| Richmond Rhythm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | IBL |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Folded | 2001 |
| Stadium | Siegel Center |
| Location | Richmond, Virginia |
| Team colors | red, yellow, white |
| Website | www.iblhoops.com/teams/rhythm (archived onJanuary 25, 2000) |
The Richmond Rhythm were a professional basketball team based in Richmond, Virginia from 1999 to 2001. The team played in the International Basketball League. They played their home games at Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Ralph Sampson served as Richmond's general manager and vice president. [1] [2] Originally the team was going to join the United States Basketball League (USBL), but eventually joined the fledgling International Basketball League (IBL) in 1999. [3] On June 15, 1999, the Rhythm announced Allan Bristow had been hired as head coach. [4] [5] In July 1999, Chico Averbuck was hired as an assistant coach. [6]
During the IBL's inaugural draft in July 1999, Richmond selected Eddie Lucas from Virginia Tech, who had also been selected in the second round of the National Basketball Association draft by the Utah Jazz. [7] They selected another Virginia Tech player—Ace Custis—in the draft. [8] James Blackwell of Dartmouth College was Richmond's third pick in the 1999 draft. [9] Former NBA player Michael Adams was hired as an assistant coach in September 1999. [10] After losing their first four games of the season, Bristow resigned as the head coach of Richmond and general manager Ralph Sampson took his place in December 1999. [11] [12] Richmond made it to the inaugural IBL championship against the St. Louis Swarm in May 2000. The Rhythm were defeated three games to none in a best-of-five series. [13]
The International Basketball League (IBL) was a short-lived professional men's basketball league in the United States. The IBL was headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The league started in 1999 and ended in 2001.
The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976.
The Roanoke Dazzle were an NBA Development League team based in Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. In operation from the inaugural D-League season of 2001–02 through the 2005–06 season, the Dazzle marked the return of professional basketball to Roanoke since the Virginia Squires called Roanoke home in the 1970s. Playing their home games at the Roanoke Civic Center, their logo design featured a star moving on rail tracks around a basketball.
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selection in the 1983 NBA draft, Sampson brought heavy expectations with him to the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Bernard Tyrone Bickerstaff is an American basketball coach and front office executive, currently serving as the Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a coach, he previously worked as the head coach for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, Denver Nuggets, Washington Bullets/Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, and Los Angeles Lakers. He has also been an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cavaliers. He has served in numerous other NBA front office positions, and has been a consultant for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Suntino Korleone Young is an American retired professional basketball player. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the 40th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft.
Sidney Rochell Lowe is an American former basketball player and coach. He is currently an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lowe played college basketball and served as the head coach at North Carolina State University.
Allan Mercer Bristow, Jr. is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. Bristow played college basketball at Virginia Tech, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 1973 NBA draft. A 6 ft 7 in, 210 lb (95 kg) small forward, he had a 10-year career in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA), playing for the Sixers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Utah Jazz, and finishing his playing career with the Dallas Mavericks. His nickname was "Disco".
The San Diego Stingrays were a charter member of International Basketball League (IBL) and played at the San Diego Sports Arena and was owned by online sports gaming entrepreneur Scott Atkins. The following season, the team returned to San Diego under the name, San Diego Wildfire, along with new ownership and management.
Bryant Lamonica Stith is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently a men's assistant basketball coach at University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Hubert "Hugh" Evans was an American basketball referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 28 seasons. He worked 1,969 regular season NBA games and 35 NBA Finals games during his NBA officiating career from 1972 to 2001. He subsequently served as an assistant supervisor of officials in the NBA front office.
Corey Lavelle Brewer is an American former professional basketball player.
Antwain Smith is an American professional basketball player in the small forward position. He attended Saint Paul's College from 1995 to 1999.
The 1988–89 NBA season was the Warriors' 43rd season in the NBA and 26th in the San Francisco Bay Area. General Manager Don Nelson became the Warriors' new head coach this season. In the 1988 NBA draft, the Warriors selected Mitch Richmond out of Kansas State University with the fifth overall pick. During the off-season, the team acquired 7' 7" center Manute Bol from the Washington Bullets. The Warriors went on an 8-game winning streak in January, and held a 25–20 record at the All-Star break. Despite losing their final six games, the team showed a lot of improvement over the previous season, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division with a 43–39 record.
The St. Louis Swarm was a professional basketball team based in St. Charles, Missouri from 1999 to 2001. They were members of the International Basketball League and won the league's only two championship series in 2000 and 2001. The Swarm played home games at Family Arena.
The Trenton Shooting Stars were a professional basketball team in the International Basketball League (IBL) from 1999 to 2001.
The Cincinnati Stuff were a professional basketball team in the International Basketball League (IBL) from 1999 to 2001.
Kermit Leanell Holmes is an American basketball coach and former professional player. After sitting our his first year of college basketball due to Proposition 48, he played three years with the Oklahoma Sooners, being selected as a starter in his senior season. He went undrafted in the 1991 NBA draft and played several years in the CBA, where he won two championships and earned two selections in the United States national team, winning the gold medal during the FIBA Americas Championship 1997 and the silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. After the end of his playing career he started coaching.
Kameron Langley is an American basketball player. He most recently played for the North Carolina A&T Aggies, where in his five-year career he became one of the most prolific assist leaders in NCAA Division I history.