1948–49 Providence Steamrollers season
NBA professional basketball team season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1948–49 BAA season was the Steamrollers' third and final season in the NBA/BAA.[1] The team would fold after finishing last in the league for a second consecutive season, at 12–48.
| 1948–49 Providence Steamrollers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Ken Loeffler |
| Owner | Louis Pieri |
| Arena | Rhode Island Auditorium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–48 (.200) |
| Place | Division: 6th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Andy Tonkovich | G |  United States | Marshall |
| – | – | Al Bennett | – | United States | Oklahoma State |
| – | – | Jack Coleman | F/C | United States | Louisville |
| – | – | Ed Faber | – | United States | Trinity |
| – | – | Verl Heap | – | United States | Arizona State |
| – | – | Otto Snellbacher | – | United States | Kansas |
| – | – | Brady Walker | F/C | United States | BYU |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Legend
|
Regular season
Season standings
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | x-Washington Capitols | 38 | 22 | .633 | – |
| 2 | x-New York Knicks | 32 | 28 | .533 | 6 |
| 3 | x-Baltimore Bullets | 29 | 31 | .483 | 9 |
| 4 | x-Philadelphia Warriors | 28 | 32 | .467 | 10 |
| 5 | Boston Celtics | 25 | 35 | .417 | 13 |
| 6 | Providence Steamrollers | 12 | 48 | .200 | 26 |
Game log
| # | Date | Opponent | Score | High points | Record |
| 1 | November 4 | Washington | 95–99 (3OT) | Pugh, Sailors (17) | 0–1 |
| 2 | November 6 | Philadelphia | 56–69 | Carl Meinhold (10) | 0–2 |
| 3 | November 9 | @ Philadelphia | 84–92 | Ken Sailors (16) | 0–3 |
| 4 | November 11 | Fort Wayne | 90–87 | Ken Sailors (26) | 1–3 |
| 5 | November 13 | Minneapolis | 67–90 | Ken Sailors (25) | 1–4 |
| 6 | November 18 | Rochester | 74–103 | Howie Shannon (11) | 1–5 |
| 7 | November 20 | Indianapolis | 107–110 | Ken Sailors (24) | 1–6 |
| 8 | November 24 | @ Minneapolis | 89–117 | Ken Sailors (17) | 1–7 |
| 9 | November 25 | @ St. Louis | 82–84 | Howie Shannon (19) | 1–8 |
| 10 | November 27 | Baltimore | 71–91 | Howie Shannon (17) | 1–9 |
| 11 | November 30 | New York | 61–88 | Ernie Calverley (14) | 1–10 |
| 12 | December 1 | @ Washington | 63–75 | Ezersky, Nostrand (13) | 1–11 |
| 13 | December 2 | Washington | 61–66 | Ken Sailors (24) | 1–12 |
| 14 | December 4 | Boston | 63–70 | Howie Shannon (18) | 1–13 |
| 15 | December 7 | @ Rochester | 90–89 | Ken Sailors (20) | 2–13 |
| 16 | December 8 | @ New York | 74–83 (OT) | Howie Shannon (21) | 2–14 |
| 17 | December 9 | New York | 63–74 | Howie Shannon (15) | 2–15 |
| 18 | December 16 | Fort Wayne | 61–76 | Calverley, Sailors, H. Shannon (14) | 2–16 |
| 19 | December 18 | Philadelphia | 90–94 | Brady Walker (20) | 2–17 |
| 20 | December 22 | @ Washington | 77–102 | Brady Walker (17) | 2–18 |
| 21 | December 23 | St. Louis | 99–109 | Ken Sailors (27) | 2–19 |
| 22 | December 25 | Baltimore | 83–88 | Howie Shannon (16) | 2–20 |
| 23 | December 29 | @ Baltimore | 98–88 | Otto Schnellbacher (18) | 3–20 |
| 24 | December 30 | Chicago | 89–101 | Brady Walker (16) | 3–21 |
| 25 | December 31 | @ Boston | 67–69 | Ken Sailors (19) | 3–22 |
| 26 | January 1 | Indianapolis | 77–78 | Howie Shannon (15) | 3–23 |
| 27 | January 4 | Chicago | 104–115 | Ken Sailors (27) | 3–24 |
| 28 | January 6 | Chicago | 78–89 | Howie Shannon (25) | 3–25 |
| 29 | January 8 | Boston | 87–69 | Brady Walker (19) | 4–25 |
| 30 | January 11 | @ Indianapolis | 67–90 | Carl Meinhold (13) | 4–26 |
| 31 | January 12 | @ Minneapolis | 64–98 | Carl Meinhold (11) | 4–27 |
| 32 | January 15 | @ St. Louis | 76–79 | George Nostrand (16) | 4–28 |
| 33 | January 16 | @ Fort Wayne | 56–76 | Ken Sailors (10) | 4–29 |
| 34 | January 18 | @ Philadelphia | 74–86 | Chick Halbert (19) | 4–30 |
| 35 | January 20 | Washington | 81–88 | Chick Halbert (22) | 4–31 |
| 36 | January 22 | Baltimore | 89–86 | Ken Sailors (24) | 5–31 |
| 37 | January 25 | @ Boston | 69–54 | Howie Shannon (14) | 6–31 |
| 38 | January 26 | @ New York | 77–89 | Ken Sailors (26) | 6–32 |
| 39 | January 27 | @ Baltimore | 95–89 | Chick Halbert (24) | 7–32 |
| 40 | January 29 | Boston | 91–85 (OT) | Ernie Calverley (21) | 8–32 |
| 41 | February 1 | @ Philadelphia | 86–93 | Ken Sailors (23) | 8–33 |
| 42 | February 3 | Rochester | 88–80 | Ernie Calverley (22) | 9–33 |
| 43 | February 5 | Chicago | 75–91 | Ken Sailors (25) | 9–34 |
| 44 | February 8 | @ Rochester | 65–97 | Mel Riebe (15) | 9–35 |
| 45 | February 11 | @ Boston | 77–94 | Ken Sailors (25) | 9–36 |
| 46 | February 12 | Indianapolis | 91–78 | Howie Shannon (27) | 10–36 |
| 47 | February 17 | @ Baltimore | 102–100 | Ken Sailors (37) | 11–36 |
| 48 | February 19 | Minneapolis | 80–94 | Ken Sailors (20) | 11–37 |
| 49 | February 23 | @ Washington | 88–100 | Ken Sailors (24) | 11–38 |
| 50 | February 24 | New York | 89–84 | Les Pugh (22) | 12–38 |
| 51 | February 26 | St. Louis | 90–93 | Halbert, Pugh (19) | 12–39 |
| 52 | March 3 | @ New York | 65–86 | Ken Sailors (16) | 12–40 |
| 53 | March 5 | @ Rochester | 64–81 | Chick Halbert (19) | 12–41 |
| 54 | March 6 | @ Minneapolis | 59–68 | Brady Walker (16) | 12–42 |
| 55 | March 8 | @ Chicago | 82–110 | Les Pugh (16) | 12–43 |
| 56 | March 9 | @ Fort Wayne | 80–84 | Ken Sailors (17) | 12–44 |
| 57 | March 12 | Philadelphia | 70–92 | Les Pugh (23) | 12–45 |
| 58 | March 15 | @ Indianapolis | 84–90 | Les Pugh (20) | 12–46 |
| 59 | March 16 | @ St. Louis | 59–81 | Les Pugh (12) | 12–47 |
| 60 | March 17 | vs Fort Wayne | 72–74 | Ernie Calverley (17) | 12–48 |
Awards and records
Dispersal Draft
Originally, the Providence Steamrollers planned on continuing to play for another season like every other Basketball Association of America team had done at the time, as noted by the 1949 BAA draft showcasing the Steamrollers participating in the event, with them notably selecting Howie Shannon from Kansas State University as the official #1 pick of the final BAA draft ever done before it officially got rebranded as the NBA draft (even though he already played for them during this final season the Steamrollers would ever play in, the Steamrollers joined the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks as teams that would give up a draft pick in the 1949 BAA draft in order to get rookies to play during this final BAA season of play[2]), as well as acquiring Carl Shaeffer from the University of Alabama, Ed Leede from Dartmouth College, Warren Perkins from Tulane University, Ray Corley from Georgetown University, Paul Courty from the University of Oklahoma, Bill Tanzler from the University of Florida, Bob Royer from Indiana State University, and Jack Theolan from DePaul University as the last selections they'd ever have in the third and final BAA draft that they would ever participate in. However, after the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) officially merged together to become the National Basketball Association (NBA) on August 3, 1949, the newly formed NBA would purchase up the players from both of the BAA's defunct teams (the Indianapolis Jets and Providence Steamrollers) as a means of buying out both of the BAA's teams that didn't make it to the new merger into the NBA. For the Steamrollers' case, seven of their players would be bought out and sign up for the Boston Celtics in what would officially be considered the first ever NBA season, with Ernie Calverley, Ken Goodwin, Chick Halbert, Ed Leede, Les Pugh, Howie Shannon, and Brady Walker all being received by the Boston Celtics nine days later on August 12, 1949. Not only that, but Warren Perkins was slated to have been traded to the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and Bob Royer was slated to have been traded to the original Denver Nuggets NBL turned NBA team before the start of what can be considered the first proper NBA season.[3]