USBL and finally the D-League. A USBL Champion in 2007 with the Kansas Cagerz, Campbell is now making his first appearance overseas, and it comes in a very tough and highly competitive Italian league. |
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| STORM FUTURE LEFT IN DOUBT AS USBL SUSPENDS OPS | |
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| | | courtesy oursportscentral.com When the USBL announced its decision to suspend operations on December 27, the Oklahoma Storm were left without a league for 08. Its disappointing said o |
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