The New Jersey ShoreCats was 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 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) from 1998 to 2000. The team was based in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

and played home games at

Asbury Park Convention Hall Asbury Park Convention Hall is a 3,600-seat indoor exhibition center located on the boardwalk and on the beach in Asbury Park in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It was built between 1928 and 1930 and is used for sports, concerts and other special e ...

. The ShoreCats were owned by a group called New Jersey Hoop Group which was composed of three investors; George Michals, Tony Caruso and Jim Jennings. Jennings also served as team president in 1998.

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the ...

was hired as the Shorecats

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

before the 1998 season. Dwight D. Wilbur served as Barry's

assistant coach A sports coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''coach'' is that of a Coach (carriage), horse-drawn carriage, deriving ultima ...

. New Jersey's first pick in the 1998 USBL draft was Elijah Allen from

Farleigh Dickenson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

. By May 31, 1998 the team was averaging a paid attendance of 1,900 per game and had $500,000 in corporate sponsorships according to team president and part-owner Jim Jennings.

Yinka Dare Yinka Dare (October 10, 1972 – January 9, 2004) was a Nigerian professional basketball player. A , center, he played four seasons in the National Basketball Association. Early years Born in Kano, Dare was discovered by Nigerian-born lawyer Llo ...

, the 7'1"

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 eccentricity ...

who previously played for the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, played for the ShoreCats in 1998 and averaged 14.2

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

, 9.9

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 3.6 blocks per game. He was released by the team in June 1998 due to "personal matters" according to New Jersey coach Rick Barry. By the end of the season, the ShoreCats were averaging more than 2,000 attendees per game — a USBL best. Greg Grant was hired as head coach for the 2000 season. He replaced Rick Barry who served as the team's head coach for two seasons (1998–99). Grant suspended New Jersey's

Marshall Grier Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

on May 8, 2000. Grant later resigned due to disagreements with Grier, who was given the interim head coaching reigns.

All-time roster

* Elijah Allen *

Tunji Awojobi Tunji Femi Awojobi (born July 30, 1973) is a retired Nigerian professional basketball player. A former boxer, Awojobi graduated from Boston University in 1997. Following graduation, he played in several European countries, most notably in Israel. ...

Mark Blount Mark D. Blount ( ; born November 30, 1975) is an American retired professional basketball center with four teams in the National Basketball Association between 2000 and 2009. Career Blount spent his freshman year of high school in Summerville, ...

* Ira Bowman *

* A. J. English *

Darrin Hancock Darrin Hancock (born November 3, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player. In high school and college he was known for his strong offense, while his quick and agile moves to the basket drew comparisons to the likes of Dominique ...

Freddy Herzog Freddy or Freddie may refer to: Entertainment *Freddy (comic strip), a newspaper comic strip which ran from 1955 to 1980 *Freddie (Cromartie), a character from the Japanese manga series''Cromartie High School'' *Freddie (dance), a short-lived 1960 ...

Matt Garrison Matthew Justin Garrison (born June 2, 1970) is an American jazz bassist. Since 2011, he has run ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn, New York, with Fortuna Sung. Described by ''the New York Times'' as "an electric bass virtuoso", he has toured with H ...

Kwan Johnson Kwan may refer to: People * Kwan (surname) (關), a Chinese surname * Kwan Cheatham (born 1995), American basketball player for Ironi Nes Ziona of the Israel Basketball Premier League * nickname of Kwandwane Browne (born 1977), Trinidadian field ...

* Jabaar Jones *

John Kimbrell John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Tony Madison Tony Madison (born 1971) is a retired professional American basketball player who played NCAA basketball for the New Orleans Privateers. He is most famous for playing in the Lebanese Basketball League for Tadamon Zouk Lebanese basketball club for ...

Jason Murdock Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He wa ...

Rocky Walls ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...

Speedy Williams Speedy refers to something or someone moving at high speed. Speedy may refer to: Ships * HMS ''Speedy'', nine ships of the Royal Navy * ''Speedy''-class brig, a class of naval ship * ''Speedy'' (1779), a whaler and convict ship despatched i ...

Season-by-season records

References

{{reflist

External links

New Jersey ShoreCats
at USbasket.com
New Jersey ShoreCats
at OurSportsCentral.com United States Basketball League teams 1998 establishments in New Jersey 2001 disestablishments in New Jersey Basketball teams in New Jersey

All-time roster

Season-by-season records

See also

References

External links