The Omaha's Finest is a professional basketball team in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

that is a member of

The Basketball League The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022. The Bask ...

(TBL).

History

In May 2020,

Tra-Deon Hollins Tra-Deon Hollins (born August 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. Born in Omaha, he played for Omaha Central High School of his hometown. He started playing college basketball for Ce ...

announced the formation of the Omaha's Finest basketball team to compete in

The Basketball Tournament 2020 The Basketball Tournament 2020 was the seventh edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament. The tournament, involving 24 teams, started on July 4 and continued through the championship game on Jul ...

. It was composed of

Justin Patton Justin Nicholas Patton (born June 14, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Cholet Basket of the French LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays. Patton was selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2 ...

, Louisville grad Akoy Agau, and

Tre'Shawn Thurman Tre'Shawn Thurman (born December 15, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Filou Oostende of the BNXT League. He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Omaha Mavericks. Early life and high school career Thu ...

, among the players who were invited to participate. Previously, the city hosted the Omaha Racers. The franchise played in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) from 1989 to 1997. However, on June 16, 2020, the tournament was scaled back due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and the team was not included. On January 27, 2021, Evelyn Magley, CEO of

(TBL), announced that Omaha's Finest, owned by

, was joining the league for the 2021 season. On January 28, 2021, Eric Behrens was announced as the head coach. Ryan Stubbe was named the general manager, while Agau was the director of basketball operations. It was announced on March 15, 2021, that the team would play its home games at

Millard North High School Millard North High School is a high school in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Millard Public Schools district. Millard North partially opened in 1978 for 9th and 10th grade students. In 1981, the second phase of the project was co ...

and the season opener was on April 9 against the

Enid Outlaws The Enid Outlaws are an American professional basketball team based in Enid, Oklahoma, and a member of The Basketball League (TBL). For the 2021 season, their home games are played at Stride Bank Center in Enid. History On August 18, 2020, Evel ...

. The team's initial roster featured Thurman, SWAC player of the year Devonte Patterson, former Mississippi State player

Craig Sword Craig Sword (born January 16, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. High school car ...

, as well as several local Omaha players. Omaha's Finest reached the playoffs in their first season before losing to Enid.

References

External links

Official website
{{The Basketball League Sports in Omaha, Nebraska Former The Basketball League teams Basketball teams established in 2020 Basketball teams in Nebraska