Santa Cruz Warriors
| Santa Cruz Warriors | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| League | NBA Development League |
| Founded | 1995 |
| History |
Dakota Wizards 1995–2012 IBA: 1995–2001 CBA: 2001–2006 NBA D-League: 2006–2012 Santa Cruz Warriors 2012–present |
| Arena | Kaiser Permanente Arena |
| Location | Santa Cruz, California |
| Team colors | Blue, Yellow, White |
| General manager | Kent Lacob |
| Head coach | Casey Hill |
| Ownership | Golden State Warriors |
| Affiliation(s) | Golden State Warriors |
| Championships |
IBA: 1 (2001) CBA: 2 (2002, 2004) D-League: 2 (2007, 2015) |
| Conference titles |
CBA: 3 (2002, 2003, 2005) D-League: 1 (2015) |
| Division titles |
IBA: 2 (2000, 2001) D-League: 3 (2007, 2008, 2015) |
| Website | santacruz.dleague.nba.com |
The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA Development League, based in Santa Cruz, California. The team's one-to-one NBA affiliate is the Golden State Warriors, and they play their homes games at the Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior to the move to Santa Cruz for the 2012–13 season, the team was known as the Dakota Wizards. In 2014–15, the Warriors won their first D-League championship since 2007.
The Wizards began play in 1995 in the International Basketball Association (IBA), and in 2001, with Dave Joerger at the helm, they won the IBA championship in the league's final year of operation.
Following the 2000–01 season, the IBA merged with several teams from the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and in their first year in the new CBA, Joerger and the Wizards won the league title, defeating the Rockford Lightning. After making it to the semifinals in the 2002–03 season, the Wizards again won the league title in 2004 over the Idaho Stampede, giving Joerger his third title as the Wizards' head coach.
Joerger left the Wizards following the 2003–04 season, and after his departure, the Wizards made it to the semifinals in 2004–05 then missed the playoffs the following season.
Prior to the 2006–07 season, the Wizards joined the NBA Development League, and Joerger returned to Dakota as head coach. He won his fourth title with the Wizards in their first year in the D-League. In the Championship Game, forward Darius Rice came off the Wizards bench to put together a record-setting night that led the Wizards to a 129–121 overtime victory over the Colorado 14ers. Rice scored 52 points and made 11 three-pointers, including one with 4.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime tied at 109. Rice's points and three-point field goal totals set D-League championship game records.
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