The South Carolina Warriors were a semi-professional basketball team based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was an expansion franchise team of the American Basketball Association in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. The team began play in the 2011–12 season.
 | |
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Team history | South Carolina Warriors (2011–13) |
| Based in | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina |
| Arena | Carolina Forest Recreation Center |
| Colors | Blue, Purple, Black, Gray |
| Owner | Leonard R. Watts and J. Marshall Biddle |
| Head coach | John Kefalas |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division titles | 1 |
| Cheerleaders | Warrior Girls |
| Dancers | Lady Warriors Dance Team |
| Mascot | Wags The Warrior Dog |
| Website | http://www.scwarriorsbasketball.com/ |
Team history
editIn early August 2011, The American Basketball Association (ABA) announced that it has added the South Carolina Warriors, an expansion team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for its 2011–2012 season. The South Carolina Warriors would be owned by Indianapolis-based Platinum Entertainment Group LLC/Dymond Recodz (PEG) and would have its first home game at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.[1]
On November 24, 2011, the team announced that starting December 3, 2011, all of the team's home games would be played at the Little River Recreation Center.[2][3]
On February 25, 2012, the team was sold. It had been owned and operated by Tony Bennett through two different companies. It was sold to a couple investors in South Carolina.[4]
In their inaugural season, The Warriors won every game in the regular season, then beat the Carolina Cheetahs in the playoffs, Lynchburg Legends in the Mid Atlantic Championship, Connecticut Topballers in the ABA Elite Eight, the North Dallas Vandals and Jacksonville Giants for a 29–0 record before losing 2–0 in a best-of-three series to the Jacksonville Giants in the ABA finals.[5][6][7]
On October 28, 2012, it was announced that the Warriors had been sold again. Its new owners were local businessmen Leonard R. Watts and J. Marshall Biddle. John Kefalas was promoted from being an assistant to head coach after Chris Beard, the head coach for the inaugural season, left to pursue other coaching opportunities, eventually becoming the head coach at the University of Texas. Kefalas was an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina under Pete Strickland.[8]
2012–13 season schedule
edit- Regular Season: 17–1 (Home: 16–0 | Away: 2–1)
- Cancelled Games: 5 (By other teams due to technicalities)
- In the results column, the first score listed is the Warriors.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3/2012 | @ Gainesville Heat | Gainesville, Georgia | Cancelled |
| 11/8/2012 | East Point Jaguars | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 137–97 |
| 11/10/2012 | Tennessee Halo's | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 161–82 |
| 11/11/2012 | @ Palmetto State Rizers | Columbia, South Carolina | Cancelled |
| 11/17/2012 | Gainesville Heat | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 136–113 |
| 11/18/2012 | Fayetteville Flight | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 121–106 |
| 11/25/2012 | @ Palmetto State Rizers | Columbia, South Carolina | 116 -92 |
| 11/30/2012 | Shizuoka Gymrats | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 121–106 |
| 12/1/2012 | Lynchburg Legends | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | Cancelled |
| 12/2/2012 | Palmetto State Rizers | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 144–130 |
| 12/4/2012 | Shizuoka Gymrats | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 159–83 |
| 12/8/2012 | Jacksonville Giants | Jacksonville, Florida | 112-116 |
| 12/11/2012 | @ Fayetteville Flight | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Cancelled |
| 12/15/2012 | Greenville Galaxy | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 124–100 |
| 12/16/2012 | Gainesville Heat | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 124–100 |
| 1/5/2013 | Richmond Elite | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 111–105 |
| 1/6/2013 | Atlanta Aliens | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 121–117 |
| 1/12/2013 | Hampton Roads Stallions | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 138–72 |
| 1/13/2013 | Hampton Roads Stallions | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 128–83 |
| 1/19/2012 | @ Lynchburg Legends | Lynchburg, Virginia | 125–123 |
| 1/22/2013 | Fayetteville Flight | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 152–118 |
| 1/24/2013 | @ Greenville Galaxy | Greenville, South Carolina | No score available |
| 1/26/2013 | Palmetto State Rizers | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | 126–103 |
| 2/2/2013 | Fayetteville Flight | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | |
| 2/13/2013 | Greenville Galaxy | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | |
| 2/16/2013 | Hampton Roads Stallions | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | |
| 2/17/2013 | Atlanta Wildcats | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | |
| 2/23/2013 | @Lynchburg Legends | Lynchburg, Virginia | |
| 3/3/2013 | Palmetto State Rizers | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | Cancelled |
| 3/7/2013 | Greenville Galaxy | Greenville, South Carolina | | |
| 3/9/2013 | Atlanta Aliens | Richmond, Virginia | |
| 3/16/2013 | Richmond Elite | Lynchburg, Virginia | |
| 3/23/2013 | Palmetto State Rizers | Carolina Forest Recreation Center | |
| 3/30/2013 | Palmetto State Rizers | Carolina Forest Recreation Center |
Season-by-season record
edit| Season | Total Games | Wins | Losses | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | 31 | 29 | 2 | Lost to Jacksonville Giants in finals, 100–91 |
| 2012–13 | 19 | 17 | 1 | At least 5 games cancelled due to technicalities/ 1 game no score available |
Head coaches
edit| Years | Coach Name | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Chris Beard | 29–2 |
| 2012–13 | John Kefalas | 17–1 |
2012–13 roster and former players
edit| Number: | Players Name: | Position | Height | Weight | Hometown | College | Graduation Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Tim Ware | F | 6'7" | 214 lbs | Elba, Alabama | Lindsey Wilson College | 2010 |
| 1 | Shaquille Johnson | G | 6'5" | 170 lbs | Jacksonville, Florida | Marshall University | 2012 |
| 3 | Mike Vogler | PG | 6'0" | 180 lbs | Lynn Haven, Florida | Troy University | 2010 |
| 4 | Jarred Stockton | G | 6'5" | 240 lbs | Jacksonville, Florida | Jacksonville University | 2008 |
| 10 | Gerry Wood | G/F | 6'8" | 210 lbs | Salisbury, North Carolina | Greensboro College | 2004 |
| 11 | Sherod Harris | G | 5'10" | 160 lbs | Rochester, New York | Brocksport State | 2010 |
| 15 | Pat Lewis | G/F | 6'5" | 195 lbs | Hemingway, South Carolina | Cape Fear Community College | 2008 |
| 20 | LaShun Watson | G/F | 6'6" | 212 lbs | Greenville, Georgia | University of South Alabama | 2010 |
| 23 | Kellen Brand | G | 6'1" | 188 lbs | High Point, North Carolina | Appalachian State University | 2010 |
| 25 | Matt Kendrick | C | 7'0" | 235 lbs | Tampa, Florida | Saint Leo University | 2010 |
| 30 | Brenden Knox | F/C | 6'10" | 230 lbs | Georgetown, South Carolina | Auburn University | 2010 |
| 33 | Emanuel Jackson | F | 6'9" | 230 lbs | Atlanta, Georgia | Stephen F. Austin State University | 2001 |
| 33 | Berry Jordan | f | 6'8" | 230 lbs | Jacksonville, FL | University of Arkansas | 2006 |
| 40 | Marquise Gainous | F/C | 6'10" | 230 lbs | Orlando, FL | Texas Christian University | 2000 |
| 44 | Dustin Scott | C | 6'8" | 230 lbs | Charleston, South Carolina | College of Charleston | 2009 |
| Player # | Player Name | Position | Height | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Jo Harris | F/G | 5'4 | 155 | |
| 1 | John Roberson | G | 5'10" | 180 | |
| 10 | Tony White Jr | G | 6'0" | 160 | |
| 25 | Josh Fowler | F | 6'9" | 225 | |
| 20 | Jerome Richardson | G | 6'5" | 215 | |
| 33 | Perry Stevenson | F | 6'9" | 220 | |
| 11 | David Long | G/F | 6'4" | 185 | |
| 4 | Marquis Gilstrap | F | 6'7" | 220 | |
| 23 | Grant Maxey | F | 6'5" | 210 | |
| --- | Kellen Brand | ||||
| --- | Markhuri Sanders-Frison | ||||
| --- | Jack Leasure | Later played in New Zealand | |||
| --- | Mario Edwards | Later played in Kosovo | |||
| --- | John Fowler | ||||
| --- | Colin Stevens |
Awards received
edit| Year | Award Name | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mid-Atlantic Conference Champions | John Kefalas [9] |
| 2012 | National Division Champions | John Kefalas [9] |
References
edit- ^ Staff. "Basketball bounces into Myrtle Beach". The Digital Myrtle Beach. Retrieved 29 October 2012 – via myrtlebeach.thedigitel.com.
- ^ Massey, Terry. "Spin Move: Warriors take home games to Little River". Grand Strand Sports Report. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ Dohmen, Rocky. "South Carolina Warriors move to new home". The Digital Myrtle Beach. Retrieved 29 October 2012 – via myrtlebeach.thedigitel.com.
- ^ Grim, Casey. "South Carolina Warriors sold to local investors". The Digital Myrtle Beach. Retrieved 29 October 2012 – via myrtlebeach.thedigitel.com.
- ^ "South Carolina Warriors: 2011-12 Results". scwarriorsbasketball.com. South Carolina Warriors. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ Wetzel, David (10 April 2012). "South Carolina Warriors clinch spot in ABA finals". The Sun News. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ "S.C. Warriors take second place in ABA finals (Update: Coach and some players will not return)". The Digital Myrtle Beach. Retrieved 19 November 2012 – via myrtlebeach.thedigitel.com.
- ^ McKinnon, Max (27 October 2012). "South Carolina Warriors return for second season with new look". The Sun News. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ a b "South Carolina Warriors: Info Page". South Carolina Warriors. Retrieved 19 November 2012 – via Facebook.