It is almost impossible to improve on a season that ends in a National Championship.
Almost.
But the Potawatomi Fire found a way.
After the 2023 season ended with the team winning a championship, the 2024 edition of the Fire reloaded and blazed to a perfect 28-0 record with no losses in the regular season or the playoffs.
The 2024 season ended with point guard Chuck Guy being named the Most Valuable Player in the TBL. Ricky Artis II was named the 6th Man of the Year, and former MVP Deshawn Munson was named the MVP for the Playoffs. K.D. Moore was also awarded a spot on the All Conference Team for the Central Conference.
Coach Mark Dannhoff was named the league’s Coach of the Year for the second straight season, and the Potawatomi Fire Dancers were named the best dance team in the Central Conference for the third straight season.
General Manager David Qualls works tirelessly to bring in and support team members who are not only among the best in The Basketball League but also great teammates and members of the community.
Coach Dannhoff said he believes in every member of the Fire.
“We were talking all year about being 12-men deep. We had confidence in all 12. It was easy to get where we needed to when the time came,” Dannhoff said. “We always believed in our depth. We faced a lot of adversity and battled through it because of depth. We felt comfortable going down to our 12th man.”
The Fire not only swept through the regular season undefeated, they also won their conference title, swept Los Angeles to advance to the championship series and swept St. Louis in a rematch of the 2023 title series.
The Fire became the first team to win back-to-back championships and the only TBL team to ever complete an undefeated season.
The Potawatomi Fire are the first professional basketball team owned by a Native American tribe in Oklahoma. Along with winning the TBL championship in 2023 and 2024, the Fire organization was named the 2022 winner of the Jim Koch Award as TBL’s Best Run Business.