Eastern Basketball League - Pennsylvania (EPBL)

 As World War 2 came to an end and the soldier began to return home and the economy was shifting back from the war effort, the working class turned to sports for recreation more than ever. Professional basketball, which had been growing slowly prior to the war, was beginning to centralize and organize. The NBL, and to a lesser extent, the ABL, were the biggest organized professional leagues, bit in 1946 the BAA was formed in a large part by the owners of 5 NHL teams. The BAA would eventually siphon off the best of the NBL teams and become the NBA, and propel itself into prominence. But on the state level, smaller minor leagues (and largely semi-professional in reality) forme that same fall of 1946. Three leagues named the Eastern League, in based in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania, commenced and under the umbrella of an Eastern Basketball Association, operated independently but with codified rules and recognizing each other's contracts (with a few disagreements). The Connecticut league and the New York league last a few season before folding. But he Eastern League of Pennsylvania did much better. It would eventually expand out of state and across the nation, becoming the Continental Basketball Association which survived into the 21st century before finally ceasing operations.

There have been some great books and research done on the Eastern League, much better than anything I could ever do. (Robert Bradley and Syl Sobel have both written great books on the subject). But as I try to move forward in the pro basketball timeline, I figured I would at least look at it the same way I did other leagues and maybe fill in a few blanks along the way. I am planning on jumping back and forth between the EBL and the NBA as I move forward.