Montana reached the CBA finals in 1981 and 1983, with George Karl earning Coach of the Year honors both seasons. Karl's 1980-81 team, led by John Douglas, Phil Taylor, Willie Smith and Geoff Crompton, went 27–15. The Nuggets met a high scoring Rochester team in the championship, where they were swept, four games to none.
The club went 30–16 the next season with a roster featuring Ronnie Valentine, Walter Jordan, U.S. Reed, Robert Smith, Kenny Dennard and Terry Stotts, but lost in the conference finals to in-state rival the Billings Volcanos. A return to the championship marked the 1983 season, the team's last. Montana lost to Detroit in the league finals, four games to three. In late 2006, the "Electric City" saw the return of the CBA in the form of the Great Falls Explorers.
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States from 1946 to 2009.
The Great Falls Voyagers are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Great Falls, Montana, and play their home games at Centene Stadium.
Micheal Ray Richardson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years with the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets. He was a four-time NBA All-Star, and led the league in steals in three seasons. He later became a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and National Basketball League of Canada.
George Matthew Karl is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach in 1980 with the Montana Golden Nuggets of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). Three years later, Karl became one of the youngest National Basketball Association (NBA) head coaches in history when he was named coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers at age 33. By the time his coaching career came to an end in 2016, Karl coached nine different teams in three different leagues, which included being named Coach of the Year three combined times with one championship roster in the FIBA Saporta Cup. He is one of nine coaches in NBA history to have won 1,000 NBA games and was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 2012–13 season. While he never won an NBA championship, Karl made the postseason 22 times with five different teams, which included a trip to the 1996 NBA Finals with the Seattle SuperSonics.
The All-American Professional Basketball League was a minor basketball league formed in 2005 by Worth Christie. Announced on January 23, 2005 the league viewed itself as a direct minor league outlet for the National Basketball Association (NBA). The best players were to be promised salaries of up to $40,000. The league was composed of 10 teams and these ten teams were regionalized with 3-4 NBA teams where the designated AAPBL team could negotiate with players released from those NBA teams before other AAPBL teams could.
The Savannah Spirits were a professional basketball team that played for two years in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1986 to 1988, amassing a total regular season record of 42 wins and 60 losses for a total of 306.5 points. The team originally began play in the 1982–1983 season as the Detroit Spirits, after Agustin Arbulu acquired the franchise, compiling a record of 26–18, winning the Central Division title; they defeated the Rochester Zeniths for the Conference title and the Montana Golden Nuggets for the CBA title. After their initial season Agustin Arbulu agreed to sell the franchise to Reggie Henderson. The Spirits did not qualify for the postseason in their first year in Savannah, Georgia. In their second and final year in Savannah, they were eliminated by the Albany Patroons in the first round, four games to one.
Terry Linn Stotts is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is the top assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2012 to 2021 before most recently spending an offseason as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2023.
The Billings Outlaws were a professional league indoor football team based in Billings, Montana. They were a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL), of which they were the 2-time defending champions. They played their home games at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark. Their games were broadcast live locally on News Talk 910 KBLG AM and online through Teamline.
The Rochester Zeniths were a professional basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). They played in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester at the Dome Arena and in downtown Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. They existed for six basketball seasons, winning two league titles and generally had great success on the basketball court before they disbanded after the 1982/83 season.
The 1979–80 WHL season was the 14th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). It featured eleven teams completing a 72-game regular season. The Portland Winter Hawks became the first American-based club to top the regular season standings, capturing the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. In the playoffs, the Regina Pats won their second President's Cup, defeating the Victoria Cougars in the championship final.
The Butte Daredevils were a basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) that played from 2006 to 2008. They played their home games at the Butte Civic Center in Butte, Montana. The franchise hosted the 2007 CBA All-Star Game.
The Great Falls Explorers were a team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) founded in 2006. The team played their home games at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, Montana. The franchise was branded 'Explorers' in honor of Lewis and Clark traveled through the area. The Explorers, previously coached by Steve Aggers, was coached by Scott Wedman for the 2007–2008 season. The team's front office is led by General Manager Ryan Acra.
Donnell Eugene Harvey is an American retired professional basketball player. He previously played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns.
The Billings Volcanos were an American basketball team based in Billings, Montana that was a member of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). From 1979 to 1980, they were called the Hawaii Volcanos.
John David Douglas is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the San Diego Clippers.
Quautico Moreno "Tico" Brown is an American former professional basketball player. He was born in Kokomo, Indiana. At 6'5" tall, and 180-pounds, he played at the shooting guard position.
Kurtis Townsend is an American basketball coach who is an assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Townsend was an assistant on the Jayhawks 2007–08 and 2021-22 NCAA national championship team.
The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler Park since 2008. The team previously played at Cobb Field.
The Wyoming Wildcatters were a professional basketball team based in Casper, Wyoming. They played 6 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). They managed to reach the CBA finals twice, in 1984 and in 1988, losing to the Albany Patroons on both occasions.
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