South Atlantic
11-09-2004, 03:53 PM
The Ontario Warriors are retrenching, 10 days before their debut.
President and CEO Brent Hagood indicated Monday that coach Eric Cooper and his staff "are no longer head coach and assistants of the Warriors,' an American Basketball Association expansion franchise.
Also, it appears San Bernardino County's first professional basketball team no longer is interested in the services of 14 players among them former SoCal prep headliners Tracy Murray, Corey Benjamin and Kenny Brunner who failed to go with the team to an exhibition game at Fresno on Sunday.
A patchwork Warriors team lost to the Fresno Heatwave, 114-94.
Cooper said he, assistants Traevon Louis and Brandon Lee, and 14 players did not travel because they declined to sign insurance waivers presented by the Warriors only hours before their scheduled departure.
Cooper said it was not prudent for players and coaches to go on a road trip without insurance coverage. "What if someone got hurt, what if someone died on the bus,' he asked.
He said Warriors executives "really have mismanaged this whole operation' and are throwing away a potentially top-flight team.
"For us to get a bunch of players that good to sign and be a part of us, if you look at it, we would have been a great team,' Cooper said.
Hagood said the aforementioned players had not signed letters of intent and were not officially members of the Warriors.
"This is normal for ABA franchises,' Hagood said of the apparent upheaval. "The organization is still thriving, still moving forward.
Jelani Janisse led the Warriors with 19 points. Curtis Slaughter scored 17 points. Said Cooper: "They got some dudes from the barbershop and lost by 20 to a (Fresno) team that lost by 30 to Utah.'
Murray, former UCLA and NBA player, was harsh in assessing the Warriors organization.
"In 13 years of pro basketball I've never seen an organization with no insurance, the per diem is late or doesn't show up at all, no trainer on staff, nobody out there has taken physicals,' Murray said.
"They sent a scab team to Fresno, and people are signing waivers, and if they get hurt, they're screwed. It wasn't right.'
Cooper said the Warriors are taking advantage of lesser players with no pro leverage.
"They'll put players out there who'll accept anything,' he said. "Good players won't accept anything. ... They're preying on young guys who don't have many options.'
Hagood and Cooper can't agree on the term describing the coach's departure. Hagood said he told Cooper, "when you didn't get on the bus, that means you quit.'
Cooper said he has not quit, nor has he been fired, and intends to report for practice today.
Hagood said he is searching for a new coaching staff, and hopes to have the roster close to finalized "in the next three days.'
He said seven players have signed letters of intent, and he intends to extend letters to Janisse and Slaughter.
"Our intent has always been to bring in the best local talent, as opposed to bringing in big names, and things of that nature,' Hagood said. "Kids have been calling from all over the place, wanting to play.'
Well I certainly dont find this normal for any organization even though we are discussing the ABA. And for the president to make a statement about normalcy, well I question how normal it is for a president to hold that position?
You have fourteen players who are now free agents and a group of players who are considered 'scabs' (for an ABA squad to be considered scabs, well it is funny).
Even though you want to maintain a local flavor, it doesnt mean jeopardize your teams existence because for a YMCA squad. If they dont win, you dont have fans, then you have no money, and yada yada.
If the coach and president cant come to a term regarding his employment, then I guess he should be looking for a coach. For a coach to take a stand and not jeopardize his players is commendable. But I am sure it is only one side of what appears to be a many sided story.
Well the president says this team will be ready for the opener and without a coach who had his own talk show or without a player Murray, who added some local flavor with talent.
Good luck mr. president as you embark on a four month journey (hopefully you will see all four months).
President and CEO Brent Hagood indicated Monday that coach Eric Cooper and his staff "are no longer head coach and assistants of the Warriors,' an American Basketball Association expansion franchise.
Also, it appears San Bernardino County's first professional basketball team no longer is interested in the services of 14 players among them former SoCal prep headliners Tracy Murray, Corey Benjamin and Kenny Brunner who failed to go with the team to an exhibition game at Fresno on Sunday.
A patchwork Warriors team lost to the Fresno Heatwave, 114-94.
Cooper said he, assistants Traevon Louis and Brandon Lee, and 14 players did not travel because they declined to sign insurance waivers presented by the Warriors only hours before their scheduled departure.
Cooper said it was not prudent for players and coaches to go on a road trip without insurance coverage. "What if someone got hurt, what if someone died on the bus,' he asked.
He said Warriors executives "really have mismanaged this whole operation' and are throwing away a potentially top-flight team.
"For us to get a bunch of players that good to sign and be a part of us, if you look at it, we would have been a great team,' Cooper said.
Hagood said the aforementioned players had not signed letters of intent and were not officially members of the Warriors.
"This is normal for ABA franchises,' Hagood said of the apparent upheaval. "The organization is still thriving, still moving forward.
Jelani Janisse led the Warriors with 19 points. Curtis Slaughter scored 17 points. Said Cooper: "They got some dudes from the barbershop and lost by 20 to a (Fresno) team that lost by 30 to Utah.'
Murray, former UCLA and NBA player, was harsh in assessing the Warriors organization.
"In 13 years of pro basketball I've never seen an organization with no insurance, the per diem is late or doesn't show up at all, no trainer on staff, nobody out there has taken physicals,' Murray said.
"They sent a scab team to Fresno, and people are signing waivers, and if they get hurt, they're screwed. It wasn't right.'
Cooper said the Warriors are taking advantage of lesser players with no pro leverage.
"They'll put players out there who'll accept anything,' he said. "Good players won't accept anything. ... They're preying on young guys who don't have many options.'
Hagood and Cooper can't agree on the term describing the coach's departure. Hagood said he told Cooper, "when you didn't get on the bus, that means you quit.'
Cooper said he has not quit, nor has he been fired, and intends to report for practice today.
Hagood said he is searching for a new coaching staff, and hopes to have the roster close to finalized "in the next three days.'
He said seven players have signed letters of intent, and he intends to extend letters to Janisse and Slaughter.
"Our intent has always been to bring in the best local talent, as opposed to bringing in big names, and things of that nature,' Hagood said. "Kids have been calling from all over the place, wanting to play.'
Well I certainly dont find this normal for any organization even though we are discussing the ABA. And for the president to make a statement about normalcy, well I question how normal it is for a president to hold that position?
You have fourteen players who are now free agents and a group of players who are considered 'scabs' (for an ABA squad to be considered scabs, well it is funny).
Even though you want to maintain a local flavor, it doesnt mean jeopardize your teams existence because for a YMCA squad. If they dont win, you dont have fans, then you have no money, and yada yada.
If the coach and president cant come to a term regarding his employment, then I guess he should be looking for a coach. For a coach to take a stand and not jeopardize his players is commendable. But I am sure it is only one side of what appears to be a many sided story.
Well the president says this team will be ready for the opener and without a coach who had his own talk show or without a player Murray, who added some local flavor with talent.
Good luck mr. president as you embark on a four month journey (hopefully you will see all four months).