ABA Update (and Now The PBL)

[Durbansandshark]

Just want to let you mates know a couple of things involving the ABA right off the bat to start this topic:

The Rochester RazorSharks won the 2005-2006 ABA title over the Southern California Legends 117-114 at Rochester's Blue Cross Arena.

St. Louis' own and former Sydney King and Duke star Chris Carrawell of the RazorSharks was named ABA Player of the Year.

More ABA expansion is coming. Plus, I'll delve more into Alexander Wolff's Vermont Frost Heaves.

A June 2006 SLAM magazine article on the ABA is slated to hit newsstands (newsagents to you) very soon. I'll discuss my thoughts shortly after I get it. SLAM has a monthly ABA blurb not unlike SI's wildly popular This Week's Sign of the Apocolypse.

www.usbasket.com/aba/aba.asp
www.abalive.com

[Durbansandshark]

Last night I picked the latest issue of SLAM (there are two alternate covers--one with Dirk Nowitzki and another with Chauncey Billups--I bought the Billups cover one) from ny favo(u)rite bookstore after work. And I immediately went through and re-read the story about the ABA that got me interested after my visit to the ABA's website.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Entitled "A" For Effort from pages 88 to 94, this is an entertaining piece about this nascent league. SLAM has been aware of this league since its inception, but it gets little mention on the magazine's online boards. Need I say that this is a basketball league with potential undermined by unprofessional circumstances? I don't think this article is online yet. Many of you remember one of my more memorable posts here that I started back in February 2005 dealing with what SLAM's Ben Osbourne calls the "cat fight" involving Ashley McElhiney, the Nashville Rhtyhm head coach its then-owner Sally Anthony during a home game against the Kansas City Knights (neither of their names were mentioned in it). If you think I've forgotten about it, you're wrong. I most recently did with my Ashley McElhiney update. I'll bring it again up later on in this plus links to the photos from the incident.

The article begins with insights on a matchup between the Pittsburgh Xplosion and the home Indianapolis Alley Cats, both of whom are wearing slick black jerseys at Anderson University Ravens' home gym. This illustrates the bush leagueness in the ABA.

When Joe Newman and Dick Tinkham, a couple of Indianapolis businessmen who were around with the original ABA usually with the Pacers, bought the name and started the league, they wanted to rival the NBA. That can't really happen with the way how the NBA acts like a cartel of sorts when it comes to consistent media attention and access to mainstream merchandising outlets to give a couple of examples. ABA CEO Newman submits near-daily press releases regarding the near 40-odd team league on the www.abalive.com website. Humor is never in short supply there even with serious sounding addresses like "Open Letter to Calgary Drillers fans", "Utah Snowbears announce they will not play in the ABA playoffs"(no good reason given), and "North Carolina Renegades release mission statement". Newman, a fit, talkative, and proud grandfather of 11 who spent much of his career in the radio industry, works out of his basement and keeps in contact with his partners via phone, email, and regular breakfast meetings. He says he responds to every email (200-500 daily) and telephone call (50-100 daily), many of the emails he gets aren't nice and treat it so seriously, he says. But Newman believes it helps to build an fan base for the ABA product this way. He chuckles admittedly not only about those often-zany press releases but also SLAM's Breaking News In The ABA because "they're written in order to entertain..." and he "like[s] drama more than cold, hard stats. I know our site needs to do a better job with stats, but some teams just won't send them in. I rather leave stats off altogether and entertain rather than put up numbers that are incomplete".

There's another partner, a 35-year old Bahamian native named Ricardo Richardson, who acts as the ABA's Executive VP. His job takes him to travel nationwide and meet with team owners and discuss his and Newman's "business plan" packet that wasn't disclosed to Osbourne on how to effectively operate a team. They know they can't get the big name sponsors like Coca-Cola to come onboard. Some teams already have plenty of funding behind them but are clueless to what they are doing. Before they start bouncing basketballs, Richardson talks to them about the franchise's business needs before hand. Given how many teams in this league are often short of that and are retreads from past failed franchises like the Calgary Drillers and the Niagara DareDevils (owned, operated, and coached by the same folk that ebehoops was involved with in a private message he gave me), that and more sophisticated methods are needed with a financial background check. A wise thing to do when dealing with expansion franchises is to cultivate a fan base at least a year prior to hitting the hardwood so that fans can have something to look forward to in the near future and get into people's consciousness. I think that overexpansion hurts them going too big too fast (look what happened to the NASL in the late 70s and early 80s and Roller Hockey International in 1994, its second season). Another thing: Newman and his guys got major plans to ultimately have 80-100 teams in this league. This must tempered with cancelled games, venue problems, and suspended franchises, and other misfortunes.

If there's one thing these original ABA survivors have it's perspective. History has since been kind to the original ABA long time after its absorbtion into the NBA. Too kind in some ways. Overrated. If you have read Terry Pluto's brilliant book Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association and seen the HBO documentary Long Shots like I have, you know the ABA was far from glamourous, Dr. J in his New York Nets days notwithstanding. Despite that there were some success stories in spite of the odds of the entire league, it wasn't glam and inspired rapper Faboulous to rock many throwback jerseys manufactured by Mitchell and Ness. This current incarnation is a lot like the previous in terms of being of franchises folding in the middle of seasons, teams losing money, poor attendance, not having and changing facilities, very modest venues, lack of a solid TV deal, teams missing pay days and bounced checks, and moving locations almost every season. A good chapter to read in it about that is Down The Tubes In Virginia, chronicling the final days of the Virigina Squires. Then the ABA was a good platform providing addition pro ball opportunities for young players after the NBA, which was even more conservative than now, refused them entry and playing a fresher, high-octane offensive style that reflected the changing times then. It gave the NBA, the 3-pointers and of course the red. white, and blue ball (since used in the NBA All-Star weekend Three-point shootouts). The NBA has co-opted everything about it save for its records.

The ABA's style of play is not unlike AND 1 streetball with a red, white, and blue ballmade by Rawlings--intense, athletic, and offensive-minded--with its own original concepts: the 3-D rule, where pressing is encouraged, gives an extra point for a basket scored off a steal, players don't foul out but wear their jerseys inside out after their sixth foul, 3-10 rule which a team have to be the first to score 10 additional points in overtime (three minutes with one timeout to each team then), and seven seconds to get the ball halfcourt.

There are some notable names in this game like former UNLV and Phoenix Sun Armon Gilliam (Pittsburgh Xplosion), former Syracuse star and original Vancouver Grizzlie Lawrence Moten (Maryland Nighthawks), Gheorge Muresan (Nighthawks), Tim Hardaway (Florida Pit Bulls), Dennis Scott (GM of the Atlanta Vision), former Sydney King Chris Carrawell (Rochester RazorSharks), streetballer Anthony "White Chocolate" Gill (Maryland Nighthawks), rapper (and bad actor even by hip hop standards) and part-time baller Master P (Las Vegas Rattlers), solid Seton Hall standout Anthony Sweet (Harlem Strong Dogs), former Auburn and New Jersey Net Chris Morris (Utah Snowbears), former Phoenix Sun Trevor Ruffin (Buffalo Rapids), and ex-NBA bench warmer Paul Shirley (LA-based Beijing Aoeshen Olympic, has a daily blog on espn.com--hilariously and negatively writes about his experiences--I'll supply the link later). Many of the players in this league, however, you likely never even heard of, except by the most rabid of fans. I consider myself a hardcore basketball junkie, but I'd be hard-pressed to recognize many in this league. I'm learning though along the way. With its US$120,000 salary cap per team, it's a consequence of that. A lot of them played mostly DII, DIII, junior college, and NAIA ball before going into the pros. Of course there are plenty who played at bigger colleges and played overseas pro ball, but weren't neccesarily stars in those programs. Fewer still had cups of joe in the NBA and even longer like many of the aforementioned. They would make only US$10-12,000 a season.

For all of its shortcomings, there's a potential, Osbourne says, in it. Though he says it's easy brush it off as members of the sports media are oft to do and focus on the negative when the NBA and the NCAA gives us all the basketball we need (supposedly), there's something to be said about providing accessible local and cheaper basketball entertainment, even if there's an NBA team in the market already or nearby. Everyone got paid from the players to the refs in the Great Eight playoffs (not unlike the Elite Eight in Division II NCAA men's ball) hosted by the RazorSharks and the fans attended, and people like me visited www.abalive.com, as prospective owners plunked down US$20,000 to reserve a team. It's athletic and never half court designed to run the full court and cheap to go to ($10).

It will all be entertaining all throughout.

Oh yeah, in this same SLAM issue,Atlanta Vision GM Scott offered Terrell Owens an opportunity to play pro ball with the Vision on Feb. 27. Owens last played pro ball with the USBL's Arodinack (NY) Wildcats a few years ago. Owens has an off-season home in Atlanta.

Here's an Aussie connection to the ABA: on March 12 the ABA madea deal with an Australian cell phone content provider Hype Marketing www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006031306003

[Durbansandshark]

ESPN The Magazine has a rather interesting article about one of the more intriguing teams in the league: Beijing Aoeshen Olympic, a Chinese pro team that was kicked out of the Chinese Basketball Association and are based in Los Angeles for the ABA season. Currently playing over in a European barmstorming, its owner is a very unkown deep-pocketed figure named Li Su. Will Beijing Aeoshen Olympic help further develop Chinese basketball up to Beijing 2008? I'll discuss more on this and other ABA happenings next week...

[Durbansandshark]

I re-read ESPN The Magazine's compelling story about Beijing Aoshen Olympic. It centers with their battles against fellow SoCal ABA rivals the Southern California Legends and the Los Angeles Aftershocks at a high school gym. Unlike a lot of teams in this league, this is certainly a franchise that is very stable, together, and well-funded, in part because Beijing Aoshen Olympic was already an established Chinese basketball team. Case in point, they wear the same dominant colo(u)r of uniforms whenever they play (white with red and gold trim for home games and red for the road). If you ever saw an ABA game, the teams like with the aforementioned Pittsburgh Xplosion and the Indianapolis Alley Cats, they both wore black or can sport mismatched T-shirts, which can make it confusing to untrained fans to the ABA. Their website ( www.aoshenbasketball.com ) is very well designed and run compared to many in the ABA that looked like straight out of the early days of the Internet. They got their own videograpgher, two trainers, a 13-member dance team (mostly if not all American), sponsorship deals with both Nike and Adidas each in low six-figure deals, ads for numerous Chinese businesses (about six of them). Their home games are telecasted back home China's state TV network CCTV (possibly CCTV 5, maybe the sports network there). All of their games are streamed live online.

Its owner is a very enigmatic balding deep-pocketed figure named Li Su (his Westernized name is Winston Lee), who made his fortune through real estate in China and in the USA. So enigmatic is he, Li refuses to be photographed or even discuss his passion for basketball, let alone interviewed. Even those who work for him are reluctant to talk about his passions for the sport. How well funded he is with his team? His players, many of course are Chinese, earn more than most Chinese basketball players back home in the CBA (let alone regular Chinese folks)--rumoured in cash payments, which thus allows them to live in dorm-style apartments in the southeastern area of Los Angeles (Maywood) that he owns, buy plenty of kicks and other things as they are well-cared for, and never miss paydays like a lot of teams end up doing. Li (or Lee) is considered a mad-scientist type with ambitions to help facilitate China's rise in the international basketball pecking order. They have a few American players like Paul Shirley, who writes a blog about his endeavors in pro basketball whose job is to help them in their transition to the American aspects of the game and to take them to the next level. They are the top ballhandlers since China is so low on world-class ballhandlers. Initially, the Americans were the dominating forces on the team, but as the season progressed, the young Chinese players matured into prominant roles. It's worth noting that Li can order a Chinese player to be benched if he is embarassing him or that an American player is playing too long. Even the head coach is American.

The most intriguing player is 20 year old 6'9'' (2.09m) guard Sun Yue, who has the goods to be the first perimeter Chinese player taken in the NBA draft. NBA scouts and execs are getting to know him. His NBA future would as a swingman in Paul Shirley's view. He'a strong, fast lefty with hops, good court vision, and a decent J. Because he's a target for opponents. Consequently, lesser ABA guards think they contain him, but they find out it doesn't always work. But he brings problems. See, it would cost a lot of money for NBA teams to get out of his Aoshen Olympians contract. Frankly BTW, I don't think Aoshen Olympic will help
with the development quickly enough to Beijing 2008 for China.

How did they came into the ABA? A few years ago Li was infuriated with the way how the CBA was operating that he refused the release of Sun to the national team. The CBA responded by kicking the team out for the 2003-2004 season. The team ended up barnstorming to Taiwan and The Philippines. When the CBA asked them to return for the following season, Li refused and decided to set up shop with his team in LA hooking up with the ABA.

On my last post, I mentioned they are playing on tour through Europe, and there are plans to move the team up the Cali coast to San Francisco, Vancouver, where talk was made of a team made up of almost Chinese players when it was granted an ABA franchise in 2004, or just stay in LA--even participate in the Southern California Summer Pro League. This team will continue to be interesting. Aoshen Olympic's ABA season ended with winning 9 of the last 12 games before missing the ABA Great Eight Championship. But I wish there was more about Li Sue/Winston Lee and Sun Yue.

The article, Travel Team, was written by Ric Bucher.

And speaking of Asian basketball teams in the ABA...

A new ABA team has been established in Alexandria, Virginia made up of Mongolian basketball players with the help of the Mongolian Basketball Association. This was the result of a series of games in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia featuring an ABA All-Star team against Mongolian clubs and the national team. The new ABA squad is supposed to be called Alexandria United-Mongolia. Mongolia's best known baller is massive center Sharavjamts Tserenjanhor, who played some games for the Harlem Globetrotters some years ago. Will he make an appearance. Whatever the case, this means we're gonna have an ABA Asian derby.
www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006042006001

[Durbansandshark]

Guess which city got an ABA team again?

It's San Diego.

This is a city that has had very serious trouble with supporting pro basketball be it pro or minor-league over many years. Because of this, there's a perception that San Diego can't support a basketball franchise. The last time San Diego had a basketball team, the ABA's WildFire in 2000-01, it had problems missing payments to players and they threatened not to play if their checks didn't arrive come gametime. One player had his last name written on the back of his jersey ON TAPE. In another situation, the WildFire had a shortage of uniforms. The owners were in the security business for celebrities and they can't adequate always find the dough for their players? Its head coach was former Kansas City King and Indiana Pacer LaSalle Thompson.

Here's the list of all of the San Diego pro basketball teams in its history:

San Diego Rockets (NBA) 1967-1971 (team moved to Houston)
San Diego Conquistadors (ABA) 1972-1975 (Wilt Chamberlain, KC Jones, Alex Groza, and Stan Albeck all were coaches there, then got new owner who changed team's name)
San Diego Sails (ABA) 1975-76 (Bill Musselman was coach but team folded after 11 games)
San Diego Clippers (NBA) 1978-84 (arguably the most successful of the bunch but couldn't always put it together despite notable players, moved from Buffalo where they were the Braves, never made the playoffs in SD, moved to LA in 1984)
San Diego Wildcards (CBA) 1995-96 (folded after 32 games)
San Diego Stingrays (IBL) 1999-2000 (rapper Master P played there)
San Diego WildFire (ABA) 2000-01

This new team will be known as the San Diego Wildcats. ( www.sandiegowildcats.com ) Its coach is a former player/head coach then just head coach for the Jamaican men's national team. Are they going to play at the San Diego Sports Arena. The Cox Pavillion at the San Diego St. campus is certainly out of the question. Good luck to the Wildcats. May you find better success than your predecesors...

Its population (1 million+) suggests the city can support a pro team. If San Diego ever wants to return to the NBA, which seems highly unlikely at this point, it would have to build a new upscale 18,000+ arena to replace the antiquated San Diego Sports Arena.

Meanwhile at Alexander Wolff's Vermont Frost Heaves endeavor, fans were encouraged to pick a coach for it. And the winner is Will Voigt, a high school grad from Cabot (VT) High currently coaching Norway's Ulriken Eagles. www.vermontfrostheaves.com

[Durbansandshark]

Another city is returning to the ABA. This time it's Tampa Bay. It had one of the first franchises of the ABA 2000 with the Darryl Dawkins-coached Tampa Thunder Dawgs that had for a time playground legend Lloyd "Sweetpea" Daniels. It came and went after one season playing at the Florida Expo Hall.

Now some more and new dawgs are going to be barking into that area. Japanese strength and conditioning icon Tatsuya Okawa is moving his Harlem Strong Dogs, who never played in Harlem, to the Tampa-St. Petersberg area. Okawa already has his business located in NY (Strong-S, hence the name) and hopes to reduce operating costs from New York to Tampa. A venue hasn't been announced yet, but the Strong Dogs are looking.
www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/20 ... hbx=e_vert

[Durbansandshark]

The ABA has granted a new franchise in Monterrey, Mexico just the other day. A few of you may recall that there were several ABA franchises based in Mexico, many never surviving a season or even playing--Tijuana Dragons, Hermesillo Seris, Jalisco Sols, the Diablos, and Juarez Gallos. Only the Dragons still exist. Since Mexico's pro basketball league, the LNBP, plays in the spring and summer, there's not going much to be in the way of a playing conflict, and surely the Mexican teams would like some winter competition. www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3305273

Portland gets another ABA alternative to the NBA's Trail Blazers after the Portland Reign's demise with the advent of the Oregon Riptide slated to play next season. www.oregonaba.com

The Florida Pit Bulls, that were coached, GMed, and played by Tim Hardaway, have ceased operations.

I can only hope that the Salt Lake City Dream, the new ABA team in the state of Utah, learn from and study from both the success AND failures of the Utah Snowbears--successful on the court, but failed attendance-wise, among them. www.saltlakedream.com

St. Louis just another to replace the very much unknown St. Louis Flight. The St. Louis Stunners--logo reminds me a lot like the IBL's St. Louis Swarm. No word yet when they'll start playing, next season or the following one www.stlouisstunners.com

Here's the website to the Tampa Bay Strong Dogs: www.tampabaystrongdogs.com

The 2006-07 ABA roster of teams...so far:
Alexandria United-Mongolia
Atlanta Vision
Baltimore Pearls
Beijing Aoshen Olympic
Bellevue Blackhawks
Bellingham Slam
Birmingham Magicians
Boston Frenzy
Brooklyn Wonders
Buffalo Rapids
California Eagles
Ceder Rapids
Central Illinois
Chicago Rockstars
Columbia Rottweilers
Delaware
Detroit Wheels
Fresno Heatwave
Gallup Talons
Hammond Rollers
Hawaii Mega Force
Houston Havoc
Indianapolis AlleyCats
Knoxville Noise
Las Vegas Venom
Lincoln Thunder
Los Angeles Aftershocks
Maryland Nighthawks
Minneapolis/St. Paul Slamma Jammas
Mississippi Miracles
Montreal Matrix
Monterrey
New Mexico Style
New Orleans Blues
Newark Express
Ohio Aviators
Orange County Buzz
Oregon Riptide
Orlando
Ottawa
Palm Beach Imperials
Pittsburgh Xplosion
Quebec City Rock
Rochester RazorSharks
Salt Lake City Dream
San Diego Wildcats
San Jose Skyrockets
Sioux Falls
SoCal Legends
Strong Island Sound
Tacoma Navigators
Tampa Bay Strong Dogs
Texas Tycoons
Tijuana Dragons
Toledo Ice
Toronto
Vancouver
Vermont Frost Heaves
Waco Wranglers
Washington Internationals

[OPAL Booster]

Much appreciated T, thanks for all that detailed information mate.

[Durbansandshark]

Monterrey's announcement to the ABA. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006050506004

The Gallup (NM) Talons, a name and logo which I did not like so hot, has since got new ownership and changed its name to the Gallup Outlaws today on Cinco De Mayo. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006050506001

Almost a couple of seasons ago, there were plans to have a team based in San Jose, and then later New Mexico, featuring nothing but native Americans basketball players under the leadership of Spider Ledesma as owner. But that fell through.

The Arizona Rhinos were supposed set to play in Phoenix this past season, possibly at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum (the Phoenix Suns' first home) to replace the Phoenix Eclipse. But after consideration for entry (website was ready to go), the ownership decided not to associate themselves with the ABA. They never end up played but are currently looking at other leagues and other alternatives

The dead ABA teams Part 1 (RIP):
Anahiem Roadrunners (never actually played)
Arizona Rhinos (never actually played)
New York Xpress (never actually played)
Las Vegas Slam
Chicago Skyliners
Los Angeles Stars
San Diego WildFire
San Francisco Pilots
Pittsburgh Hardhats
Indiana Legends
Kentucky Colonels
Northern Kentucky Pro Cats
Cincinnati Blaze
Cincinnati Monarchs
Calgary Drillers
Niagara Daredevils
Jacksonville Jackals (never actually played)
Philadelphia Squires
Kansas City Knights (may return)
Louisiana Cajun Pelicans
Florida Pit Bulls
Hermisillo Seris
Juarez Gallos
St. Louis Flight
Portland Reign
Las Vegas Rattlers
Utah Snowbears
Colorado Springs Storm
Phoenix Eclipse
Reno Rockers
Oklahoma City Ballhawgs
Arkansas RimRockers (now at the NBDL)
Nashville Rhthym
Memphis Houn'Dawgs
Tampa Bay Thunder Dawgs
Charlotte Krunk (can you imagine Lil' Jon doing the PA for this team or anything related to this team?)
San Antonio Stallions (never actually played, may actually will)
Hampton Roads Titans (never actually played)
Pittsburgh Patriots (never actually played)
Tuscon Satelittes (never actually played)
Edmonton Cheetahs (never actually played)
Detroit Dogs
Motown City Jammers
Northeast Pennsylvania Breakers (moved to the USBL)
Reigning Knights of Georgia
North Carolina Renegades
Tampa Bay Tornados
Orange County Crush
Team Native America
Inglewood Cobras
Long Beach Jam

[Durbansandshark]

The dead ABA teams Part 2 (RIP):

Southern California Surf
Chicago Soldiers
Chattanooga Steamers
Jersey Squires
Carolina Thunder
Wichita (proposed)
Ontario (CA) Warriors
Jacksonville Wave
Mississippi Stingers
Pensecola Aviators
Cleveland Rockers
Maywood (CA) Laguernos
Minot City Freeze (became Utah Snowbears)
New Jersey Jaguars
Ohio Aviators
Harlem Revs
Harlem Renessciance
Detroit Wheels
Trenton Squires
Harlem Strong Dogs
Pennsylvania Pit Bulls
Visala Dawgs
Philadelphia Fusion
Philadelphia Colonials
Tijuana Tasmanian Devils (changed name to Dragons)
Atlanta Mustangs
Gwinnett Gwizzlies (moved to a lower-tiered league)
New Jersey Skycats
St. Louis Rottweilers

The Orange County (formerly the California) Buzz decided to move to Carson City, California, while still staying in the Greater Los Angeles/Orange County area. They will still be callled the Buzz. www.carsonbuzz.com

Mind you, a number of teams, defunct ones included, didn't have websites to visit.

With a new ownership, the Buffalo Rapids have now changed their name to the Buffalo Silverbacks. The Rapids name was very nice and had one of the better logos and uniforms from the ABA. www.buffalorapids.com
www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006051006002

Four Maryland Nighthawks players are going to appear in some new trading cards from Topps www.marylandnighthawks.com

I have heard very little of the Vancouver ABA franchise that is supposed to hit the hardwood next season after a change in ownership to a group that now owns a couple of teams. Not even an announcement of the team's name, website, or logo. The last big news was the supposed hiring of former Georgia, UCLA, and Pepperdine coach Jim Harrick to run the team, but because Vancouver jump the gun in announcing it before the paperwork was complete, Harrick was upset and quietly left. Plans were, and I think, still are to seek former Vancover Grizzlies employees to operate the franchise and possibly assemble Chinese players in the team. If they will play, my educated guess is that their home will likely be no larger than the Agridome at the Pacific National Exhibition grounds, if it can't play at the next-door Pacific Coliseum. More likely a local high school gym, if a lot of ABA teams home games are an indicator.

I forgot to tell you this: the Los Angeles Aftershock had a brother and sister duo as teammates with Giuliana and Fabrizio Mendiola (another sis, Giacona, currently plays in Germany for Marberg). Giuliana formerly played at the University of Washington, where she was a PAC-10 Women's Player of The Year, and then off to the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. The two even played on the court together with the 5'11" Guiliana starting against the Tijuana Dragons. www.laaftershock.com/newsArchives.php?newsid=12
www.laaftershock.com/newsArchives.php?newsid=20
www.laaftershock.com/newsArchives.php?newsid=26

OK, at long last and promises, I present to you the link to the much anticipated, long-awaited photos of the infamously bizarre February 2005 Nashville Rhthym home game against the Kansas City Knights with the focus on the confrontation (the "cat fight" as SLAM magazine calls it) between Rhthym head coach Ashley McElhiney and then-owner Sally Anthony that had poor Ashley temporarily fired by Anthony, all because of Matt Freije. This is one guy I know whose ego surely didn't want to have two young women fighting over him. At the since-deleted message boards for Sally Anthony's official website, a 20-year old moderator was in tears defending her idol against the reported backlash and susbsequent demise involved that game. If you looked at one of the photos that was in The Tennessean in the immediate aftermath of the incident, there was a none-too-happy-expression on McElhiney's face. Was Sally doing a publicity stunt acting like she was, as her most recent album says, was "vent"-ing? ( http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/w ... index.html )It was at that very moment of confrontation. When blown up, you would see that moment. Also includes photos of her return to coach the Rhthym at her alma mater in a loss against the St. Louis Flight.
http://vanderbilt.scout.com/2/350481.html

Despite of all this, Ashely as coach makes me wonder. How long will it be before we EVEN start to see women serving as assistant or head coaches in the NBA? Sure, the pro culture there is far different than in the ABA, let alone the WNBA or the NWBL (that plays in the fall-winter here in the US). Pat Summitt is regarded as one who could. But Summitt enjoys what she's got at Tennessee, having built it up since its inception and witnessed the exponential growth of the women's college basketball game that cannot be mutually divorced. To walk away from that to the NBA (or even the WNBA, of which she also works for as a consultant) would, in her mind, be turning her back on what she built and maintained. Also, a lot of players in the NBA are likely not to take kindly to her and her hard, passionate personality. It's taken a long time for a foriegner to be even an assistant in the NBA (Serbian Igor Kokosov did so for the LA Clippers, nobody else came through the pipeline). Maybe Italian Ettore Messina might do it, and he has expressed interest several years ago about coaching in the NBA. But what about now? So far, there had a been a couple of women coaches in the junior college ranks. The Univerisity of Quebec at Montreal Citadins (UQAM as it is affectionate known as) has a woman, Olga Hrycak, serving as the head coach for the men's basketball program since the program's inception four years ago in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport. ( www.sports.uqam.ca/citadins/basket/formation_m.htm , www.sports.uqam.ca/citadins/cv/olga_hrycak.htm --both in French only) But those are lower levels, and it's much easier to do so than at a higher one. Honestly, I think it's going to be a LONG time before we see women on the sidelines helping players during games and in practices. It's going to take someone who is willing to take a chance and think outside the box for it to happen and hire her. And that woman has to have a strong knowledge of the NBA landscape with an accomodating philosophy. It seemed like a publicity stunt when the news broke, but Ashley clearly knows her stuff and her players liked and respected her. On the other hand, the ABA needs all of the publicity it can get to stand out in a crowded North American sports market that heavily favors the established sports structure in the midst of all the noise and clutter out there. That modest success she had will pave the way for a more publicized woman coach hiring and succeeding at the elite level.

[Durbansandshark]

The San Jose Skyrockets, one of the more successful ABA teams out there in the league, are defecting to the CBA to be part of its expansion process after the league lost four of its teams to the NBDL (Dakota Wizards, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Idaho Stampede, and the expansion Colorado 14ERS). The SkyRockets will join another team, the Northern Nevada Blackjacks (based in Reno) for the 2006-07 season. While another two expansion teams, most likely in Great Falls, Montana and Spokane, Washington, will play in 2007-08. Now no ABA teams are based in the San Francisco Bay Area with the San Francisco Pilots ceased operations...at least for now if I understand it right. The league will try again to have a team there. The Pilots may come back.
www.cbahoopsonline.com/news_detail.html?newsid=770

[Durbansandshark]

I forgot to mention that the Pilots play their home games at the 4000 Kezar Pavillion, which is next door to where the famed older Kezar Stadium (first home of the SF 49ers) stood at Golden Gate Park--think of the original Dirty Harry movie (a newer 11,000-seat Kezar Stadium is in its place soon to be home of the Major League Lacrosse's new San Francisco Dragons). It posted a great record during the month of November until a steam pipe leakage forced them out of Kezar Pavillion and cancel several of their games. they returned by playing against Beijing Aoshen Olympic in Maywood followed by a home and home series in San Francisco. All set as the West ABA Alternate for the playoffs, but was not asked to participate. Its future is still up in the air.
www.sfpilotsbasketball.com

Out goes San Jose SkyRockets, in comes Jacksonville again. Jacksonville is getting a second chance in the ABA after the demise of the Wave that never completed its 2004-05 season. The Jacksonville Jam will pick up the slack nready to set next season as they play their home games at the University of North Florida Ospreys' Arena before moving to the Jacksonville Veterans' Memorial Arena in two seasons. Actually, this is Jacksonville's third foray in the ABA. The Jacksonville Jackals were to be among the original ABA 2000 teams (logo designed) but never played.
www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=45161

The Monterrey, Mexico ABA team has got a name and will be called the Monterrey Poison (Spanish: Monterrey Veneno/Veneno De Monterrey). As one of its principal sponsors, Hooters will be involved and the team was unvield at a Hooters restaurant there. www.venenodemonterrey.com (Spanish)

[Durbansandshark]

Toronto's cheaper pro basketball alternative to the Raptors has a name: the Ontario Red Wolves. Like with the NHL's (South) Florida Panthers when they entered a decade ago, the name is intended to bring awareness to the endangered species in the area that are red wolves in the Algonquin region in the province of Ontario, particularly along the Alligator River. The Red Wolves have plans to play in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, hopefully at the Hershey Centre.

www.mississauganews.com/mi/news/story/3 ... 6959c.html

[Durbansandshark]

Looks like we're going to have more new Mexican representation in the ABA along with the Monterrey Venom (Monterrey Poison). Mexicali, situated at the Baja region, is going to have one too. Speaking of the Venom, its owner, Carlos "Cholo" Thomas, is also partially involved in the owner-management services of Mexicali. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006060506001

News on the upcoming Quebec City ABA franchise: It was announced on June 1 that Quebec is joining the ABA next season by owner and CEO Real Boruassa. Pascal Jobin, who was the first coach of the Montreal Matrix last season and left after a stormy relationship with its ownership (the Coles), returns to the ABA again as Quebec City's coach. The Cegep-ste-Saint-Foy College's gymnasuim will serve as the team's home court. Jacques Paiment Jr. , a coach there for five seasons, will act as basketball director. Fans will get to vote on the team's name proposed by the management--"Jumping Frogs" or "Kebekwa". Not going to be the Rock, sorry. The logos remind me in some way to the old CBA team Puerto Rico Coquis back in the 1980s, only frogs are more detailed. Maybe it's the Quebecois' way of taking the stereotype of being frogs (of being Francophone) to a flattering level. It's going to be interesting to see Jobin facing the Matrix with his new Quebec squad next season, since I expect they'll be in the same division together. You read it all here at www.quebecbasket.com , where everything except for the press release is in French. Also, read about the trials of the Montreal Matrix's inaugural season: www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/spo ... 8d&k=94965
(since edited with right web address)

The Boston Frenzy is no more. Moved to Cape Cod, brought in by investors from the Cape Cod and Nantucket region. It's just as well--you can't really compete against a storied pro basketball franchise in Boston (but true in a lot od big cities) that has been in existence for decades with the inertia and traditions. Daniel Savage, the Frenzy's former GM and owner has since moved on to conduct both duties with the Las Vegas Venom. www.capecodfrenzy.com (under construction)

Speaking of the Coles, they sold ownership of the Baltimore Pearls to an ordained minister and entrepreneur named Matthew E. Bradby II, who will keep the team in Baltimore while searching for a new coaching staff. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006060806001

The Peoria (Central Illinois) team has agreed to play at the refurbrished 1700-seat RiverPlex Recreation and Wellnes Center. Nickname and staff announcements will be forthcoming. Sergio McClain is already the head coach. www.prairiebasketball.com

Alexander Wolff is certainly busy with his Vermont Frost Heaves gig. Now that he got his head coach. A mascot has been unveiled that was created by the same Montreal man, Jean-Claude Tremblay, behind the loveable Youppi, the former Montreal Expos (RIP) mascot who then got a new job with the NHL's Montreal Canadiens after the Expos left for Washington, and Champ, the Vermont Loch Monster minor-league baseball team (formerly Vermont Expos). The team's ownership in part will modeled after the Green Bay Packers with the community as its part-owner.
www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3319078

[Mr bEn]

The articles on the 'cat-fight' were certainly interesting. How bizarre.

[Durbansandshark]

Personally, I do not certainly think that actually was a "catfight", as SLAM magazine erroneously called it. Ashley McElhiney just sat there on the bench and took the verbal abuse looking at her, so she wasn't going at it with Sally Anthony. Still the bush-league incident itself was very bizarre.

[The Parquet Floor]

Awesome info D, thanks for that.

[Durbansandshark]

More on the St. Louis Stunners, the new local ABA team here: former St. Louis Billiken and NBAer for six years with the Sacramento Kings and the Orlando Magic Anthony Bonner announced that he going to be invloved with the team head coach and assistant GM. Still no word on a venue for the team. Bonner, who also played professionally in Italy, brings instant local credibility to the franchise. The logo is so much better than the Flight's, that's for sure. www.stlstunners.com

Speaking of St. Louis and the ABA. There's an ABA University gathering going on here in St. Louis. Actually this a tryout camp for those serious about playing pro basketball in the ABA. The first week was already completed with 10 men and two women working out out of the 24 people who showed up.

With a name like the Twin Cities Ballers, you would assume it's located in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Nope. It is in the Michigan cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joesph's. It will be the second ABA team based in the state. www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/id?=3329836

Look for Boston and Nashville to both return to the ABA fold for the 2007-2008 season. Of the two, Nashville is the most deserving and stronger in apetitte. They will join Providence as the expansion teams for that season. www.abalive.com

[Durbansandshark]

The Monterrey Venom (Poison)/Veneno De Monterrey have named their coaching staff at the local Monterrey Hooters restaurant recently during their press conference there. Emile Sheppard will be the head coach with Eric Dunn serving as his assistant. www.venenodemonterrey.com (very nice logo too--in Spanish, www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3334275)

Cape Cod Frenzy are wasting no time in their presence felt with the launching of a small kiosk selling their merchandise at the Cape Cod Mall. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006062606001

The Stockton-Modesto area near Sacramento will have an expansion team with a name that will rival that of the ABA's Los Angeles Aftershock: The Big Valley Shockwave with the Cal St.-Stanislaus University Warrior Arena serving as its home venue. I don't think the Kings or even the MISL's California Cougars and ECHL's Stockton Thunder will each have trouble sleeping at night. The other ABA teams closer to Stockton had some trouble--the Fresno Heatwave moved out of Selland Arena, Fresno St.'s previous home, before playing at various gym in the area yet were considered a successful franchise. The Visalia (later Central Valley) Dawgs didn't really have a homecourt or even finish their season.

Orlando's new ABA team's name: the Orange Men. Notice the spelling adjustment to avoid the Syracuse University Orangemen (now just Orange) www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006062806004

Cedar Rapids ABA franchise also has their name announced: the Running Guns--derivative of the "run 'n gun" style of play of course.

The Jacksonville Jam officially are in the ABA. The UNF Arena, home of the Ospreys (that's a bird, folks), was chosen as it is ideal for an ABA franchise. www.jaxjam.com

[Durbansandshark]

The state of Arkansas is getting not one but TWO ABA franchises next season to replace the since-departed to the NBDL Arkansas RimRockers. The first one of course will be based in Little Rock while the second will have northwest Arkansas as its home base in Fayetteville. The area has proven its minor league sports worth when its indoor football (gridiron) team, the Arkansas Stars, became successful in its first year. Reminds me a bit a little less than a decade ago when there were TWO minor league ice hockey teams (the Glacier Cats and the Riverblades) both based in Little Rock duking it out. It could have the makings of a good ABA in-state rivalry. On the other hand, there may be a basketball repeat of the ice hockey debacle.
www.abalive.com

I'm thinking Rochester, Indianapolis, Southern California, Los Angeles, and Vermont are the most competitive ABA teams right now that can play in higher-level minor leagues. San Jose has since moved to the CBA and was good. Vermont could very well be the class of them all thanks to Alexander Wolff's heavy involvement. Within a year or two, it could be the Notre Dame of the ABA. Many of the players on those teams, unlike so many, had significant D1 bball time. So the talent level within them is greater.

It would not be an ABA post without mentioning some of the bizarre and mismanaging going-ons. This one in particular is for ebehoops: Al Howell, the former managing partner and owner of the Calgary Drillers and the Niagara Daredevils has fled from Canada to live in the bowels of a renovated locker room in the Miami Arena ahead of supposed warrants for his arrest. Hopefully, if you believe in karma, you'd like to see him get what he deserves. A lot of these owners run out of money either during the course of a season or BEFORE it begins when they try to pay the players and provide workman's comp and disability insurance. Consequently, the ABA players get treated badly.

UPDATE 7-10-2006: Fayetteville's ABA entry already has a name. They'll be called the Arkansas Aeros. Both the Aeros and Little Rock will be owned by the same man, Charles Wilkerson, who is the chief operator of Wilkerson Resources. He's interested in bringing in former Hogs (Razorbacks) Todd Day and Oliver Miller to his teams. http://nwanews.com/nwat/Sports/42501/

Waco has joined the ABA with the Wranglers. www.abawranglers.com

Wilmington, North Carolina, Michael Jordan's and UNCW Seahawks' hometown, is going to get an ABA team set to play next season.

[Durbansandshark]

The other Arkansas ABA team, based in Little Rock, now has a name: the Little Rock Rivercatz.

Bob Hoffman, the Oklahome Sooners assistant coach, will coach its in-state rival, the Arkansas Aeros.

Defending champs Rochester RazorSharks resigned coach Rod Baker.

Another Georgia team is coming to the ABA with former 18-year NBA center Wayne "Tree" Rollins, last seen in the NBA as player/assistant coach with the Orlando Magic back in the mid-90s, as coach. The team will be known as the Southern Georgia 36ERS with the Albany Civic Center as their home court.

The Florida Pit Bulls may have left the ABA, but that certainly won't stop the ABA from replacing a team in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area again. Name hasn't been announced, but it won't be owned by Trinity Sports and Entertainment Group.

There is a possibilty that Gary will have a new team in the ABA.

Stay tuned...

www.usbasket.com/aba/aba.asp

EDIT: the websites for the Arkansas teams-- www.rivercatz.com and www.arkansasaeros.com

The Wilmington ABA team is now called the SeaDawgs.

[Durbansandshark]

Lots of ABA teams right now are conducting player tryout camps to be on the rosters of teams at this time from the Strong Island Sound to the Bellingham Slam, particularly involving those who are of the area or the region the team plays in. Not surprisingly, the players more than likely have strong backgrounds in college, even if the colleges they played in were small ones compared to the bigtime D1 ball. Morever, some local players are being signed without the aid of a camp.

Two more teams are coming. Slated to play this coming season will be the South Alabama Bounce and the Quad Cities team. The Bounce will play in Mobile, Alabama and is owned by a man who happens to own the minor league indoor football team the Evergreen Jaguars. LaShaun McDaniel, who formerly coached the Beijing Oashoen Olympic team, was named the Bounce's first head coach. With the Quad Cities ABA team owned by Tom McGinn of Rock Falls, IL , a name that many of you fans of the NBA and of the NBL (particularly if you're a Sydney Kings fan like me will surely remember) will act as its assistant coach. His name...Acie Earl. He'll run and operate the tryout camps and select the training camp roster.

Another ABA expansion team, the Tallahassee Tigers, will play next year. I think this is the Florida state capital's first foray into pro basketball ever, if I'm not mistaken. The Tigers are owned by the duo behind the ABA's Orlando Orange Men. Co-owner Jimmy Lyons will act as GM. The Ontario Red Wolves will instead make their debut next season as opposed to this November.

There's a rumour that London, Ontario will become the latest Canadian city to hold an ABA franchise. Rudy Rickman, a former lawyer, national team member, and businessman is supposed to be looking at the John Labatt Centre as its home.

Art Alverez, former Miami Christian High basketball coach, was named to coach the new Miami ABA team owned by Imperial Sports, which also owns the Palm Beach Imperials. At the email contact, there may be a clue to what the team will be called. The email address says Miami Tropics, which was also the name of the USBL team owned and coached by John Lucas as a haven for drug-addicted players en (hopeful) route to the NBA back in the early 90s.

www.usbasket.com/aba/aba.asp

[Durbansandshark]

The Miami ABA team will be indeed called the Tropics (no surprise there). Instead of playing at the 15,000-seat Miami Arena (completed in 1988 for the then-expansion Miami Heat and since vacated by them and the NHL's Florida Panthers for each of their own arenas and briefly used by the University of Miami Hurricanes basketball teams and the now-defunct ECHL's Miami Matadors and Arena Football's Miami Hooters after that), they will play at the Barry University's Health and Sports Center at Miami Shores, Florida. Easily accessible for both residents at Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Besides, Miami Arena would be way too expensive for the Tropics. Also, the Tropics have named Ed Auricchio and Leo Goughan as head coach and GM, respectively.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Slamma Jamma decided to debut next season to allow more time to get ready and have a facility to call home.

Another Mexican ABA team is here. The Mexicali Centinales, based in Mexicali and ready to serve as a rival to the Monterrey Venom, will have their website up and running soon. www.abalive.com/teampage/teampage.cgi?teamid=MXCL

Chattanooga, which formerly had the Steamers last season before folding early into the season, has a new team called the Tennessee Mud Bugs, slated to play in 2007-08. Minneapolis-St. Paul and Tennessee are just two of the 12 ABA expansion teams slated to play then,including a new Delaware team.

The 2006-07 ABA schedule will have teams each playing a 36-game schedule with 18 home and 18 away games.

Next time, I'll discuss the possibility of sponsor's logos appearring on team unis in the NBA ala NASCAR and FIBA competitions. And of the wackiness inside that league.

[Durbansandshark]

Lots of very interesting developments have really occured lately in the ABA since I last posted here, so let's go into them right away!

As the latest Canadian ABA entry, it's not going to be London, Ontario. Halifax, Nova Scotia got to it first. This apparently makes Halifax, NS's capital city, the easternmost city in North American pro sports--I may actually be wrong about the geogrpahy though--since there's no other team there, save for the junior hockey's Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL). Last time Halifax had a basketball affair was back in the mid-90s when the Halifax Windjammers played in the 6'5" and under WBL and then the Canadian-only NBL. Moreover, it has flirted with pro hockey every one in a while naturally--most recently the Halifax IceBreakers of the aborted reincarnation of the World Hockey Association in 2004. Halifax is always one city (along with Quebec City) the CFL is interested in (lacks a ready-made stadium for it but is in the running for the 2014 Commonwealth Games). Anyway, Halifax, the entire province rather, will play in 2007 with Detroit native, Toronto-based Andre Livingstone running things. I wish him well. Keep in mind Halifax loves basketball, and the CIAU (the Canadian equivalent to the NCAA here) has its Elite Eight national championship tournament at the Halifax MetroCentre annually. Livingstone, who played DI ball for four years, started out teaching and coaching children before his entreprenuer instincts came calling. He's looking at using the 11,000-seat MetroCentre as its home. Like to see it work, since basketball is very popular, but Nova Scotia's economy is in bad shape right now. Halifax is a moderate sized city with tourism serving as its drawing pull yet residents are leaving the island province in droves looking for more lucrative employment. For an ABA team, a 2000-5000 home game draw each time could work. Plus, it's a 16-hour drive from even the Northeastern cities. Since its has a long-standing black community, why not also tap into that? Surely they will. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006082406001

Keeping it in Canada, apparently that proposed Vancouver ABA team, either to be called the Dynasty (perhaps from the previous ownership to bring in Chinese players to form the team) or the Dragons (ditto maybe under new ownership, Puget Sound Sports) is not going to proceed. Not even for next year in 2007. There's no action from it. Maybe it will later on. It's just as well: paying for the usage of the Pacific Coliseum or the nearby Agridome at the Pacific National Exhibition Centre will set you back C$6500 a game 18 times for the 5000-seat Agridome. Say you charge C$20 and C$10 a person for a home game for the 18 home games the Dragons hypothectically play there, and after that Ticketmaster and PNE will take half of that each time out for advertising the event there, ticket costs, and changing the arena in usage from basketball to hockey for example. Say the Dragons suck in its home debut in front of 2800-4000 and less people show up (1700), you still have to play for the players, their travels to road games, the coaching staff, trainers, team staff, promotions, and all that jazz. As for the Pacific Coliseum, forget it. The Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants thanks to its owner made it very hard for another tennant to play there in negotiations with the NLL's defunct Vancouver Ravens. What's more, Vancouver currently has a love/hate with basketball. In short, you gotta have deep pockets to operate a team there. Other venues at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia aren't worth it either. UBC is too hard to get to for Vancouverites and SFU is tucked up in the Burnaby Mountains. What about Victoria, BC's capital? It still will be in BC and up in the Pacific Northwest. Michael Tucker, the owner, is apparently a crook since there's nothing going on about the teams he owns (Tacoma Navigators, Bellingham Slam, Olympia ABA). His home is scheduled for a trustee's sale.

I hear of rumours of another Canadian city to be added, possibly the resurrection of the Calgary Drillers, Lethbridge, Alberta, or, I suggest, going into Manitoba like Winnipeg or Saskatchewan as a potential market.

Did the ABA's Los Angeles Aftershock become the NDCELE NBDL Chapter? Better not!

The league dropped the link for the Salt Lake City Dream's weblink, but the team apparently still exists as it struggles on its ownership issues and despite appearing on ABA podcasts.

The Houston Havoc now is under new ownership. Its owners are investment businessman Larry Donnell Edwards II, who played Grambling St. University and his wife Shuwana. With this, the team changed its name to the Houston Undertakers, while still keeping the logo. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006082906001

The big news coming out of the ABA is this new franchise coming to play in the Greater Los Angeles area. Word has traveled very fast for this seemingly bizarre development. The team will be called the Hollywood Fame, perhaps in tribute to all of the past LA/Hollywood sports team that had nicknames associated with fame and celebrity (e.g. Los Angeles/Hollywood Stars in basketball and baseball). Take a look at Hollywood Fame's ownership group: former WWE diva/former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader/Dancing With The Stars contestant Stacey Keibler, former NBAer (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors) and Best Damn Sports Show co-host John Salley (wonder he could play for them?), former Baltimore Oriole Brady Anderson, Baltimore Ravens QB Kyle Boller (likely a friend of Keibler's), AJ DiScala (Jaime-Lynn's ex-husband?), actor Geoff Stults, NASCAR's Brian Vickers, actor Wilmer Valderamma (That's 70s Show, Lindsay Lohan's Ex), and, last but not least...Nick Lachey(!). I'm not making this up! Seems like the cast of the latest Surreal Life. Maybe we'll see Kiebler and Salley involve in a romance. There is a possibility that celebs may end up playing for this team. You may already know that the NBA has its NBA Entertainment League, an private, invitation-only league, for celebrities who can live their NBA fantasies that has featured Dean Cain, Brian McKnight, Jaleel White, Snoop Dogg, Bow Wow, Josh Duhamel, Ice Cube, Justin Timberlake, Jaime Foxx, and Michael Rappaport on teams. Already the ABA a team using former Onyx rapper Fredro Starr on its roster (more on that soon). Sure, there have been celebs owning pro sports teams, even a minority ownership (like Paul Anka owning the Ottawa Senators, Usher part-owner of the Cavs, Louis Armstrong owning his own New Orleans Negro League baseball team) but The Fame may take that to the next level. I'm surprised that it hasn't gotten more national attention than it has already from the likes of ESPN. Several of the celebrity owners have already taken part in player recruitment and scouting at the Pan Pacific Recreation Center, and they'll bring their celebrity friends to the games and the festivities. Expect recruited professionals and top amatuers with noted celebs on the Fame's roster. I don't think the celebs at the Clippers and NDCELE worshippers will have a hard time sleeping over this, though. Likely we'll see some "out of their division" games to showcase them nationally. Now that the USC Trojans/Women of Troy left the 16,000-seat Los Angeles Sports Arena, which is nearby the USC campus, for its brand spanking new on-campus arena the Galen Center which they'll share with the volleyball teams, the Fame will play their 18 home games there starting this November. Demand to play against the new glamour team at their home surely will generate interest. This could be huge in some ways like the New York Cosmos's galaticos before it in the mid to late 70s in the NASL.
www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006083106001
www.thehollywoodfame.com

More notable names taking part in the ABA (and another big one though not as big as that of the Fame's): the Richmond Warriors are also coming next season. Its majority owner and chairman: Allen Iverson's mom Ann Iverson, you know the one who hold aloft a huge supportive sign at 76ERS home games saying "That's My Boy! #3" at the Wachovia Center courtside cheering enthusiasticly. She was an athlete at Bethel High in Virginia just like her son was and avid sports fan. Naturally she relishes the opportunity to own a pro sports team, especially in her native state of Virginia--she paid only US$20,000 when an average ABA team costs US$400,000! Former Virginia Tech guard Michael Davis will be the Head Coach. Will the NBA have a problem with the use of the Warriors' name since the Golden State Warriors has it trademarked? They may back off since one of AI's nicknames is Warrior and has it on his tatoos. Its logo is one of AI's numerous tatoos--a dagger. There was the Ontario (CA) Warriors in the ABA, they changed theirs before folding. Like with Alexander Wolff and his Vermont Frost Heaves and the aforementioned Hollywood Fame, Ann Iverson brings much-needed credibility to the oft-beleaguered ABA. Open tryouts have started. Personally, I think the NBA can play effectively in Virginia if done right. Home games are to be at the U-Turn Sports Performance Academy (the old Circuit City HQ). Needless to say these items will get the most attention here.
www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006082506001
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond_Warriors

The still-nameless Quebec City ABA team have signed its first players for the upcoming season, a mix of Canadians, Cameroonians, Americans, and Nigerians:
Charles Fourtier 6'4" Universite de Laval Rouge D'Or CIAU (Canada)
Dominic Soucy 6'3" Universite de Laval Rouge D'Or CIAU (Canada)
Jonas Pierre 6'10" Lincoln College NCAA Division II (Canada)
Floyd Bahiya 6'1" Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders NCAA Division II (Cameroon)
Jamal Ward 6'6" University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Moccasins NCAA Division I (USA)
Louis-Patrick Levros 6'6" Rhode Island CC Knights NCJAA (Canada)
Muhammed Lesage 6'11" University of Louisville Cardinals NCAA Division I (Nigeria)
SirValiant Brown 6'1" George Washington University Colonials NCAA Division I (Puerto Rico)
www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006090506001
www.quebecbasket.com

Its Quebec ABA provincial rival, the Montreal Matrix, will hold open tryouts September 16th and 17th at Rosemont College in Montreal suburb Rosemont.

The New Mexico Style have moved to El Paso, Texas to be called the El Paso S'Ol in 2007.

Applebee's restaraunts have teamed up with the Newark Express. More on that later.

Tampa Bay Strong Dogs GM Gregg Gruhl named 7-year NBA veteran Jim Price as their head coach. The Orlando Orange Men have signed former Georgia Tech and Atlanta Hawk player Ivano Newbill to its roster with Doug Vest as its new GM.

The Buffalo Silverbacks (nee Rapids) will play their home games at the Buffalo State College Sports Arena. Last season the Rapids home games were primarily at the 250-seat Park School Gym at Snyder, New York with five other sites during the season.

The Tennessee Mud Frogs are actually going to play this coming season and not 2007 as earlier indicated thanks to popular demand with Tennessee Temple University Gym as its home court. www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006090406002
www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2006090406001

For those who think ABA players can't make it to the NBA, you only need to look at Brazilian Janero Pargo who got signed by the Bulls.

I promised that I will get into the sponsorship on ABA teams' jerseys. And I will. When it comes to big time pro sports here in North America, sponsor ads on them is an alien concept. Though ads are prevalent in the arenas with adboards in indoor sports and baseball. Arena football teams already have them on their jerseys, but they're leaguewide sponsors like Aaron's Rentals, US Army, and Papa John's Pizza. The CFL and NFL Europe has adboards surrounding the playing fields. In Scandinavian and European hockey, basketball, and handball leagues they're all over jerseys and shorts. National basketball teams have them on their like the Boomers, except for Olympic time. With this young basketball league trying to survive in the long run, the ABA may need to do just that to generate much-needed revenue in the absence of lucrative media revenue streams. It won't get massive attention by themselves, but more power to the teams and the ABA and emphasize local sponsorships. I will actually like the idea, but some worry the all-over ads will be too distracting. Not to me. To non-North Americans, it gives a more international look. It's a little like an experimental league with diversity in team ownership (black, white, male, female, Asian, Canadian, Latino, etc.). I'll delve more into it and other ABA developments (including a Vermont Frost Heaves update) later.

www.usbasket.com/aba/aba.asp

UPDATE 9-7-2006: I hear another rumour that the Aftershock may go into the CBA.

More about the Quebec City ABA team. It seems as though the Quebecois are really offended of the use of the name and logo "Jumping Frogs" because calling, or using it in association with, anyone French or a French Canadian a "frog" is wrongheaded, particularly to nationalist-minded Quebecois. The other name proposed in Kebekwa (the phonetic spelling Quebecois, though it could also sound like to be a last name of someone who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Others suggested are Dunkers and Cannons.
www.canada.com/topics/sports/story.html ... 7&k=19199/

Or click from here: www.oursportscentral.com/boards/showthread.php?t=3479

[Durbansandshark]

Teams are now getting their 2006-2007 ABA schedules made public with the first being the ABA champs the Rochester RazorSharks, which just re-signed player/assistant coach Lazarus Sims. Look at the RazorSharks schedule here: www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3376960

Numerous teams are currently undergoing dance team tryouts.

New teams has been added in Detroit for this season--the Detroit Panthers--and in Seattle. More info will come as I get access. Rio Grande Valley, Texas is getting a team for 2007.

A number of teams in the ABA have left or decided to play next season which I'll get to later on. This is why I wasn't willing to set a list of teams slated to play (and the relialignment of them) in 2006-07 earlier on these posts. But with the schedules, which are of course when you're dealing with Crazy Joe's ABA league are subject to change, unvieled. I'll do my best. Here it is, as it stands with this writing, 56 teams.

WHITE CONFERENCE
North Division
Rochester RazorSharks
Buffalo Silverbacks
Pittsburgh Xplosion
Toldeo Ice
Detroit Panthers

Northeast Division
Montreal Matrix (check their new website-- www.montrealmatrix.ca and their old one www.montrealmatrixbasketball.com )
Quebec City Jumping Frogs (Kebekwa?)
Vermont Frost Heaves
Maryland Nighthawks
Brooklyn Wonders
Newark Express
Cape Cod Frenzy
Strong Island Sound

Southeast Division
Palm Beach Imperials
Orlando Orange Men
Jacksonville Jam
Tampa Bay Strong Dogs
Miami Tropics
Southern Georgia 36ers

Central Conference
St. Louis Stunners
Little Rock RiverCatz
Twin Cities Ballers
Hammond Rollers
Norfolk Navigators
Alexandria United
Chicago Rockstars
Quad Cities
Peoria

Southeast Division
Tennessee Mud Frogs
South Alabama Bounce
Knoxville Noise
Atlanta Vision
Richmond Warriors
Baltimore Pearls
Wilmington Sea Dogs

Southwest Division
Texas Tycoons
Houston Undertakers
Monterrey Veneno
Arkansas Aeros
Mexicali Sentinals
Waco Wranglers
Gallup Outlaws
Mississippi Miracle
Tijuana Dragones

RED CONFERENCE (West)
Northwest Division
Fresno Heatwave
Big Valley Shockwave
Oregon Riptide
Seattle
Bellingham Slam

Pacific Division
Carson City Buzz
Las Vegas Venom
Hollywood Fame
San Diego Wildcats
Beijing Aoshen Olympic
Maywood

This is a work in progress with more teams could be added and the divisional alignment is again subject to change. I'll edit that later on. More stories will come with that Vermont Frost Heaves update arriving and of the possibility of more celebs wanting a piece of ABA team ownership.