Delaware Blue Coats
| File:Delaware Blue Coats logo.svg Logo of the Delaware Blue Coats | |
| Company type | Professional basketball team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Predecessor | Utah Flash, Delaware 87ers |
| Founded | 2007 (as Utah Flash) |
| Headquarters | Wilmington , United States |
Area served | United States (NBA G League) |
Key people | Josh Harris, David Blitzer (owners) |
| Products | Basketball team |
| Owner | Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment |
| Parent | Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment |
| Website | bluecoats |
The Delaware Blue Coats represent a professional basketball franchise competing in the NBA G League, located in Wilmington, Delaware. Serving as the G League partner of the Philadelphia 76ers, their home contests take place at Chase Fieldhouse. Ownership of the team resides with Josh Harris and David Blitzer under the umbrella of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), which also controls the 76ers.
Originally established in 2007 as the Utah Flash, the organization began with an affiliation to the Utah Jazz. In 2013, the Philadelphia 76ers purchased and relocated the franchise to Newark, Delaware, rebranding it as the Delaware 87ers—commonly called the Sevens. The franchise transitioned to Wilmington in 2018 and adopted its current name, Delaware Blue Coats. A notable achievement came with their capture of the 2022–23 G League title, marking a key accomplishment in their history.
Utah Flash
Entrepreneur Brandt Andersen from Utah pursued establishing an NBA development league team beginning in 2004, culminating in the launch of the Utah Flash in 2007, based in Orem, Utah at the McKay Events Center. The "Flash" moniker was selected through a fan contest that garnered over 21,000 votes. The team maintained a strong connection with the Utah Jazz, who appointed David Fredman—previously an assistant coach and scouting director for the Jazz as well as assistant GM for the Denver Nuggets—to serve as general manager. Brad Jones, a regional scout and nephew of coach Jerry Sloan, was named head coach. Additionally, the Flash were affiliated with the Boston Celtics.
In their debut season, guard Morris Almond, assigned from the Jazz, set new NBA Development League scoring records by posting 51 points and later surpassing it with 53 points in individual games. Almond led the league with a scoring average of 25.6 points per game. Fredman returned to a scouting role with the Jazz in 2008, after which Jones took on dual responsibilities as both coach and general manager. By 2009, following the Celtics’ partnership shift to the new Maine Red Claws, the Atlanta Hawks joined as affiliates alongside the Flash.
On December 8, 2009, a charity event featuring a Michael Jordan impersonator drew criticism when Jordan himself failed to appear. In 2010, Brad Jones stepped down from coaching duties and was succeeded by Kevin Young, who had served as assistant coach and director of basketball operations.
Although attendance figures were strong—ranking second highest in the NBADL during the 2010–2011 season with over 100,000 attendees and averaging 4,237 fans per game—the Flash ceased operations after 2011 due to financial constraints. Andersen was compelled to relinquish his stake amid difficulties securing sponsorships from both the Jazz and local minor league baseball team Orem Owlz.
Delaware 87ers
Following a two-year hiatus, on April 27, 2013, ownership transferred to the Philadelphia 76ers, who renamed the franchise Delaware 87ers, a nod to Delaware’s status as the first state to ratify the United States Constitution in 1787. The team hosted games at facilities on the University of Delaware campus. Aaron Moszer, formerly assistant vice president of sales and marketing for Ripken Baseball Inc., was appointed team president.
In September 2013, Brandon Williams became Delaware’s inaugural general manager while Rod Baker took on head coaching responsibilities for their first season. The team concluded its debut campaign with a record of 12–38. Two players received Gatorade Call-Ups: Kendall Marshall joined the Los Angeles Lakers, and Vander Blue was called up by the Boston Celtics. Additionally, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, selected 51st overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, became the first player drafted into the NBA directly from this franchise.
In August 2014, mascot Caesar—a fox named after Delaware Revolutionary War figure Caesar Rodney—was unveiled. Prior to the start of the 2014–15 season, Baker transitioned into a scouting role for the Sixers; his head coaching position was filled by Kevin Young. Under Young’s guidance, Delaware improved to a 20–30 record and ranked seventh in D-League scoring. On April 10, 2015, they earned recognition from the Delaware Small Business Chamber with both a Merit Award for Emerging Business of the Year and a Voter’s Choice Award for Community Involvement.
The offensive output during the 2015–16 season saw four players achieve at least 45 points in single games—a league record. Highlights included performances by Sean Kilpatrick with 45 points; Jordan McRae, who set a single-game scoring mark at 61 points; Christian Wood also scoring 45 points; and finally Russ Smith, who surpassed McRae’s record by scoring an impressive 65 points. McRae and Kilpatrick earned All-Star selections; all three players received NBA call-ups during that season. Despite losing several key contributors midway through and finishing with a final record of 21–29 after a strong start, former NBA All-Star Baron Davis bolstered the roster by appearing in six games toward season’s end.
Delaware Blue Coats
Beginning with the 2018–19 season, the franchise adopted the name Delaware Blue Coats, a tribute to the 1st Delaware Regiment, also known as the "Delaware Blues," and their role during the American Revolutionary War. The team's emblem features imagery inspired by Caesar Rodney and his legendary ride that secured Delaware's pivotal vote for independence. This rebranding occurred alongside the inauguration of the Chase Fieldhouse located in Wilmington. In September 2018, Elton Brand was elevated from his position to become the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers.
During the 2020–21 NBA G League campaign, the Blue Coats advanced to the championship round but were defeated by the Lakeland Magic. Subsequently, Matt Lilly was relieved of his GM duties, and head coach Connor Johnson stepped down. Prosper Karangwa, serving as Sixers' vice president of player personnel, assumed the general manager role, while Coby Karl, formerly head coach of the South Bay Lakers, was hired as head coach.
The 2022–23 season represented the Blue Coats’ third straight appearance in the NBA G League Finals, a streak last matched by the Santa Cruz Warriors. On April 6, 2023, they captured their inaugural NBA G League title by sweeping the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 2–0, thereby avenging their defeat in the previous year's finals.
Season-by-season
| Season | Division | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||||
| Utah Flash | |||||||||
| 2007–08 | Western | 3rd | 24 | 26 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| 2008–09 | Western | 1st | 32 | 18 | Template:Winpct | Won First Round (Bakersfield) 94–81 Won Semifinals (Dakota) 103–93 Lost Finals (Colorado) 0–2 | |||
| 2009–10 | Western | 4th | 28 | 22 | Template:Winpct | Lost First Round (Iowa) 1–2 | |||
| 2010–11 | Western | 5th | 28 | 22 | Template:Winpct | Lost First Round (Iowa) 1–2 | |||
| colspan="10" style="Template:NBA color cell;"|Delaware 87ers | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Eastern | 6th | 12 | 38 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| 2014–15 | Atlantic | 4th | 20 | 30 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| 2015–16 | Atlantic | 4th | 21 | 29 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| 2016–17 | Atlantic | 2nd | 26 | 24 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| 2017–18 | Southeast | 4th | 16 | 34 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| colspan="10" style="Template:NBA color cell;"|Delaware Blue Coats | |||||||||
| 2018–19 | Atlantic | 4th | 21 | 29 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| 2019–20 | Atlantic | 2nd | 22 | 21 | Template:Winpct | 'Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic' | |||
| 2020–21 | — | 4th | 10 | 5 | Template:Winpct | Won Quarterfinal (Austin)124–103 Won Semifinal (Raptors 905)127–100 Lost Championship (Lakeland)78–97 | |||
| 2021–22 | Eastern | 3rd | 22 | 10 | Template:Winpct | Won Quarterfinal (Long Island)133–116 Won Semifinal (Motor City)124–116 Won Conference Final (Raptors905)143-139 Lost Finals (Rio Grande Valley)0-2 | |||
| 2022-23 | Eastern | 2nd | 20 | 12 | Template:Winpct | Won Semifinal (Capital City)104-99 Won Conference Finals (Long Island)108-94 Won Finals (Rio Grande Valley)2-0 | |||
| 2023-24 | Eastern | 6th | 19 | 15 | Template:Winpct | Won Conference Quarterfinal (Indiana)123-101 Lost Conference Semifinal (Maine)112-119 | |||
| 2024-25 | Eastern | 13th | 14 | 20 | Template:Winpct | ||||
| Regular season record | 315 | 343 | Template:Winpct | 2007-present | |||||
| Playoff record | 14 | 10 | Template:Winpct | 2007-present | |||||
Head coaches
| # | Head coach | Tenure | Regular season | Postseason | Accomplishments | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | Win% | G | W | L | Win% | ||||
| 1 | Brad Jones | 2007–2010 | 150 | 84 | 66 | Template:Winpct | 6 | 3 | 3 | Template:Winpct | |
| 2 | Kevin Young | 2010–2011 | 50 | 28 | 22 | Template:Winpct | 3 | 1 | 2 | Template:Winpct | |
| 3 | Rod Baker | 2013–2014 | 50 | 12 | 38 | Template:Winpct | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 | Kevin Young | 2014–2016 | 100 | 41 | 49 | .410 | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 | Eugene Burroughs | 2016–2018 | 100 | 42 | 58 | .420 | — | — | — | — | |
| 6 | Connor Johnson | 2018–2021 | 108 | 53 | 55 | Template:Winpct | 3 | 2 | 1 | Template:Winpct | |
| 7 | Coby Karl | 2021–2023 | 64 | 42 | 22 | Template:Winpct | 9 | 7 | 2 | Template:Winpct | |
| 8 | Mike Longabardi | 2023–present | 68 | 33 | 35 | Template:Winpct | 2 | 1 | 1 | Template:Winpct | |
Utah Flash
- Boston Celtics (2007–2009)
- Atlanta Hawks (2009–2011)
- Utah Jazz (2007–2011)
Delaware 87ers/Blue Coats
- Philadelphia 76ers (2013–present)