The La Crosse Bobcats were a Continental Basketball Association (CBA) basketball team located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, from 1996 to the league's bankruptcy in February 2001.[1] The Bobcats were the second CBA team located in La Crosse; previously, the La Crosse Catbirds played from 1985 to 1994. The team hosted its matches at the La Crosse Center.
| La Crosse Bobcats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leagues | CBA |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Dissolved | 2001 |
| Arena | La Crosse Center |
| Location | La Crosse, Wisconsin |
| Team colors | red, purple, white |
Don Zierden served as the Bobcats head coach during their inaugural 1996–97 season.[2] The team held their first open tryouts at Viterbo College from October 25 to October 27, 1996.[3]
In 1997, the Bobcats marketing campaign featured commercials depicting La Crosse players hawking sub-par team endorsed products in a home shopping parody. The team's tagline for the commercials were, "Lousy endorsements. Great basketball". No actual La Crosse players were in the commercials since they were filmed during the off-season, so actors were used.[4]
During the 1999 CBA draft, the Bobcats selected former Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Okey in the eighth round. Okey declined a contract from La Crosse, opting to play in a Turkish professional league. In September 2000, the Bobcats announced that Okey had signed a contract for the upcoming season. Okey first received basketball notoriety in Wisconsin while attending a Cassville prep school. He was a McDonald's High School All-American in 1995.[5]
In 2006, the City of La Crosse dedicated a time capsule which included objects from the city's 150-year history. Buried under a marble slab, the capsule is set to be opened for the city's bicentennial celebration in 2056. A Bobcats pin-back button and program from their inaugural season were included in the capsule.[6]
All-time roster
edit
- Chucky Atkins
- A. J. Bramlett
- James Blackwell
- Mark Blount
- Gerald Brown
- Walter Bond
- David Booth
- Lazaro Borrell
- Mark Boyd
- Jon Bryant
- Adrian Caldwell
- Jerry Carstensen
- Robert Churchwell
- James Collins
- Joe Courtney
- Corey Crowder
- Jason Crowe
- Dennis Davis
- Mark Davis
- Todd Day
- Tony Dumas
- Nate Driggers
- LaZelle Durden
- Acie Earl
- Neil Edwards
- Jo Jo English
- Sharif Fajardo
- Rob Feaster
- Isaac Fontaine
- Casey Frank
- Ronnie Fields
- Matt Fish
- Sherell Ford
- Ruben Garces
- Tim Gill
- Omm'A Givens
- Ronnie Grandison
- Jermaine Guice
- Jack Haley
- Emmett Hall
- Vince Hamilton
- Phil Handy
- Steve Hart
- Mark Hendrickson
- Fred Herzog
- Andrell Hoard
- Reggie Jackson
- Stephen Jackson
- Keith Johnson
- Danny Jones
- Dontae' Jones
- Tim Kempton
- Bo Kimble
- Chris King
- Jimmy King
- Kirk King
- Chris Kingsbury
- Jarvis Lang
- Doug Lee
- Martin Lewis
- Jarrod Lovette
- Marcus Mann
- Erik Martin
- Sean Mason
- Clint McDaniel
- Julius Michalik
- Russ Millard
- Silas Mills
- Jason Miskiri
- Tracy Moore
- Lawrence Moten
- Terquin Mott
- Ruben Nembhard
- Melvin Newbern
- Ed O'Bannon
- Sam Okey
- Derrick Phelps
- Rob Phelps
- Mark Pope
- Virginijus Praškevičius
- Mark Randall
- Mike Richardson
- Chris Robinson
- Rumeal Robinson
- Stan Rose
- Yamen Sanders
- Mark Sanford
- Reggie Slater
- Charles Smith
- Chris Smith
- Edward Smith
- Andre Spencer
- Joe Stephens
- Ray Thompson
- Keith Tower
- Anthony Tucker
- Donald Watts
- Jermaine Walker
- Bubba Wells
- Donald Whiteside
- Brandon Williams
- Trevor Winter
Season-by-season records
edit| Years | Wins | Losses | Winning percentage | Head coach(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 19 | 37 | .339 | Don Zierden | [9] |
| 1997–98 | 25 | 31 | .446 | Don Zierden | [10] |
| 1998–99 | 21 | 35 | .375 | Don Zierden (3–1) Mike Mashak (18–34) |
[11] |
| 1999–2000 | 21 | 35 | .375 | Dennis Johnson (14–22) Bill Klucas (7–13) |
[12] |
| 2000–01 | 9 | 14 | .391 | Bill Klucas | [13] |
References
edit- ^ "CBA appears to be finished; Two teams join the IBL, while others -- including the La Crosse Bobcats -- say they're done". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin: Capital Newspapers. February 4, 2001. p. D3.
- ^ "Locally". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin: Capital Newspapers. May 30, 1996. p. 2B.
- ^ "Locally". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin: Capital Newspapers. October 6, 1996. p. 2B.
- ^ Baar, Aaron (December 1, 1997). "Taking it to the hoopla". Adweek. Adweek, LLC. p. 7.
- ^ "Former UW star Okey tries CBA". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin: Capital Newspapers. September 21, 2000. p. 2C.
- ^ Jungen, Anne (October 15, 2006). "Buried in time: La Crosse celebrates 150 years with time capsule dedication". La Crosse Tribune. La Crosse, Wisconsin.
- ^ "1998-99 LaCrosse Bobcats Roster". laxbobcats.com. La Crosse Bobcats. Archived from the original on April 23, 1999. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "L A X B O B C A T S". laxbobcats.com. La Crosse Bobcats. Archived from the original on June 12, 2000. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "1996-97 La Crosse Bobcats Roster". justsportsstats.com. Just Sports Stats. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "1997-98 La Crosse Bobcats Roster". justsportsstats.com. Just Sports Stats. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "1998-99 La Crosse Bobcats Roster". justsportsstats.com. Just Sports Stats. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "1999-00 La Crosse Bobcats Roster". justsportsstats.com. Just Sports Stats. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "2000-01 La Crosse Bobcats Roster". justsportsstats.com. Just Sports Stats. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- Walker, Don (2001-03-07). "La Crosse, other CBA teams harbor ill will; They feel betrayed by league management". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.