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The Allentown, Pa. Rockets were one of the original six franchises in the Eastern Professional Basketball League. Two years previously, the Allentown Pros basketball team succeeded as an independent squad, winning 11 of 13 games and drawing interest in Allentown as a new member of this new Eastern League. The Rockets started out well in its initial season, beating the Hazleton Mountaineers 68-49 in front of 1,832 at Allentown's venerable Rockne Hall (a gymnasium connected to Catholic Central High School). There were some initial wins and successes, as the Rockets enjoyed rivalries with cities like Pottsville and Reading, rivalries that went back to the days of those cities' pro teams in the old Tri-County League. But the team suffered through an extended losing streak, and that, combined with the successses of the Allentown High School Canaries basketball team and their 60+ game winning streak, relegated the Rockets to second-tier status among the fans. The Rockets' top scorers, Tommy Bell and Earl "Chick" Craig, the latter a future successful EPBL coach, were traded away or released. By the end of January 1947, the Rockets were teetering on the brink of financial ruin, and had actually contacted the league about cancelling their home games and only appearing as a "touring team." Instead, team owners Roy Minninger and John Hessinger, Jr., sold the franchise to Tommy Loughran, a light-heavyweight boxing champion. Loughran promised to increase interest in the Rockets by scheduling doubleheaders at Rockne Hall - an Eastern League team would face a top squad from the American Basketball League or the National Basketball League; while the Rockets would play a league contest in the nightcap. Attendance increased, and the Rockets were able to finish the season. A bizarre incident occurred on March 6, 1947, in a game where the Pottsville Maroons hosted Allentown. The Rockets arrived at Pottsville High School with only three players; the other seven men, it was claimed by Allentown coach Jack Carpian, were detained by a flat tire en route. After waiting 20 minutes past the initial 9:00 p.m. start time, the game began with two Pottsville benchwarmers - Bill Rosenberger and Bob Morris - added to the Allentown lineup. The rest of the Rockets arrived at about 9:45 p.m., in time to start the second quarter, and Carpian wanted to start the contest over with his full complement of Rockets (at the time, Pottsville had the first quarter won 18-17). The referee instead fined Carpian $25 for abuse of officials and unsportsmanlike conduct. Carpian threatened to pull the Rockets off the court, and as the game continued, Carpian argued with the league's scorekeeper when one of his players, Tommy Gorman, was ejected on personal fouls. The EPBL later ruled the game a "no contest," and Carpian received another fine for his actions. Although the Rockets were able to finish the season, they did not return to the EPBL for the 1947-48 campaign. During the 1948-1949 season, the Reading Keys, despite their winning record and nearly undefeated home victory streak, could not make money. Their home court, the Reading Armory, could barely hold more than a thousand patrons, and attempts by team owner Arlie Roblitzer to move the games to another facility proved futile. Eventually Roblitzer relocated the Keys' home games to Allentown, who lost their franchise, the Allentown Rockets, during the 1946-47 season. Games were scheduled for the largest venue in the town, spacious Rockne Hall, and the Keys' January opener against Sunbury drew a respectable crowd of 1000 fans. But because the team could only pick up whatever dates were left at Rockne Hall after Allentown's high school teams had already set their schedule, the Keys could only play two more games at Rockne Hall before relocating back to Reading. Prior to the 1958-59 season, the Wilmington Jets relocated their franchise to Allentown. It proved to be a fortuitous move, as the Allentown Jets won eight Eastern League championships, packing the crowds at Rockne Hall. More information on the Allentown Jets (and their later incarnation as the Lehigh Valley Jets) will be added in the future to this site.
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