The Mississauga Power were a Canadian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team based in

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, that competed in the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...

(NBL). Established in as the Oshawa Power, they played in the Central Division. The Oshawa team began play in the inaugural NBL Canada season, along with the

London Lightning The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, Canada, with home games at the Budweiser Gardens. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) that began play for the 201 ...

Moncton Miracles The Moncton Miracles were a Canadian professional basketball team in Moncton, New Brunswick. Established in 2011, they were a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). The Miracles played their home games at the Moncton C ...

, and

Summerside Storm The Island Storm is an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada that began play in the 2011–12 season. The Storm plays ...

and three

Premier Basketball League The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived un ...

(PBL) teams. The Power were relatively unsuccessful in their four years of existence. They had a losing record every season and a combined record of 17–55 since relocating to Mississauga. The team also had six different coaches during the span. In 2012, Oshawa's

Brandon Robinson Brandon Robinson may refer to: * Brandon Robinson (footballer) (born 1995), Dutch footballer * Brandon Robinson (basketball) (born 1989), American NBL player * Brandon Scoop B Robinson Brandon Robinson, known professionally as Brandon "Scoop B" ...

led the league in scoring and was named Rookie of the Year.

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 ...

Omar Strong became the team's all-time leader in

three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

s, passing former All-NBL Canada selection

Nick Okorie Nick Okorie (born July 22, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Horse Owners Club in Alexandria, Egypt. He played college basketball for South Plains College and Texas Tech. High school career Okorie attended Kempner High Schoo ...

, and won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. In June

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, it was announced that the Power franchise sold to Raptors to create of

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, Ontario, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fi ...

, the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

affiliate to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

of the

National Basketball Association 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 S ...

(NBA). The Power's ownership confirmed that they would not continue playing in Mississauga. The D-League team would play their home games at the Power's arena, the Hershey Centre.

Team history

Beginnings in Oshawa (2011–2013)

The franchise was established in 2011 as the Oshawa Power, and they played their first season in the

. Following the league's additions of the

Halifax Rainmen The Halifax Rainmen were a professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the Atlantic Division of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and their home games took place at the Scotiabank Centre, form ...

Saint John Mill Rats The Saint John Riptide were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saint John, New Brunswick, that had home games at Harbour Station. They were a member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) in the Atlantic Division. ...

, and

Quebec Kebs The Quebec Kebs (french: Kebs de Quebec) were a professional basketball team located in Laval, Quebec, formerly based in Quebec City, Quebec. The Kebs were part of the National Basketball League of Canada. They also played in the Atlantic Divisi ...

in May 2011, they joined that summer with the

, and

. In a release from the team, they said they chose their nickname because it "epitomizes the force of a community coming together as one." Before the start of the

2011–12 NBL Canada season The 2011–12 NBL Canada season was the inaugural season of the National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor le ...

, the Power named former

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 ...

player

Mark Strickland Mark Strickland (born July 14, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who had a career in the NBA from 1995 to 2002 and was the head coach of the Oshawa Power The Mississauga Power were a Canadian professional ba ...

their head coach. The decision to add Strickland was viewed as a big step forward by President of Basketball Operations Gary Durrant. The team decided to select Morgan Lewis with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBL Canada draft. Lewis also became the first player to be drafted in NBLC history. Along with

University of Findlay The University of Findlay (UF) is a private university, private Christianity, Christian university in Findlay, Ohio. It was established in 1882 through a joint partnership between the Churches of God General Conference (Winebrenner), Churches ...

's star, the Power picked up Blain LaBranche and Kevin Francis that same night. LaBranche, who played for the

UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thun ...

in college, was known as a strong three-point shooter, while

Cleveland State Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...

's Francis was noted for his size and attitude. In mid-October, Oshawa held two intra-squad games in Pickering High School and

G L Roberts Collegiate and Vocational Institute G. L. Roberts Collegiate and Vocational Institute is located in Oshawa, Ontario within the Durham District School Board. The school has students in grades 9-12 and offers a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities. Sports at GL inclu ...

. Their official 18-man training camp roster featured players the caliber of Lewis,

Tut Ruach Tut Ruach (born April 30, 1985) is a Canadian former basketball player. Starting his professional career in 2009, he was named NBL Canada All-Star in 2012. Ruach played college basketball for York University and competed for Father Michael Goetz ...

Denham Brown Denham Washington Brown (born January 6, 1983) is a Canadian former professional basketball player. High school Brown attended Bathurst Heights Secondary School in Toronto, and led the school's AAA basketball team to the Ontario provincial champ ...

, and Omari Johnson. Gary Durrant said, "We are very pleased with the guys we have on our training camp roster. I can't wait for everyone to see how entertaining and dynamic our guys are. Be prepared to be amazed by the Power." However, before the season began, Brown signed with

Ciclista Olímpico Club Ciclista Olímpico La Banda, also known as simply Ciclista Olímpico, is an Argentine sports club based in La Banda, Santiago del Estero. The club is mostly known for its basketball team, which currently plays in the Liga Nacional de Básquet ...

of the

Liga Nacional de Básquet The Liga Nacional de Básquet (abbreviated LNB, and literally in English, "National Basketball League"), also commonly referred to as "La Liga de Básquet" ("The Basketball League"), is the top-tier level of the Argentine basketball league system ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Durrant called him a "role model to younger players." On October 30, 2011, the Power made their first-ever appearance in an official NBLC game, losing to the

, 101–104, at the

Colisée de Laval The Colisée de Laval is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Laval, Quebec, Canada. Built in 1954, it has been the home of many minor league and junior ice hockey teams. In 2019, the Les Pétroliers du Nord of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hoc ...

Laval, Quebec Laval (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in C ...

led Oshawa with 16 points and

added 10 assists, but they were overwhelmed by Tommy Mitchell and

Royce Parran Royce Stephon Parran (born August 4, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Belfius Mons-Hainaut of the Belgian Basketball League. He played college basketball for Chicago State University. He finished his collegia ...

. This was the first regular season game in the history of the NBL Canada as well. Oshawa started strong in their home opener at the

General Motors Centre The Tribute Communities Centre, formerly known as the General Motors Centre or GM Centre, GMC for short, is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, which opened in November 2006. The arena was constructed to replace the ...

against the

in their following game, capturing a 107–80 victory. Strickland parted ways with the Power on December 21, 2011, after leading the team to a 6–11 start to the season. Durrant said, "We appreciate all that Coach Strickland has done for this organization." It was also announced that David Joseph, best known as the father of

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

player

Cory Joseph Cory Ephram Joseph (born August 20, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the point guard position and is also the captain of the Canadian national team. ...

, would assume the role until an interim head coach was named. Joseph assisted Jim Barclay at Centennial College in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and therefore was not capable of taking up the full-time job. After having Joseph coach two games, both of which were defeats, Oshawa introduced former

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

captain Robert Brickey as their head coach for the remainder of the season. Before long under their new sideline leader, on January 4, 2012, leading scorer Akeem Wright was traded away to the

in exchange for forward Andrew Francis. Brickey would help the Power finish off the season a relatively pleasant 9–10 and engineered a 4-game winning streak during his term, but his team ultimately finished fifth in the league at 15–21. In the 2011–12 season, where only four teams could qualify for the postseason, they failed to make the playoffs. Nevertheless, Brandon Robinson led the league in points per game for that season.

Relocation to Mississauga (2013–2015)

In April 2013, an official announcement was made that the Power would relocate to

for the 2013–14 NBL Canada season.

Home arenas

The Power played their home games at the Hershey Centre, located in

. The stadium, which opened in October 1998, is known as one of the best sports and entertainment facilities in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...

and features a portable

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

-size basketball court. The Hershey Centre is also the home to the

Mississauga Steelheads The Mississauga Steelheads are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The Steelheads play their games at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga. History The OHL originated in Missi ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

as well as many other teams. It hosted

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

, and

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

and

goalball Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded inside of it into the opponents' goal. The ball is thrown by hand a ...

powerlifting Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effor ...

, and

wheelchair rugby Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is practised in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer Paralympic sport. The US name ...

events at the

2015 Parapan American Games The 2015 Parapan American Games, officially the V Parapan American Games and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 ParaPan-Am Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, celebrated in the tradition of the Pa ...

. Before moving to Mississauga, when the Power were based in

Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the G ...

, their home stadium was the

. The GM Centre is known to be home of the

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...

in the Ontario Hockey League. Opened in 2006, it is a multi-purpose arena that has previously hosted

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

concerts and

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

performances. It can hold up to 7,600 visitors and has special club seating. As a sports stadium, it has hosted events such as the 2011 BDO Canadian Open of Curling, the IIHF World Junior Pre-Competition, and the

Canadian Synchronized Skating Championships The Canadian Synchronized Skating Championships are annual synchronized skating events, sanctioned by the Skate Canada, held to determine the national champions of Canada. They were first held in 1983. Since 2000, it is during these events that ...

Sponsorship

On October 2, 2014, the Mississauga Power secured significant corporate support by announcing their partnership with BioSteel Sports Supplements Inc & Peak Sports Canada. This the second significant sponsorship announcement in the basketball market for BioSteel Sports Supplements Inc. Earlier in the summer BioSteel Sports Supplements Inc became the exclusive sports drink provider for

Canada Basketball Canada Basketball (CB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in Canada. ...

Mascot

Mississauga Power's official mascot was "POW". This mascot was easily one of the most recognizable mascots in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) and around the Greater Toronto Area. POW has been seen across the city in various community and city events like the Toronto Auto Show.

Players

Final roster

Draft picks

The Power have had two first overall draft picks in franchise history: Morgan Lewis (selected in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

) and Jordan Weidner (selected in 2014). Both draftees hailed from the United States, but neither of them played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the Division I level. Some of the other players Oshawa and Mississauga have drafted in the past include Anthony Petteway and Freddie Riley in 2014, Bol Kong, Dwight McCombs, and Eric Petty, Jr. in 2013, Chad Gillaspy, Amani Daanish, and Jamaal Smith in 2012, and Kevin Francis and Blain Labranche in 2011.

Franchise leaders

Bold denotes still active with team. ''Statistics (regular season) as of the end of the 2014–15 season'' Points *1.

(1,171) *2. Morgan Lewis (1,049) *3.

Bo Harris Clint Lee Harris, known as Bo Harris (born January 16, 1953), is a former American football linebacker who played eight seasons in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals. Harris played college football at Louisiana State Universi ...

(899) *4. Jushay Rockett (866) *5. Kirk Williams (791) Rebounds *1. Jushay Rockett (523) *2. Morgan Lewis (452) *3.

(394) *4. Omari Johnson (310) *5. Kirk Williams (290) Assists *1.

Alex Johnson Alexander Johnson (December 7, 1942 – February 28, 2015) was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), from to , for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California An ...

(293) *2.

(253) *3.

(247) *4. Morgan Lewis (224) *5.

(201) Steals *1. Morgan Lewis (99) *2. Jushay Rockett (93) *3.

(91) *4.

(85) *5. Papa Oppong (65) Blocks *1. Omari Johnson (57) *2.

Shamus Ferguson Shamus may refer to: * ''Shamus'' (video game), a 1982 computer game from Synapse Software * ''Shamus'' (film), a 1973 film starring Burt Reynolds * Shamus Culhane (1908–1996), American animator, film director and producer * Shamus Khan (born ...

(47) *3. Jushay Rockett (42) *4.

(39) *5.

Dwight McCombs Dwight may refer to: People * Dwight (given name) * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer *New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors * ...

(39)

Individual awards

NBL Rookie of the Year *

– 2012 NBL Sixth Man of the Year * Omar Strong – 2015 All-NBL Second Team * Omari Johnson – 2012 *

– 2012 * Omar Strong – 2015 All-NBL Third Team *

– 2013, 2014 NBL All-Defence Team *

Marcus Capers Marcus Jerome Capers (born December 21, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the London Lightning of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). He played college basketball for Washington State. Early life Capers ...

– 2015 NBL All-Rookie Team * Thijin Moses – 2014

All-Stars

Head coaches

References

External links

*
NBL press release announcing team
{{NBLCdefunct Defunct National Basketball League of Canada teams Sport in Mississauga Basketball teams established in 2011 2011 establishments in Ontario Basketball teams disestablished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in Ontario