Maryland Nighthawks

Infobox Sports team
color1 = #660198
color2 = black

pixels = 150px
founded = 2004
league = ABA 2004-2007
PBL 2007-present
history = Maryland Nighthawks 2004-present
arena = Show Place Arena
2004-2005
Knights Arena (Montgomery College)
2005-2007
Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence (Georgetown Preparatory School)
2008-present
city = North Bethesda, Maryland
colors = Black, White, Purple
owner = Tom Doyle
coach = Lawrence Moten
championships = 0
titles = 1
cheerleaders =
dancers =
mascot =

The Maryland Nighthawks are a team of the Premier Basketball League based in North Bethesda, Maryland, which was formerly part of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team began play in the fall of 2004.

History

2004-2007: ABA Years

In their they finished in third place in the Blue Division with a 15-9 record. They lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Bellevue Blackhawks, 133-120.

Entering their second season, owner Tom Doyle relocated the team from Show Place Arena in Prince George's County, Maryland, to Montgomery County, Maryland. The Nighthawks now play their home games at the Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence of Georgetown Preparatory School on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Celebrity players such as the New England Patriots' Adalius Thomas and former Washington Bullet Gheorghe Muresan have suited up for the Nighthawks and played as the "11th man", a unique rule in the ABA that allows celebrities to play in a game for an ABA team. The Nighthawks finished the 2005-06 season with a record of 25-10. They also signed 7' 8 3/4" Chinese player Sun Ming Ming, the largest player ever to play professional basketball in the US. In the playoffs, the faced the Montreal Matrix in the first round, they would win 145-114, advancing to the second round. There, they faced the SoCal Legend, where they would lose, 121-123.

In the 2006-2007 season, they finished 13-16. This was the first losing record in the franchise's history. This was the first season in which they missed the playoffs.

2008-Present: PBL Years

In late 2007, the Maryland Nighthawks left the ABA. They would then move on to become one of the charter franchises of the newly-formed PBL. For the 2008 season, the Nighthawks signed Tamir Goodman with former player Lawrence Moten now the new head coach.

Their first season in the PBL would be the worst in their franchise's history as they posted a 6-14 record. Due to their only being ten teams in the league, they made the playoffs against the 11-9 Wilmington Sea Dawgs. They defeated Wilmington 125-112. In the second round, they went on to face off against the Rochester Razorsharks, who easily defeated the Nighthawks 123-102, thus ending their season.

External links

* [http://www.marylandnighthawks.com Official website]