In 1989 the CBA decided to expand the league to the West Coast, and admitted expansion teams: on May 18, 1989 the CBA board approved the addition of two teams, the San Jose Jammers and the Santa Barbara Islanders,[1] and on June 10, 1989 it was announced that the league had admitted the two franchises.[2] The idea of a team in Santa Barbara was already being discussed in 1987 between Shirley Otto, Bill Bertka and Craig Case, a local investor.[3] A total of four expansion franchises entered the CBA for the 1989–90 season: in addition to the Islanders and the Jammers, the other two were the Grand Rapids Hoops and the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The league then held a 12-round expansion draft on June 22, 1989: the Islanders selected Rod Foster, Brad Wright, Herb Johnson, Cedric Henderson, Mike Phelps, Steve Burtt, Bobby Lee Hurt, Eddie Hughes, Devin Durrant, Steffond Johnson, Ron Cavenall and Larry Spriggs.[4] Only Johnson, Cavenall, Phelps and Spriggs actually played for the team.
Sonny Allen was appointed as head coach, and Don Ford was his assistant coach;[5] the Santa Barbara City College Sports Pavilion was chosen as the home arena.[3] The team was assigned to the Western Division of the National Conference and debuted on November 14, 1989 at home against the Columbus Horizon, winning the game 123-113. The Islanders ran a fast offense and led the CBA in scoring through the first games of the season.[3] They had a very successful season, ending with a 37-19 record (the fourth-best in the entire CBA), winning the Western Division and qualifying for the playoffs.[6] Derrick Gervin led the league in scoring with a 31.7 points per game average. In the playoffs the Islanders won the National Conference semifinals against the Tulsa Fast Breakers in five games (3-2, including two overtime wins), but lost the finals against the Rapid City Thrillers in six games (4-2).[6] On March 22, 1990 Jim Les set a CBA single game playoff record for assists in a game with 24 in a 137-133 win against the Tulsa Fast Breakers.[7]
Despite their success on the court, the franchise had developed severe financial issues throughout the season, and debt ultimately forced the dismissal of the team from the league.[3]
