Season 50 Draft order .... plus new and old coaches announced

Team needs listed next to team name. This order liable to change depending on trades prior to draft.

 

GREYHOUNDS, LARIATS CHANGE COACHES

The cube of chance determined that the failure of the 6-4, favored Milwaukee Greyhounds merited a change in head coaches. The same was true of the pitiful performance of the Oklahoma City Lariats, who also appointed a new leader.

Milwaukee replaced Naf Naf with Frank Pettis. Naf coached the Greyhounds for three seasons, finishing 2nd, 1st and 3rd for a combined regular season record of 19-11. He guided the club to two playoff appearances, making the Finals in Season 48. But the high expectations of a championship continued to elude him and Milwaukee. His playoff record was 4-5.

Benny Gumm got the ax from Oklahoma City and will be replaced by Grady "the Model" Gooch, whose card was so perfectly made back in his days as a player that it was used as an example for all future cards. 

Gumm's coaching record with the Lariats include three straight first-place finishes in Seasons 40, 41 and 42, including Championships in Seasons 40 and 41. He finished second five times, giving him eight playoff appearances in 12 campaigns. He finished fourth once and last, including last season, twice. His overall regular season record with the Lariats was 67-53. His playoff record was 13-13.

The other Season 50 coaches are:

San Jose...Augustus McCrae...15th Season

Seattle...Kingsford Briquettes...7th Season

Los Angeles...Naceg Gecan...4th Season

Sacramento...Frankie Pantangeli...12th Season

Gillette...Flip Testerton...2nd Season (first full season)

Charleston...Bill Rustler...33rd Season

Philadelphia...Stu Nod...14th Season

Dallas...Country Slaughter...34th Season 

NEXT UP: The Making of the Rookies

SEASON 50 FREE AGENTS

Only 11 players, with just 5 starters, have declared for free agency in the upcoming draft. This means that, with the 16 rookies added to the draft, there will be 27 total players involved...enough for each team to have 2 new draftees and 7 of the 10 teams to add 3 new players.

The biggest name to declare for free agency was point guard supreme Great Gruncle Terry, who will be leaving Milwaukee (unless, of course, they claim him again in the draft). 

Next in order of team impact is point guard Don Barzini of Charleston, who makes that team go. 

Oklahoma City, coming off a last-place finish, was hit hardest, losing the most players (3) and the most starters (2). 

Among the remaining nine teams, only Seattle lost more than one player to free agency. The Stampede lost two reserves. 

Dallas and defending champion San Jose came away unscathed in free agency. 

NEXT UP...THE MAKING OF THE ROOKIES. (Phil...time to submit a couple of names).
 

Their place in the MBA Universe...and team vs team through the years

TEAMS WITH MOST WINNING RECORDS IN CAREER OVER OTHER TEAMS

9...Philadelphia Phobia has a winning record against every MBA team ever except for Milwaukee. They are tied with Milwaukee all time, 58-58.

9...Milwaukee Greyhounds have a winning record against every MBA team ever except for Philadelphia. They are tied with Philadelphia all-time with a 58-58 record. 

8...Los Angeles Big One (formerly Houston) has a winning record against every MBA team except Philadelphia and Milwaukee

6...Dallas Demons have a winning record against Seattle, Charleston, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Sacramento and Gillette (formerly Kansas City).

5...Charleston Mountaineers have a winning record against Seattle, Chicago, Oklahoma City, San Jose, and Gillette (formerly Kansas City)

4...San Jose Fighting Amigos have a winning record against Chicago, Seattle, Sacramento and Gillette (formerly Kansas City).

4...Sacramento River Dogs have a winning record against Seattle, Chicago, Charleston and Gillette (formerly Kansas City). 

3...Oklahoma City Lariats have a winning record against Seattle, Sacramento and Gillette (formerly Kansas City) 

1...Seattle Stampede have a winning record against Gillette (formerly Kansas City) 4 to 1...that's all.

0...Gillette Humps (formerly Kansas City)...do not have a winning record against any franchise.

NEXT UP: ANNOUNCEMENT OF FREE AGENTS FOR SEASON 50

 

Season 49 Playoffs Wrap-up

SAN JOSE PLAYOFF MVP WINNERS

Season 25...Saggital Occlusal

Season 27...Saggital Occlusal

Season 29...Cock A. Doodledoo

Season 49...Jesse Shershot

WINNERS OF REGULAR SEASON AND PLAYOFF MVPS IN SAME SEASON

Season 3...Cappy Gambol, Milwaukee

Season 6...Cappy Gambol, Milwaukee

Season 14...Stu Nod, Philadelphia

Season 19...Curly Hogbottom, Philadelphia

Season 21...Tersio Tataruga, Dallas

Season 22...Curly Hogbottom, Philadelphia

Season 23...Joey Two-Tones, Dallas

Season 25...Saggital Occlusal, San Jose

Season 27...Saggital Occlusal, San Jose

Season 34...Hrundi V. Bakshi, Houston

Season 35...Didger A'Doo, Chicago

Season 40...Naf Naf, Oklahoma City

Season 46...Chip Battoe, Dallas

Season 47...Chip Battoe, Dallas

Season 49...Jesse Shershot, San Jose

PLAYOFF STATS FOR CHAMPION FIGHTING AMIGOS

PLAYOFF STATS FOR RUNNERS-UP STAMPEDE

 

Season 49 Finals...Game 4...San Jose at Seattle

SAN JOSE 75, SEATTLE 73

LOS AMIGOS SON CAMPEONES!!!

SEATTLE -- The San Jose Fighting Amigos will be affixing the MBA championship basketball to their envelope for the first time in 24 seasons following a heart-stopping 75-73 road win over a game Seattle Stampede team. 

"Eye-god, this was much harder than we anticipated," proclaimed the old trailhand and 14-year head coach of the winners, Augustus McCrae. "I thought we were the better team all along, but the Stampede put some doubts in my head in this series."

This is just the second MBA title for the Amigos, whose previous championship came 12-plus calendar years ago on September 28, 2009.

After starting out as West Division favorites, San Jose stumbled its way to a 1-4 start before righting the ship and going unbeaten in the second half of the season to earn the division crown. They then upped the win streak to 9 straight before finally falling by a point in the Finals Game 3, going 10-1 in the last 11 games played.

It is the second Dave Team championship in a row and the 10th title by a Dave Team in the last 15 seasons. Dave does not expect to live long enough to catch Tyler's overall total of 34 championships.

The Season 49 clincher was in doubt until the final time unit, as the two Finals teams produced a second straight barn-burner on the heels of Seattle's 1-point Game 3 win.

This finale was even closer, with San Jose never having the lead until about midway through the fourth quarter, then holding on as a 7-point advantage melted away.

The big play came when San Jose's Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer force-missed a bucket by Charles Broccoli of Seattle with 9 ticks left. The rebound by Muscle Shoals of the Amigos ended with a fast-break hoop by Jesse Shershot that put the eventual champs up by 5.

A Potatoes O'Gratin score down low kept hopes alive for Seattle, but Cremeofsum Yunguy dribbled away the clock for San Jose and was fouled shooting down low by Broccoli. He needed one free throw to get the lead to 4, but missed the first, adding to the suspense. The 13-season veteran then nailed the next one, and when the ball went to the short zone on the final time unit, San Jose had its championship (despite a buzzer basket from Broccoli). 

Once again Seattle out-did the Amigos in points prevented, 13 to 4. But the Stampede has to be suicidal about its 12 for 20 free-throwing effort.

Points prevented by quarters

San Jose...2...0...0...2  Total=4

Seattle......5...6...0...2  Total=13

Tops in points prevented

1. Wolfie Gutenabend, Seattle 5

2. Carga Larga, Seattle 4

Second-year power forward CHARLES BROCCOLI of Seattle was magnificent in defeat, topping everyone in scoring with 24 points on 10 of 13 shooting, going 4 for 5 from the foul line.  The 6-10 Broccoli also hit the boards for 6 rebounds and added 1 assist. His team went to him time and again in the second half.

Other 20-plus GVP peformers

-- San Jose point guard Cremeofsum Yunguy was outstanding in the fourth quarter, where he got a majority of his game-high 7 assists. The 5-11 cut pile refugee scored 11 points and added 2 rebounds. 

-- San Jose shooting guard Jesse Shershot shrugged off what could have been a nightmarish 0 for 8 shooting day from beyond the arc by going 9 for 10 inside that zone. The league MVP scored 9 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, including the big breakawy bucket at the end. He added 2 rebounds and 1 assist. 

-- Fighting Amigos center Sabado Gigante had a strong final game of his career with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 1 steal. He adds a ring to his card as he heads off to a retirement envelope. The trade that brought him to San Jose was key.

-- Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer chipped in with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and a humongous forced-miss late in the game. 

-- Veteran Seattle center Carga Larga, who spent last season in the cut pile, got the starting nod from Tyler and responded with 16 points, including his second consecutive 2-for-2 shooting game from downtown. He added 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 rebound while turning away 4 would-be points with his defense.

-- Seattle small forward Reed Lemur was again productive as hell for the Stampede, scoring 14 points and grabbing a game-high 9 rebounds. The 6-6 sixth-year man also had 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. 

THE LAST TIME SAN JOSE WON IT ALL

Magnifico' rookie (and future Hall of Famer) Sagittal Occlusal won both the regular and playoff MVP honors, scoring a game-high 27 points in Game 5 to lead San Jose to a 92-82 road win over Jonny Cockaroo, Benny Gumm and Charleston.

The starting lineup for San Jose back then in Season 25 was:

Point guard...Felipe' Jazzman

Shooting guard...Hacksaw Rooney

Center...Zlatko Korkovic

Power forward...Sagittal Occlusal

Small forward...Ed Masterson

They also featured future Hall of Famer Tug Hershorts, in his rookie season, coming off the bench, along with the new champions' current head coach, Augustus "Gus" McCrae and Funsy VanSlochum.

NEXT UP: Playoff leaders and the naming of the Playoff MVP winner.

Season 49 Finals...Game 3...Seattle at San Jose

SEATTLE 69, SAN JOSE 68

WILD COMEBACK KEEPS STAMPEDE ALIVE

SAN JOSE -- Resembling all the chaotic madness of last year's storming of the U.S. Capitol by misguided vigilante anarchists, the Seattle Stampede denied the San Jose Fighting Amigos the MBA championship with a maniacal come-from-behind 69-68 Game 3 win.

The Championship Series now stands 2 games to 1, with San Jose still needing one more triumph to claim the Season 49 crown.

Down by 9 points with 23 ticks left in the contest, the Stampede began blocking shot after shot by San Jose until finally, with 2 left on the clock, AnDamian Wayne buried an unlikely trey to give them their first lead of the game. It was the only trey of the game by Wayne, who to that point, had missed his first 7 deep shots.

Wayne, along with center Carga Larga and forward Reed Lemur, were starting for the first time in the Finals for Seattle, as owner Tyler Masterson looked to shake things up after two decisive losses.

But it looked as though San Jose would be wearing the MBA crown after taking a 22-11 first-quarter lead. Pesky Seattle, however, had other ideas, hanging around until their defense came alive down the stretch; preventing 9 San Jose points in the fourth quarter alone to account for 19 points erased in the game. 

The comeback came without Seattle starters Potatoes O'Gratin and Carga Larga, who both fouled out. It was highlighted by a blocked 3-point bucket by Jesse Shershot, courtesy of Wolfie Gutenabend, followed by a blocked 2-point hoop from Ray Natuzzi at the hands of Wayne, which ended with a fast-break Gutenabend basket that cut the lead to 2 with 9 ticks left. 

San Jose's Muscle Shoals took a 3-pointer late that was also blocked, this time by Reed Lemur, which set up the Wayne game-winner. 

The final time unit was a denied 3-pointer by Wayne on a miss by Natuzzi.

Points prevented by quarters

Seattle...4...6...0...9  Total=19

S. Jose...8...0...2...2  Total=12

Tops in points prevented

1. Carga Larga, Seattle, 6

2. Lupalin Greenbeard, San Jose, 5

Retiring San Jose center SABADO GIGANTE came to life for the first time in the playoffs with a game-high 25-point effort on 11 of 17 shooting that included a whirlygig-like 8 slam dunks. The 6-9 Gigante also led everyone with 6 rebounds, adding 1 blocked shot. He was seemingly the only bucket-getter for San Jose late in the game.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Although his opposite, Sabado Gigante, was POG, Seattle center Carga Larga came up with a game-high 6 points prevented, with 4 of those coming in the key fourth quarter. Before fouling out, Larga scored 15 points on 6 for 6 shooting, tied for team-high with 2 blocked shots and game-high with 2 steals, grabbing 2 boards in the process. 

-- Relegated to the bench this season after being the team MVP in Season 48, Seattle forward Reed Lemur got his first start of the campaign and came up aces for the victors. He dominated his man, Lupalin Greenbeard, scoring a team-high 18 points, tying for team-high in rebounds with 5, tying for team-high in blocked shots with 2, getting a steal and an assist.

-- He started the game like a house afire, scoring 12 first-quarter points to give his team a comfortable 11-point lead. But league MVP Jesse Shershot of San Jose could manage just 5 points the rest of the way for a total of 17. He added 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals (tied for game-high) to his GVP total.

Game Note: The 11 blocked shots by Seattle comes on the heels of the record-setting 15 swat-aways they had in their SemiFinals elimination game against Charleston.

NEXT UP: It's back to Seattle where Stampede fans hope their charges can pull off another upset. 

Season 49 MBA Finals...Game 2...San Jose at Seattle

 SAN JOSE 88, SEATTLE 70 (Slaughter rule enforced)

Amigos rein-in Stampede again

SEATTLE -- The San Jose Fighting Amigos grabbed this Season 49 Finals by the neck and are choking the life out of the Seattle Stampede, thanks to an 88-70 Game 2 road win that puts them one victory away from claiming the second MBA championship in franchise history. The visiting Amigos led this contest wire-to-wire, finishing with a slaughter-game score of 88-70. They now lead the best of 5 Finals 2 games to 0 and head home for what appears to be the clincher.

The Amigos, who put up an amazing total of 72 shots to just 49 for Seattle, broke this one open in the third quarter when they outscored the beleagured home team 25 to 12, despite the fact that the Stampede prevented 9 San Jose points in the period. 

As in the previous Finals game, Seattle out-shined San Jose in points prevented, 13-4, blocking 9 shots in the process. But the visitors swarmed the horsies to the tune of 5 steals and numerous turnovers, limiting their shots. When they did get a shot off, Seattle was splendid, with a 59.2 percent shooting day.

The Tyler strategy of Wolfie Gutenabend shadowing league MVP  Jesse Shershot throughout still saw the long-range sniper lead all scorers with 22 points, despite 3 Gutenabend blocked shots.

Seattle again out-rebounded San Jose, pretty much controlling the defensive boards as the visitors bombed away from all over the table.

This was the ninth consecutive win for the Fighting Amigos.

One more to MBA glory.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

San Jose..2...0...0...2  Total=4

Seattle.....0...2...9...2  Total=13

Tops in Points Prevented

1. Sky Masterson, Seattle...6

2. Charles Broccoli, Seattle...4

3. Potatoes O'Gratin, Seattle 3

Likely playing his final game in front of the hometown Seattle fans, retiring Stampede point guard POTATOES O'GRATIN led the scoring for his team with 19 points on 8 of 9 shooting (potting the lone trey he took and going 2 for 3 from the foul line.) The 6-4 O'Gratin also pulled down 5 rebounds, blocked 2 shots, dished 1 assist and prevented a 3-pointer by Cremeofsum Yunguy, who he dominated. it was his first POG of the post-season. Seattle fans gave the Spud Man a standing ovation when he fouled out of the game with 24 ticks remaining.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

-- Looking like the overwhelming favorite to add the Playoff MVP to his regular season MVP, San Jose's shining star Jesse Shershot, rattled home a game-high 22 points, dominating Wolfie Gutenabend. Despite missing what amounts to a full quarter with a long forced rest and early pull due to the slaughter rule, Shershot still bombed in 4 treys, pulled down 2 boards and got 1 assist.

-- San Jose power forward Eddie "the Milkman" Creamer, has had an excellent playoff run, and it continued with this 21-point effort. The 6-9 Creamer led his team in rebounds with 4 and added 1 assist. 

NEXT UP: San Jose heads for home where its adoring fan base awaits a Game 3 sweep, which would give them their second basketball on the envelope...the first coming in Season 25. What are the odds of Seattle winning three in a row?