Roanoke Dazzle
| Company type | Franchise (basketball team) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional basketball |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Defunct | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Roanoke, Virginia , United States |
Area served | Roanoke, Virginia |
Key people | Donna Daniels (team president), Kent Davison (head coach) |
| Products | Basketball team |
| Parent | NBA Development League |
The Roanoke Dazzle represented a franchise in the NBA Development League located in Roanoke, Virginia, operating from the league’s inaugural 2001–02 season until 2005–06. This team reintroduced professional basketball to Roanoke, a city that had not hosted a pro team since the era of the Virginia Squires in the 1970s. The Roanoke Civic Center served as their home venue. Their emblem depicted a star traversing rail tracks encircling a basketball.
Franchise history
In August 2000, Roanoke was evaluated as a potential site for one of the founding NBDL teams, competing against Hampton, Virginia. Factors such as the city’s population size, arena capacity, and lack of a major NCAA basketball program contributed to its appeal. Following an agreement to utilize the Roanoke Civic Center, the league officially announced Roanoke as its fifth franchise on May 18, 2001, reinstating professional basketball in the region for the first time since the ABA’s Virginia Squires left in 1973.
Donna Daniels was named team president and Kent Davison appointed head coach in June 2001. The franchise’s "Dazzle" moniker was revealed in July 2001 to set it apart from other local teams that incorporated railroad themes. The Dazzle secured a victory in their first-ever game on November 18, 2001, defeating the Mobile Revelers.
Although their performance on the court was modest over five seasons, the Dazzle remained one of only two original NBDL franchises still active by 2005–06—the other being the Fayetteville Patriots. Both teams were under NBA ownership throughout their existence. On May 1, 2006, the NBA Development League declared it would discontinue operations of the Roanoke Dazzle. Despite initial optimism for local investors to take over ownership, no viable group materialized, leading to the team’s dissolution.
Season by season results
| Season | Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||
| Roanoke Dazzle | |||||||
| 2001–02 | 8th | 18 | 38 | .320 | |||
| 2002–03 | 4th | 26 | 24 | .520 | Lost Semifinals (Fayetteville) 2–0 | ||
| 2003–04 | 5th | 20 | 26 | .435 | |||
| 2004–05 | 4th | 26 | 22 | .542 | Lost Semifinals (Columbus) 96–89 | ||
| 2005–06 | 4th | 25 | 23 | .521 | Lost Semifinals (Fort Worth) 87–78 | ||
| Regular Season Record | 115 | 133 | .464 | 2001–2006 | |||
| Playoff Record | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2001–2006 | |||
Players of note
- Cory Alexander – San Antonio Spurs
- Andray Blatche – Washington Wizards
- Will Bynum – Detroit Pistons
- Matt Carroll – Charlotte Bobcats
- D'or Fischer
- Anthony Grundy – Atlanta Hawks
- Mikki Moore – Sacramento Kings
- Gabe Muoneke – Saba Battery Tehran BC (Iranian Basketball Super League)
- Peter John Ramos – Washington Wizards
- Andreas Glyniadakis – Maroussi BC (Greek A1 League)
- Curtis Staples – Chicago Bulls
NBA Affiliations
- New Jersey Nets (2005–2006)
- Philadelphia 76ers (2005–2006)
- Washington Wizards (2005–2006)