United States Basketball League (2004)
Tombstone
Born: 2003 – USBL expansion franchise
Folded: Postseason 2004
First Game: April
Last Game: June 25, 2004 (L 113-104 vs. Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs at Salina, Kansas)
USBL Championships: None
Arena
U.S. Cellular Center
Opened: 1979
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owner: Barry Smith
USBL Expansion Fee (2003): $300,0001Illas, Mike. “River Raiders team for sale”. The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA). August 24, 2004
Attendance
We do not have any official sources for United States Basketball League attendance during the 2004 season. In August 2004, The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that the River Raiders led the USBL in attendance in 2004 with an average of “about 2,200” fans for 15 home dates at the U.S. Cellular Center.2Illas, Mike. “River Raiders team for sale”. The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA). August 24, 2004
Background
The Cedar Rapids River Raiders were a One-Year Wonder that competed in the United States Basketball League (USBL) during the spring of 2003. Despite a promising debut that saw the River Raiders excel on the court and lead the USBL in attendance, the team disbanded a couple of months after its inaugural season ended.
Playing an April-June season, the River Raiders posted a 17-13 record in 2004, including a stellar 13-2 record at home. Dean Oliver, a 25-year old former University of Iowa guard who played 35 games with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in 2001 and 2002, was the River Raiders’ leading scorer with 19.4 points per game.
The River Raiders season came to an end in the first game of the USBL’s single-elimination playoff tournament with a 113-104 loss to the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs. The USBL’s asinine postseason festival format saw the River Raiders travel 500 miles to Salina, Kansas just to play a single playoff game at 2 P.M. on a weekday afternoon in front of a “gathering of about 150 quiet fans”.3Illas, Mike. “River Raiders bow out in tournament opener.” The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA). June 26, 2004
Husband and wife team owners Barry and Toni Smith paid a reported $300,000 to acquire their USBL expansion team in 2003.4Illas, Mike. “River Raiders team for sale”. The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA). August 24, 2004 In August 2004, Barry Smith announced the River Raiders were for sale. Finding no takers, the team quietly went out of business. The United States Basketball League itself closed its doors after 22 seasons in 2007.
30-year old River Raiders head coach Dave Joerger went on earn head coaching jobs in the National Basketball Association with the Memphis Grizzlies (2013-2016) and Sacramento Kings (2016-2019).
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