Springfield Armor

Springfield Armor
Founded	2009
History	Springfield Armor (D-League): 2009–present
Arena	MassMutual Center
City	Springfield, Massachusetts
Team colors	Red, blue, black, silver, orange
Head coach	Bob MacKinnon, Jr.
Owner	HWS Basketball, LLC
Championships	None
Division / Conference titles	None
Affiliations	Brooklyn Nets
Website	www.nba.com/dleague/springfield/

The Springfield Armor is a basketball team located in Springfield, Massachusetts, which plays in the NBA Development League. The Armor plays its home games at the MassMutual Center in Springfield's Metro Center neighborhood. The team is owned by HWS Basketball, LLC which is principally owned by Michael Savit, previously the Senior Vice President of International Management Group. (His HWS Baseball group owns and operates four minor-league baseball teams; the Southern League's Mobile BayBears, the California League's Modesto Nuts, the New York-Penn League's Mahoning Valley Scrappers, and the Coastal Plain League's Columbia Blowfish.)

Since the start of the 2011–2012 season, the Springfield Armor has been the official and exclusive affiliate of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. The Armor was the second team to opt for the D-League's "hybrid affiliation." Local ownership maintains control over business, marketing, and day-to-day operations in Springfield, but basketball operations are controlled by the Nets. Prior to this, the only other D-League "hybrid affiliation" was between the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the NBA's Houston Rockets. According to America Online, "The hybrid model has been very well received by GMs and owners, and considering the massive success the Rockets have had with the model, both in winning D-League games and developing NBA-caliber talent (many of whom received the call from the Rockets for stints last season), it's no surprise that the Nets elected for this version of ownership." Many other NBA D-League teams have since adopted this model.

Springfield – The Birthplace of Basketball

The City of Springfield is nicknamed The Birthplace of Basketball because the sport was invented there in 1891. Springfield College teacher James Naismith invented the game to fill-in the gap between the fall's football season and the summer's baseball season. Basketball became popular quickly and became an Olympic sport in 1936. Springfield is also home to basketball's most prestigious site, the Basketball Hall of Fame, which honors the game's greatest players, coaches, and contributors. Each year hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world visit the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Team name

The Springfield Armor's team name comes from the famous Springfield Armory, which was founded by George Washington in 1777 as the Continental Army's arsenal, and went on to become a very important and innovative institution during American history. The Pentagon controversially closed the Springfield Armory during the Vietnam War, outraging and confusing many people. Today, the Springfield Armory is a National Park, featuring a museum with the largest collection of guns in the entire world. Springfield Armory innovations include the development of interchangeable parts, the Springfield rifle, America's first musket, and the first fluorescent light.

Armor history

In franchise events in 2009: the team held a name the team contest until May 1. On June 30, the Armor unveiled its name, logo, and colors. On July 29, it was announced that Dee Brown will be the head coach. On September 2, the Armor picked first in the D-League Expansion Draft, which they used on center Marcus Campbell.

The team ended their inaugural 2009–2010 season with a record of 7–43, the worst record in NBADL history. They finished in 7th place in the Eastern Division. Their leading scorer was Morris Almond, who averaged 26.8 points per game in 22 games with the team.

In 2010–11, the Armor started by picking 5th in the D-League Draft, and selected La Salle's Vernon Goodridge. Goodridge went on to play in 33 games, averaging 9.0 points per game, and led the team with 1.6 blocks per game, before being traded to the Maine Red Claws. JamesOn Curry led the team overall with 684 points scored, a 15.5 ppg average. The Armor would end up finishing with a record of 13–37, sixth in the seven-team Eastern Conference. After the season, head coach Dee Brown opted to leave the team to join the Detroit Pistons. Brown was replaced soon after by Bob MacKinnon, Jr.

Season By season

Season	Division	Regular Season				Postseason Results
		Finish	Wins	Losses	Pct.
Springfield Armor
2009–10	Eastern	7th	7	43	.140
2010–11	Eastern	6th	13	37	.260
2011–12	Eastern	1st	29	21	.580	Lost Round 1 (Canton)
2012–13	Eastern	5th	18	32	.360
Regular Season Record			67	133	.335	2009–2013
Playoff Record			1	2	.333	2009–2013

Current roster

Springfield Armor roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From 4.0 !F 32 Adeleke, Kenny 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Hartford 4.0 !F 23 Horner, Dennis 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina State 1.5 !G 9 Johnson, Justin 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Concordia-Irvine 1.5 !G 15 Jones, Dominique 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) South Florida 1.5 !G 13 Moore, Ramone 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Temple 4.0 !F 33 Reed, Willie 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Saint Louis 4.0 !F 34 Scott, Carleton 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) Notre Dame 2.5 !G/F 17 Ubiles, Edwin 78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 204 lb (93 kg) Siena 1.5 !G 14 Uzoh, Ben 75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Tulsa	Head coach Robert MacKinnon Assistant coach(es) Chris Carrawell Athletic trainer(s) Mark Mahoney Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate Injured Roster • Transactions Last transaction: April 10, 2013

Affiliates

• Brooklyn Nets (2009–present)
• New York Knicks (2009–2011)
• Philadelphia 76ers (2009–2011)

External links

• Official website