The Saint John Riptide 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
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...
, that had home games at
Harbour Station. They were a member of the
National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) in the
Atlantic Division. The team was one of two professional basketball teams from the province of New Brunswick, the other being the
Moncton Magic
The Moncton Magic are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Moncton, New Brunswick, that joined the National Basketball League of Canada for the 2017–18 season, replacing the league-operated Moncton Miracles in the summer of 2017. ...
.
Established in 2007 as the Manchester Millrats (an expansion team based in
Manchester, New Hampshire, which played in the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
(ABA), a year later it moved to the
Premier Basketball League (PBL).
In 2010, it relocated to Saint John and in 2016 was renamed.
In 2019, the team was granted a one-season hiatus by the league,
but has since been inactive.
History
2007–08 season
In their inaugural ABA season, the Manchester Millrats compiled a regular season record of 28–12, playing their home games at the
Fieldhouse of
Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospitali ...
(SNHU). They won their first 12 games and first four games against the reigning champion
Vermont Frost Heaves
The Vermont Frost Heaves were a professional basketball team in Vermont, United States, that last played in the Premier Basketball League, last coached by Joe Salerno.
History
The formation of the team was announced in December 2005 by foundi ...
. These were the only losses the Frost Heaves had in that season. The Millrats were one of eight teams to make the post season. They got to the semifinals but lost in overtime to the
San Diego Wildcats. Larry Lessett was the head coach.
There were major logistical issues, as two of the four teams in the Millrats' division suspended operations. The ABA flew the Millrats to
the Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
once and to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
twice to play against ABA teams with no local competition. Nevertheless, Millrats management organized additional games against local rivals and gave season ticket owners the full number of events they had been promised, although the final regular season game was played at a private center ten miles away.
Point guard
Anthony Anderson got the ABA's
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
award among other awards and recognition. Ian McCarthy was named the league's General Manager of the Year. Ismael Caro and Ife Anosike were separated from the team after a brawl that brought a game in Vermont to a premature end.
2008–09 season
The logistical problems of the ABA led the Millrats to join the
Premier Basketball League, with teams from
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
,
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
, and
Halifax. The 20-game PBL regular season began in January 2009. The Millrats and three other teams from the PBL's Atlantic Division added 6 exhibition games apiece in pursuit of the "Champlain Cup." The Millrats played three other exhibitions, including two against the
Arecibo Captains
The Capitanes de Arecibo are a Puerto Rican professional basketball team based in Arecibo that competes in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league. In 2010, the team also had the distinction to play in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) u ...
of Puerto Rico.
Owner Jason Briggs bought a mansion in Manchester and remodeled it to contain sauna, steam rooms, a dinner table on stilts, and custom, seven-foot bunks. Players and coaches resided there and the garage became the business office. Sam Carey joined P.J. Young as Millrats who had played college basketball on the same home court for SNHU. Ife Anosike rejoined the Millrats, left at mid-season to pursue a nursing career, but returned for the playoffs.
The Millrats started the PBL regular season with two road losses, but lost only two other games and finished the regular season at 16–4, atop the Atlantic Division. The team was undefeated at home, and undefeated in February, for which
Rob Spon
Robert Spon is an American professional basketball coach, most recently serving as the head coach for the Cape Breton Highlanders of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). He has previously led the Rochester RazorSharks, the Halif ...
got the PBL Coach of the Month award and
Desmond Ferguson
Desmond Ferguson (born July 22, 1977, in Lansing, Michigan) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He last played with the Halifax Rainmen of the PBL. He attended and played college basketball at the University of Missou ...
got a Player of the Week award.
On February 5, the PBL suspended the
Montreal Sasquatch
The Montreal Sasquatch were a team of the Premier Basketball League (PBL) that played in the 2008–09 season under two different ownership groups.
History
Réal Bourassa was granted an expansion franchise in the PBL for the 2009 season. However ...
and conducted a dispersal draft on February 7. The Millrats selected Jamaal Wise. On March 9, the Millrats traded Wise and other considerations to
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
for power forward John Ruffus, whom Quebec selected in the same dispersal draft. This was called the PBL's first in-season player trade. On February 13, the Millrats played a scheduled home game against a Montreal team with new roster and ownership.
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
remained the principal rival; many Vermont fans made the 130-mile drive. A showdown on February 15 enthused 1,052 fans. February's winning streak ended on March 6 with an overtime loss to
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
in Burlington, but the Millrats clinched the Atlantic Division the next day in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
.
Third-seeded Manchester met the second-seeded
Rochester RazorSharks for the best-of-three PBL semifinals. The RazorSharks delayed the third and deciding game four days, blamed on a malfunctioning backboard, and won the game to eliminate the Millrats. Millrats point guard Al Stewart shared post-season honors for the PBL Defensive Player of the Year.
2009–10 season
The PBL had massive turnover of franchises and began the 2009–10 season reduced from 13 to 9 teams, playing as a single division. Four teams of the old Atlantic Division returned, except the problematic Montréal franchise. But the entire Midwest Division disappeared. Battle Creek, with the league's best record, quit the PBL over the PBL's decision to hold a one-game league championship in Rochester, denying Battle Creek up to two home dates, and over disagreement over compensation for this decision. In the Eastern Division, Rochester and Buffalo returned, but the Wilmington franchise left, reportedly over loss of nearby competitors. However, the
Maryland GreenHawks
The Washington GreenHawks were a team of the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League (ACPBL) based in Washington, D.C. As the Maryland Nighthawks they were formerly part of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and a founding member of ...
(formerly the Nighthawks) came out of dormancy, and the PBL picked up the
Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry
The Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry was a professional basketball team based in Lawton, Oklahoma. They played in the Premier Basketball League after having been in the Continental Basketball Association. They have one PBL championship and also were th ...
from 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 ...
; and the
Capitanes de Arecibo, from the
Baloncesto Superior Nacional league of
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
.
Heath Teixeira was promoted to head coach. An exposure combine on October 24–25, 2009, drew over 70 athletes. The Champlain Cup became a three-team tournament hosted by the
Vermont Frost Heaves
The Vermont Frost Heaves were a professional basketball team in Vermont, United States, that last played in the Premier Basketball League, last coached by Joe Salerno.
History
The formation of the team was announced in December 2005 by foundi ...
from December 27–29 against the Millrats and the Québec Kebs. The Millrats won the Cup with lopsided victories. The team played no exhibition games at home.
Among players from the previous season, only Al Stewart and Marlowe Currie started the regular season with the Millrats, and they were not with the team by late January. Charles Mason trained with the team and joined the roster in late January, as did P.J. Young. Anthony Anderson rejoined the team after a year's absence, and Charles Easterling joined in mid-season. The Millrats drafted Tyrece Gibbs and Eric Gilchrese, alumni of the
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...
, with their picks in the PBL player draft. The signing of Luke Bonner on January 15 spurred media interest, as Bonner is from
Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
, and is the brother of Matt Bonner of the
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 ( ...
. But he played only the weekend of January 16–17 before going to the
Austin Toros
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
in 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 ...
. On January 21, Currie was traded to Halifax.
Admission to the SNHU Fieldhouse remained at $10 ($90 for a ten-game season ticket), but the bleachers on one side were replaced by $17 courtside seating. Mascot Millie the Millrat was not seen, but a dog mascot took his or her place, wearing 00. One home game was moved to
Hesser College
Mount Washington College was a for-profit college in New Hampshire, United States. Until 2013 it was known as Hesser College. It was owned by Kaplan, Inc., and offered associate and bachelor's degrees focused in business and information technol ...
, and one was moved to
UNH, as it featured Keith Friel of the visiting
Rochester Razorsharks (the son of former UNH Head Coach Gerry Friel) and the two UNH alumni mentioned above for the Millrats.
2010–11 season
In May 2010, a report surfaced that the Millrats ownership was looking to leave Manchester for
Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...
, saying that seating and concessions in the arena were the main impetus for moving.
On June 21, 2010, a press conference was held at
Harbour Station in Saint John to officially announce the move.
A naming contest was held in conjunction with
Rogers Communications titled "Got Name?" where fans could text their choice of name via text-messaging. The choices for the names were: Millrats, Fog, Shamrocks, Fire, and Rip Tide. The fans could also select their own. On July 27, Ian McCarthy, president of the team, announced that with overwhelming support, the Mill Rats moniker would remain the same, although a space was added between the two words. A new logo was also unveiled.
The Mill Rats were in contention for most of the regular season, but finished with a record of 9–11, in 5th place, one game out of the playoffs.
The playoffs were notable for New York state-based referees traveling to work several away games involving the Rochester Razorsharks (which share a common owner with the PBL). When this, an uneven number of foul calls, and a final game terminated prematurely by fan reaction marred the semifinal series in Quebec, McCarthy (who had chafed at out-of-state referees during the 2009 playoffs) wrote a protest letter to the league on behalf of his and the other Canadian teams. The same events recurred in the final series, which concluded in the Mill Rats and Rainmen quitting the PBL moments after the playoffs ended. The Kebs followed suit one day later, with Lawton-Fort Sill suspending operations.
NBL Canada: 2011–present
On May 12, 2011, the Mill Rats (along with the existing Halifax and Québec teams of the PBL) were announced as founding members of the
National Basketball League of Canada.
On October 12, the Mill Rats announced the signing of former
Detroit Pistons guard
Will Blalock
William Anthony Blalock (born September 8, 1983 in Boston) is a former American professional basketball player, who last played for the Saint John Mill Rats of the National Basketball League of Canada.
Early years
Blalock played basketball at Ea ...
. The team looked forward to intense interest for the season given the
2011 NBA lockout.
After the 2015–16 season, the NBLC announced that the Mill Rats ownership group would no longer continue to operate the team. It voted unanimously to transfer the ownership of the Saint John team to a local ownership group called Saint John Pro Basketball headed by Scott VanWart, Mike Cormier and Paul Vaughan. The new ownership group retained on-and-off franchise head coach,
Rob Spon
Robert Spon is an American professional basketball coach, most recently serving as the head coach for the Cape Breton Highlanders of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada). He has previously led the Rochester RazorSharks, the Halif ...
. On 26 October, the new ownership announced the rebranded team would be called the Saint John Riptide.
Spon left Saint John after the
2016–17 season to coach the
Cape Breton Highlanders. The Riptide then hired Nelson Terroba as head coach after he had previously served as an assistant with the
Erie BayHawks of 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 ...
.
Season standings
Current roster
Notable players
*
Frank Bartley
Frank Bartley IV (born February 25, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Trieste of the Italia Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the BYU Cougars and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.
Early lif ...
(born 1994), basketball player for
Ironi Ness Ziona of the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...
References
External links
*
{{NBLCdefunct
National Basketball League of Canada teams
Former Premier Basketball League teams
Sport in Saint John, New Brunswick
Basketball teams in New Brunswick