Bay Area Matrix
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| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | NorCal |
| Based in | Oakland, California |
| Arena | JAMTOWN |
| Colors | black, red, white |
| Owner(s) | James Beresford |
| President | James Beresford |
| Head coach | Gordon Beresford |
| General Manager | Benjamin Darling |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference titles | 0 |
| Division titles | 2011, 2012, 2014 |
| Playoff berths | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| Dancers | Matrix Dance Team |
| Website | bayareamatrixbasketball.com |
The Bay Area Matrix, commonly referred to as "The Matrix", are a professional basketball franchise, part of the American Basketball Association, and are located in Oakland, California. The Matrix play home games at JAMTOWN in Oakland. The Bay Area Matrix is owned by James Beresford who is also the President of Basketball Operations for the team. Beresford announced his older brother Gordon Beresford as head coach of the Matrix in the inaugural 2009–10 season. In the 2011–12 season, Benjamin Darling, a former coach of the East Bay Pitbulls, was introduced to the team as the general manager. The Matrix have had three Division Championship Game wins, six Division Championship Game appearances, six playoff berths, numerous all-star players, executive awards and many division records. The Matrix have also been featured on ESPN 3 on numerous accounts.[1]
Contents
History
When the teams' inaugural 2009-10 season began, the Matrix had a 18-7 finish. With this, they had a playoff berth however were defeated by the San Francisco Rumble (who made it to the final 4 in the nation) in the Northern California Division Championship game. It is to be noted that throughout this season the Matrix were always ranked in the ABA Power Rankings, a list of the top 30 teams in a league of 70+ teams.
In the 2010-11 season, the Bay Area Matrix were Ranked #16 in the ABA Pre-Season Power Rankings. The Matrix ended the season with a 23-5 record. For the second straight year, the Bay Area Matrix made a playoff run and this time for the rematch, defeated the San Francisco Rumble in the Northern California Division Championship game.
For the 2011-12 season, the Matrix recorded a 26-5 record and peaked at the #7 rank during the ABA Regular Season Power Rankings. The Bay Area Matrix for now a third consecutive year had a playoff berth and defeated the San Francisco Rumble in the Northern California Division Championship game. This makes the team Back-to-Back NorCal Champs for the 2011 & 2012 Seasons. The First Back-to-Back Champs in NorCal Division History. After defeating the Rumble, the Matrix went on to play in the California Regional Championship game (Final 10) and lost to the San Diego Sol in a very closely matched game.
During the 2012-13 season, the Matrix again were ranked on the ABA Regular Season Power Rankings through the entire season and finished with a 17-4 record. Now in their fourth year, the Matrix once again proved to be powerhouse of a team when they had another playoff berth. With the game in overtime, the Matrix however were defeated by the San Francisco Rumble in the Northern California Division Championship game.
In the 2013-14 season, the Matrix were ranked #10 in the ABA Pre-Season Power Rankings and bounced back after last season's tough loss with a 10-game win streak to only be stopped by the Central Valley Titans. After a last minute loss to the Central Valley Titans, the Matrix bounced back once more with a 5-game win streak to end the regular season. During this season, the Matrix peaked at #4 on the ABA Regular Season Power Rankings and a recorded a 15-1 season. For the team's fifth straight year, the team had a playoff run the likes of which the Franchise has not seen before. After defeating the Central Valley Titans in the Northern California Division Championship game, the Matrix team were invited to the ABA Finals on ESPN 3 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Matrix made it to the final 6 in the entire nation and were defeated by another western conference powerhouse team, the Arizona Scorpions.
Through the course of the 2014-15 Season, the Matrix were ranked #10 in the pre-season power rankings, yet again, after coming off a successful previous season and were always ranked during the regular season. After amassing a 4-4 record during a season that was riddled with numerous future all-star standout players signing overseas contracts in Singapore, China, Dubai and more, along with a Fresno team being removed from the league due to violating league policies (thus reducing many future games scheduled with the Matrix and overall decreasing the length of the regular season by 4 games) the team pulled through adversity and many roster changes to make a late playoff push. For a franchise and division record 6th consecutive time, the Matrix made playoffs and defeated the Central Valley Titans in the first round however ended up losing to cross town rival San Francisco Rumble in a closely matched, nail biting game in the second round (Division Championship) game. The appearance in the division championship game made a division record 6th time. Also to be noted during this season, the Franchise along with Coach Beresford both earned their 100th win after defeating the Fresno Griffins in the first game of the season. This feat by Head Coach Gordon Beresford is something only earned by a select few coaches in the entire ABA. The Matrix also played the Central Valley Titans on ESPN 3 and was considered a "soon to be ABA classic" by ABA CEO Ron Tilley. This marks the second time the Matrix have been on ESPN 3, the most out of any teams in the Northern California Division.
Franchise Records
| Record | Player Name |
|---|---|
| Most Points in a game | Teohn Conner (41) |
| Most Points in a Quarter | Randall Harding (24) |
| Most Free throws made in a game | Teohn Conner (14) |
| Most 3-Point Goals made in a game | Kenneth "KK" Alexander (8) |
| Most Assists in a game | Brian Goins (15) |
| Most Rebounds in a game | Marion Thurmond (18) |
| Record | Achievement |
|---|---|
| Longest Win Streak | 16 |
| Longest Home Win Streak | 14 |
| Longest Away Win Streak | 11 |
| Largest Win in Point Differential | Bay Area Matrix vs. Port City Pirates 144-81(63) |
2014-15 Roster
Head Coach: Gordon Beresford // Career Coaching Record with Matrix: 103-26 (.798) // Season Record 4-4
| Name | Position | Height | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benny Gipson | G | 5'10" | Pacific Union College |
| Brian Goins II | G | 5'10" | Cal State San Bernardino |
| Reuben Lewis | G | 6'3" | Contra Costa College |
| Kyle Roemer | G | 6'5" | Colgate University |
| Shaun Buckingham | G/F | 6'6" | Northwestern Oklahoma State University |
| Wayne Oliver | G/F | 6'8" | Cameron University |
| Mike Dabney | F/C | 6'8" | Bowling Green University |
| Jimmy Allen | F/C | 6'10" | Southern Indiana |
2013-14 Roster
Head Coach: Gordon Beresford // Career Coaching Record with Matrix: 99-22 (.818) // Season Record 15-1
Assistant Coach: Toby Merchant
| Name | Position | Height | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Walker | G | 5'10" | Georgetown College |
| Benny Gipson | G | 5'10" | Pacific Union College |
| Jamar Smith | G | 6'0" | College of Monterey |
| Randall Harding | G | 6'2" | Cal State Bakersfield |
| Teohn Conner | G | 6'4" | Saint Mary's College |
| Kyle Roemer | G | 6'5" | Colgate University |
| Joel Smith | G | 6'5" | University of Washington |
| Kenneth "KK" Alexander | G/F | 6'6" | Cal State Fullerton |
| Shaun Buckingham | G/F | 6'6" | Northwestern Oklahoma State University |
| Wayne Oliver | G/F | 6'8" | Cameron University |
| Lorenzo Dobson | F | 6'8" | Academy of Art University |
| Tyree McMary | G/F | 6'8" | Adam State University |
| Mike Dabney | F/C | 6'8" | Bowling Green State University |
| Jimmy Allen | F/C | 6'10" | Southern Indiana |
Individual & Team Awards/Notables
- James Beresford, Division Chairmen of the year - 2013,14
- Jimmy Allen, ABA All Star - 2013,14
- Teohn Conner, ABA All Star - 2013,14
- Kenneth "KK" Alexander, ABA All Star - 2013,14
- Reuben Lewis, ABA All Star - 2012,13
- Kenneth "KK" Alexander, ABA All Star - 2012,13
- Teohn Conner, ABA All Star - 2011,12
- Marion Thurmond, ABA All Star - 2010,11
- Final 10 Appearance - 2011,12
- Final 6 Appearance - 2013,14
- Winning-est team in the Northern California Division History
- Most NorCal Division Championship Wins in Division History
- Wayne Oliver Player (2012,13 Season - Present) Known for having his life portrayed in the movie "Coach Carter"
Rivalries
Central Valley Titans
The Bay Area Matrix's most recent rivalry is the Central Valley Titans. Known for being one of the toughest opponents in the Western Conference, the Matrix most recently have bested in the 2013-14 Division Championship game however it is to be noted that on the 10 game win streak during the same season, the only team to defeat and stop the matrix's streak at 10 were the Central Valley Titans. The Matrix won the 2014-15 regular season 4 game series, 2-2. Most recently, the Matrix defeated the Titans in the first round of the ABA playoffs in the 2014-15 season.
San Francisco Rumble
The closest team to the Bay Area Matrix, the San Francisco Rumble's team rivalry with the Matrix stems throughout the past seasons with the Matrix meeting the Rumble in the post season, 5 times. The Matrix have defeated the Rumble 2 out of the 5 times while in the post season and defeated the Rumble 14 out of 24 times overall in regular season games played against each other.
