East Coast Basketball League

East Coast Basketball League (ECBL)
Sport Basketball
Founded June 2014
No. of teams 16
Country United States
Continent FIBA Americas (Americas)
Most recent
champion(s)		 PrimeTime Players (2018)
Most titles PrimeTime Players (4)
Official website EastCoastBasketballLeague.org

East Coast Basketball League (ECBL) is a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States that began play in March 2015. The league is centered in the Carolinas with teams also in Georgia and Virginia.

Five of the teams (Carolina Gladiators, Fayetteville Crossover, PrimeTime Players, Queen City Express, South Carolina All-Stars)[1] in the ECBL previously played in the Tobacco Road Basketball League. The teams broke away from the TRBL due to changes in the league format.[2]

The ECBL will broadcast games live and delayed online via Chris Schieman Media & Marketing.[3]

History

On August 16, 2014 the ECBL announced[4] the addition of the Fort Gordon Eagles. A military team, the Eagles also compete in the Southeast Military Athletics Conference (SEMAC) from October to February.

Former American Basketball Association team Savannah Storm were named the 11th franchise to enter the ECBL.[5]

The first-ever ECBL Championship was won by PrimeTime Players, 130-113 over the Fayetteville Crossover. The final was played on June 27, 2015 in Fort Mill, South Carolina and streamed live online. Former Catawba College forward Donald Rutherford[6] scored 34 points while grabbing 16 rebounds for PrimeTime and was named game MVP.

Four new teams joined the ECBL for the 2016 season: expansion teams Carolina MPact, Petersburg Revolution, RDU Raptors and Winston-Salem Certified (formerly of the TRBL).

Expansion into Charlotte was announced on April 8, 2016 with the addition of Charlotte Golden Bulls.[7]

At the August AGM, league board of directors unanimously accepted the expansion application of the Florence Wildcats for 2017.[8] Two teams also announced name changes: Peterburg Cavaliers (formerly Revolution) and North Carolina Coyotes (formerly RDU Raptors).

League owners approved the expansion application of the Carolina Thunder for 2017. The Thunder will begin as a travel team playing a league schedule on the road. A second travel team, Hickory Hoyas, were added to the schedule before the season opener.

Teams

Northern Conference City Arena Founded First ECBL season
Charlotte Tribe Charlotte, North Carolina Bailey Middle School 2017 2018
East Carolina Cardinals Greenville, North Carolina Premier Sports Academy 2016 2017
Hampton Roads Warriors Hampton, Virginia Atlantic Shores Christian School 2015 2017
Hickory Hoyas Hickory, North Carolina Grandview Middle School 2014 2017
North Carolina Coyotes Durham, North Carolina Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club 2015 2016
Petersburg Cavaliers Petersburg, Virginia Richard Bland College 2015 2016
Rowan County Bulls Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury Hall Gym 2017 2018
Winston-Salem Certified Salem, North Carolina Salem Baptist Christian School 2014 2016
Southern Conference City Arena Founded First ECBL season
Carolina Crusaders Columbia, South Carolina Columbia High School 2014 2015
Carolina Thunder Dillon, South Carolina Dillon Wellnes Center 2015 2017
C-Port Trojans Savannah, Georgia Myers Middle School 2010 2015
Florence Wildcats Florence, South Carolina Florence YMCA 2016 2017
Fort Gordon Eagles Augusta, Georgia Fort Gordon 2013 2015
PrimeTime Players Fort Mill, South Carolina York Prep School 1991 2015
South Carolina All Stars Spartanburg, South Carolina Gethsemane Baptist Church 2011 2015
South Carolina Upstate Redhawks Greenville, South Carolina Legacy Charter School 2014 2015

Former teams

  • Carolina Gladiators (2015)
  • Carolina MPact (2016)
  • Charlotte Golden Bulls (2017)
  • Fayetteville Crossover (2015–16)
  • Gastonia Crowns (2015)
  • High Point Hawks (2014–17)
  • Queen City Express (2015)
  • South Carolina Showtime (2017)

Champions

Season Champion Runner-up Result
2015 PrimeTime Players Fayetteville Crossover 130-113[9][10]
2016 PrimeTime Players Fayetteville Crossover 119-100
2017 PrimeTime Players Carolina Thunder 123-105
2018 PrimeTime Players Hickory Hoyas 134-118

References

  1. ↑ "New East Coast Basketball League Created In Aftermath of Significant TRBL Changes". USBasket. 23 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "East Coast Basketball League to Begin Play in 2015". ECBL. 4 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "ECBL to Broadcast Game of the Week". Schieman Media & Marketing. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Fort Gordon Eagles Join ECBL". ECBL. 16 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "ECBL adds Savannah Storm to 2015 Lineup". Savannah Storm. 20 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Four Recieve(sic) Post-Season All-SAC Honors in Men's Basketball". Catawba College Athletics. 5 March 2010.
  7. ↑ "ECBL Add Charlotte Golden Bulls For 2017". USbasket. 8 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Florence Wildcats Newest Addition To ECBL". USbasket. 25 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "PrimeTime Players Win Inaugural ECBL Title". USBasket. 2 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "It's PrimeTime for hoops in Fort Mill". The Herald. 4 April 2016.
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