Florida Flame
| Florida Flame | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NBA Development League |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Folded | 2006 |
| History | North Charleston Lowgators 2001–2003 Charleston Lowgators 2003–2004 Florida Flame 2004–2006 |
| Arena | Germain Arena |
| Location | Fort Myers, Florida |
| Team colors | Apple green, blue, orange |
| Head coach | Jeff Malone |
| Ownership | Flame Ownership Group |
| Affiliation(s) | Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic |
| Championships | none |
The Florida Flame were an NBA Development League team based in Fort Myers, Florida. Its logo represents a basketball on fire moving at high speed.
It was announced[permanent dead link] that the Florida Flame would temporarily shut down operations during 2006–07, due to not having a home arena in which to play. The team maintained its league membership in hopes of finding a venue for the next season. When that didn't happen, the Flame quietly folded all operations and finally, officially ceased to be in late 2007.
Franchise history
The North Charleston Lowgators began play in the National Basketball Development League in 2001-02. The team was renamed the Charleston Lowgators in the fall of 2003. The Charleston Lowgators relocated to Fort Myers in fall 2004 and became the Florida Flame. In September 2005, the NBA announced that the Flame would be affiliated with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic for the upcoming season.
The Florida Flame (formerly the North Charleston Lowgators/Charleston Lowgators) along with the Tulsa 66ers (formerly the Asheville Altitude), the Austin Toros (formerly the Columbus Riverdragons), and the New Mexico Thunderbirds (formerly the Huntsville Flight) was one of the only teams left in the D-League that was a charter member as of 2006.
Players of note
- Kirk Haston
- Carl English
- Earl Barron
- Dorell Wright
- Gerald Green
- Dwayne Jones
- Andre Barrett
- Theron Smith
- Bracey Wright
- Smush Parker
- Chuck Eidson
- Tierre Brown
- Kipp Christianson
Roster at end of 2005–06 season
| Florida Flame Roster | ||||
| Head Coach: Jeff Malone | (Mississippi State) | |||
| Asst. Coach: Terry Thimlar | (Indiana State) | |||
| PF | 4 | 
|
Duane Erwin | (Memphis 2005) |
| C | 5 | 
|
George Leach | (Indiana 2004) |
| SG | 6 | 
|
Bracey Wright | (Indiana 2005) |
| SG/SF | 7 | 
|
Lenny Stokes | (Cincinnati 2003) |
| PF/C | 9 | 
|
Roman Brown | (Florida Gulf Coast 2004) |
| SG/SF | 10 | 
|
Austin Nichols | (Humboldt State 2004) |
| PG | 11 |
|
Andre Barrett | (Seton Hall 2004) |
| PG | 13 | 
|
T. J. Sorrentine | (Vermont 2005) |
| PG/SG | 22 |
|
E. J. Rowland | (St. Mary's 2005) |
| SG | 25 |
|
Jonathan Moore | (North Carolina Central 2005) |
| SG/SF | 33 | 
|
Reed Rawlings | (Samford 2001) |
| C/PF | 34 | 
|
Elton Brown | (Virginia 2004) |
Year-by-year record
| Season | Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Postseason Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Charleston Lowgators | |||||
| 2001–02 | 1st | 36 | 20 | .643 | Won Semifinals (Mobile) 2-1 Lost D-League Finals (Greenville) 2-0 |
| 2002–03 | 2nd | 26 | 24 | .520 | Lost Semifinals (Mobile) 2-0 |
| Charleston Lowgators | |||||
| 2003–04 | 2nd | 27 | 19 | .587 | Lost Semifinals (Huntsville) 108-100 |
| Florida Flame | |||||
| 2004–05 | 6th | 17 | 31 | .354 | |
| 2005–06 | 3rd | 25 | 23 | .521 | Lost Semifinals (Albuquerque) 80-71 |
| Regular season | 131 | 117 | .528 | ||
| Playoffs | 2 | 6 | .250 | ||
Affiliates
- Boston Celtics (2005–2006)
- Miami Heat (2005–2006)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (2005–2006)
- Orlando Magic (2005–2006)