The Buffalo Stampede were a basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) for two seasons in 2009 and 2010, and in the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League (ACPBL) for the 2010–11 season before suspending operations.
 | |
| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2011 |
| League | PBL 2009–2010 ACPBL 2010–2011 |
| Team history | NexxNow Dragons 2008 Buffalo Dragons 2008 Buffalo Stampede 2009–2011 |
| Based in | Buffalo, New York |
| Arena | Koessler Athletic Center 2009–2010 Daemen College 2010–2011 |
| Colors | Orange, black, white |
| Owner | Todd Wier 2008 Vincent Lesh 2009–2011 |
| Head coach | Richard Jacob 2008 John Fitzpatrick 2009 Aaron Clark (interim) 2009 Jim Condill 2010 Vern Hall & Jordan Ellis 2010 Herb Richmond 2010–2011 |
| General manager | Richard Jacob 2008 Roosevelt Bouie 2009–2011 |
| Captain | Mark Price 2010 |
| Overall record | 11–43 (.204) |
| Dancers | Stampede Dancers 2009 |
History
edit2008: Franchise acquisition and sale
editTodd Wier had previously co-owned the Buffalo Silverbacks franchise of the American Basketball Association with Dan Robbie from 2005 to 2007. They sold that team to local concert promoter Vincent Lesh in September 2007, having lost $700,000 in their two seasons of ownership.[1]
In Wier's final season of ownership, the Silverbacks were eliminated from the 2006–07 ABA playoffs by the Beijing Aoshen Olympians, a traveling team from China who played their games at Felix Events Center in Azusa, California.[1] He was intrigued by the Olympians, as their games were broadcast live on CCTV-5 in China and watched by an average of 15 million people.[1][2]
Wier sought to duplicate the success of the Olympians with the Buffalo Dragons, a team which would be based in Buffalo, New York and feature predominantly Chinese players.[3] The team, also referred to as the NexxNow Dragons, was unveiled in April 2008 as an expansion franchise of the Premier Basketball League that would play at Burt Flickinger Center for the 2009 season.[3] However, Wier was unable to secure a television contract with the Chinese government through his NexxNow shell corporation, and the project became financially unsustainable.[4]
Vincent Lesh abandoned his plans to relaunch the Silverbacks as the Buffalo Sharks, and instead purchased the Dragons franchise from Wier in September 2008, renaming it the Buffalo Stampede.[5] The staff and players Lesh had recruited for the Sharks were brought over to the Stampede, including Richard Jacob as both head coach and general manager.[6] Roosevelt Bouie was announced as assistant coach in October 2008.[7]
2009: Inaugural season and instability
editHead coach and general manager Richard Jacob resigned two weeks prior to the inaugural season, along with assistant coach Bob Bateson.[8] John Fitzpatrick was hired to replace Jacob as head coach, with Roosevelt Bouie promoted to general manager.[9]
The team played the 2009 PBL season in the Eastern Division, with home games at Koessler Athletic Center.[10] Their inaugural game was a 98–95 home victory over the Wilmington Sea Dawgs in front of 650 fans on January 3, 2009.[11]
Players and coaches reported problems with Vincent Lesh making payroll, resulting in a high turnover rate.[12]
Fitzpatrick was fired in March 2009 after the team started 1–16, with assistant coach Aaron Clark promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[13] The team finished with a 1–19 record and failed to make the playoffs.[10]
Tyrone Rayson was named to the 2009 All-PBL Team after leading the club in scoring and rebounding.[10][12]
2010: Second season and dismissal from PBL
editJim Condill was hired as the team's new head coach for their second season.[14] Local players were signed in an effort to increase home attendance at Koessler Athletic Center, including Damone Brown and Frank Turner.[15]
Derick Payne was named PBL Player of the Week after scoring 25 points to end the team's 22 game losing streak in their 124–114 victory over the Maryland GreenHawks on January 16, 2010.[16]
After falling ill during a team road trip to play the Puerto Rico Capitanes, Jim Condill resigned as head coach in February 2010.[17] Vern Hall was promoted from assistant coach as his replacement for the remainder of the season, with assistant coach Jordan Ellis filling in for Hall when needed.[17][18]
The team finished with a 3–17 record and failed to make the playoffs.[19] Kenneth Massey ranked the team 7th overall out of 9 teams in his final PBL ratings of the season.[20]
Corey Herring and Kevin Ross were named to the 2010 PBL All-Star Team after Herring led the club in scoring, and Ross led the club in rebounding.[19][21] Herring was also named to the 2010 All-PBL team for his performance during the season.[19]
The Premier Basketball League removed the team in May 2010, citing its failure to meet the league's operational standards.[22]
2010–2011: Final season in ACPBL
editThe team joined the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League for their third season in August 2010.[23] Herb Richmond was hired as the team's new head coach in October 2010.[24]
Daemen College was chosen as the team's new venue, and their season opener was a 132–114 home victory against the Hudson Valley Kingz on December 4, 2010. [25]
At mid-point of the 2010–11 season, the Stampede were tied for first place with a 5–2 record.[26] However, the team lost five of their last seven games, finishing with a 7–7 record and failing to make the playoffs.[27]
Charles Walker, Greg Gamble and Marcus Hall were named to the 2011 ACPBL All-Star Team and the 2011 All-ACPBL Team.[27]
The Stampede ceased operations and was replaced in the ACPBL by the Buffalo Warriors, a team that folded midway through the 2011–12 season.[28] Warriors owner Franklin Jackson would go on to found the Buffalo Blue Hawks.
Personnel
edit2009
edit| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
2010
edit| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Season-by-season record
edit| League champions | Conference champions | Division champions | Playoff berth |
| Season | Conference | Finish | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Playoffs | Awards | Head coach | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | — | — | Eastern | 4th | 1 | 19 | .050 | — | Did not qualify. | Tyrone Rayson (All-PBL) | John Fitzpatrick Aaron Clark |
[10] |
| 2010 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 17 | .150 | — | Did not qualify. | Corey Herring (All-Star, All-PBL) Kevin Ross (All-Star) |
Jim Condill Vern Hall Jordan Ellis |
[19] |
| 2010–11 | North | 3rd | — | — | 7 | 7 | .500 | — | Did not qualify. | Charles Walker (All-Star, All-ACPBL) Greg Gamble (All-Star, All-ACPBL) Marcus Hall (All-Star, All-ACPBL) |
Herb Richmond | [27] |
Game log
edit2009
editRegular season
edit| 2008–09 game log Total: 1–19 (Home: 1–9; Road: 0–10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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January: 1–6 (home: 1–2; road: 0–4)
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February: 0–5 (home: 0–3; road: 0–2)
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March: 0–8 (home: 0–4; road: 0–4)
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2010
editRegular season
edit| 2009–10 game log Total: 3–17 (Home: 1–9; Road: 2–8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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January: 2–5 (home: 1–2; road: 1–3)
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February: 1–4 (home: 0–3; road: 1–1)
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March: 0–6 (home: 0–4; road: 0–2)
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April: 0–2 (home: 0–2; road: 0–0)
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2010–2011
editRegular season
edit| 2010–11 game log Total: 7–7 (Home: 6–4; Road: 1–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
December: 2–1 (home: 2–1; road: 0–0)
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January: 3–1 (home: 2–1; road: 1–0)
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February: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)
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March: 1–2 (home: 1–1; road: 0–1)
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Player statistics
edit2010
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
After all games.[29]
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Gamble | 10 | – | 25.1 | .571 | .000 | .667 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 8.6 |
| Marcus Hall | 18 | – | 11.6 | .424 | .154 | .667 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.9 |
| Aaron Harrison | 13 | – | 22.1 | .472 | – | .500 | 4.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 7.4 |
| Corey Herring | 19 | – | 31.0 | .469 | .342 | .823 | 6.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 16.4 |
| Michael Norwood | 15 | – | 27.4 | .469 | .000 | .543 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 12.2 |
| Mark Price | 14 | – | 33.1 | .418 | .327 | .690 | 1.6 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 12.4 |
| Andy Robinson | 12 | – | 34.2 | .455 | .460 | .746 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 19.5 |
| Kevin Ross | 16 | – | 30.9 | .432 | – | .551 | 8.1 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 12.2 |
| Garrett Schmidt | 10 | – | 11.9 | .464 | .000 | .478 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 3.7 |
| Charles Walker | 18 | – | 15.1 | .386 | .323 | .778 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 6.2 |
‡Waived during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
References
edit- ^ a b c McKissic, Rodney (July 11, 2008). "IS TWO A CROWD?". Buffalo News. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
- ^ Pierson, David (April 2, 2006). "Growing Their Games Chinese Players Learn Lessons, Make Strides From Year Spent in U.S. League". Washington Post. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "NexxNow Brings Professional Basketball Back to Buffalo". OurSports Central. April 30, 2008. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ Robinson, David (January 3, 2024). "Call a foul on basketball investment?". Buffalo News. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ McKissic, Rodney (2008-09-18). "New minor-league basketball team will be called Stampede". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
- ^ McKissic, Rodney (September 19, 2008). "Teams merge to form Stampede". Buffalo News. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Roosevelt Bouie Named Buffalo Stampede Big Man Coach and Radio Color Commentator". OurSports Central. October 31, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "BASKETBALL: Jacob resigns as coach of Buffalo hoops team". Niagara Gazette. December 16, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ "Buffalo Stampede Hire John Fitzpatrick as Head Coach". OurSports Central. December 26, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Premier Basketball League 2009, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards". usbasket. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ Skurski, Jay (January 4, 2009). "Stampede takes opener". Buffalo News. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b McKissic, Rodney (January 3, 2024). "Stampede survives first year, starts planning for 2010". Buffalo News. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
- ^ Fitzpatrick out as Stampede coach after 1-16 start, The Buffalo News, 2009-03-22, retrieved 2009-03-26
- ^ "Buffalo Stampede Announce New Coach". OurSports Central. October 12, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ Rodriguez, Miguel (January 11, 2010). "Stampede hopes wins will draw fans Local players fill roster of 0-3 minor league team". Buffalo News. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Buffalo Stampede's Derick Payne Named PBL Player Of The Week". OurSports Central. January 18, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Stampede coach Condill resigns, Buffalo Sports Daily, 2010-02-04, archived from the original on 2011-11-24, retrieved 2024-01-06
- ^ "The Fatigue Factor – RAINMEN 111, STAMPEDE 90 – haligonia.ca". haligonia.ca. February 8, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Premier Basketball League 2010, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards". usbasket. May 12, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Massey Ratings". April 27, 2010. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Buffalo Stampede Vs Quebec Kebs". OurSports Central. March 23, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Premier Basketball League Reorganizes". OurSports Central. May 24, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Buffalo Stampede Join the ACPBL". OurSports Central. August 10, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ Stampede Hire Herb Richmond as Head Coach, Buffalo Sports Daily, 2010-10-22, archived from the original on 2010-12-29, retrieved 2024-01-06
- ^ Buffalo Stampede Start Season With Win, Buffalo Sports Daily, 2010-12-04, archived from the original on 2010-12-07, retrieved 2024-01-06
- ^ Stampede Take Share Of First in ACPBL, Buffalo Sports Daily, 2011-01-30, archived from the original on 2011-11-24, retrieved 2024-01-06
- ^ a b c Trailblazers., the (March 28, 2011). "Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League 2010-2011, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards". usbasket. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "Dill's Warriors pull out of league". royalgazette.com. April 18, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Individual Leaders". Archived from the original on 2011-08-28. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
