ThePittsburgh Xplosionwas aprofessional basketballteam based inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania.Pittsburgh were members of theContinental Basketball Association(CBA) from 2006 to 2008. Founded in 2004 as thePittsburgh Hard Hatsas a member of theAmerican Basketball Association (2000–present)(ABA), the team, following an ownership change, took the court as thePennsylvania Pit Bulls.The team became the Xplosion in 2005, and joined the CBA in 2006. It has been replaced in the ABA with the modern dayPittsburgh Phantomsand later thePittsburgh Bassets.The Xplosion played atPittsburgh Civic Arenaand on the campus of theUniversity of Pittsburghat thePetersen Events Center,both inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania.
| Pittsburgh Xplosion | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Leagues | ABA2004–2006 CBA2006–2008 | ||
| Founded | 2004 | ||
| Folded | 2008 | ||
| History | Pittsburgh Hardhats(ABA) 2004 (never played)Pennsylvania Pit Bulls(ABA) 2004–2005 Pittsburgh Xplosion2005–2008 | ||
| Arena | Pittsburgh Civic Arena Petersen Events Center | ||
| Location | Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania | ||
| Team colors | black, gold, orange | ||
| Head coach | Carlos Knox | ||
| Ownership | Freddie Lewis Richard Hersperger | ||
| Championships | 0 | ||
|
| |||
Season by season
editNote:W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %
| Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania Pit Bulls(ABA) | |||||
| 2004-05 | 8 | 9 | .471 | ||
| Pittsburgh Xplosion(ABA) | |||||
| 2005-06 | 18 | 11 | .621 | Lost Quarterfinals | Bellingham122, Pittsburgh 115 |
| Pittsburgh Xplosion(CBA) | |||||
| 2006-07 | 10 | 38 | .208 | Won Quarterfinals Lost Semifinals |
Pittsburgh 119,Indiana103 Minot2, Pittsburgh 0 |
| 2007-08 | 29 | 19 | .604 | Won Quarterfinals Lost Semifinals |
Pittsburgh 129,East Kentucky121 Minot2, Pittsburgh 0 |
History
editPittsburgh Hardhats
editThePittsburgh Hardhatswere an American Basketball Association team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team was created by Joseph Dydek after he failed to start an NBA team in Pittsburgh. To his surprise, the "Hardhats" were not very financially stable[citation needed].The team essentially existed on paper only, as it folded prior to the start of the season due to financial difficulties. The team was replaced October 12, 2004, by the Pennsylvania Pit Bulls, who competed in the 2004-2005 ABA season.[1]
Pennsylvania Pit Bulls/Xplosion
editAfter the dissolution of the Hardhats, the Pennsylvania Pit Bulls were admitted to the ABA on October 12, 2004, to play in the 2004-2005 ABA season. They finished with an eight win-nine loss record, good for 7th place in the Blue Division, but not good enough to advance topostseasonplay. The team's first game (19 November 2004) was marred by themyocardial infarction-induced death of coach Tom Washington, who collapsed on court in the fourth quarter.[2][3]The game was suspended; assistant coach Pat Blue was tabbed to be the team's head coach for the remainder of the season.
The Pit Bulls played a majority of their home games atPenn State Greater Allegheny,but later moved toMcKeesportHigh School.
For the 2005-2006 season, the Pit Bulls became the Pittsburgh Xplosion. The team finished league competition with an 18 win-11 loss record, good for second place in the Freddie Lewis Division of the ABA White Conference. The Xplosion were eliminated in the playoffs by theBellingham Slam.The team subsequently left the ABA and entered theContinental Basketball Association,in which it continued to play as the Xplosion through the 2007-08 season.[4][5]
Former Pitt stars, Antonio Graves, John DeGroat, andCarl Krauserstarted on the 2008 season roster.
In the 2008 American Conference Finals, the Xplosion lost to the Minot SkyRockets. The SkyRockets won the first two out of three games in Minot, but ceased operations after the 2008 campaign. The Xplosion lasted a little longer, folding just prior to the start of the 2008-09 season, citing the economy.[6]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^Pennsylvania Pit Bulls replace Hardhats
- ^Pit Bulls' coach collapses, dies[permanent dead link]-The Daily News(McKeesport, Pennsylvania), 20 November 2004
- ^Former Pitt star Page bumps into death again- Shelly Anderson,Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,26 November 2004
- ^"Pittsburgh Xplosion join Continental Basketball Association - OurSports Central".www.oursportscentral.com.September 27, 2006.Retrieved2017-11-25.
- ^Waldstein, David (2009-02-08)."Continental Basketball Association Confronts an Uncertain Future".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2017-11-25.
- ^Wilkin, Tim (2008-12-05)."Shaky CBA getting help from ABA".Albany Times Union.Retrieved2009-02-02.[dead link]
External links
edit- Official Site
- CBA League Site
- Point Park University teams up with Xplosion
- Finder, Chuck (3 October 2004)."Death of local ABA team leaves trail of debt, anger".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Archivedfrom the original on 27 October 2005.Retrieved14 February2019.