East Coast Basketball League

East Coast Basketball League (ECBL) is a men's semi-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 and Virginia.

East Coast Basketball League (ECBL)
SportBasketball
FoundedJune 2014
Inaugural season2014
No. of teams27
CountryUnited States
ContinentFIBA Americas (Americas)
Most recent
champion(s)		PrimeTime Players
(2019)
Most titlesPrimeTime Players (5)
Official websiteEastCoastBasketballLeague.org

Five of the 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]

The ECBL will broadcast games live and delayed online via Chris Schieman Media & Marketing.[3]

History

On August 16, 2014 the ECBL announced[4] 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 named the 11th franchise to enter the ECBL.[5]

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[6] 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.[7]

At the August AGM, league board of directors unanimously accepted the expansion application of the Florence Wildcats for 2017.[8] 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.

Teams
Mid-Atlantic Conference City Arena Founded First ECBL

season

Fredericksburg Grizzlies Fredericksburg, Virginia 2016 2021
Hub City Hogs Hagerstown, Maryland 2019 2021
Philly Cannons Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2016 2021
Philly Raiders Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2019 2021
Plaistow Shockers Plaistow, New Hampshire 2019 2021
Red Rose Thunder Ephrata, Pennsylvania 2019 2021
Western Mass Zombies Springfield, Massachusetts 2018 2021
Mid-South Conference City Arena Founded First ECBL

season

Carolina Chosen Lions Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount Prep 2018 2019
Gastonia Snipers Gastonia, North Carolina TBD 2018 2019
Hampton Roads Warriors Hampton, Virginia Atlantic Shores Christian School 2015 2017
Hickory Hoyas Hickory, North Carolina Grandview Middle School 2016 2017
High Point Lycans High Point, North Carolina Ferndale Middle School 2019 2020
North Carolina Capitals Wake Forest, North Carolina 2020 2021
North Carolina Coyotes Durham, North Carolina Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club 2015 2016
Petersburg Cavaliers Petersburg, Virginia Richard Bland College 2015 2016
Rowan County Bulls Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury Hall Gym 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 Columbia High School 2014 2015
Carolina Thunder Dillon, South Carolina Dillon Wellnes Center 2015 2017
Charlotte Tribe Charlotte, North Carolina Bailey Middle School 2017 2018
Coastal Elite Pirates Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 2020 2021
Fayetteville Panthers Fayetteville, North Carolina Highland Presbyterian Church Rec Center 2018 2019
Florence Wildcats Florence, South Carolina Florence YMCA 2016 2017
Garden City Magic Augusta, Georgia 2019 2021
Georgia Fire Atlanta, Georgia Ferndale Middle School 2019 2020
PrimeTime Players Fort Mill, South Carolina York Prep School 1991 2015
South Carolina Upstate Redhawks Greenville, South Carolina Legacy Charter School 2014 2015

Former teams
  • Augusta Eagles (2015–20)
  • Carolina Gladiators (2015)
  • Carolina MPact (2016)
  • Carolina Showtime (2020)
  • Charlotte Golden Bulls (2017)
  • C-Port Trojans (2015–18)
  • East Carolina Cardinals (2018–19)
  • Fayetteville Crossover (2015–16)
  • Gastonia Crowns (2015)
  • Hickory Hoyas (2017–19; 2020–present) - Suspended from league after four games. Returned in 2020 on probation.
  • High Point Hawks (2014–17)
  • Queen City Express (2015)
  • South Carolina All Stars (2015–18)
  • South Carolina Showtime (2017)
  • Winston-Salem Certified (2016–18)

Champions
Season Champion Runner-up Result
2015 PrimeTime Players Fayetteville Crossover 130-113[9][10]
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) --- ---

References
  1. "New East Coast Basketball League Created In Aftermath of Significant TRBL Changes". USBasket. 23 July 2014.
  2. "East Coast Basketball League to Begin Play in 2015". ECBL. 4 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014.
  3. "ECBL to Broadcast Game of the Week". Schieman Media & Marketing. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  4. "Fort Gordon Eagles Join ECBL". ECBL. 16 August 2014.
  5. "ECBL adds Savannah Storm to 2015 Lineup". Savannah Storm. 20 October 2014.
  6. "Four Recieve [sic] Post-Season All-SAC Honors in Men's Basketball". Catawba College Athletics. 5 March 2010.
  7. "ECBL Add Charlotte Golden Bulls For 2017". USbasket. 8 April 2016.
  8. "Florence Wildcats Newest Addition To ECBL". USbasket. 25 August 2016.
  9. "PrimeTime Players Win Inaugural ECBL Title". USBasket. 2 July 2015.
  10. "It's PrimeTime for hoops in Fort Mill". The Herald. 4 April 2016.
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