Seasons
1993-94
Record: 34-22, third in American Conference Mideast Division of 16-team league.
Playoffs: Beat Bill Musselman’s Rochester (Minn.) Renegades in overtime of a playoff play-in in Bismarck, N.D.; topped Grand Rapids 4-1 in best-of-seven second round; swept La Crosse 4-0 in conference finals; then topped Omaha 4-1, winning last three on road to claim franchise’s first league title.
Scoring leaders: Harold Ellis 21.4, Chris Childs 17.9, Tate George 16.4, Bobby Martin 13.6, Barry Mitchell 13.0.
Rebounding leaders: Matt Fish 7.1, Ashraf Amaya 6.9, Cedric Henderson 6.1.
Assist leaders: Childs 7.5, Mitchell 4.6, George 4.5.
Year in review: A team that was 13-12 on Jan. 15 found its stride in the second half and exploded in the postseason. Often forgotten in that championship-season lore is that the club needed a big bucket late to force overtime and then move on from the one-and-only play-in tourney in CBA history. Often remembered are the first two games of the finals at The Mark vs. Mike Thibault’s Omaha Racers. The Thunder won the opener in double overtime after Tate George tied the game with last-second buckets at both the end of regulation and of the first overtime. They lost the second in triple overtime on a late Bart Kofoed 3-pointer, but then went on to win three straight in Omaha, the last in OT. Childs averaged 17.4 points and 8.5 assists in the playoffs, was the Finals MVP and went on to a starting career in the NBA.