Santa Cruz Warriors
Santa Cruz Warriors | |
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Conference | Western |
League | NBA G League |
Founded | 1995 |
History | Dakota Wizards 1995–2012 IBA: 1995–2001 CBA: 2001–2006 NBA G League: 2006–2012 Santa Cruz Warriors 2012–present |
Arena | Kaiser Permanente Arena |
Location | Santa Cruz, California |
Team colors | Royal blue, California golden yellow, white[1][2] |
General manager | David Fatoki[3] |
Head coach | Nick Kerr |
Ownership | Golden State Warriors |
Affiliation(s) | Golden State Warriors |
Championships | IBA: 1 (2001) CBA: 2 (2002, 2004) D-League/G League: 2 (2007, 2015) |
Conference titles | CBA: 3 (2002, 2003, 2005) D-League/G League: 1 (2015) |
Division titles | IBA: 2 (2000, 2001) D-League/G League: 4 (2007, 2008, 2015, 2019) |
Website | santacruz |
The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to the move to Santa Cruz for the 2012–13 season, the team was known as the Dakota Wizards. The team has won a championship in each of three leagues it has been a part of, and they are the only NBA G League team to reach the championship in three consecutive seasons.
History
Dakota Wizards
The Warriors began play in 1995 in the International Basketball Association (IBA), and in 2001, with Dave Joerger at the helm, they won the IBA championship in the league's final year of operation.[4]
Following the 2000–01 season, the IBA merged with several teams from the
Joerger left the Wizards following the 2003–04 season, and after his departure, the Wizards made it to the semifinals in 2004–05 then missed the playoffs the following season.[4]
Prior to the 2006–07 season, the Wizards joined the
Between 2007–08 and 2009–10, the Wizards made the playoffs every season but were unable to return to the Finals. This was followed by a 2010–11 season that saw the Wizards miss postseason action for the first time since 2006.
On June 28, 2011, the Golden State Warriors, led by Co-Executive Chairmen Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, purchased the Wizards franchise from Bismarck Professional Basketball LLC. The Warriors became the fourth NBA team to own and operate their own NBA D-League affiliate, joining San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers.[5]
The Wizards remained in Bismarck during the 2011–12 season, but the Warriors were open to relocating the team to Northern California in 2012. To reflect the new ownership, the Wizards debuted with a new color scheme, the Warriors' blue and gold, used as an alternative to the purple and green, which dates back to their IBA days. The old color scheme was still used with the team's road uniforms, while the blue and gold was used with the home uniforms and the logo. The Wizards were led by
Santa Cruz Warriors
Following intense off-season discussions regarding a move, on October 10, 2012, the Golden State Warriors announced that the Dakota Wizards would relocate to Santa Cruz beginning with the 2012–13 season. The team was subsequently renamed the Santa Cruz Warriors.[7][8]
In the
Santa Cruz embraced the team during their first season in the city, as the Warriors placed first in the NBA Development League for overall revenue. The team sold $1.2 million in tickets. The average ticket revenue per game, at $52,651, was the highest in the 16-team league. But while the Warriors' ticket prices were the highest in the league – from $15 for bleachers to $140 for courtside seats – popularity was also key to the financial success. The team had the highest average number of individual tickets sold per game at 709, approximately 130 tickets more than its nearest competitor, the
In 2013–14, the Warriors again finished second in the Western Conference – behind the
In 2014–15, the Warriors finished with a 35–15 record, good for the best record in the Western Conference. Guard Aaron Craft was named the
Following their 2015 championship, the Warriors failed to make the postseason in the 2015-16 season after finishing with a 19-31 record. Guard Elliot Williams set a Franchise record 48 points in a double overtime victory against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Warriors returned to the postseason in 2016-17, following a 31-9 record, but ultimately fell to the Oklahoma City Blue in their first round series, 1-2.
In 2017-18, the Warriors finished with a 23-27 record, missing the postseason for the third time since joining the
The Warriors returned strong in the 2018-19 season, finishing first in the Pacific division and earning a trip to the postseason with a 34-16 record. The Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Blue, 117-102, in the conference semifinals before falling to the eventual champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 125-144, in the conference finals.
The
In the 2021-22 season, the NBA G League returned to a traditional schedule and the Warriors finished with a 15-17 record, narrowly defeating the Austin Spurs in the overtime,118-112, in the final game of the regular season to secure a postseason berth. Following the exciting season conclusion, the Warriors would fall to the South Bay Lakers, 123-134, in the conference quarterfinals.
In 2022-2023, the Warriors finished with an 18-14 record, missing the postseason for the first time since the 2017-18 season. On April 4th, rookie guard
In the 2023 NBA G League Winter Showcase, the Warriors scored a franchise high 153 points versus the G League Ignite.
Season by season
Season | League | Division/ Conference |
Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Postseason results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dakota Wizards | |||||||
1995–96 | IBA | 5th | 7 | 17 | .292 | ||
1996–97 | IBA | 2nd | 17 | 13 | .567 | Won Semifinals (Magic City) 2–1 Lost IBA Finals (Black Hills) 1–2 | |
1997–98 | IBA | West | 3rd | 14 | 20 | .412 | |
1998–99 | IBA | West | 5th | 12 | 22 | .353 | |
1999–2000 | IBA | West | 1st | 30 | 6 | .833 | Won Division Semifinals (Winnipeg) 2–0 Lost Division Finals (Magic City) 1–3 |
2000–01 | IBA | West | 1st | 30 | 10 | .750 | Won Division Semifinals (Magic City) 2–0 Won Division Finals (Saskatchewan) 2–0 Won IBA Finals (Des Moines) 3–2 |
2001–02 | CBA | National | 1st | 26 | 14 | .650 | Won Semifinals (Fargo-Moorhead) 3–0 Won CBA Finals (Rockford) 116–109 |
2002–03 | CBA | National | 1st | 31 | 17 | .646 | Lost Semifinals ( Yakima ) 1–3
|
2003–04 | CBA | 1st | 34 | 14 | .708 | Won Semifinals ( Idaho ) 132–129
| |
2004–05 | CBA | Western | 1st | 32 | 16 | .667 | Lost Semifinals (Sioux Falls) 1–3 |
2005–06 | CBA | Western | 4th | 19 | 29 | .396 | |
2006–07 | D-League |
Eastern | 1st | 33 | 17 | .660 | Won Division Finals ( Colorado ) 121–129 (OT)
|
2007–08 | D-League | Central | 1st | 29 | 21 | .580 | Lost First Round (Sioux Falls) 89–101 |
2008–09 | D-League | Central | 2nd | 27 | 23 | .540 | Won First Round ( Utah ) 93–103
|
2009–10 | D-League | Eastern | 3rd | 29 | 21 | .580 | Lost First Round ( Austin ) 1–2
|
2010–11 | D-League | Eastern | 4th | 19 | 31 | .380 | |
2011–12 | D-League | Eastern | 2nd | 29 | 21 | .580 | Lost First Round ( Bakersfield ) 0–2
|
Santa Cruz Warriors | |||||||
2012–13 | D-League | Western | 2nd | 32 | 18 | .640 | Won First Round () 0–2 |
2013–14 | D-League | Western | 6th | 29 | 21 | .580 | Won First Round ( Fort Wayne ) 0–2
|
2014–15 | D-League | Western | 1st | 35 | 15 | .700 | Won First Round ( Fort Wayne ) 2–0
|
2015–16 | D-League | Pacific | 5th | 19 | 31 | .380 | |
2016–17 | D-League | Pacific | 2nd | 31 | 19 | .620 | Lost First Round (Oklahoma City) 1–2 |
2017–18 | G League | Pacific | 3rd | 23 | 27 | .460 | |
2018–19 | G League | Pacific | 1st | 34 | 16 | .680 | Won Conf. Semifinal (Oklahoma City) 117–102 Lost Conf. Final (Rio Grande Valley) 125–144 |
2019–20 | G League | Pacific | 2nd | 21 | 21 | .500 | Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic |
2020–21 | G League | 2nd | 11 | 4 | .733 | Won Quarterfinal ( Lakeland ) 96–108
| |
2021–22 | G League | Western | 6th | 15 | 17 | .469 | Lost Quarterfinal (South Bay) 123–134 |
2022–23 | G League | Western | 7th | 18 | 14 | .563 | |
2023–24 | G League | Western | 4th | 20 | 14 | .588 | Won Quarterfinal (Salt Lake City) 113-111 Lost Semifinal (Stockton) 109-112 |
IBA regular season | 110 | 88 | .556 | 1995–2001 | |||
CBA regular season | 142 | 90 | .612 | 2001–2006 | |||
D/G League regular season | 439 | 334 | .568 | 2006–present | |||
Dakota Wizards regular season totals | 418 | 322 | .565 | 1995–2012 | |||
Santa Cruz Warriors regular season totals | 288 | 217 | .570 | 2012–present | |||
Regular season total | 706 | 539 | .567 | 1995–present | |||
Dakota Wizards playoff totals | 27 | 19 | .587 | 1995–2012 | |||
Santa Cruz Warriors playoff totals | 18 | 12 | .600 | 2012–present | |||
Playoffs totals | 45 | 31 | .595 | 1995–present |
Current roster
Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roster |
Head coaches
# | Head coach | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Achievements | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | Win% | G | W | L | Win% | ||||
1 | Duane Ticknor | 1999–2000 2007–2009 |
136 | 86 | 50 | .632 | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 | |
2 | Dave Joerger | 2000–2004 2006–2007 |
226 | 154 | 72 | .681 | 21 | 16 | 5 | .762 | |
3 | Rory White | 2009–2011 | 100 | 48 | 52 | .480 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |
4 | Nate Bjorkgren | 2011–2013 | 100 | 61 | 39 | .610 | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | |
5 | Casey Hill | 2013–2017 | 200 | 114 | 86 | .570 | 17 | 11 | 6 | .647 | NBA D-League champion: 2015
|
6 | Aaron Miles | 2017–2019 | 100 | 57 | 43 | .570 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
7 | Kris Weems | 2019–2021 | 57 | 32 | 25 | .561 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
8 | Seth Cooper | 2021–2023 | 67 | 33 | 34 | .493 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
9 | Nick Kerr | 2023–present | 34 | 20 | 14 | .588 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
NBA affiliates
Dakota Wizards
- Chicago Bulls (2006–2007)
- Washington Wizards (2006–2011)
- Memphis Grizzlies (2007–2011)
- Golden State Warriors (2011–2012)
Santa Cruz Warriors
- Golden State Warriors (2012–present)
References
- ^ "The Logo & Uniforms" (PDF). 2017–18 Santa Cruz Warriors Media Guide. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Announce Basketball Operations Updates". Santa Cruz Warriors. September 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Dakota Wizards". NBA.com. August 8, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Warriors Purchase Dakota Wizards of NBA Development League". Warriors.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. June 28, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ "NBA D-League 2011-12 Season Summary". Basketball Reference. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "NBA Development League Approves Relocation Of Dakota Wizards To Santa Cruz". NBA.com. October 10, 2012. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "NBA D-League Approves Relocation of Dakota Wizards to Santa Cruz, Calif". NBA.com. October 10, 2012. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ May, Jacob (December 23, 2012). "NBA D-League: Santa Cruz Warriors slam Jam in inaugural home game". SantaCruzSentinel.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Fall to Rio Grande Valley Vipers in NBA D-League Finals". NBA.com. April 27, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Infographic: How Santa Cruz Came To Be". NBA.com. April 25, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ Brown, J.M. (April 13, 2013). "Winning season: First year for Warriors, Santa Cruz offers financial promise". SantaCruzSentinel.com. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "D-League Basketball Playoffs: Warriors earn repeat trip to finals". SantaCruzSentinel.com. April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title". NBA.com. April 26, 2014. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "NBA D-League Finals - How They Got There: Santa Cruz Warriors". NBA.com. April 23, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Aaron Craft Named 2015 NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year". Eleven Warriors. April 10, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Win the 2015 NBA D-League Championship". NBA.com. April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Teams Traditional". NBA G League Stats. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Golden State Warriors Two-Way Guard Lester Quinones Named 2022-23 Kia NBA G League Most Improved Player". www.nba.com. March 11, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Memphis Hustle's Kenneth Lofton Jr. Highlights 2022-23 NBA G League All-Rookie Team". The NBA G League. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "SCW vs GLI". NBA G League Stats. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ "Kendric Davis Named to 2023-24 NBA G League All-Rookie Team". Santa Cruz Warriors. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
External links
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