The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The Barons played between 1914 and 1980 in different American leagues. Originally, during those early seasons of existence, Wilkes-Barre competed first in the Pennsylvania State Basketball League and then in briefly in the Eastern Basketball League (specifically in a season where the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame team known as the Original Celtics were competition for them to go up against). Once the team returned to action in the 1940s, the team won 11 titles from this time, including while playing in both the revived version of the original American Basketball League and the league that eventually became the Continental Basketball Association. The team was owned and coached by Eddie White, Sr. They played in the Kingston Armory, as well as Kings College and Coughlin High School, in their latter years.
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Wilkes-Barre Barons (PSBL)
Originally, the Wilkes-Barre Barons first existed as a franchise back in 1914 while operating in the local Pennsylvania State Basketball League. They would remain competitive in that league until that league first suspended operations during the period of World War I and then folded operations in 1921.
Wilkes-Barre Barons (EBL)
After the PSBL folded operations in 1921, the Wilkes-Barre Barons moved their operations out into the Eastern Basketball League, which featured the Trenton (Royal) Bengals and later the Original Celtics as competitive teams there. They would only stay in the EBL for one season before (likely) competing as an independent franchise until 1938.
Wilkes-Barre Barons (ABL) I
The Wilkes-Barre Barons were an American basketball team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania that was originally a member of the revived version of the American Basketball League from 1938 until 1940.
During the 1939/40 season, the team dropped out of the league on February 2, 1940.
Wilkes-Barre Barons (ABL) II / Wilkes-Barre Barons (EPBL/EBA/CBA)
The Wilkes-Barre Barons were an American basketball team based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania that was a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League and the American Basketball League. The franchise was one of six original teams in the EPBL, and won the 1946-1947 President's Cup playoffs that season before moving to the American Basketball League. In 1955, the Barons returned to the Eastern League, and won seven more championships between 1955 and 1978. The aftereffects of Hurricane Agnes forced the Barons to fold midway through the 1973-74 season; the team returned to action for the 1975-76 season. For the 1979-80 season they were rebranded as the Pennsylvania Barons; this would be the team's last year in Wilkes-Barre. (The team played the 1980-81 CBA season in Scranton as the Scranton Aces before folding completely.)