The Long Island Surf were a

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

team based in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. They played 14 seasons in the

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

(USBL).

History

The franchise was established in 1985 as the Long Island Knights, and played in the first USBL season, finishing with a 9–15 record. The team did not participate in the 1986 season but did return for the 1987 edition, ending the regular season as the 4th ranked team and qualifying for the Postseason Festival (the USBL playoffs), during which they reached the semifinals, where they lost to the Rhode Island Gulls. In the 1987 season, female player

Nancy Lieberman Nancy Elizabeth Lieberman (born July 1, 1958), nicknamed "Lady Magic", is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) who is currently a broadcaster for the Oklahoma City Thun ...

played for the Long Island Knights. In the 1988 season the Knights ended at the bottom of the table with a 3–27 record. After the season, the franchise was disbanded. In 1991, a group of 31 Long Island investors coordinated by Ed Krinsky re-established the team under the new name Long Island Surf and a starting budget of a 100,000 US$. In their first season back in the USBL, the Surf ended with a 7–13 record in the Northern Division.

Forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Anthony Mason led the league in rebounds at 11.2 per game. In 1992 the Surf finished with the second best record of the division (13–13) and qualified for the Postseason Festival, where they lost to the Philadelphia Spirit in the division finals. In 1993 the divisions were abolished; the Surf ended 4th in the league table with a 14–10 record and qualified for the Postseason Playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Westchester Stallions.

Point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

David Cain led the USBL in assists with 9.4 per game. By 1994, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reported that the franchise had doubled its value. The team ended the 1994 season with a 13–14 record, progressing to the Postseason Festival quarterfinals where they were eliminated by the Connecticut Skylarks. Surf point guard Jean Prioleau led the league in assists with 10.3 a game. In 1995 the team improved its record to 14–12, but missed the playoffs (only the first three teams qualified); in 1996, ranking 3rd in the re-established Northern Division, the Surf reached the playoffs, where they lost to the Portland Mountain Cats. Former St. John's

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Shawnelle Scott Shawnelle Scott (born June 16, 1972) is an American retired professional basketball player. A 6'10" center out of St. John's University, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 43rd overall pick (second round) of the 1994 NBA dra ...

led the USBL in rebounding (13.5 per game) playing for the Surf. In 1997 the Surf had a successful season: they ranked 2nd in their division with a 19–7 record, and advanced to the USBL finals after defeating the Connecticut Skyhawks in the quarterfinals and the Atlanta Trojans in the semifinals. The Surf faced the Atlantic City Seagulls in the USBL finals, losing 112–114. In 1998, the Long Island franchise won the Northern Division with an 18–7 record, and again reached the USBL finals after beating the Columbus Cagerz in the second round, and the Connecticut Skyhawks in the Final Four; they lost the finals to the Atlantic City Seagulls for the second consecutive year, 96–100. In 1999 the Surf finished second in the division behind the Connecticut Skyhawks, and reached the playoff semifinals, where they lost to the Skyhawks, 92–99. The franchise reached the playoffs again in 2000 after finishing 3rd in their division; they lost to the New Jersey ShoreCats, 103–116. The Long Island Surf played their final USBL season in 2001: in their last appearance they made the playoffs and advanced to the semifinals, where they lost to eventual champions Pennsylvania Valleydawgs. The team was then disbanded after the end of the season.

Season-by-season records

:''Source'':

Notable players

* Mark Baker * Michael Curry *

Lloyd Daniels Lloyd Daniels (born September 4, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played parts of five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life The shooting guard was one of the most sought-after recruit ...

Mark Davis Mark Davis may refer to: Entertainers *Mark Davis (talk show host), American radio talk show host * Mark Jonathan Davis (born 1965), American actor/singer and creator of Richard Cheese *Mark Davis, American bassist and founding member for the band ...

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

Adrian Griffin Adrian Darnell Griffin Sr. (born July 4, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA as a shooting guard ...

Juaquin Hawkins Juaquin Hawkins (born July 2, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player. He played with the Houston Rockets during the 2002–03 NBA season. Professional Basketball Career After going undrafted in the 1996 NBA draft, he signed a ...

Geoff Huston Geoffrey Angier Huston (born November 8, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a point guard for the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers. Collegiat ...

* Mike James * George L. Johnson *

Shelton Jones Shelton Jones (born April 4, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player who played collegiately at St. John's University. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round (27th pick overall) of the 1988 NBA draft. Sh ...

* Anthony Mason * Ron Moore *

Marcelo Nicola Marcelo Patricio Nicola Virginio (born May 12, 1971) is an Argentine-Italian former professional basketball player and a current coach. A very versatile power forward, he was a regular member of the Argentine national basketball team, and compete ...

* Jean Prioleau *

Michael Ray Richardson Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson (born April 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in ...

* LaMont "ShowBoat" Robinson *

Jim Rowinski James Rowinski (born January 4, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Rowinski, a 6'8" 250 lb center, attended and played collegiately at Purdue University. Along with standout freshman and fellow cent ...

Robert Werdann Robert Werdann (born September 12, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Career Born in Sunnyside, Queens, New York, he attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, New York, graduating in 1988. In his senior ...

* Rob Williams :''Source''

References

{{United States Basketball League Defunct basketball teams in the United States Defunct sports teams in New York (state) Basketball teams in New York (state) 1985 establishments in New York (state) 1991 establishments in New York (state) Sports in New York (state) Basketball teams established in 1985 Basketball teams established in 1991 1988 disestablishments in New York (state) 2001 disestablishments in New York (state) Sports clubs disestablished in 1988 Sports clubs disestablished in 2001 United States Basketball League teams