The number of losses is alarmingly high, the team's talent level is lower than expected and the crowds at home games are dwindling for the Xplosion, which is struggling on and off the court in its inaugural season in the Continental Basketball Association.
The Xplosion, 1-11 after an 0-10 start, play their second game of a five-game homestand at 7 p.m. today against the Albany Patroons at Mellon Arena.
Albany has won the first four meetings between the two teams, including a 132-130 overtime victory Monday night at Mellon Arena despite Kevin Pittsnogle's 42 points for the Xplosion. Pittsnogle, a 6-foot-11 rookie from West Virginia University, is the only player to start all 12 games as coach Larry Anderson has started 12 different players at least once in a desperate search to discover a winning combination.
Pittsnogle, whose 458 minutes played is 110 more than any of his teammates, averages 19.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. He shoots 38 percent from the field, including 31.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 92.7 percent from the free-throw line.
"Pittsnogle's been one of our positives," general manager Freddie Lewis said.
The negatives that jump off the statistic sheet are the 37 turnovers committed against Albany on Monday and the league-high 120.2 points opponents score per game.
"We have big men trying to make plays who should be letting the guards make those plays," Lewis said of the rash of turnovers. "A lot of the guys are trying to do things they shouldn't be doing. We're discovering the talent is better in the CBA than we expected. We were caught a little by surprise because we didn't have any background on them."
That's because the Xplosion competed in the American Basketball Association last season, reaching the second round of the playoffs and finishing with an 18-12 record.
"The big guys are more talented than in the ABA," Lewis said. "We're a player or two away from being equal to all the teams in our league."
In the continuing quest to become competitive, Lewis already has used five of the nine personnel moves each team is allotted under CBA rules.
"We're shuffling the deck a little bit," CEO and co-owner Richard Hersperger said.
The Xplosion has had a number of players miss games because of injuries.
Bryant McAllister, a 6-3 rookie from Duquesne who has been limited by an ankle injury that put him on the injured reserve list for three games, has averaged 11.8 points in eight games. Forward Janerio Spurlock (21.3 ppg., 5.3 rpg) has played in just seven games. When healthy, 6-9 Greg Jenkins (15.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and 6-3 Andre Joseph (13.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.0 apg) have been effective.
"We've got some good young kids who need to learn how to win in this league," Lewis said. "It's taken us time to adjust to the CBA level of talent. I see it getting better, but it's discouraging to lose like we're losing."
Lewis also is disappointed with the size of the crowds that have rattled around the 16,000-seat Mellon Arena.
"I'm not pleased at all. We're getting close to 1,000 a game. I was hoping for 2,500 or 3,000," he said. "I'm expecting, now that football season is over, more people will be coming to our games. Hopefully, attendance will pick up. When we start winning, I'm sure people will start coming.
"It's up to us to get some wins."
NOTE -- Pittsnogle was named CBA player of the week yesterday. He had 106 points in four games (26.5 average) last week and also averaged 8.3 rebounds per game.
First Published: January 3, 2007, 5:00 a.m.
