**With its third MBA championship (others in Season 26 and 27), Charleston becomes Dave Masterson's most successful franchise. All three of their titles have come in the past 11 seasons.
**Charleston went from last (3-7 in Season 35)to first (7-3 in Season 36)on the wings of one of the best pre-season drafts in history. They picked up:
--Beezow Bop-Bop, who would be most responsible for the team's playoff success.
--Hall of Fame center Max Payne, who followed up a championship season with Oklahoma City the previous year by getting his second title ring in a row and third overall in this, his 11th season.
--B. Quiet, the Rookie of the Year for Charleston the previous campaign who entered the draft, then returned to his team.
--Jesus Moron Joseph, the most improved cut pile player was picked up in the secondary draft and became a valuable addition to the Mountaineers off the bench.
--Azher "the Amazer" Merchant returned to the squad and contributed mightily off the bench as a defensive guard, picking up his first award in a 10-season career.
**Even though T. Kanes Masterson of Houston was superb throughout the playoffs, leading everyone in scoring with 22.4 points per game, he was easily outdistanced by Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston for MVP of the Playoffs. Bop-Bop, has had the potential to be one of the MBA's star players, but up until this playoff campaign, his three-season run has been rock solid but not spectacular. In fact, the championship ring and Playoff MVP awards will be the first to garnish his card. No, he has not even been a member of a mid-season All Star Team. Bop-Bop exploded this post season, taking over games and dominating them ... finishing second in scoring (18.9 points per game) setting a playoff assist record of 6 per game and leading everyone in blocked shots with 16 in addition to pulling down 3.4 rebounds per game.
**T.K. Masterson of Houston registered the third-highest scoring average ever in one post-season with his 22.4 per game. The only ones to score more in one post season were:
1. Dan Mann of Milwaukee, Season 11...27.6 per game
2. Cappy Gambol of Milwaukee, Season 3...23.0 per game
** The 83.3 points per game scoring average by Charleston is tied for the fourth highest average ever and it is the highest since Season 31 when Philadelphia racked up 83 points per game. The top playoff scoring teams ahead of (and tied with) Charleston are:
1. Milwaukee in Season 11...90.2
2. Milwaukee in Season 8....85.8
3. Milwaukee in Season 13...84.0
4. Philadelphia in Season 22...83.3
Charleston scored 74.8 per game in the regular season, third in the MBA and first in the East.
TUG HERSHORTS MAKES MBA HALL OF FAME
Three seasons after his retirement, Tug Hershorts has made the MBA Hall of Fame as chosen by the Veteran's Committee.
Since no player made the Hall based on 10 awards this season, the highest-rated 9-award player earns induction...that being Hershorts.
He is the 39th player inducted into the Hall of Fame and takes his spot as the 36th best player of all time, right after Bub Wright and just before Silo Chamberlin. He is the 8th player to gain the Hall via the Veteran's Committee rule.
He is the 14th forward to gain Hall of Fame status in league history and the first Hall of Fame member to have never achieved first-team All-MBA status in his career.
Hershorts played nine seasons in the MBA with three different franchises.
Although lacking in All-MBA stars, Hershorts is tied with fellow Hall of Famer Cam Bodia for having the most championship rings in history...6. He gained one as an important backup forward with the San Jose Fighting Amigos in that franchise's only title campaign, then won five in a row as a starter with the Philadelphia Phobia during that team's record-setting run. That five-year run began when Hershorts joined Philly and ended when he retired.
The 6-11 Hershorts has the distinction of having played both power forward and small forward with equal ability. He was a superb passer who led his team in assists twice. His versatility allowed Hershorts to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, free throwing and field goal percentage at various times in his career.
He is just the fifth lefty ever to gain the Hall.
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