Rapid City Thrillers
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| Rapid City Thrillers | |
 |
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| Founded | 1984 |
| League | CBA 1984-1997 |
| Team History | Tampa Bay Thrillers 1984-1987 Rapid City Thrillers 1987-1995 Florida Beach Dogs 1995-1997 |
| Arena | Rushmore Plaza Civic Center |
|---|---|
| Based in | Rapid City, SD |
| Team Colors | Red, White, Blue |
| Owner | Pat Hall |
| Head Coach | Bill Musselman, Flip Saunders, Keith Fowler, Eric Musselman |
| Championships | 3 (1985, 1986, 1987) |
| Division Titles | 9 |
| Cheerleaders | Thrillseekers |
| Dancers | Thriller Girls |
| Mascot | Thrilla Gorilla |
The Rapid City Thrillers was a professional basketball club based in Rapid City, South Dakota that competed in the Continental Basketball Association beginning in the 1987 season. One of the many notable players of the team was Keith Smart, who had previously played for the 1987 NCAA basketball champion Indiana Hoosiers team.
The Thrillers had some very notable head coaches in its time. First Bill Musselman coached the team to three consecutive CBA titles during the 1980s. Bill would go on to be one of the winningest coaches in CBA history before moving to the NBA as coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Flip Saunders coached the Thrillers for a season and is now current head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. Keith Fowler coached the team during one of their only losing seasons. Eric Musselman (son of Bill Musselman) coached the team successfully for seven years but was never fortunate enough to bring the championship back to the franchise although the team was runner-up three separate times during its existence.
This team traced its history back to the Tampa Bay Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Association, which moved to Rapid City in 1987 because of lack of attendance. After ten seasons in Rapid City and by a move that some say ruined professional basketball in the Black Hills, the team moved to West Palm Beach where they became the Florida Beach Dogs. The Beach Dogs lasted only two seasons folding after losing the championship series to the Oklahoma City Cavalry.
[edit] Year-by-year
| Year | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984/85 | CBA | 2nd, Eastern | Champions |
| 1985/86 | CBA | 1st, Eastern | Champions |
| 1986/87 | CBA | 1st, Eastern | Champions |
| 1987/88 | CBA | 6th, Western | Did not qualify |
| 1988/89 | CBA | 1st, Western | Western Division Finals |
| 1989/90 | CBA | 1st, National Midwest | Finals |
| 1990/91 | CBA | 2nd, National Midwest | National First Round |
| 1991/92 | CBA | 1st, National Northern | Finals |
| 1992/93 | CBA | 1st, National Midwest | National Conference Finals |
| 1993/94 | CBA | 1st, National Midwest | National Conference Finals |
| 1994/95 | CBA | 4th, National Midwest | National First Round |
| 1995/96 | CBA | 1st, National Southern | National Conference Finals |
| 1996/97 | CBA | 1st, American | Finals |
[edit] External links
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