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CBA
Rivals Look To Battle for Eastern Conference Title
Gary looks to build on last season's success; Rockford chases 12th straight
postseason appearance.
The Gary Steelheads and Rockford Lightning are separated by only 118 miles, making them the closest two cities in the CBA.
Last season the two teams finished the year with just a two game difference in the standings (Gary 27-21, Rockford 25-23) and only 5.5 quarter-points between them.
Now, with the league returning to a two-conference standings system, and both teams playing in the Eastern Conference, these two rivals will be in a yearlong battle for bragging rights in the East.
The Lightning has been a perennial participant in the CBA postseason, with 11 straight playoff berths dating back to 1993, while the Steelheads had their first taste of postseason action last year, their fourth season in the league.
One team has a constant mindset of success, while the other is looking for another piece of the postseason pie.
"We took a step forward last year, but we did not achieve our ultimate goal," stated Steelheads Head Coach Duane Ticknor. "We are just going to try to build on that momentum this year."
To do that, Ticknor brought back 2004 All-Stars Shelly Clark and Jemeil Rich, the Steelheads career leader in games played (95), points (1,358), field goals (528), free throws (285), assists (856) and steals (250).
Guard David Graves also returns along with 2004 All-Star Jimmie "Snap" Hunter, who played for the Lightning last season.
"Getting David Graves back is big for us because that puts two great shooters out on the wing with Snap and David," added Ticknor. "And Jemeil led the league in assists last year, so our backcourt, I am not going to say it is better than anybody else's, but we feel very confident that we can compete with anybody in this league.
"We feel pretty comfortable, and the big thing is that we have four starters back from last season."
The Steelheads also hope to return the fan support they received during last year's campaign, when they posted the league's two largest crowds of the season, both against the archrival Lightning.
On the 15th of November, 5,823 fans filled the Genesis Convention Center for opening night, while 6,202 fans watched them battle again on March 6, to close out the 2003-04 regular season.
"We have a great fan base and a great core group of fans that are here every game," said Ticknor. "They are kind of like the mailman; it does not matter about the weather or the time of day, they are going to get here to that game.
"The thing is we just need to build on that and get more of them every night. Our goal is to build on the fan base that we already have."
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