The Youngstown Hawks were an American

International Basketball Association The International Basketball Association (IBA) was founded in 1995 by a group of businessmen led by Tom Anderson. The original owners of franchises in the league were George Daniel (Black Hills Posse-Rapid City, SD), John Korsmo, Al Gardner, and A ...

team based in

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, from 1999 to 2000. The team was owned by former Cleveland Cavaliers owner

Ted Stepien Theodore J. Stepien (June 9, 1925 – September 10, 2007) was an American businessman who owned the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1983. Born in Pittsburgh in 1925, he became wealthy as the founder ...

, who moved the team to Youngstown from Mansfield. The Hawks struggled to gain traction in Youngstown, with controversies over where the team hosted games and whether or not it had liquor permits, which forced the team to stop selling beer at games. After compiling a 4–15 record, Stepian sold a majority share of the team to Tom Tao, and the team was relocated to

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where it became the

Saskatchewan Hawks The Saskatchewan Hawks was a professional basketball club based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 2000–2001 season. The team's ownership group was composed of Tom Tao and forme ...

References

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External links

2001 article from sportslawnews.com regarding defamation suitIBAhoopsonline.com article
Defunct basketball teams in the United States Sports in Youngstown, Ohio Basketball teams in Ohio 1999 establishments in Ohio 2000 disestablishments in Ohio Basketball teams established in 1999 Basketball teams disestablished in 2000