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Rochester RazorSharks

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The Rochester RazorSharks was a professional basketball team based in Rochester, New York . The RazorSharks were founded in 2005 as a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). They remained in the ABA until 2007, leaving the league to become founding members of the Premier Basketball League (PBL). The RazorSharks have won eight championships to date – the 2006 ABA championship and PBL titles in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. The team joined the new North American Premier Basketball for the 2018 season and planned to play in The Basketball League in 2019 before the team decided to sit out the season.

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47-569: The RazorSharks announced in August 2019 that the team would return in a re-launched PBL for the 2020 season with the franchise rights acquired by Mooreland Productions, LLC, a local entertainment company, and have stated they will play in a new venue. The ownership opened a new recreation center called Fast Break Sports for the team to play home games in late 2020, while the team also joined the Pro Basketball Association (PBA) for

94-607: A disappointing 2–2 start by promoting long time assistant, Chris Iversen to the head coaching position. Iversen went undefeated for the remainder of the season, winning 16 straight regular season games, plus three postseason match-ups, finishing with a sweep of the Lake Michigan Admirals in the best of three PBL Championship Series. The 2016 title was the third straight PBL Championship for the RazorSharks, and their seventh total in team history. The team joined

141-568: A press release stating that there would be no rebranding, that the agreement with the RazorSharks would not be renewed, and the Fast Break Fury would be a separate franchise. The RazorSharks have made the championship series every year of their existence besides (2007). They boast a record of 7–3 in the championship. Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2020 season. American Basketball Association (2000%E2%80%93present) The American Basketball Association ( ABA )

188-525: A scheme to acquire an NBA Development League franchise. At the start of the 2008–09 season , over 200 teams had folded since the league's inception. The 2008–09 season saw the Southeast Texas Mustangs franchise join the league after leaving the struggling Continental Basketball Association . The ABA attempted interleague play with the four remaining CBA teams, but their league folded mid-season. NBA scouts stopped attending

235-758: A series of exhibitions against ABA teams including the Clayton Showtime, Los Angeles Slam, Riverside Rainmakers, San Diego Surf and the West Coast All-Stars. This April 2010 series was referred to as the ABA Friendship Games. Dick Packer was named league President and COO in April 2010. After winning their second consecutive championship in 2010–11 , the Southeast Texas Mavericks publicly opined that

282-592: A venue. A proposed merger with the International Basketball League fell through in December 2000, which would have allowed the inaugural season to begin with additional teams. To attract fans, the ABA encouraged its teams to fill rosters with former NBA players and past college basketball stars that had local ties. Former NBA champion and Florida native Darryl Dawkins was recruited as

329-589: Is an American semi-professional men's basketball minor league that was founded in 1999. ABA teams are based in the United States, with one traveling team from Japan. The league previously had international teams based in Canada, China and Mexico. League management infamously maintains low requirements for franchise ownership, and hundreds of ABA teams have either folded or defected to rival leagues. The league licenses its name and use of ABA trademarks from

376-849: The 2004–05 ABA title in their first year of play, but then left with the Long Beach Jam to join the rival NBA Development League . The ABA welcomed the Beijing Aoshen Olympians beginning with the 2005–06 season , a club which had been banned from the Chinese Basketball League after refusing to allow star prospect Sun Yue to play for the Chinese national team . The Olympians played their home games in Maywood, California . CCTV-5 in China broadcast

423-588: The 2014–15 season . After completing a perfect season for the second time in 2014–15 and winning their fourth championship, the Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks left the ABA to join the Premier Basketball League . Joe Newman returned to the role of league President and CEO beginning with the 2015–16 season . The Jacksonville Giants drew the league's all-time record crowd of 8,987 for their 100–93 victory over

470-517: The COVID-19 pandemic . The ownership opened a new recreation center, Fast Break Sports, in Batavia, New York , for the team to play home games in late 2020, while the team also joined the Pro Basketball Association (PBA) for the 2021 season. The team also did not play that season. On September 1, 2021, the team announced that it rebranded as the Fast Break Fury, but Mooreland Productions later issued

517-768: The National Basketball Association , which absorbed the American Basketball Association (1967–1976) during the ABA–NBA merger . The Women's American Basketball Association has operated as a sister league to the ABA since 2017. The league was originally co-founded by Dick Tinkham and Joe Newman in 1999 as ABA 2000 . Tinkham had previously co-founded the Indiana Pacers in the original American Basketball Association , and Newman had been an advertising executive for

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564-685: The Premier Basketball League (PBL). Following the 2007–08 season , the reigning champion Vermont Frost Heaves left for the Premier Basketball League along with the Halifax Rainmen , Manchester Millrats and Quebec Kebs . Quentin Townsend, owner of the Atlanta Vision , was named league President and COO in April 2008. He was later removed from those positions after being arrested in November 2008 for defrauding investors in

611-470: The Vermont Frost Heaves , regularly penning articles in the publication about his team's inaugural campaign. John Salley and Tom Doyle attempted a boardroom coup on behalf of shareholders , with ABA's Board of Directors voting to remove Joe Newman as CEO on January 31, 2007. Newman sued Salley and Doyle, leading to a settlement in which he kept his job and forced their resignations from

658-592: The 1950–51 National Basketball Association championship and the Rochester Zeniths captured the 1978–79 Continental Basketball Association title. During the team's first off-season, the RazorSharks re-signed head coach Rod Baker. The deal was a two-year contract, keeping the 2005–06 ABA Coach of the Year in Rochester until the end of the 2007–2008 season. Despite the loss of 2006 ABA MVP Chris Carrawell ,

705-617: The 2005–06 ABA Championship banner to the rafters of the Blue Cross Arena. A 124–114 win over the Maryland Nighthawks followed the ceremony. On December 28, the RazorSharks beat the Cape Cod Frenzy 92–88. The win was the franchise's 24th consecutive home victory, eclipsing the local pro basketball record set by the 1949–50 Rochester Royals and the 1978–79 Rochester Zeniths. The announced attendance of 7,858

752-515: The 2007 team (James Reaves, John Halas, Demond Stewart, and Keith Friel). On March 30, the RazorSharks won the PBL's inaugural championship, defeating the Arkansas Impact 142–112. Another notable incident in the title game was forward Sammy Monroe grabbing the rim for a rebound and shattering the backboard in the process. The glass shrapnel injured teammate James "Mook" Reaves and delayed

799-408: The 2013–14 season will be returning as an assistant coach. The RazorSharks would go on to complete the perfect season after going undefeated (15–0) in the regular season and sweep the Lake Michigan Admirals in a close series to win the league's 2015 PBL Championship. This would mark the team's fifth Premier Basketball League title and sixth overall in history. In 2016, Rochester was able to turn around

846-505: The 2021 season. The Rochester RazorSharks were founded in 2005 as an American Basketball Association expansion team. The RazorSharks had much success during their first season, as they finished their inaugural regular season at 26–4, ranked #1 in the ABA Pit Bull Power Rankings, and were named as one of ProBasketBallNews.com's Top 10 Minor League teams. They also led the ABA in attendance. Their regular season high

893-526: The 2022–23 season after storm damage rendered the venue for their championship game unplayable. The league employs a number of unconventional rules that are unique to the league: 109 teams completed at least one game during the 2023–24 season. The league's oldest surviving franchises are the Jersey Express (est. 2005), Georgia Gwizzlies (est. 2007), Steel City Yellow Jackets (est. 2014), and Indiana Lyons (est. 2017). Franchises that left

940-596: The ABA but still compete elsewhere include the Detroit Panthers ( Maximum Basketball League ), Motor City Cruise ( NBA G League ), and Newfoundland Rogues ( Basketball Super League ). USA: Asia: Africa: Americas: Canada Vermont Frost Heaves The Vermont Frost Heaves were a professional basketball team in Vermont , United States, that last played in the Premier Basketball League , last coached by Joe Salerno . The formation of

987-699: The ABA did not have adequate competition, and they left with intentions of joining the NBA Development League . However, their application to join the NBA Development League was denied, and the franchise sat out the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons. Consecutive titles were won by the Jacksonville Giants in their absence, with championship wins over the previously undefeated South Carolina Warriors in 2011–12 and North Dallas Vandals in 2012–13 . The team returned to

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1034-560: The ABA for 2013–14 as the Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks , going undefeated and winning the league title in a perfect season . At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season , over 350 franchises had folded since the league's inception. Former Arizona Scorpions owner Ron Tilley replaced Joe Newman as league President and CEO following Newman's retirement in July 2014. The league signed a two-year streaming deal with ESPN3 in August 2014 to broadcast regular season and playoff games beginning with

1081-468: The ABA to help form the new Premier Basketball League. The team's first year in the PBL was very successful, finishing with an 18–2 record and the top seed in the league playoffs. Following first and second-round byes, they defeated the Reading Railers 100–76 for a berth in the championship game. Rochester's success came despite a large turnover of players, as there were only four holdovers from

1128-617: The Chicago Skyliners, Detroit Dogs , Indiana Legends, Kansas City Knights , Los Angeles Stars , Memphis Houn'Dawgs, San Diego Wildfire and Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs. Joe Newman founded the Indiana Legends to replace the Jacksonville Jackals, who were removed from the league after failing to secure a venue. Mark Hamister purchased the rights to a Buffalo franchise for $ 75,000, but was also unable to secure

1175-526: The Pacers. The National Basketball Association (NBA), owner of the ABA trademark after absorbing many of the original league's teams, sued Tinkham and Newman in December 1999. The lawsuit was unsuccessful since the NBA had failed to actively use the ABA trademark, and the new league entered an agreement with the NBA to license the name for $ 50,000. The league began its inaugural 2000–01 season with eight teams:

1222-441: The RazorSharks reloaded by signing key players such as C/F Mike Mackell and including the mid-season pickup of G/F Ricky Price. The team opened the season with two wins on the road, returning to Rochester for their 2006 home opener on November 16, a 107–93 win over the rival Buffalo Silverbacks . Two days later on November 18, ABA Commissioner John Salley presented the players and staff with their championship rings, and helped hoist

1269-527: The amount of teams that a league has, it's the amount that finish. —Tom Doyle, Maryland Nighthawks In preparation for the league's initial public offering ( ABKB ), former NBA player John Salley was named league commissioner and Maryland Nighthawks owner Tom Doyle was named league COO in September 2006. Cost for new franchises was subsequently raised to $ 20,000 for the 2006–07 season . Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff launched

1316-719: The fall of 2006 at the Auditorium in Barre , Vermont, and the Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont . The Heaves started off with a 108–100 overtime loss at Quebec City before going on a 5-game win streak with wins over Montreal, Buffalo, Quebec City, and Cape Cod(2). An overtime loss at Strong Island was followed by a seven-game win streak ended by Quebec City in Barre, the team's first-ever home loss. Attendance

1363-715: The first head coach of the Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs. The 2001–02 ABA season saw only three teams return from the inaugural season, with the Chicago Skyliners, Los Angeles Stars , Memphis Houn'Dawgs, San Diego Wildfire and Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs replaced by the Kentucky Pro Cats, Las Vegas Slam, Phoenix Eclipse and Southern California Surf. Joe Newman folded the Indiana Legends after he was sued by eight former players in August 2002 for failing to pay their salaries. Newman had claimed $ 1 million in losses over two seasons of ownership. The 2002–03 season

1410-477: The game easily 152–115. Sammy Monroe shattered the backboard again delaying the games for 45 minutes in the first quarter. After starting the season 2–6, the RazorSharks finished the season 12–8, good for a third-place finish in the league. Rochester defeated Quebec and Lawton-Fort Sill in three-game series for the franchise's fourth title in six seasons. In 2013–14 the RazorSharks would win their first PBL championship title in three years after finishing 17–1 during

1457-468: The game for 45 minutes while the backboard was replaced and medical staff tended to Reaves' injuries. For the championship game Rochester had a record crowd with 9,717 in attendance, a record which still stands today. Reaves, Friel and Jerice Crouch returned to the Sharks in 2009, along with role players Ron Rollerson and Steve Hailey. Chris Iversen was promoted from the front office to assistant coach during

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1504-436: The league when he signed with the Long Beach Jam , leading them to an ABA title in their first season. The 2004–05 season saw franchise fees lowered from $ 50,000 to $ 10,000, and the bond requirement removed in order to attract new teams. Teams were subsequently organized into regional groups to facilitate interest and reduce travel costs, with 37 clubs competing that season in three divisions. The Arkansas RimRockers won

1551-528: The league's games in January 2009, citing the amount of cancelled and forfeited contests. Several teams folded during the 2009–10 season , including the entire Pacific Northwest Division. The San Francisco Rumble forfeited their playoff game against the Southeast Texas Mavericks , as they could not afford to travel for the contest. Gilas Pilipinas , the Philippine national basketball team, competed in

1598-615: The league. The 2006–07 season concluded with the defending champion Rochester Razorsharks withdrawing from the league after they asked to reschedule a playoff game against the Wilmington Sea Dawgs , but were denied and told to forfeit. Following this incident, the Hammond Rollers , Jacksonville Jam , Maryland Nighthawks , Quad City Riverhawks and Wilmington Sea Dawgs joined the Razorsharks in forming

1645-499: The new North American Premier Basketball for the 2018 season and planned to play in The Basketball League in 2019 before the team decided to sit out the season. The RazorSharks announced in August 2019 that the team would return in a re-launched PBL for the 2020 season under the ownership of Mooreland Productions, LLC, a local entertainment company, and stated they will play in a new venue. That did not happen due to

1692-403: The off-season. The team struggled early, losing three of their first four games. On January 19, the Vermont Frost Heaves ended Rochester's 48-game home winning streak. However, the RazorSharks won all 15 remaining regular-season games to finish the regular season 17–3, winning the league's Eastern Division and the second seed in the PBL playoffs. The PBL semifinals pitted the RazorSharks against

1739-597: The previously unbeaten Chicago Steam at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on January 16, 2016. It had been reported the week prior that the Orlando Magic was considering adopting the Giants as their NBA Development League affiliate, although later in the year they instead moved their existing affiliate Erie BayHawks to Lakeland, Florida . A sister league, the Women's American Basketball Association (WABA),

1786-627: The regular season and defeating the Indianapolis Diesels two games to one. Jerice Crouch would be named the Playoff MVP. In a strong effort to win their first set of back-to-back titles since 2008 and 2009, the RazorSharks added new head coach, former scout of the Cleveland Cavaliers and 2010–'11 PBL Coach of the Year, Robert Spon. Also Chris Iversen, who has been with the RazorSharks every year since inception, minus

1833-559: The team was announced in December 2005 by founding owner Alexander Wolff , a Cornwall, Vermont , resident and writer for Sports Illustrated . The Heaves were originally part of the American Basketball Association from 2006 through 2008. They were the ABA Champions in the 2006–07 and the 2007–2008 seasons, under head coach Will Voigt. The team is named for the frost heaving soil displacement known to affect colder climates. The Heaves were formed in 2005, and started playing in

1880-508: The team's first perfect season and third in ABA history. A play-in tournament was implemented beginning with the 2021–22 season to determine which teams would advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Following elimination from the 2021–22 playoffs by the Steel City Yellow Jackets , the Jacksonville Giants ceased operations. The Burning River Buckets and Indiana Lyons were declared co-champions of

1927-604: The team's games, where they were watched by an average of 15 million people. Following the 2005–06 season in which many teams failed to complete their full schedules and became insolvent, the Charlotte Krunk , Florida Pit Bulls , Indiana Alley Cats , Pittsburgh Xplosion , San Jose Skyrockets and SoCal Legends left to join the rival Continental Basketball Association . My idea of success and Newman's differ. I'd rather have fewer teams, that are stable and last, as opposed to having tons that continue to fold. It's not

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1974-515: The third-seeded Manchester Millrats . The teams split the first two games of the best-of-three series, the visitor winning each game. Back at the BCA, the Sharks won Game 3 110–103 to advance to the PBL championship series. Due to arena difficulties in Battle Creek, the PBL announced that the planned three-game series would instead be a single game held on April 19 in Rochester. The RazorSharks won

2021-501: Was 6,192 against Indiana. Due to their success at the gate, Rochester hosted the 2006 ABA Great Eight Tournament . On March 26, the RazorSharks won the ABA championship, defeating the SoCal Legends 117–114 in front of a then franchise record crowd of 6,377. The RazorSharks won a league title in their first season, which continued a Rochester basketball tradition: a league title in a team's first season. The Rochester Royals won

2068-607: Was between 900 and 1,650 for the games. The team ended the regular season 30–6. On March 29, 2007, the Frost Heaves won the ABA Championship, defeating the Texas Tycoons 143–95. In the 2010 off-season, a group of local fans bought the team, which had been on the verge of collapse, and established a non-profit fan-owned corporation named GO Heaves, Inc. to operate the team. However, on January 26, 2011 (in

2115-510: Was launched in 2017. Jersey Express owner Marsha Blount was named the league's President and CEO. The 2017–18 season saw franchise fees lowered to $ 2,500. League co-founder Dick Tinkham died of muscular dystrophy in October 2018. The 2019–20 season was ended prematurely and the playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The undefeated Jacksonville Giants captured their seventh and final championship in 2020–21, concluding

2162-405: Was not only a franchise high, but a local high for a pro basketball game. The RazorSharks finished the regular season with an 18–0 home record, extending their home win streak to 35 consecutive wins in the process. It had been over a year since the franchise's last home loss. The Niagara DareDevils had beaten Rochester on November 24, 2005. On March 22, the RazorSharks announced they were leaving

2209-597: Was not played, as the league suspended operations for reorganization. Jim Clark, owner of the Kansas City Knights , was named league president and COO in November 2002. The league resumed play with seven teams for the 2003–04 season . The returning Kansas City Knights were joined by the Fresno Heatwave , Jersey Squires, Las Vegas Rattlers, Juárez Gallos de Pelea , Long Beach Jam and Tijuana Dragons. Dennis Rodman brought national attention to

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