1968–69 Houston Mavericks season
The 1968–69 Houston Mavericks season was the second and final season of the Mavericks in the American Basketball Association. By this point, attendance were at all-time lows at home for the Mavericks, who trudged to finish dead last in a much improved Division, 18 games behind the 4th place Dallas Chaparrals. T.C. Morrow announced to the league that he would not put any more money into the team midway through the year, and the league stepped in to make sure the team did not fold midway through, making trades and such. In January 1969, Jim Gardner agreed to buy the team for $650,000 to move them to North Carolina, which would occur after the season. One bright spot was their performance on January 17, 1969, when the team made 36 of 36 free throws in a 130–118 victory over the New York Nets. April 2, 1969 was the final game in Houston, with a reported attendance of 89, though the Mavericks beat the New York Nets 149–132. The next night, in their final ever game (versus the Dallas Chaparrals), they lost 136–144. The team lived on in Carolina, playing as a regional team. Houston would not have a pro basketball team until 1971, with the Houston Rockets.
| 1968–69 Houston Mavericks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Slater Martin (3-9) Jim Weaver (20-46) |
| Arena | Sam Houston Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 23–55 (.295) |
| Place | Division: 6th (Western) |
Roster
- 34 Art Becker - Small forward
- 25 Spider Bennett - Point guard
- 33 Larry Bunce - Center
- 14 Don Carlos - Shooting guard
- 33 Dick Clark - Shooting guard
- 25 Rich Dumas - Guard
- 15 Bill Gaines - Guard
- 24 Tom Hoover - Center
- 24 Tony Jackson - Small forward
- 20 Stew Johnson - Power forward
- 52 Tom Kondla - Center
- 21 Steve Kramer - Shooting guard
- 35 Leary Lentz - Small forward
- 31 Guy Manning - Small forward
- 21 Jerry Pettway - Shooting guard
- 15 Willie Porter - Power forward
- 44 Kendall Rhine - Center
- 12 Willie Somerset - Point guard
- 32 Keith Swagerty - Power forward
- 35 Levern Tart - Shooting guard
- 22 Bob Verga - Shooting guard
- 12 Hank Whitney - Power forward
Final standings
Western Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Oaks C | 60 | 18 | .769 | - |
| New Orleans Buccaneers | 46 | 32 | .590 | 14 |
| Denver Rockets | 44 | 34 | .564 | 16 |
| Dallas Chaparrals | 41 | 37 | .526 | 19 |
| Los Angeles Stars | 33 | 45 | .423 | 27 |
| Houston Mavericks | 23 | 55 | .295 | 37 |
C - ABA Champions
Awards and honors
1969 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 28, 1969)