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33-840: In November 2014 the TRBL entered into an affiliation agreement with the Premier Basketball League (PBL). In 2011, the Wilmington Sea Dawgs and the Cary Invasion announced the formation of the Tobacco Road Basketball League and their membership therein, thus leaving the Continental Basketball League . The Fayetteville Crossover then announced their move to this league as well. On 2 December 2011,

66-640: A make up date, wanting instead to force Rochester to accept a forfeit. It was on the heels of these two incidents that the Nighthawks and RazorSharks ownership groups decided to found the PBL. Dr. Sev Hrywnak, owner of the Rochester RazorSharks, invested close to $ 2 million to start the PBL. The business model was structured so that teams entering the initial season did not have to pay an entrance fee of $ 100,000 and that all travel would be covered by

99-544: A replacement for the Johnston County Nighthawks and added the Palmetto Flight. Changes were put in place for the 2014-15 season, primarily with the new flex-schedule. Games are played between November 1 and April 30 against "TRBL-sanctioned" teams. League teams are free to schedule as many games as they choose. All teams who play at least 10 sanctioned games are eligible for the playoffs. As

132-694: A result of the change, five members (Carolina Gladiators, Fayetteville Crossover , PrimeTime Players , Queen City Express, and South Carolina All-Stars) left the league. Those teams would go on to form the East Coast Basketball League . In August 2015 the Premier Basketball League and TRBL announced an expanded partnership which included six TRBL teams to compete as the PBL South East Division. Teams included are Cary Invasion , Charlotte Elite, Durham Legacy , Huntersville HoopForLyfe and Wilmington Sea Dawgs . After

165-894: A team of the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League (ACPBL) based in Washington, D.C. As the Maryland Nighthawks they were formerly part of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and a founding member of the Premier Basketball League (PBL), in which they later played as the Maryland GreenHawks . The team began play in the fall of 2004. The Nighthawks were first located in North Bethesda, Maryland when they joined

198-455: The ABA . They would then move on to become one of the charter franchises of the newly formed PBL . For the 2008 season, the Nighthawks signed Tamir Goodman with former player Lawrence Moten now the new head coach. Their first season in the PBL would be the worst in their franchise's history as they posted a 6-14 record. As there were only ten teams in the league, they made the playoffs against

231-703: The Battle Creek Knights joined the league. The Rochester RazorSharks went on to win their second straight PBL title after beating the Battle Creek Knights. The Battle Creek Knights, the Wilmington Sea Dawgs and the Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry would not return for the 2010 season. The Maryland Nighthawks changed the name of their franchise to the Maryland GreenHawks . The Puerto Rico Capitanes joined

264-561: The Bull City Legacy as a provisional team, and noted that Johnston County would be a travel team. It also said that the league would move to divisional play for the 2013 season. In October 2013, the league announced four additions, promoting the Bull City Legacy and South Carolina All-Stars to full members, after both having played 2013 as travel teams. The league added the Neuse River Basketball Club as

297-585: The Indiana Diesels were also leaving the ABA to be the PBL's tenth team for the 2012 season. On October 14, 2011, it was announced that the St. Louis Pioneers were also leaving the ABA to join the PBL, changing their name to the St. Louis Phoenix. The Central Illinois Drive won the PBL championship for 2012, defeating the Rochester RazorSharks, 101-80. The Drive was 18-1 in regular season and 22-1 total. During

330-487: The New England Patriots ' Adalius Thomas and former Washington Bullet Gheorghe Muresan suited up for the Nighthawks and played as the "11th man", a unique rule in the ABA that allows celebrities to play in a game for an ABA team. The Nighthawks finished the 2005-06 season with a record of 25-10. They also signed 7' 8¾" Chinese player Sun Mingming , the largest player ever to play professional basketball in

363-515: The PBL , is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived under new management for the 2020 season. The league announced due coronavirus outbreak the season would be put on hold. The PBL was formed after a number of disagreements between several former member teams of

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396-593: The 11-9 Wilmington Sea Dawgs . They defeated Wilmington 125-112. In the second round, they went on to face off against the Rochester Razorsharks , who easily defeated the Nighthawks 123-102, thus ending their season. On October 10, 2008, the team announced that they would be representing the PBL as the official "Travel Team" of the PBL in China and the Far East. Since the schedule of international play

429-781: The 2014 season, which will begin in January. On 12 November 2013, the PBL announced the addition of the Pee Dee Vipers , an expansion team based in Florence, South Carolina. Three days later, the league announced that the Lake Michigan Admirals would return for 2014. On November 25, the PBL announced the addition of the Buffalo 716ers and the Erie Hurricane . In late November the Chicago Tide joined

462-496: The 2016 season Lumberton Showstoppers announced that they were joining the ECBL . Seven more teams (Auburn Pro Elite Flyers, Chapel Hill Blue Force, Charlotte Elite, Greensboro Cobras , HoopForLyfe, Raleigh Revolt, Savannah Cavaliers and Wilmington Sea Dawgs ) left the league before the beginning of the season, which caused a delay to the start. Premier Basketball League The Premier Basketball League , often abbreviated to

495-610: The ABA to be the PBL's seventh team for the 2012 season. On 21 September 2011 it was announced the Lake Michigan Admirals were also leaving the ABA to be the PBL's eighth team for the 2012 season. On 23 September 2011 it was announced that the PBL's ninth team for the 2012 season would be the Central Illinois Drive based in Bloomington, Illinois . On October 12, 2011, it was announced that

528-798: The ABA. In their first season they finished in third place in the Blue Division with a 15-9 record. They lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Bellevue Blackhawks , 133-120. Entering their second season, owner Tom Doyle relocated the team from Show Place Arena in Prince George's County, Maryland , to Montgomery County, Maryland . The Nighthawks played their home games at the Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence of Georgetown Preparatory School on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Celebrity players such as

561-536: The Carolina Gladiators and PrimeTime Players joined the league. In January 2012, the league announced the addition of three travel/exhibition teams: Team Macleem, Queen City Express, and Big Texas. After the league's first season, the Carolina Gladiators moved to Robeson County, North Carolina and a new team called the Johnston County Nighthawks took their place in Smithfield . In October 2012,

594-576: The Lake Michigan Admirals. Championship Series (Best 2 of 3) Lake Michigan Admirals (2) vs Rochester RazorSharks (1) Rochester wins PBL Championship series 2 games to 0 Many new franchise additions occurred in the 2015 off-season including the Jamestown Jackals, Kentucky Mavericks , Western New York Thundersnow , and the return of the Danville Riverhawks. Mavericks owner Jerry Nelson also become an equity partner in

627-562: The League. This would allow new teams the opportunity to have financial success from the start. Former Houston Rockets point guard and current NBA on TNT analyst Kenny Smith was the league's first commissioner. During the 2008 off season, six more former ABA teams decided to move to the PBL. First, on May 9, the Manchester Millrats and the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 ABA champion Vermont Frost Heaves moved. Then on May 20,

660-700: The PBL announced the Dayton Air Strikers were returning to the league for the 2012 season. In addition, the Northwestern Illinois -based Sauk Valley Predators began their inaugural season in the PBL for 2012. On August 22, 2011, it was announced the Charleston Gunners would be the PBL's sixth team for the 2012 season. On September 15, 2011, it was announced the Northwest Indiana Stars were leaving

693-709: The PBL. In addition, the PBL gained a new Southeast Conference which includes six members of the Tobacco Road Basketball League : Cary Invasion , Charlotte Elite, Durham Legacy , Huntersville HoopForLyfe, Raleigh Revolt, and the Wilmington Sea Dawgs . Championship Series (Best 2 of 3) Lake Michigan Admirals (3) vs Rochester RazorSharks (1) Rochester wins PBL Championship series 2 games to 0 Championship Series (Best 2 of 3) Kentucky Mavericks (2) vs Rochester RazorSharks (1) Rochester wins PBL Championship series 2 games to 1 Maryland Nighthawks The Washington GreenHawks were

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726-664: The US. In the playoffs, they faced the Montreal Matrix in the first round. They won 145-114, advancing to the second round. There, they faced the SoCal Legends , to whom they would lose, 121-123. In the 2006–2007 season, they finished 13-16. This was the first losing record in the franchise's history. This was also the first season in which they missed the playoffs. In late 2007, the Maryland Nighthawks left

759-565: The Vermont Frost Heaves abruptly announced the cessation of operations and their players were dispersed via a draft. The Rochester RazorSharks won the league championship. The league approved expansion teams in Chicago and Scranton, Pennsylvania for the 2012 PBL season. Also, Chattanooga, Tennessee , Hershey, Pennsylvania , and Madison, Wisconsin were named as cities pending approval for expansion teams. On 18 July 2011,

792-808: The first round of the PBL playoffs, the Bloomington Flex beat the Indiana Diesels two games to none, and the Rochester RazorSharks beat the Sauk Valley Predators two games to none. In the finals, the Flex beat the RazorSharks two games to none to win their second consecutive title. On 21 September 2013, the PBL announced the first of what is expected to be up to six expansion teams, with the Lima Express signing to play for

825-707: The inactive Detroit Panthers re-activated and joined the league. And on May 21, the Quebec Kebs joined. On June 5 another team with an ABA history, the Augusta Groove , joined the league, but from the Continental Basketball Association . On June 23, the Halifax Rainmen , an ABA team the previous year, announced they were also joining the PBL. The first International Basketball League defection came on July 31 when

858-487: The large number of ABA teams that did not have the funds to operate, and high number of games when an ABA team did not show up. Newman responded by using his and other shares that formed a controlling interest to remove the entire board of directors. Newman then refused to reschedule a weather-delayed playoff game between the Rochester RazorSharks and Wilmington Sea Dawgs although the two teams agreed to

891-834: The league provisionally added the Blue Ridge Bison of Hendersonville , the Spartanburg Silver Lakers of South Carolina, the Greensboro Cobras , and a travel team, Team HoopForLyfe. They also said that the Express and Big Texas had found home venues and would play a full schedule. In December 2012, the league announced venues for Greensboro and the Hub City Lakers (renamed from the Spartanburg Silver Lakers), added

924-540: The league would have played at least 15 games before the playoffs. The best-of-three finals-only playoffs between Midwest Division Champions Lake Michigan Admirals and East Division Champions Rochester RazorSharks opened on March 21 in Waterlivet, Michigan, with game two set for March 28 in Rochester. The Rochester RazorSharks won the 2015 PBL Championship, winning the first two games in a best-of three series against

957-643: The league, performing concurrently in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional . At the end of the season, the league officially severed ties with the Buffalo Stampede , citing a failure by the team to adhere to league standards. The Maryland GreenHawks were also dropped from the league. The Bluegrass Stallions , another ABA team located in Kentucky, joined. The league also added the expansion Dayton Air Strikers . In January,

990-468: The league. On 6 February 2014, it was announced that the newly formed Grand Rapids Cyclones would join the PBL. Championship Series (Best 2 of 3) Indiana Diesels (2) vs Rochester RazorSharks (1) Rochester wins PBL Championship series 2 games to 1 Several games in the 2015 season had to be postponed due to winter weather, leading to a rescheduling of games in March to ascertain that every team in

1023-493: The modern American Basketball Association (ABA) and ABA CEO Joe Newman . Eight of the initial ten PBL teams either played in or were slated to play in the ABA. In early 2007, Newman was voted out of his position as CEO of the ABA by the board of directors, which included Maryland Nighthawks owner and then-ABA COO Tom Doyle (who was later a commissioner of the PBL), citing dissatisfaction with how Newman executed his duties as CEO,

Tobacco Road Basketball League - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-717: The off season the league announced it would be merging with the Independent Basketball Association to form the IBA-PBL. Prior to the start of the season, the defending champions, the Central Illinois Drive, ceased operations, but were then rebooted as the Bloomington Flex . On 24 May 2013, the six PBL teams announced that the two leagues would cease interleague play, and that the leagues would hold separate playoffs. In

1089-569: Was set to occur concurrently with the PBL regular season, the Nighthawks did not play any regular season games in the United States . On October 26, 2009, the team launched a new website revealing a new team name and location. The team claimed to be the first environmentally friendly (i.e. "green") professional sports team, changed their name to the Maryland GreenHawks, and moved to Rockville, Maryland . In August, 2010,

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