Rapid City Thrillers

The Rapid City Thrillers, based in Rapid City, South Dakota, played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1987 to 1995. The franchise began in 1984 as the Tampa Bay Thrillers, coached by Bill Musselman, and won CBA titles in 1985 and 1986.

At the end of the 1986-87 regular season the team moved to South Dakota and won a third straight title that spring. Results then dropped: the 1987-88 team went 16-38 and missed the playoffs. The club later won several division titles and reached the finals in 1989-90 and 1991-92, but it never won another championship. Coaches included Flip Saunders and Eric Musselman, both of whom later coached in the big leagues.

After about eight and a half seasons in Rapid City the franchise moved to West Palm Beach and became the Florida Beach Dogs, which folded after a finals loss to the Oklahoma City Cavalry. In 1998 the original owner, John Tuschman, bought an International Basketball Association (IBA) team and renamed it the Thrillers. It went 16-18 and folded after 1998-99.