East Coast Basketball League

East Coast Basketball League (ECBL)
Sport	Basketball
Founded	June 2014
First season	2015
No. of teams	21
Country	United States
Continent	FIBA Americas (Americas)
Most recent; champion(s)	Carolina Thunder (South); Hartford Shockers (Mid Atlantic) ; (2023)
Most titles	Six (PrimeTime Players)
Official website	EastCoastBasketballLeague.org

East Coast Basketball League (ECBL) is a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States that began play in March 2015. The league is centered in the Carolinas with teams also in Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

History

Five teams (Carolina Gladiators, Fayetteville Crossover, PrimeTime Players, Queen City Express, South Carolina All-Stars)^[1] in the ECBL previously played in the Tobacco Road Basketball League. The teams broke away from the TRBL due to changes in the league format.^[2]

On August 16, 2014, the ECBL announced the addition of the Fort Gordon Eagles. A military team, the Eagles also compete in the Southeast Military Athletics Conference (SEMAC) from October to February.

Former American Basketball Association team Savannah Storm were admitted to enter the ECBL for Season 1. They would be joined by Columbia Crusaders, Gastonia Crowns and High Point Hawks to round out the 10-team circuit.

The first-ever ECBL Championship was won by PrimeTime Players, 130–113 over the Fayetteville Crossover. The final was played on June 27, 2015, in Fort Mill, South Carolina and streamed live online. Former Catawba College forward Donald Rutherford^[3] scored 34 points while grabbing 16 rebounds for PrimeTime and was named game MVP.

Four new teams joined the ECBL for the 2016 season: expansion teams Carolina MPact, Petersburg Revolution, RDU Raptors and Winston-Salem Certified (formerly of the TRBL).

Expansion into Charlotte was announced on April 8, 2016, with the addition of Charlotte Golden Bulls.^[4]

At the August 2016 AGM, league board of directors unanimously accepted the expansion application of the Florence Wildcats for 2017.^[5] Two teams also announced name changes: Peterburg Cavaliers (formerly Revolution) and North Carolina Coyotes (formerly RDU Raptors).

League owners approved the expansion application of the Carolina Thunder for 2017. The Thunder began as a travel team playing a league schedule on the road. A second travel team, Hickory Hoyas, were added to the schedule before the season opener.

Prior to the 2021 season the league added seven teams to form the new Mid-Atlantic Conference. Teams included Fredericksburg Grizzlies, Hub City Hogs, Philly Cannons, Philly Raiders, Plaistow Shockers, Red Rose Thunder and Western Mass Zombies.

Teams

Mid-Atlantic Conference	City	Arena	Founded	First ECBL season
Hartford Shockers	Hartford, Connecticut	East Catholic High School	2019	2021
Philly Raiders	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Germantown Academy	2019	2021
Northern Conference	City	Arena	Founded	First ECBL season
Carolina Chosen Lions	Rocky Mount, North Carolina	Rocky Mount Prep	2018	2019
Fayetteville Panthers	Fayetteville, North Carolina	Highland Presbyterian Church Rec Center	2018	2019
Hickory Hoyas	Hickory, North Carolina	Newton Conover Middle School	2016	2017
North Carolina Capitals	Raleigh, North Carolina	Garner Road Community Center	2020	2021
Petersburg Cavaliers	Petersburg, Virginia	Richard Bland College	2015	2016
Rowan County Bulls	Cleveland, North Carolina	Fifteen Sports Athletic Center	2017	2018
Winston-Salem Wolves	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	Forsyth Country Day Childress Center	2018	2019
Southern Conference	City	Arena	Founded	First ECBL season
Carolina Crusaders	Columbia, South Carolina	Glenforest School	2014	2015
Carolina Thunder	Hartsville, South Carolina	Coach D.B. Thomas Sports Center	2015	2017
Charlotte Tribe	Charlotte, North Carolina	Mountain Island Fitness	2017	2018
Garden City Magic	Augusta, Georgia	Episcopal Day School	2019	2021
Gastonia Snipers	Gastonia, North Carolina	Fort Mill Community Center	2018	2019
PrimeTime Players	Fort Mill, South Carolina	Legion Collegiate Academy	1991	2015
South Carolina Upstate Redhawks	Greenville, South Carolina	Greenville First Baptist	2014	2015

Former teams

Augusta Eagles (2015–20)
Carolina Gladiators (2015)
Carolina Kings (2017)
Carolina MPact (2016)
Carolina Showtime (2017; 2020)
Charlotte Golden Bulls (2017)
C-Port Trojans (2015–18)
East Carolina Cardinals (2018–19)
Fayetteville Crossover (2015–16)
Fredericksburg Grizzlies (2021)
Gastonia Crowns (2015)
Georgia Fire (2020–21)
Hickory Hoyas (2017–19; 2020–present) - Suspended from league in 2019 after four games. Returned in 2020.
High Point Hawks (2015–17)
Philly Cannons (2021)
Queen City Express (2015)
South Carolina All Stars (2015–18)
Winston-Salem Certified (2016–18)
Kannapolis Lycans (2020–22)
North Carolina Coyotes (2017–22)
Lehigh Valley Flight (2022)
Coastal Elite Pirates (2021–23)
Bishopville Devils (2022–23)
Hampton Roads Warriors (2017–20,2023)
Florence Wildcats (2017–23)
Western Mass Zombies (2021–23)
Hub City Hogs (2021–23)
Red Rose Thunder (2021–23)
Nova Bulls (2022–23)

Champions

Season	Champion	Runner-up	Result
2015	PrimeTime Players	Fayetteville Crossover	130-113^[6]^[7]
2016	PrimeTime Players	Fayetteville Crossover	119-100
2017	PrimeTime Players	Carolina Thunder	123-105
2018	PrimeTime Players	Hickory Hoyas	134-118
2019	PrimeTime Players	Winston-Salem Wolves	103-99
2020	none (season suspended due to COVID-19)	---	---
2021: South 2021: Mid-Atlantic	PrimeTime Players Western Mass Zombies	North Carolina Coyotes Hub City Hogs	130-128 122-117 (OT)
2022: South 2022: Mid-Atlantic	Petersburg Cavaliers Hartford Shockers	Carolina Crusaders Hub City Hogs	134-124 125-114

|- |2023: South 2023: Mid-Atlantic |Carolina Thunder Hartford Shockers |Petersburg Cavaliers The DC Heat |126-102 134-120 |}

ECBL Super Cup

Winners of the ECBL Mid-Atlantic and ECBL South.

ECBL Super Cup
Year	Winner	Runner-up	Result	Location
2021	PrimeTime Players	Western Mass Zombies	133-129^[8]	Combine Academy, Lincolnton, North Carolina
2022	Hartford Shockers	Petersburg Cavaliers	130-110	Hartford, CT

References

^ "New East Coast Basketball League Created In Aftermath of Significant TRBL Changes". USBasket. July 23, 2014.
^ "East Coast Basketball League to Begin Play in 2015". ECBL. July 4, 2014. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014.
^ "Four Recieve [sic] Post-Season All-SAC Honors in Men's Basketball". Catawba College Athletics. March 5, 2010. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011.
^ "ECBL Add Charlotte Golden Bulls For 2017". USbasket. April 8, 2016.
^ "Florence Wildcats Newest Addition To ECBL". USbasket. August 25, 2016.
^ "PrimeTime Players Win Inaugural ECBL Title". USBasket. July 2, 2015.
^ "It's PrimeTime for hoops in Fort Mill". The Herald. April 4, 2016.
^ "Bracey, Booker lead PrimeTime Players to Super Cup victory". USBasket. June 27, 2021. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021.

External links

Official league website

[1] "New East Coast Basketball League Created In Aftermath of Significant TRBL Changes". USBasket. July 23, 2014.

[2] "East Coast Basketball League to Begin Play in 2015". ECBL. July 4, 2014. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014.

[3] "Four Recieve [sic] Post-Season All-SAC Honors in Men's Basketball". Catawba College Athletics. March 5, 2010. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011.

[4] "ECBL Add Charlotte Golden Bulls For 2017". USbasket. April 8, 2016.

[5] "Florence Wildcats Newest Addition To ECBL". USbasket. August 25, 2016.

[6] "PrimeTime Players Win Inaugural ECBL Title". USBasket. July 2, 2015.

[7] "It's PrimeTime for hoops in Fort Mill". The Herald. April 4, 2016.

[8] "Bracey, Booker lead PrimeTime Players to Super Cup victory". USBasket. June 27, 2021. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021.

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