Rio Grande Valley Vipers

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Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Rio Grande Valley Vipers logo
LeagueNBA G League
Founded2007
HistoryRio Grande Valley Vipers
2007–present
ArenaBert Ogden Arena
LocationEdinburg, Texas
Team colorsRed, gray, black, white[1][2]
       
General managerTravis Stockbridge
Head coachMahmoud Abdelfattah
OwnershipAlonzo Cantu
Affiliation(s)Houston Rockets
Championships3 (2010, 2013, 2019)
Conference titles5 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019)
Division titles3 (2010, 2013, 2019)
Websiteriograndevalley.gleague.nba.com

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team based in Edinburg, Texas. The Vipers compete in the NBA G League, and play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won three league titles in 2010, 2013, and 2019, most for any club in league history.

The Vipers entered a single-partnership affiliation agreement with the Houston Rockets during the 2009–10 season. Previously, they were also affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers for 2007–08 and the New Orleans Hornets from 2007 to 2009.

History

After the finish of the 2006–07 season, the D-League announced an expansion to Hidalgo, Texas, with the team name "Rio Grande Valley Vipers". In their debut season, 2007–08, they finished with a 21–29 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs. In 2008–09, they finished with the same record, failing to advance to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

In 2009, the Vipers and the Houston Rockets entered into a single affiliation partnership in which the Rockets controlled the Vipers' basketball operations while the franchise remains under local ownership by Alonzo Cantu.[3] The result paid immediate dividends in the 2009–10 season, as the Vipers enjoyed their most successful season. Led by league MVP Mike Harris, and coach of the year Chris Finch, the Vipers went 34–16, tops in the Western Conference, and earned the franchise's first playoff berth. In the playoffs, the Vipers beat both Reno and Austin in 3 games, and swept Tulsa in the Finals to earn the franchise's first championship.[4]

In 2013, the Vipers won their second title over the Santa Cruz Warriors. Andrew Goudelock won the NBA Development League Most Valuable Player Award and got called up by the Los Angeles Lakers.

In November 2013, the Vipers announced Gianluca Pascucci as the general manager and Nevada Smith as the head coach.[5][6]

On February 26, 2015, the Vipers broke ground on a new arena in Edinburg called Bert Ogden Arena and was originally scheduled for completion in October 2016. The arena was reportedly initially designed to house 8,500 seats, along with being a venue used for entertainment. The Vipers are the main tenant and operator (while the City of Edinburg will own the arena), and there will be a 40-by-20 foot jumbotron, the largest in the league. The arena was funded by sales taxes and cost an estimated $68 million, with nearly half being funded privately.[7] After a few delays, the new arena was announced to have a grand opening in June 2018, with the Vipers beginning play in the arena for the 2018–19 season, and an estimated end cost of $88 million.[8]

On August 18, 2015, the Vipers named Matt Brase their new head coach.[9]

On April 12, 2019, the Vipers won their third championship in a 129–112 game three win against the Long Island Nets.[10]

Season-by-season

Season Division Regular season Playoffs
Finish Wins Losses Pct.
Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2007–08 Southwestern 5th 21 29 .420
2008–09 Southwestern 4th 21 29 .420
2009–10 Western 1st 34 16 .680 Won First Round (Reno) 2–1
Won Semifinals (Austin) 2–1
Won D-League Finals (Tulsa) 2–0
2010–11 Western 2nd 33 17 .660 Won First Round (Bakersfield) 2–1
Won Semifinals (Reno) 2–0
Lost D-League Finals (Iowa) 1–2
2011–12 Western 5th 24 26 .480
2012–13 Central 1st 35 15 .700 Won First Round (Maine) 2–0
Won Semifinals (Tulsa) 2–0
Won D-League Finals (Santa Cruz) 2–0
2013–14 Central 3rd 30 20 .600 Won First Round (Iowa) 2–1
Lost Semifinals (Santa Cruz) 1–2
2014–15 Southwest 3rd 27 23 .540
2015–16 Southwest 2nd 29 21 .580 Lost First Round (Austin) 1–2
2016–17 Southwest 2nd 32 18 .640 Won First Round (Los Angeles) 2–1
Won Conf. Finals (Oklahoma City) 2–1
Lost Finals (Raptors 905) 1–2
2017–18 Southwest 2nd 29 21 .580 Won First Round (Texas) 107–100
Lost Conf. Semifinal (Austin) 91–117
2018–19 Southwest 1st 34 16 .680 Won Conf. Semifinal (Memphis) 135–118
Won Conf. Final (Santa Cruz) 144–125
Won League Finals (Long Island) 2–1
2019–20 Southwest 4th 15 27 .357
Regular season 332 260 .561
Playoffs 31 16 .660

Current roster

Rio Grande Valley Vipers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 8 Culver, Jarrett 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-02-20 Texas Tech
G/F 14 Hinton, Nate (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-06-08 Houston
G 13 Knight, John 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-05-12 Southern Utah
G 0 Lecque, Jalen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-06-13 Brewster Academy (NH)
G 66 Mitchell, Trhae 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-08-19 South Alabama
F 6 Obiesie, Joshua 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-05-23 Germany
G 1 Occeus, Shawn 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1997-12-15 Northeastern
G 23 Reaves, Josh 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1997-06-04 Penn State
F 00 Samuels, Jermaine (TW) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1998-11-13 Villanova
G/F 19 Williams, Nate (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-02-12 Buffalo
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Evan Harville
  • Robbie Keck
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (P) Prospects
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: April 29, 2024

Head coaches

# Head coach Term Regular season Playoffs Achievements
G W L Win% G W L Win%
1 Bob Hoffman 2007–2008 50 21 29 .420 — — — —
2 Clay Moser 2008–2009 50 21 29 .420 — — — —
3 Chris Finch 2009–2011 100 67 33 .670 16 11 5 .688 2010 D-League Championship
4 Nick Nurse 2011–2013 100 59 41 .590 6 6 0 1.000 2013 D-League Championship
5 Nevada Smith 2013–2015 100 57 43 .570 6 3 3 .500
6 Matt Brase 2015–2018 150 90 60 .600 14 7 7 .500 2017 D-League Western Conference Champions
7 Joseph Blair 2018–2019 50 34 16 .680 5 4 1 .800 2019 G League Championship
8 Mahmoud Abdelfattah 2019–present 42 15 27 .357 — — — —

Past players

Players assigned from NBA teams

Players recalled to the NBA

Players called up to the NBA

NBA affiliates

References

  1. ^ "RGV Vipers 2015-16 Quick Facts" (PDF). 2015–16 RGV Vipers Media Guide. NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "Rio Grande Valley Vipers Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  3. ^ "Rockets taking over Vipers". ESPN. June 29, 2009.
  4. ^ May, Peter (2008-02-03). "A Maine focus in D-League". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  5. ^ "Gianluca Pascucci Named GM of the Vipers".
  6. ^ "RGV VIPERS AND HOUSTON ROCKETS ANNOUNCE NEVADA SMITH AS HEAD COACH".
  7. ^ "RGV VIPERS BREAK GROUND ON NEW ARENA". Rio Grande Valley Vipers. February 26, 2015.
  8. ^ "Tour offers glimpse of Bert Ogden Arena amenities". Brownsville Herald. April 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Rio Grande Valley Hires Matt Brase As Head Coach". NBA Development League. August 18, 2015.
  10. ^ "Rio Grande Valley vs. Long Island - Game Summary - April 12, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2019-04-13.

External links

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