Fire finishes with an impressive inaugural season

  • Potawatomi Fire point guard Tevin Foster, far right, shows Kamden Bates how to do a figure eight around his legs with a basketball, as shooting guard Deon Lyle coaches Peyton Kirkpatrick on dribbling, at the Shawnee Early Childhood Center on April 27.
    Potawatomi Fire point guard Tevin Foster, far right, shows Kamden Bates how to do a figure eight around his legs with a basketball, as shooting guard Deon Lyle coaches Peyton Kirkpatrick on dribbling, at the Shawnee Early Childhood Center on April 27.
  • Potawatomi Fire shooting guard Deon Lyle, far left, and point guard Tevin Foster, far right, teach Stevie Lunsford and Andy Lira-Molina to dribble at the Shawnee Early Childhood Center on April 27. Four members of the team visited the center where they worked on dribbling with six students selected from the audience, advised them to listen to their teachers and parents, posed for pictures with each class, signed autographs, and handed out tickets to a Fire game. Countywide & Sun/Natasha Dunagan
    Potawatomi Fire shooting guard Deon Lyle, far left, and point guard Tevin Foster, far right, teach Stevie Lunsford and Andy Lira-Molina to dribble at the Shawnee Early Childhood Center on April 27. Four members of the team visited the center where they worked on dribbling with six students selected from the audience, advised them to listen to their teachers and parents, posed for pictures with each class, signed autographs, and handed out tickets to a Fire game. Countywide & Sun/Natasha Dunagan
  • Potawatomi Fire players, from left, Deon Lyle, Anthony Allen, Tevin Foster, and Calvin Giles, Jr., sign basketballs for twins Kamden and Kash Bates at the Shawnee Early Childhood Center on April 27. During their visit, they also worked on dribbling with six students selected from the audience, advised them to listen to their teachers and parents, posed for pictures with each class, and handed out tickets to a Fire game. Countywide & Sun/Natasha Dunagan
    Potawatomi Fire players, from left, Deon Lyle, Anthony Allen, Tevin Foster, and Calvin Giles, Jr., sign basketballs for twins Kamden and Kash Bates at the Shawnee Early Childhood Center on April 27. During their visit, they also worked on dribbling with six students selected from the audience, advised them to listen to their teachers and parents, posed for pictures with each class, and handed out tickets to a Fire game. Countywide & Sun/Natasha Dunagan
  • Tevin Foster goes to the hoop during the Potawatomi Fire's first game in Second-Round Playoffs against the Shreveport Mavericks, held at FireLake Arena.
    Tevin Foster goes to the hoop during the Potawatomi Fire's first game in Second-Round Playoffs against the Shreveport Mavericks, held at FireLake Arena.

    The Potawatomi Fire just completed a successful inaugural season after a loss in the semifinals of the Central Conference bracket of The Basketball League (TBL) playoffs.

    The Fire posted an impressive 18-6 season record and made a postseason run before falling to the Shreveport Mavericks in a best of three playoff series.

    The Fire, the first team owned by a Native American tribe, was the newest organization in the 2022 TBL season. Head coach Derrick Rowland, longtime coach of a different TBL team, the Albany Patroons, jumped on the opportunity to coach the Fire. “The thing that interested me the most here was working for CPN (Citizen Potawatomi Nation). I know what a professional basketball franchise brings to a community and that was very intriguing to me to bring basketball here.”

    The Fire recruited incredible talent, most notably MVP candidate Deshawn Munson of Harris-Stowe State University in Saint Louis, Missouri. Munson led TBL in assists (9.4 apg) and averaged 25.8 ppg, fifth in TBL. He also averaged 2.6 steals per game (second in TBL) and recorded 12 tripledoubles in 29 games. Seven-footer Anthony Allen of Oklahoma State University led the league in blocks per game (2.3) and posted a 64.2% field goal percentage on the season. Allen also posted 12 double-doubles. Deon Lyle of the University of Texas at San Antonio also contributed, averaging 16.9 ppg and shooting 36% behind the arc.

    While the players found success on the court, they also found ways to give back to the Shawnee community. “The unity we had as a team, they all got along, they were all willing to go work with the kids,” said Rowland. In particular, Munson contributed off the court. “He’s involved in the community,” said Rowland. “He goes to the schools and a lot of kids obviously look up to him because of what he can do on the floor and his personality. We’re very fortunate to have him.”

    There was hype surrounding the team this season as many people in the community were excited to bring professional basketball to Shawnee. The stands at FireLake Arena were usually pretty full dur ing the Fire’s home games. “I credit the fans because they mean a lot when you walk out of that locker room and you see some people here cheering for you,” said Rowland. As the organization continues to expand, they hope to see more fans cheer on the Fire at the home games!

    Although the team didn’t win a championship, Rowland said he was proud of his team’s season and is excited for the future of the organization. Rowland has proven himself as a successful coach, winning a TBL championship with the Albany Patroons, and he hopes to bring a championship to Shawnee. “This is a two-year process to get to that level,” said Rowland. “A lot of these teams have been together for years, we just hooked up this season. There’s a lot of boxes that need to get checked. Hopefully in the direction of moving to where we wanna be is packing the house and winning a championship.”

    The Potawatomi Fire are looking forward to next season with a championship mindset and have created a winning culture in Shawnee. The organization has the right pieces for success in TBL. With a positive first season, an experienced coach and a plethora of talented basketball play ers, the Potawatomi Fire organization will only continue to grow and work towards their championship goal next season!

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