Black Hills Posse
| Black Hills Posse | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| League | IBA 1995-1999 | ||
| Founded | 1995 | ||
| Folded | 1999 | ||
| History |
Black Hills Posse 1995-1998 Rapid City Thrillers 1998-1999 | ||
| Arena | Rushmore Plaza Civic Center | ||
| Location | Rapid City, SD | ||
| Team colors | Teal, Black, White | ||
| Head coach | Duane Ticknor | ||
| Championships | 1 (1997) | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
The Black Hills Posse was a professional basketball club based in Rapid City, South Dakota that competed in the International Basketball Association beginning in the 1995-1996 season. The team was founded by George Daniel, an attorney from Pennsylvania. The Posse were created for Rapid City as a response to the departure of the Rapid City Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Association. They were the 1996-1997 International Basketball Association champions with an all-time winning record of 85 and 37.
In 1998 the Black Hills Posse were sold to John Tuschman (former owner of the original Rapid City Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Association). Tuschman tried to spark the old spirit the Thrillers had from the late 1980s and early 1990s, by renaming the Posse to the Thrillers and bringing back the original "flaming basketball" logo. Unfortunately, Tuschman was unsuccessful and the new Thrillers folded after the end of the 1998-99 season. The IBA continued for one more season in Rapid City, as the Black Hills Gold played in the 1999-00 season for one year. Rapid City has been without professional basketball ever since.
Year-by-year
| Year | League | W | L | Pct. | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995/96 | IBA | 20 | 4 | .833 | 1st | Finals |
| 1996/97 | IBA | 26 | 4 | .867 | 1st | Champions |
| 1997/98 | IBA | 23 | 11 | .676 | 1st, West | Finals |
| 1998/99 | IBA | 16 | 18 | .471 | 3rd, West | Division Semifinals |
Some notable players
- Isaac Burton
- Dennis Edwards (basketball)
- Damon Jones
- G.J. Hunter
- Lonnie Cooper