1943–44 National Basketball League (United States) season

1943–44 NBL season
LeagueNational Basketball League
SportBasketball
Duration
  • December 2(?), 1943 – February 29(?), 1944
  • March 3–7, 1944 (Playoffs)
  • March 9–14, 1944 (Finals)
Games18-22
Teams4
Regular season
Season championsFort Wayne Zollner Pistons
Top seedFort Wayne Zollner Pistons
Season MVPBobby McDermott (Fort Wayne) &
Mel Riebe (Cleveland)[1]
Top scorerMel Riebe (Cleveland)
Playoffs
First semifinal championsFort Wayne Zollner Pistons
  First semifinal runners-upCleveland Chase Brassmen
Second semifinal championsSheboygan Red Skins
  Second semifinal runners-upOshkosh All-Stars
Finals
Venue
ChampionsFort Wayne Zollner Pistons
  Runners-upSheboygan Red Skins

The 1943–44 NBL season was the ninth National Basketball League (NBL) season. The regular season began on December 2, 1943, and ran until February 29, 1944. The playoffs began on March 3, 1944, and concluded on March 14, 1944, with the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons winning the NBL Championship by three games to none over the Sheboygan Red Skins in a rematch of the previous season's championship.

Only four teams competed in this season of the NBL, with the league being heavily impacted by World War II, more so than in any other season.[2]

Teams

The Chicago Studebaker Flyers ceased operations at the end of the previous season, after playing as the South Bend Studebaker Champions in the 1943 World Professional Basketball Tournament. They were replaced by the Cleveland Chase Brassmen, who had previously competed under the Cleveland Chase Copper Brass name in the Amateur Athletic Union.[3]

National Basketball League
Cleveland Chase Brassmen

Cleveland, Ohio

Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Oshkosh All-Stars

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Sheboygan Red Skins

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 1942–43 coach 1943–44 coach
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons Carl Bennett[4] Bobby McDermott (player-coach)[5]
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Cleveland Chase Brassmen Vito Kubilus (player-coach)[6] Bill Brownell (player-coach)[7]

Regular season

Teams were supposed to play a 24-game schedule, with each team playing every other team eight times. However, the Cleveland Chase Brassmen ended up playing only 18 regular season games, skipping two games against every other team, which resulted in the other teams only playing 22 games.

The racial integration of the NBL had taken a step back following the departure of the Toledo White Huts and the Chicago Studebaker Flyers, but the process was continued by Cleveland, who fielded African American player Wee Willie Smith after signing him from the New York Rens.[8]

Final standings

Pos. League Standings Wins Losses Win %
1 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 18 4 .818
2 Sheboygan Red Skins 14 8 .636
3 Oshkosh All-Stars 7 15 .318
4 Cleveland Chase Brassmen 3 15 .167

Postseason

Playoffs

All four teams participated in the playoffs to determine the champion. The semifinals were played in a best-of-three format, with the 1-seed Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons playing the 4-seed Cleveland Chase Brassmen and the 2-seed Sheboygan Red Skins playing the 3-seed Oshkosh All-Stars. The finals were played as a best-of-five series.[8]

The Pistons advanced to the finals after sweeping the Brassmen 2–0. They were joined by the Red Skins, who defeated the All-Stars 2–1.[9]

Finals

Fort Wayne won the first game of the series 55–53 in an extremely close-run affair. Bobby McDermott scored 18 points for the Pistons, and Dick Schulz scored 17 for the Red Skins.

March 9, 1944
8:30 PM (CWT)
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 55, Sheboygan Red Skins 53
Scoring by quarter: 13–15, 16–15, 12–12, 14–11
Pts: Bobby McDermott, 18 Pts: Dick Schulz, 17
Game 1, Fort Wayne leads 1–0
Sheboygan Armory
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Referees: Messenger, Begovich

The second game in Sheboygan was a low-scoring affair. The Red Skins fell behind early and were unable to recover, falling 36–26. Jake Pelkington led the Pistons with 12 points, and Ed Dancker led the Red Skins with 6.

March 11, 1944
8:30 PM (CWT)
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 36, Sheboygan Red Skins 26
Scoring by quarter: 8–6, 12–6, 9–10, 7–4
Pts: Jake Pelkington, 12 Pts: Ed Dancker, 6
Game 2, Fort Wayne leads 2–0
Sheboygan Armory
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Referees: Messenger, Kriznecky

Game 3 saw the series shift to Fort Wayne, which would be the site of the remaining games of the series. Only one game was played there, however, as the Pistons swept the Red Skins and sealed their first NBL title with a 48–38 victory.[1] The Pistons opened up to an early lead and weathered a second-half comeback attempt from the Red Skins. Schulz led the Red Skins with 11 points and McDermott led the Pistons with 12.

March 14, 1944
8:45 PM (CWT)
Sheboygan Red Skins 38, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 48
Scoring by quarter: 5–17, 6–14, 14–5, 13–12
Pts: Dick Schulz, 11 Pts: Bobby McDermott, 12
Game 3, Fort Wayne wins 3–0
North Side High School Gym
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Referees: Kriznecky, Messenger

Bracket

Semifinals NBL Championship
      
1 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 2
4 Cleveland Chase Brassmen 0
1 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 3
2 Sheboygan Red Skins 0
2 Sheboygan Red Skins 2
3 Oshkosh All-Stars 1
  • Bold Series winner

World Professional Basketball Tournament

Main article: 1944 World Professional Basketball Tournament

Following the completion of the playoffs, all four NBL teams participated in the 1944 edition of the World Professional Basketball Tournament. The Cleveland Chase Brassmen, Oshkosh All-Stars, and Sheboygan Red Skins were all eliminated in the quarterfinals. The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons added on to their NBL title with a victory in the final tournament match over the Brooklyn Eagles, who had beaten the Red Skins and Harlem Globetrotters on their way to the final, by a score of 50–33. The Pistons were also victorious over the New York Rens in the semifinals.[13]

March 25, 1944
9:15 PM (CWT)
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 50, Brooklyn Eagles 33
Scoring by quarter: 12–9, 16–2, 14–10, 8–11
Pts: Jake Pelkington, 18 Pts: Bob Tough, 11
Bernard Opper, 11
Chicago Stadium
Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 14,226
Referees: Nate Messenger, Dutch Kriznecky

Statistics

Category Player Team Stat
Points Mel Riebe Cleveland Chase Brassmen 323[15]
Free-Throws Mel Riebe Cleveland Chase Brassmen 45[16]
Field goals Bobby McDermott Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 123[17]

Note: Prior to the 1969–70 NBA season, league leaders in points were determined by totals rather than averages. Rebounding and assist numbers were not recorded properly in the NBL like they would be in the BAA/NBA, as would field goal and free-throw shooting percentages.

Awards

[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 128
  2. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 130
  3. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 124
  4. ^ "FORT WAYNE PISTONS".
  5. ^ "FORT WAYNE PISTONS".
  6. ^ "CLEVELAND CHASE BRASS".
  7. ^ Marcus, Jeff (28 April 2003). A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches. Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 9781461726531. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 127
  9. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., pp. 127–128
  10. ^ "Redskins Drop Heartbreaking Tiff". The Sheboygan Press. Sheboygan, Wisconsin. March 10, 1944. Retrieved February 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Zollners Take Second Win In Sheboygan, 36 To 26". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. March 13, 1944. Retrieved February 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Fort Wayne Wins Title In 48 To 38 Victory". The Sheboygan Press. Sheboygan, Wisconsin. March 15, 1944. Retrieved February 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., pp. 128–130
  14. ^ "Fort Wayne Five Wins Pro Meet". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. March 26, 1944. Retrieved February 2, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Points". Basketball-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Free Throws". Basketball-Reference.com.
  17. ^ "NBL Year-by-Year Leaders and Records for Field Goals". Basketball-Reference.com.
  18. ^ "Steve Dimitry's NBL Web Site". Archived from the original on 2005-08-18.
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