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Dakota Wizards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dakota Wizards | |
 |
|
| Founded | 1995 |
| History | Dakota Wizards IBA:1995-2001 CBA:2001-2006 NBA D-League:2006-Present |
| Arena | Bismarck Civic Center |
| City | Bismarck, North Dakota |
| Team Colors | Purple, Green, Black |
| Head Coach | Dave Joerger |
| Owner | Steve McCormick |
| Championships | (3) 2 CBA 1 IBA |
| Affiliations | Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards |
The Dakota Wizards are an American basketball team in the NBA Development League (D-League). The team was originally formed in 1995 as a member of the International Basketball Association, a basketball circuit based in the northern United States and western Canada. In the IBA's final year of operation, the 2000-01 season, the Wizards took the IBA title.
After that season, the IBA merged with several teams from the CBA. While conventional wisdom held that the smaller, regional IBA franchises would not survive against the stronger CBA squads, the Wizards held their own with a regular season record of 26-14, and a single-elimination 116-109 win over the Rockford Lightning in the CBA's championship game.
In the 2002-03 season, they were the favorites to win the title, but they lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champion, the Yakama Sun Kings.
Their third season in the CBA was their best yet. The Wizards rolled to a 34-14 regular season finish, proving themselves as the top team in the league. The Wizards beat the Rockford Lightning 3-1 in the best-of-five semi-finals of the playoffs, and in the winner-take-all championship game, they beat the Idaho Stampede 132-129.
After the 2003-2004 season, coach Dave Joerger left the Wizards for a coaching opportunity with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The Wizards announced that former assistant coach Casey Owens would become the head coach and Brian Walsh would become the assistant. The Wizards lost their opening two games versus the Skyforce, but then cruised to a 12 game winning streak before losing to Sioux Falls on New Year's Eve, 2004. The Wizards also lost two potential all-stars, Billy Keys and Dickey Simpkins, left the team in mid-season to play overseas.
In the end, the Wizards clinched home court advantage throughout the 2005 playoffs with a league-best 32-16 record. Dakota split their first four playoff games with their first-round opponents, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, until Sioux Falls won game five with a 102-97 victory.
After the 2004-05 season, head coach Casey Owens was replaced by former Baylor University head coach Dave Bliss. The Wizards ownership never made it clear why Owens was not offered a new contract after coaching the team to the best record in the CBA in 2004-05. Hiring Bliss caused some controversy among basketball fans, as Bliss was previously involved in a basketball scandal involving the death of one of his Baylor University players, Patrick Dennehy. Dave Bliss then resigned after the 2005-2006 season, in which the Wizards finished 19-29 and missed the playoffs.
It was widely speculated that they were going to fold, but on April 1, the team announced a three-year lease agreement with their arena. Five days later, on April 6, they announced they were switching to the NBA Development League.
On May 25, 2006, the Wizards announced that Dave Joerger would be returning as the team's Head Coach for the 2006-2007 NBA Development League season. He was signed to a two year deal. A few weeks later it was announced that the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards would be the team's NBA affiliates. The number of affiliates varied from team to team. Some had three affiliates, some had two, and the Los Angeles D-Fenders had one. As former CBA teams, the Wizards, the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the Idaho Stampede had more experience in signing players, so they were given two affiliates each. The less experienced teams were given three.
International Basketball Association
| Year | GP | W | L | Pct. | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1995-96 | 24 | 7 | 17 | .292 | 5th, IBA | Out of Playoffs |
| 1996-97 | 30 | 17 | 13 | .567 | 2nd, IBA | Lost in IBA Finals |
| 1997-98 | 34 | 14 | 20 | .412 | 3rd, West | Out of Playoffs |
| 1998-99 | 36 | 12 | 22 | .353 | 5th, West | Out of Playoffs |
| 1999-00 | 36 | 30 | 6 | .833 | 1st, West | Lost in semifinals |
| 2000-01 | 40 | 30 | 10 | .750 | 1st, West | Won Championship |
Continental Basketball League
| Year | GP | W | L | Pct. | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2001-02 | 40 | 26 | 14 | .650 | 1st, National | Won Championship |
| 2002-03 | 48 | 31 | 17 | .646 | 1st, National | Lost in semifinals |
| 2003-04 | 48 | 34 | 14 | .708 | 1st, CBA | Won Championship |
| 2004-05 | 48 | 32 | 16 | .667 | 1st, Western | Lost in semifinals |
| 2005-06 | 48 | 19 | 29 | .396 | 4th, Western | Out of Playoffs |
NBA D-League
| Year | GP | W | L | Pct. | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2006-07 | 45 | 29 | 16 | .644 | N/A, Eastern | N/A |
| NBA Development League |
|---|
| East Division: Arkansas RimRockers | Austin Toros | Dakota Wizards | Fort Worth Flyers | Sioux Falls Skyforce | Tulsa 66ers |
| West Division: Albuquerque Thunderbirds | Anaheim Arsenal | Bakersfield Jam | Colorado 14ers | Idaho Stampede | Los Angeles D-Fenders |
| Suspended operations: Florida Flame |
| Expected to begin play in 2007-08: Iowa | Rio Grande Valley | Utah |
| Defunct/Former Teams: Asheville Altitude | Charleston Lowgators | Columbus Riverdragons | Fayetteville Patriots Greenville Groove | Huntsville Flight | Mobile Revelers | Roanoke Dazzle |