Western_New_York_Thundersnow
Western New York Thundersnow
Basketball team in New York, 2015–2017
The Western New York Thundersnow were a basketball team based in Niagara Falls, New York. The team was a member of the Premier Basketball League for the 2015–16 season, and the American Basketball Association for the 2016–17 season.
| Short name | WNY Thundersnow |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015; 9 years ago (2015) |
| Folded | 2017; 7 years ago (2017) |
| League | PBL 2015–2016 ABA 2016–2017 |
| Division | Northeast |
| Based in | Niagara Falls, New York |
| Arena | Niagara-Wheatfield High School 2015–2016 Niagara Catholic High School 2016–2017 |
| Colors | Violet, white |
| Owner | Donald Felice |
| Head coach | Steve Mackey 2015–2016 Terrell Holland 2016 Donald Felice 2016 Jody Crymes 2016–2017 |
| General manager | Terrell Holland 2015–2016 |
| Overall record | 8–23 (.258) |
2015–16: Franchise acquisition and inaugural season
Donald Felice acquired a Premier Basketball League (PBL) franchise for Niagara County, New York in July 2015.[1] It was the third PBL franchise in the region's history, following the Buffalo Stampede and Buffalo 716ers.
Felice had worked two seasons in the PBL as general manager for Tawan Slaughter's Buffalo 716ers before leaving to form his own team.[2]
The inaugural Thundersnow game at Niagara-Wheatfield High School saw them lose to Tawan Slaughter's other PBL team, the Chautauqua Hurricane, by a score of 118–119.[2]
Following a second home loss to the Buffalo 716ers that left the team at 0–2, Donald Felice fired head coach Steve Mackey.[3] Felice then promoted general manager Terrell Holland to head coach, but he was also fired after several games.[4]
Despite having no prior experience in coaching, Donald Felice took over head coaching duties himself for the remainder of the season.[4]
The team finished with a 1–14 record and failed to make the playoffs.[5]
2016–17: Move to ABA and final season
It was announced in July 2016 that the team had left the Premier Basketball League and would join the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the 2016–17 season.[6] It was the third ABA franchise in the region's history, following the Buffalo Sharks and Buffalo Blue Hawks.
Jody Crymes was hired as the team's new head coach, and the team moved to its home games to Niagara Catholic High School.[4]
The team finished with a 7–9 record and failed to make the playoffs.[7]
Jermaine Sharpe was named to the 2017 ABA All-Star Team after leading the team in rebounding.[7][8] Jonny Marsh led the team in both scoring and assists.[8]
Tryouts for a third season were advertised in September 2017, but the team folded soon after.[9]
| League champions | Conference champions | Division champions | Playoff berth |
| Season | Conference | Finish | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Playoffs | Awards | Head coach | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | — | — | Northeast | 7th | 1 | 14 | .067 | — | Did not qualify. | Steve Mackey Terrell Holland Donald Felice |
[5] | |
| 2016-17 | — | — | Northeast | 6th | 7 | 9 | .438 | — | Did not qualify. | Jermaine Sharpe (All-Star) | Jody Crymes | [7] |
2015–2016
Regular season
| 2015–16 game log Total: 1–14 (Home: 5–3; Road: 2–7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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January: 1–5 (home: 1–2; road: 0–3)
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February: 0–3 (home: 0–1; road: 0–2)
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March: 0–5 (home: 0–2; road: 0–3)
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April: 0–1 (home: 0–0; road: 0–1)
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2016–2017
Regular season
| 2016–17 game log Total: 7–9 (Home: 3–6; Road: 4–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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November: 1–0 (home: 0–0; road: 1–0)
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December: 3–0 (home: 2–0; road: 1–0)
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January: 1–5 (home: 1–3; road: 0–2)
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February: 1–4 (home: 0–3; road: 1–1)
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March: 1–0 (home: 0–0; road: 1–0)
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- "Pro Basketball: Niagara County getting PBL franchise". The Daily News. July 9, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- "Thundersnow give up 70 second half points in inaugural game". Niagara Gazette. January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- Meiler, Mike (January 15, 2016). "Thundersnow, coach part ways for a week". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- Bronstein, Jonah (September 21, 2016). "Crymes taking over as coach of Thundersnow". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- "Premier Basketball League 2016, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards". usbasket. April 25, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- "Thundersnow out of PBL". Niagara Gazette. July 24, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- "American Basketball Association 2017, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards". usbasket. April 2, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- "Live Stats by 805stats.com". 805stats.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- "Local sports registrations for Sept. 11". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. September 10, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
