Eastern Basketball Association (1977-1978)
Tombstone
Born: 1977 – EBA expansion franchise
Folded: 1978
First Game: November 19, 1977 (W 132-120 vs. Providence Shooting Stars)
Last Game: April 8, 1978 (L 142-136 vs. Lancaster Red Roses)
EBA Championships: None
Arena
Long Island Arena (4,044)11977-78 Eastern Basketball Association Official Guide
Branding
Team Colors: Black, Red & White21977-78 Eastern Basketball Association Official Guide
Ownership
Owner: Al Baron
Editor's Pick
Boxed Out
Remembering The Eastern Professional Basketball League
In Boxed out of the NBA: Remembering the Eastern Professional Basketball League, Syl Sobel and Jay Rosenstein tell the fascinating story of a league that was a pro basketball institution for over 30 years, showcasing top players from around the country. During the early years of professional basketball, the Eastern League was the next-best professional league in the world after the NBA. It was home to big-name players such as Sherman White, Jack Molinas, and Bill Spivey, who were implicated in college gambling scandals in the 1950s and were barred from the NBA, and top Black players such as Hal “King” Lear, Julius McCoy, and Wally Choice, who could not make the NBA into the early 1960s due to unwritten team quotas on African-American players.
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Background
The 1977-78 Long Island Ducks were a minor league basketball entry that lasted just one season in the old Eastern Basketball Association. Team owner Al Baron previously owned the Long Island Ducks of the Eastern Hockey League (1959-1973). He re-purposed the old hockey Ducks logo and colors for his basketball team.
The EBA was a weekend league. The Ducks played exclusively on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and players earned fifty bucks a night, as did head coach Frank Mulzoff. Mulzoff a fixture on the Long Island basketball scene for decades and previously coached St. John’s from 1970 to 1973.
The Ducks finished their only season 15-15, good for 2nd place in the EBA’s Eastern Division. They lost to the Lancaster Red Roses in the first round of the playoffs in April 1978. The Ducks quietly faded away shortly thereafter.
Links
“Life is Grim in the Boondocks of Basketball“, The New York Times, February 1, 1978
Eastern Basketball Association Programs
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One Response
Played for the Ducks that year after leading Hofstra to two NCAA Tournament March Madness bids.
Fond memories of playing with Mel Utley, Mike Davis, Larry Fogle and others
Averaged 20 PPG and was #2 in the league in 3pt FG –
Scored 51 pts vs the Lancaster Red Roses and Mo Rivers, who was a starter on NC State’s 1974 NCAA Championship team.
Following the Ducks folding, was drafted by the Allentown Jets and and averaged 15 PPG and was again #2 in the league in 3pt FG- arguably a 3PT shooter before his time!!