The Pittsburgh Piranhas was a semi-pro basketball team that began in 1994 as part of 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 ...

. The team played its home games at the A.J. Palumbo Center at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

in Pittsburgh. From 1983–1985 the Piranhas were known as the Louisville Catbirds and then the

La Crosse Catbirds The La Crosse Catbirds was an American basketball team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin and member of the Continental Basketball Association. The Catbirds were the 1990 and 1992 CBA champions. The team moved to La Crosse from Louisville in 1985, an ...

from 1985 until moving to Pittsburgh in 1994. During their first year in Pittsburgh, the Piranhas made it to the CBA Championship. The team was defeated in a best of seven series against the

Yakima Sun Kings The Yakima SunKings are a basketball team located in Yakima, Washington, covering the central Washington sports market of Yakima, Tri-Cities, and Ellensburg and plays at the Yakima SunDome. The team competed in the Continental Basketball Associa ...

. The team lasted one season. According to Bob Murphy, the owner of the Piranhas, the reason for the collapse of the franchise was attendance, an average of 1,600. For the team to be profitable, it needed an average of 3,000.

1994-95 Playoffs

Reference:

References

{{Pittsburgh sports Basketball teams in Pittsburgh

Piranhas A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...

Defunct basketball teams in Pennsylvania Basketball teams in Pennsylvania 1994 establishments in Pennsylvania Basketball teams established in 1994 Sports clubs disestablished in 1995 1995 disestablishments in Pennsylvania