AMERICAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE (II)
19-9 .679, 1st place
Semi-Finals: Defeated Scranton, 1-1
ABL Finals: Defeated Wilkes-Barre, 2-0
The BA's started out winning their first five games en route to a regular season title. Sonny Hertzberg was the head coach for the first 11 games, but was replaced by Puggy Bell when Bell joined the club on January 17, 1953.
Manchester met with Scranton in the first round of the playoffs. After losing the first game at home, they went into Scranton and evened the series with a 100-94. Scranton had signed Perry del Purgatorio prior to the start of the series, and Manchester protested his signing, claiming that players who did not play for the club in the regular season should not be eligible for the playoffs. The league sided with Manchester, and Scranton quit the series. Two weeks later, the BA's finished off Wilkes-Barre for the ABL crown in what would turn out to be the last ABL season.
Head coaches:
- Sonny Hertzberg (July 29, 1922 - July 25, 2005) 8-3
- Puggy Bell (November 26, 1914 - February 19, 1985) 10-6
PLAYERS:
- Buddy Ackerman (September 4, 1930 - July 9, 2011)
- Jackie Allen (April 11, 1923 - August 24, 1966)
- Ed Bartels (October 8, 1925 - November 4, 2007)
- Puggy Bell (November 26, 1914 - February 19, 1985)
- Dick Bunt (July 13, 1929 - February 10, 2021)
- Hank DeZonie (February 12, 1922 - January 2, 2009)
- Ray Felix (December 10, 1930 - July 28, 1991)
- Ken Goodwin (November 4, 1927 - October 8, 2013)
- Sonny Hertzberg (July 29, 1922 - July 25, 2005)
- Johnny Hughes
- Bobby Knight (April 30, 1929 - May 23, 2008)
- Joe Kubachka (March 21, 1924 - January 23, 2012)
- John Mazziotta (May 15, 1930 - October 11, 2011)
- Bobby McLarnon (October 24, 1926 - August 8, 2009)
- Ralph Polson (October 26, 1929 - May 6, 2022)
- Wally Widholm (August 6, 1927 - March 4, 2005)
- Yogi Yokabaskas (May 17, 1929 - April 13, 2014)
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