Hudson Valley Kingz: Welcome

   2012-13 Season Recap:

The Hudson Valley Kingz quietly had the best season of their three-year existence during the 2012-13 season. The Kingz finished the season with an 11-5 overall record, good for second place in the Gateway Division of the Northern Conference of the American Professional Basketball League (APBL). Despite falling short in the playoffs, the Kingz have established a solid foundation that should lead to continued success in future seasons.

The Kingz won four games in their inaugural 2010-11 season in the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League (ACPBL). Their 4-14 record (.286 win percentage) was not impressive but yet was still respectable for the young franchise. In their second season, the team improved their winning percentage to .500, winning seven of their 14 total games. Their 7-7 record marked great improvement for a still relatively young team. However, in their third and most recent season, the Kingz were able to improve their win percentage to .688 and proved to many that they are a team on the rise in the new APBL.

The Kingz have established a solid foundation led by guard Doug Herring, Jr. Herring, Jr. had a spectacular year for the Kingz, finishing among the league leaders in a variety of different categories. He was third in the league in scoring by averaging 31.7 points per game, seventh in rebounding at 12.1 rebounds per game, second in assists at 8.8 assists per game and first in steals at 2.9 steals per game.

He highlighted the year by setting the APBL single-game scoring and assists records. On February 10th, in a 137-117 over the Manhattan Pride, Herring, Jr. scored 66 points to set the scoring record. He also added 13 rebounds and 10 assists in that game. On March 2nd, he added the assist record to his resume with 20 assists in a 142-128 win over the North Jersey Pros. Herring Jr. also received First Team All-APBL and Second Team All-Defense honors to further establish himself as one of the best players in the APBL.

The Kingz frontcourt was led this year by power forward Anthony Cox, who also received Second Team All-APBL honors this season. Cox finished the year seventh in the league in rebounding at 14.6 rebounds per game and sixth in the league in blocks at 3.4 per game. He also proved to be a solid scoring option for the Kingz by averaging 21.1 points per game. Center Kevin Briggs was this season’s defensive anchor for the Kingz. He led the league in blocked shots at 4.9 per game and also averaged 9.6 rebounds per game. His defensive performance helped him receive First Team All-Defense honor and the APBL Defensive Player of the Year award.

Leading the Kingz franchise is third year owner and head coach, Donald Herring, Jr. Donald Herring, Jr. has worked continually to improve the team and his efforts have been rewarded by his team’s gradual improvement on the court. In addition, he was recognized for his efforts by the league’s front office and was named the 2013 APBL Executive of the Year.

Although, the Hudson Valley Kingz fell short in the playoffs this season, Donald Herring, Jr. is hoping that the team’s success can continue into the future. An APBL championship remains the ultimate goal and the Kingz have developed into one of the stronger teams in the APBL. With continued growth and development, an APBL championship may not be far away.