Seasons
1995-96
Record: 37-19, second in American Conference Mideast Division of 13-team league, although franchise in San Diego folded in midseason.
Playoffs: Beat Grand Rapids 3-1 in a best-of-five opener, but fell 3-2 to Fort Wayne in a wild, best-of-five conference final.
Scoring leaders: Jay Taylor 18.8, Kelby Stuckey 18.2, Litterial Green 16.3, LaBradford Smith 15.6.
Rebounding leaders: Gerard King 9.0, Stuckey 8.6, Kurt Portmann 6.9.
Assist leaders: Green 6.2, Smith 4.8.
Year in review: The Thunder actually finished with two more wins than former assistant coach Mike Mashak’s conference champion Rockford Lightning, but lost their last three games. That included the season finale at The Mark when they needed to win just three quarter points from Rockford to claim the title but netted just two. ... The postseason series with Fort Wayne reached a new level of strange when leading scorer Taylor was arrested after an overtime Game 3 loss at Fort Wayne on an outstanding battery warrant from the previous year. The Thunder won without Taylor the following night on the road, but lost the deciding game two nights later at home. ... Taylor, who battled alcohol problems throughout his career, died three years later in a strange apartment fire in his native Aurora.