This is a year-by-year list of franchises in the Continental Basketball Association, along with its incarnations as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and Eastern Basketball Association.
Contents
1946-47
The Eastern Professional Basketball league begins with six franchises - the Allentown Rockets, the Hazleton Mountaineers, the Lancaster Red Roses (basketball), the Wilkes-Barre Barons, the Reading Keys and the Binghamton Triplets (basketball). The Binghamton franchise relocated to Pottsville during the season.
1947-48
Pottsville, Reading and Hazleton returned for the 1947-48 season. Joining the league are the Sunbury Mercuries, the Williamsport Billies, the Harrisburg Senators, and the Philadelphia Lumberjacks. The Allentown Rockets folded; while Wilkes-Barre and Lancaster relocate to the American Basketball League; Lancaster returns to the EPBL before the 1947-48 season starts. The Pottsville franchise is renamed the Packers.
1948-49
Pottsville, Reading, Harrisburg, Sunbury and Williamsport returned for the 1947-48 season. The Philadelphia Lumberjacks folded; while the Hazleton Mountaineers leave the EPBL because of the unavailability of a home court. The York Victory A.C. team joins the EPBL. During the season, the Lancaster Red Roses fold and replaced by the Lancaster Rockets. The Reading Keys relocate in January 1949 to Allentown; they return to Reading a month later.
1949-50
Pottsville, Reading, Harrisburg, Sunbury, Williamsport, York and the Lancaster Rockets all returned for the 1947-48 season. The Berwick Carbuilders join the league. The Reading franchise, under new ownership, is now named the Rangers.
1950-51
All teams from the 1949-50 season return. The York Victory A.C. is renamed the York Professionals. The Harrisburg Senators fold in mid-season; they are replaced by the Harrisburg Caps, who finish out the year.
1951-52
Pottsville, Sunbury, Williamsport, Lancaster, Reading and York return to the league; all other teams have folded. The York Professionals are renamed the York Cleaners; but only played 11 games in York before relocating to Ashland, Pennsylvania and becoming the Ashland Greens. The Greens last less than 10 days in Ashland, before finishing the season as the second Hazleton Mountaineers team. The Reading Rangers, with new ownership, are now the Reading Merchants. The Berwick Carbuilders sit out the season.
1952-53
The Berwick Carbuilders return to the league after a one-year hiatus; they joined Sunbury, Williamsport and Lancaster. The Harrisburg Caps return for another season. A franchise in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the Lebanon Seltzers, joins the league. Pottsville relocates their franchise to Wilkes-Barre to become the Wilkes-Barre Aces, but the franchise folds after four games.
1953-54
The EPBL remains at six teams, with Harrisburg leaving and Lebanon relocating to Pottsville as the Pottsville Bolognas. Hazleton returns to the league with an unnicknamed franchise. After 11 games, the Pottsville franchise returns to Lebanon, but folds four games later.
1954-55
A franchise from the old American Basketball League, the Wilkes-Barre Barons, joins the league. Although the league starts with a franchise in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, the Carbondale Celtics move after four gamss to Scranton, Pennsylvania and become the Scranton Miners, forming a six-team circuit with Lancaster, Williamsport, Sunbury and Hazleton (the Hazleton Franchise is now named the Hazleton Hawks).
1955-56
The Lancaster franchise leaves the EPBL, to be replaced by the Trenton Capitols, who join Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre, Sunbury, Hazleton and Scranton. The Capitols start the season without a home court, and fold in mid-season, to be replaced by the touring Harlem Yankees club, who finish out the Capitols' schedule.
1956-57
The Yankees leave the league; and are replaced by the Easton-Phillipsburg Madisons, who split their home games between Easton, Pennsylvania and Phillipsburg, New Jersey. They join Scranton, Hazleton, Sunbury, WIlliamsport and Wilkes-Barre in the six-team league.
1957-58
All six teams return, along with two expansion teams - the Wilmington Jets and a new Reading Keys franchise. The Keys win their first game, lose their next nineteen, and fold in mid-season, finishing the season 1-27 (eight forfeit losses were added to the Keys' record).
1958-59
The Wilmington Jets become the Allentown Jets. The Baltimore Bullets (EPBL) and Rochester Colonels also join the league, but the Colonels, after an 0-8 start, are dropped from the EPBL, with all their games wiped from the league schedule.
1959-60, 1960-61
All eight teams from last season - Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Easton-Phillipsburg, Hazleton, Sunbury, Baltimore, Williamsport and Allentown - return for this season. The same eight teams participate in the 1960-61 season as well.
1961-62
New Jersey starts out with one team, as the Baltimore Bullets become the Camden Bullets. By January 1962, the Easton-Phillipsburg Madisons move to Trenton, New Jersey and become the Trenton Colonials. Allentown, Williamsport, Sunbury, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Hazleton all remain in the league.
1962-63
Seven of the eight teams from the prior season return; the Hazleton Hawks folded prior to the season's start.
1963-64
The league expands to eight teams, with the addition of the Wilmington Blue Bombers.
1964-65
Only seven teams participate this season; as the Williamsport Billies permanently left the league.
1965-66
Pennsylvania's capital city returned to the league, as the Harrisburg Patriots, along with expansion franchises Johnstown C-J's and New Haven Elms, brought the league to ten teams.
1966-67
The league remained at ten teams, with the Johnstown franchise shifting to Asbury Park, New Jersey to become the Asbury Park Boardwalkers, and the Camden Bullets relocating to Hartford, Connecticut as the Hartford Capitols.
1967-68
The Harrisburg franchise folded, leaving the EPBL with nine teams. New Haven relocated their team to Bridgeport, Connecticut as the Bridgeport Flyers, but the team moved in mid-season to Binghamton, New York as the Binghamton Flyers.
1968-69
The New Haven Elms returned to the league, bringing the roster of teams up to ten again. The Asbury Park Boardwalkers moved to Springfield, Massachusetts and became the Springfield Hall of Famers, but folded in mid-season with an 0-7 record.
1969-70
The loss of the Trenton Colonials franchise reduced the league to eight teams. New Haven moved their team to Hamden, Connecticut and, with sponsorship from Bic pens, became the Hamden Bics. Allentown, Wilmington, Hartford, Wilkes-Barre, Sunbury, Scranton and Binghamton all filled out the rest of the league lineup.
1970-71
The Eastern Professional Basketball League was now the Eastern Basketball Association. The Scranton Miners became, under new ownership, the Scranton Apollos. The Wilmington Blue Bombers regionalized their name to become the Delaware Blue Bombers. The Binghamton Flyers, after a 1-6 record, moved to Trenton and became the Trenton Pat Pavers. The Camden Bullets returned to the league. These teams, along with Hamden, Allentown, Sunbury and Wilkes-Barre, brought the league to nine teams.
1971-72
Only six teams remained for this season, as long-time franchise cities Sunbury and Wilmington left the circuit. The Eastern Basktetball Association now consisted of the Scranton Apollos, the Hartford Capitols, the Allentown Jets, the Trenton Pat Pavers, and the Wilkes-Barre Barons. The Camden Bullets relocated to Cherry Hill, New Jersey to become the Cherry Hill Demons; but midway through the season the team finished their home games in Hazleton as the Hazleton Bits.
1972-73
Hazleton's franchise relocated to Hamburg, Pennsylvania at the start of the season as the Hamburg Bullets, but returned to Hazleton in mid-season. The Trenton Pat Pavers relocated to Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey featurig rookie Joseph Pina, while a team in Elizabeth, New Jersey - the Garden State Colonials took shape. Hartford, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Allentown rounded out the seven-team league.
1973-74
Although the league started with eight teams, as the Cherry Hill Rookies joined as an expansion franchise, the effects of Hurricane Agnes forced the Wilkes-Barre Barons to fold in mid-season. The Garden State Colonials were now the East Orange Colonials.
1974-75
With the folding of East Orange, Hamilton and Hartford, the Eastern Basketball Association now consisted of just four franchises - the Allentown Jets, the Hazleton Bullets, the Scranton Apollos and the Cherry Hill Rookies.
1975-76
Although the Cherry Hill Rookies did not rejoin the league, five expansion franchises - including the return of the Trenton Capitols, the Wilkes-Barre Barons and the Lancaster Red Roses, along with the new Connecticut Gold Coast Stars and Long Island Sounds, brought the league up to eight franchises. Unfortunately, the league finished with seven teams, as Gold Coast disbanded in mid-season.
1976-77
The Eastern Basketball Association started with seven teams, but the Blizzard of 1977 wrecked the league schedule. The Hartford Downtowners played only a single season; the Hazleton Bullets moved to New Jersey and became the Jersey Shore Bullets; the expansion Syracuse Centennials folded in mid-season; and a Brooklyn Dodgers team shifted to Wilkes-Barre in mid-season.
1977-78
In the Eastern Basketball Association's final year before becoming the Continental Basketball Association, the league expanded into Alaska, as the Anchorage Northern Knights joined the league. Franchises that stayed for a single season included the Providence Shooting Stars, the Quincy Chiefs, the return of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Washington Metros.
1978-79
The league is reduced to eight franchises. Returning are Anchorage, Jersey Shore, Wilkes-Barre, Allentown and Lancaster. The Washington Metros relocate to Baltimore as the Baltimore Metros; halfway through the season the franchise moves to Utica, New York and becomes the Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds. Joining the league from the All-American Basketball Alliance is the Rochester Zeniths. Another expansion franchise, the Maine Lumberjacks, rounds out the eight-team circuit.
1979-80
Although the Mohawk Valley Thunderbirds folded, a new Utica-based franchise, the Utica Olympics, take their place. Two franchises are rebranded for a more regional appeal; the Allentown Jets are now the Lehigh Valley Jets, while the Wilkes-Barre Barons are now the Pennsylvania Barons. The Jersey Shore Bullets merge with the Rochester Zeniths, and an expansion franchise is granted to Honolulu, Hawaii known as the Hawaii Volcanos. In exchange for a small ownership interest in the franchise, Wilt Chamberlain agrees in principle to play a limited number of home games for the Volcanos, but the plan never materializes.
1980-81
The league expands to ten teams. The Lancaster Red Roses move to Philadelphia and become the Philadelphia Kings. The Pennsylvania Barons move to Scranton and become the Scranton Aces. New franchises in the West include the Alberta Dusters and the Montana Golden Nuggets; the Hawaii Volcanos are now located in Billings, Montana.
1981-82
The league contracts to eight teams, as the Scranton and Lehigh Valley teams fold. The Atlantic City Hi-Rollers move to Wildwood, New Jersey, keeping the name "Atlantic City Hi-Rollers" for road games, but calling themselves the "Wildwood Wave" or "Wildwood Hi Rollers" for home contests. The Philadelphia Kings relocate back to Lancaster, and become the Lancaster Lightning.
1982-83
The league expands to twelve teams, as several new expansion franchises join the CBA. Among the new entrants are the Albany Patroons, the Ohio Mixers, the Wisconsin Flyers, the Reno Bighorns and the Detroit Spirits. Gone are the Atlantic City Hi-Rollers and Anchorage Northern Knights, while the Alberta Dusters relocate to Nevada and become the Las Vegas Silvers. The Silvers fold halfway through the season, but are resurrected and relocated, finishing the season as the Albuquerque Silvers. The NBA cries foul against the CBA for placing the Detroit Spirits in an NBA market, and for a while no players were called up from the CBA due to this incursion.