The Lake Michigan Admirals were a team of the Premier Basketball League that began play in the 2009-10 season as a member of the American Basketball Association.[1] The Admirals are the second ABA team based in Berrien County, Michigan, after the Benton Harbor-based Twin City Ballers folded after their only season of 2006–07. The Admirals played 15 home games, 10 in Lake Michigan Catholic High School in Saint Joseph, Michigan and 5 at Benton Harbor High School in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
 | |
| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| League | ABA (2009–2011) PBL (2012–present) |
| Team history | Lake Michigan Admirals (2009–present) |
| Based in | St. Joseph, Michigan |
| Arena | St. Joseph High School |
| Colors | Black, gold, white, silver |
| Owner | Chris Glisson |
| Head coach | Ace Jackson, Armando Villanueva |
| Championships | Midwest Champions 2015,2016 |
| Dancers | The Lady Admirals |
The Admirals are owned by Chris Glisson, former co-owner of fellow ABA teams the Smoky Mountain Jam and Tri-City Racers. Glisson hoped to set up a similar arena for the Admirals in time for the 2019 season but failed to do so. After the team folded, Glisson was arrested in the spring of 2020, while working with the Boys and Girls club for assaulting a student at the high school he was assigned to and subsequently fired from the organization.
The Admirals finished their inaugural 2009-2010 season with 13 wins and 7 losses, with a 122–117 loss to North Division rivals Chicago Steam in the Division Championship Game. Captain and forward Dominick Melton was named to the ABA East All Star team, with Odgra Bobo, Antonio Griffin and Brandon Ball all honorary mentions in All Star voting.[2]
For the 2012 season, the Admirals joined the Premier Basketball League.[3]
In October 2014, the Admirals signed Bob Wegner, who at 7'8" has claimed to be the world's tallest professional athlete.[citation needed]
In 2015 and 2016, the Admirals were back to back PBL Midwest Champions.
The focus of the Lake Michigan Admirals is to help prepare players mentally, physically, and spiritually before going to the next level. Owner Chris Glisson has helped 86 players get signed to over 58 different countries since 2009.[4]
History season results
editThis section needs to be updated. (July 2019) |
- 2009-2010 (14-6)
- 2010-2011 (22-6)
- 2011-2012 (4-14)
- 2012-2013 (4-11)
- 2013-2014 (6-12)
- 2014-2015 (12-4)
- 2016 (10-8)
Head coaches
edit- Michael "Ace" Jackson (2014–present)
- Jonathan Solomon (2014)
- Michael "Ace" Jackson (2012-2013)
- Che' D Eddie (2010–2012)
- Buck Riley (2009-2010)
- Mike Ahrens (2009)
- Buck Riley
2014 roster
edit| # | Ht. | Player | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 6'7 | Odgra Bobo | Oakland Community College |
| 1 | | 6'6 | Terrance Shaw | Ferris State |
| 3 | | 6'3 | Kahlil McDonald | Western Kentucky |
| 4 | | 6'5 | Reid Houston | Genesee CC |
| 4 | | 6'11 | Hamidu Rahman | New Mexico State |
| 4 | | 6'5 | Courtney Smith | Sienna Heights |
| 5 | | 6'2 | Kenny Brown | Ferris State |
| 8 | | 6'10 | Lester Ferguson | Robert Morris (IL) |
| 8 | | 6'7 | Larry Logan | Centenary |
| 9 | | 6'4 | Corvonn Gaines | East Carolina |
| 9 | | 6'9 | Eladio Espinosa | South Florida |
| 10 | | 6'0 | Maurice Benson | Indiana Tech |
| 12 | | 6'0 | Corey Neeley | Concord University |
| 15 | | 5'9 | Scott Odom | Fort Worth, Texas |
| 15 | | 6'0 | Kwan Waller | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 15 | | 5'8 | Desmond Wade | University of Houston |
| 15 | | 6'6 | Fred Harris | West Virginia State |
| 15 | | 6'8 | Shimeek Johnson | St. Edwards University |
| 23 | | 6'10 | Stan Simpson | Memphis |
| 23 | | 6'8 | Shane Ross | Toledo |
| 25 | | 6'6 | Florentino Valencia | Toledo |
| 25 | | 7'2 | John Riek | Mississippi State |
| 33 | | 6'3 | Courtney Blackmore | Ferris State |
| 32 | | 6'10 | Waki Williams | Memphis |
2011-12 roster
edit| # | Ht. | Player | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | | 6'1 | Greg Plater | Long Beach State |
| 3 | | 6'1 | Steve Strong | Robert Morris |
| 4 | | 6'5 | Pete Trammell | Grand Valley State |
| 5 | | 6'7 | Rodney Alexander | Illinois |
| 10 | | 6'4 | Romain Martin | Eastern Illinois |
| 14 | | 6'11 | Garrett Schmidt | Urbana |
| 15 | | 5'7 | Ogdra Bobo | Oakland CC |
| 21 | | 7'3 | Shagari Alleyne | Kentucky |
| 23 | | 6'1 | Ryan Young | Concordia Chicago |
| 24 | | 5'10 | Jay McCree | Lake Michigan College |
| 25 | | 6'1 | Scotty Samarco | Pikeville |
| 33 | | 6'3 | Courtney Blackmore | Ferris State |
| 42 | | 6'6 | Florentino Valencia | Toledo |
2010-11 season schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Home/away | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 4 | Seattle Mountaineers | Home | 107-105 | Dominick Melton (23), Odgra Bobo (23) | Larry Logan (7) | Steve Strong (4) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School | 1-0 |
| December 5 | Seattle Mountaineers | Home | 84-100 | Odgra Bobo (18) | DeAngelo Johnson (6), Dominick Melton (6) | Steve Strong (4) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School | 1-1 |
| December 11 | West Virginia Blazers | Home | 129-131 | Dominick Melton (35) | DeAngelo Johnson (12) | Steve Strong (9) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School | 1-2 |
| December 12 | West Virginia Blazers | Home | 115-103 | Odgra Bobo (31) | Odgra Bobo (10) | Steve Strong (7) | Coloma High School | 2-2 |
| December 18 | Detroit Hoops | Home | 126-111 | Dominick Melton (27) | Larry Logan (11) | Odgra Bobo (10) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School | 3-2 |
| January 9 | Chicago Steam | Away | 117-112 | Odgra Bobo (28) | South Suburban College | 3-3 | ||
| January 15 | Indiana Diesels | Away | 124-112 | 4-3 | ||||
| January 22 | NWI Magical Stars | Home | 131-106 | Odgra Bobo (25) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School | 5-3 | ||
| January 23 | NWI Magical Stars | Home | 111-106 | Odgra Bobo (26) | Odgra Bobo (14) | Odgra Bobo (4), Allen White (4) | Bangor High School | 6-3 |
| January 29 | Detroit Hoops | Away | 119-107 | Odgra Bobo (25) | Odgra Bobo (8) | Ernest T. Ford Recreation Center, 5:30 pm | 7-3 | |
| February 5 | Chicago Steam | Home | 100-104 | Odgra Bobo (25) | Larry Logan (11) | Odgra Bobo (5) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School, 7 pm | 7-4 |
| February 12 | NWI Magical Stars | Home | 111-117 | Odgra Bobo (28) | Gus Chase (11), Larry Logan (11) | Brandon Ball (6), Odgra Bobo (6) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School, 7 pm | 7-5 |
| February 19 | Michiana Monarchs | Home | 140-112 | Gus Chase (31) | Gus Chase (13) | Brandon Ball (10) | Lake Michigan Catholic High School, 7 pm | 8-5 |
| February 20 | Michiana Monarchs | Away | 128-109 | Steve Strong (32) | Gus Chase (16) | Brandon Ball (10) | Michigan Lutheran, 3 pm | 9-5 |
| February 26 | ABA All-Star Game | Away | Jacksonville, FL | |||||
| February 27 | Detroit Hoops | Home | 143-111 | Gus Chase (25) | Gus Chase (9), Eddie Spencer (9) | Jay McCree (9) | Benton Harbor High School, 3 pm | 10-5 |
| March 2 | Benton Harbor All-Stars | Home | 162-112 | Odgra Bobo (35) | Gus Chase (9) | Brandon Ball (9), Odgra Bobo (9), Gus Chase (9), Steve Strong (9) | Eau Claire High School, 6:30 pm | 11-5 |
| March 6 | NWI Magical Stars, Tournament | Away | 112-104 | Odgra Bobo (29) | Odgra Bobo (13) | Brandon Ball (8) | Bangor High School, 3 pm | 12-5 |
| March 12 | Chicago Steam, North Central Divisional Championship | Away | 121-98 | Steve Strong (28) | Gus Chase (16) | Brandon Ball (10) | South Suburban College, South Holland, IL, 7:15 pm (CST) | 13-5 |
| March 19 | Seven City Knights | Away | Pike County Central HS, Pikeville, KY, 5 pm |
References
edit- ^ Kahne, Nathan (2009-12-06). "Debut of a team". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
- ^ ABA League Office (2010-03-16). "ABA NAMES 2009-2010 ALL-STAR TEAMS". abalive.com. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
- ^ "Lake Michigan Admirals and Fans Excited About Joining the Premier Basketball League in 2012".
- ^ "Lake Michigan Admirals". www.lakemichiganadmirals.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-27.
- ^ Stats for 2014 season