1946–47 Rochester Royals season
| 1946–47 Rochester Royals season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Eddie Malanowicz |
| Arena | Edgerton Park Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 31–13 (.705) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Won NBL Eastern Division Opening Round (3-1) over Syracuse Nationals Won NBL Western Division Semifinals (2-1) over Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Radio | WHAM |
The 1946–47 Rochester Royals season was the franchise's second season in the National Basketball League (NBL). This also was the NBL's first official season where they actually implemented a drafting system similar to what the future rivaling Basketball Association of America (and later merging partner to become the National Basketball Association) had for the eventual NBA draft system a year later following the conclusion of their inaugural league season for the purpose of controlled player salaries and limiting the idea of outbidding other players outside of their own 12-player teams at hand (with the NBL having a budget of $6,000 this season), as well as implementing key players to signing binding contracts as soon as they could and the NBL looking to have full-time referees on display.[1] The Royals finished this season with the best record in the NBL at 31–13, as well as beat the Syracuse Nationals 3–1 in the quarterfinal round and the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 2–2 in the semifinal round. However, despite their best efforts, they could not repeat as champions of the NBL this season due to opposing center George Mikan proving to be too much for the Royals to overcome in a championship series, which resuled in Rochester losing the NBL championship 3–1 to the Chicago American Gears, who would end up leaving the NBL at the end of this season to start a new league that ultimately proved to be short-lived in its own nature, the Professional Basketball League of America.
1946–47 NBL standings
Eastern Division
| Pos. | Eastern Division | Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | 13 | .705 | |
| 2 | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons | 25 | 19 | .568 |
| T–3 | Syracuse Nationals | 21 | 23 | .477 |
| Toledo Jeeps | 21 | 23 | .477 | |
| 5 | Buffalo Bisons / Tri-Cities Blackhawks‡ |
19 | 25 | .432 |
| 6 | Youngstown Bears | 12 | 32 | .273 |
| ‡ After 13 games the franchise moved from New York to Illinois. | ||||
Western Division
| Pos. | Western Division | Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oshkosh All-Stars | 28 | 16 | .636 |
| 2 | Indianapolis Kautskys | 27 | 17 | .614 |
| T–3 | Chicago American Gears | 26 | 18 | .591 |
| Sheboygan Red Skins | 26 | 18 | .591 | |
| 5 | Anderson Duffey Packers | 24 | 20 | .545 |
| 6 | Detroit Gems | 4 | 40 | .091 |
Team statistics
Regular season
| Rank | Player | Position | Games played | Field goals | Free throws made | Free throws attempted | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Cervi | G-F | 44 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 14.4 |
| 2 | Red Holzman | G | 44 | 5.2 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 12.0 |
| 3 | Bob Davies | G-F | 32 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 14.4 |
| 4 | George Glamack | C-F | 44 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 8.5 |
| 5 | Andrew Levane | F-G | 39 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 8.1 |
| 6 | Arnie Johnson | F-C | 32 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 6.4 |
| 7 | William King | C-F | 41 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 4.0 |
| 8 | Al Negratti | F-C | 33 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| 9 | Bill Coven | F-C | 13 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.8 |
| 10 | Jack Garfinkel | G | 10 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.3 |
| 11 | Leon Gauchat | G | 6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| 12 | Jim Cominsky | G | 5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| 13 | Jim Quinlan | F | 3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 14 | Frank Beaty | F | 6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
Playoffs
| Rank | Player | Position | Games played | Field goals | Free throws made | Free throws attempted | Points per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Davies | G-F | 11 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 13.7 |
| 2 | Al Cervi | G-F | 11 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 13.5 |
| 3 | Red Holzman | G | 11 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 9.6 |
| 4 | George Glamack | C-F | 10 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 9.8 |
| 5 | Andrew Levane | F-G | 11 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 8.4 |
| 6 | William King | C-F | 11 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 8.3 |
| 7 | Al Negratti | F-C | 11 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| 8 | Frank Beaty | F | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| 9 | Leon Gauchat | G | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Bill Coven | F-C | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0[2] |
Rewards and Honors
- 1st Team: Al Cervi, Bob Davies
- 2nd Team: Red Holzman
- League MVP: Bob Davies[3]
Transactions
References
- ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., pp. 158–159
- ^ 1946-47 Rochester Royals Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
- ^ 1946-47 NBL Season Summary | Basketball-Reference.com