Draft:4 Bears Roar
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|  |
| 4 Bears Roar | |
|---|---|
| Division | West Division |
| League | The Basketball League |
| Founded | 2025 |
| Arena | 4 Bears Event Center |
| Location | New Town, North Dakota |
| President | Patrick Packineau[1] |
| General manager | Derrick Hammonds |
| Head coach | Wayne Casey |
| Division titles | 1 (2026 regular season) |
| Website | 4bearsroar |
The 4 Bears Roar are an American professional basketball team based in New Town, North Dakota. They compete in The Basketball League (TBL) and play their home games at the 4 Bears Event Center at 4 Bears Casino & Lodge. Established in 2025, the team began play in 2026.[2][3] The Roar were North Dakota's first professional basketball team since the Dakota Wizards left the state in 2012.[4]
In their inaugural season, the Roar won the West Division regular-season title with a 23–1 record and reached the TBL semifinals.[5][6]
History
[edit]Establishment
[edit]The franchise held its launch on August 1, 2025, with representatives of 4 Bears Casino & Lodge and TBL president Dave Magley. Derrick Hammonds was the team's general manager and was recruiting coaches and players ahead of the 2026 season. The Roar became the league's second Native American tribal-owned team, following the Potawatomi Fire.[2]
In December 2025, the team hired Wayne Casey as its first head coach. Casey had previously coached the Logansport Iron Horses in the TBL.[3] Three players from Logansport, including Rob Phinisee, joined Casey in New Town for the inaugural season.[7]
Inaugural season
[edit]The Roar opened their 2026 season with two road victories over the Great Falls Electric, winning 105–98 and 117–92. Their only regular-season defeat was an 86–85 loss to the Tri-Cities Sun Devils on March 21.[8]
During the season, the team added forward Lacey James after he completed a season with the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League.[9] The Roar finished the regular season with 23 wins and one loss, securing the West Division regular-season championship.[5]
In the playoffs, the Roar defeated the Willamette Valley Jaguars in a two-game sweep.[8] They then swept Great Falls, winning the first game 96–92 and the second 106–81 to advance to the league semifinals.[8][6]
The Roar faced the Potawatomi Fire, winners of the previous three TBL championships, in the semifinals.[6] Potawatomi won the opening game 120–100 in New Town on June 11 and the second game 137–124 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on June 14, eliminating the Roar in two games.[10][11] The Roar finished the season with a 27–3 overall record.[11]
Season-by-season results
[edit]| Season | League | Wins | Losses | Division finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TBL | 23 | 1 | 1st, West Division[5] | Defeated Willamette Valley, 2–0[8] Defeated Great Falls, 2–0[6] Lost to Potawatomi in the semifinals, 0–2[10] |
Home arena
[edit]The Roar play at the 4 Bears Event Center within the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge complex near New Town.[3][12] The casino is owned by the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes.[13]
Community activities
[edit]At the team's launch, Hammonds outlined plans to work with local schools on basketball clinics and camps.[2] In May 2026, the Roar dedicated a two-game home series against Willamette Valley to raising awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives.[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Staff". 4 Bears Roar. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Jacklin, John (August 1, 2025). "4 Bears Roar becomes new professional basketball team". KFYR-TV. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Jacklin, John (January 14, 2026). "4 Bears Roar nearing start of inaugural season". KFYR-TV. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Miller, Lindsey (March 5, 2026). "4 Bears Roar brings pro basketball back to North Dakota". KFYR-TV. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Roar Ranked #1 TBL Power Rankings". 4 Bears Roar. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Jacklin, John (June 5, 2026). "4 Bears Roar advance to TBL Conference Finals in inaugural season". KFYR-TV. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Jacklin, John (February 27, 2026). "4 Bears Roar tip off inaugural season Sunday". KFYR-TV. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Scott, Kevin (June 7, 2026). "4 Bears Roar Outlasts Great Falls, 96-92 in Game 1 of the West Conference Finals on Wednesday". Great Falls Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Jacklin, John (May 14, 2026). "From the G-League to New Town: Lacey James continues pro hoops journey with 4 Bears Roar". KFYR-TV. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 KFYR Staff (June 9, 2026). "ND Sports Scores for the week of June 8". KFYR-TV. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 "Roar Fall 137-124, Season Comes To End". 4 Bears Roar. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 "Roar Win 148-98, Raise Funds For MMIWR". 4 Bears Roar. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "4 Bears Casino & Lodge hotel tower project under way". Minot Daily News. July 3, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
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