ABARedWhiteBlue
03-17-2008, 08:00 AM
:good article:
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080316/SPORTS13/161524600/-1/OPINION02
Millrats take hold of ABA
By TOM KING Telegraph Staff
sports@nashuatelegraph.com
Editor’s note:
This is the first of two stories on the Manchester Millrats, a member of the 20-team American Basketball Association.
The owner greets fans as they walk through the gym entrance, handing out maracas in the form of mini basketballs.
Music played whenever the home team had the ball, not just during timeouts and breaks. Kids seemed to be having a fun time. If you are a long-time basketball fan from the 1970s, you'll easily recognize the red, white and blue ball.
Welcome to the world of the Manchester Millrats.
What's a Millrat? If you're a basketball fan in southern New Hampshire, it's a player who is striving to climb up the professional ranks in front of a few hundred people once or twice a week, playing in the low level, 20-team American Basketball Association. The ABA is an independent minor league that took the name of the original big-league circuit of the 1970s that featured its trademark colorful ball and stars such as Julius Erving and Rick Barry. The current circuit has gone global, with teams in Beijing as well as the Bahamas, Canada and all across the U.S.
That list includes the Millrats, the latest minor league team to hit the area, and they pledge to be around for the long haul.
"The GM (Ian McCarthy) and myself are in the process of buying houses in the area," team owner Jason Briggs said. "We love the area, and we're committed to the area, we love the state, and everything about it."
As a matter of fact, Briggs said he's considering having the team play a couple of games in Nashua next winter, as well as Concord. They have gone to Derry for a game already.
"We'd like to go down (to Nashua) after the season and kick around where we could play," Briggs said. "But that would be a goal for next year. We're very happy with the area, we like everything about it."
McCarthy said he chose Manchester as a location while researching and visiting the area, and saw numerous road signs for the city's minor league baseball stadium and 10,000-seat arena. "It showed the city is conscious of its sports teams," he said.
The organization has admittedly had limited exposure this winter, but has been boosted by a few things, including having the best player in the league, 70 percent field-goal shooter Anthony Anderson. It also sports a local athlete on the roster – Merrimack's Chris Burns – and a comfortable venue in the Southern New Hampshire University Field House, all adding to the overall atmosphere.
The franchise is McCarthy's brainchild, and in the process he asked Briggs, his childhood friend from Nantucket, Mass., to invest.
Briggs, who works in real estate and has worked on Wall Street, looked at the plan and took every remaining share to become the principal owner.
"It was like an actor looking at a script," Briggs said. "It just felt like the right thing. For me it's not about (the money). It's the rush of it. In two years, maybe we have a good chance of breaking even. We're just sort of building and building brick by brick."
The cost to come into the league, Briggs says, is "not prohibitive at all, in the 10s of thousands. The cost to run it is several hundred-thousand a year."
That includes a salary cap of $120,000, and expenses that include the venue and the travel. The average player salary is $2,000 a month, with paid housing and food and the team has instituted a bonus structure for defensive player of the game, double-doubles, etc., game MVPs (anywhere from $100 to $250 so there are plenty of incentives. Indeed it appears to be a player-friendly organization.
"They know we take care of them," Briggs said. "Their interests are our interests, which is why we've had a few of them ask for two-year deals, which is unusual in minor league sports."
If it sounds like a lot of spending for a minor league basketball organization in its infancy, that doesn't bother Briggs.
"I never went into it with the idea of breaking even," Briggs said. "I thought if I could break even the fifth year I'd be happy. We have a really good chance of the third year, maybe the second year, we've gotten some real good momentum and we're just trying to push forward."
Much of that momentum came from some crowds of around 1,000 in late January and early February, and by the time the club wrapped up its home season last month it had reached an average of between 500 and 600 fans per game.
"Since January I've been very happy," Briggs said. "The word is traction; I think we're getting traction."
The team has done some of the minor league community appearances that helps to draw in fans, and McCarthy says that next season the team will have a head start in a season-ticket drive, sponsorships, etc., that it didn't have this season just arriving in mid to late August. For summer presence, there are plans to have a Millrats Invitational tournament at a venue to be named with a $10,000 cash prize, looking for teams from up and down the east coast.
Briggs says he certainly can't complain about the venue at SNHU, but admits he'd rather be somewhere closer to downtown "because then it becomes more of an (event). Someone goes out for a beer, out to dinner they can walk across the street. The dream location would be the Armory in Manchester, and we've put some feelers out to see if that's a possibility."
The tickets are certainly affordable. Adult single game prices were $9.75, three dollars less for those 17-and-under. Adult season tickets were $105.
With its home schedule done, the team embarked on a near month-long trip to the Bahamas and Singapore, not exactly low-budget journeys. Briggs felt it was a good "life experience" for the organization and its players, but he didn't expect the team to be as good as it was and regrets not showcasing it for a few more home games. And the ABA season-ending playoff tournament will be held in Quebec City, Quebec, at the end of this month.
"If I had been a little bit smarter and knew we were going to get such good guys that we'd be in a position to be first in the division and third in the whole league, I would have done things completely differently."
Championship and bust?
If they do win it, it may be a one and done as far as the Millrats presence in the ABA is concerned. Both McCarthy and Briggs say they are weighing their options for next year's league affiliation.
Why? Because the ABA has been shaky, with a few franchises folding. Certainly shaky enough that Vermont and first-year Manchester have been the strength of the circuit.
"The ABA has a lot of positive things and nostalgia and things like that," Briggs said. "But the knock on the ABA is that some teams don't play the full schedule, don't play 36 games. We're actually going to play 40 games, and Vermont's going to play its first full schedule.
"I think there needs to be tougher financial requirements to be in this league. That will prevent some of the downfalls and pitfalls from it."
Briggs feels that 20 teams are too much for one league, but he likes the ABA rules that promote scoring. There's a rule called the "3-D Rule" that turns a two-pointer into three points, and a 3-point field goal into four in certain situations, such as a steal in the backcourt, etc. Players are allowed to continue playing after getting a sixth foul but any foul thereafter results in extra free throws for the opposition, etc. "It's fun," Briggs said, "to see people score. Defensive games are pretty boring."
It will be, though, a business decision.
"It's going to come down to stability and business models," McCarthy said. "And we'll go from there. It's too hard to tell right now. Obviously, the D-League and the CBA are the premier leagues."
In any event, Briggs assures a long-term presence.
"We're definitely here to stay," he said. "People don't want to invest emotionally in a team they're not sure is going to be here. So now that we come back a second year, and then a third year, and every subsequent year, we're going to keep building it from there. We feel pretty positive about it."
As well, it seems, they should be.
When the Millrats are DQ'd,
"Obviously, the D-League and the CBA are the premier leagues."
will be their parting words
Right, Joe??:rolleyes:
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080316/SPORTS13/161524600/-1/OPINION02
Millrats take hold of ABA
By TOM KING Telegraph Staff
sports@nashuatelegraph.com
Editor’s note:
This is the first of two stories on the Manchester Millrats, a member of the 20-team American Basketball Association.
The owner greets fans as they walk through the gym entrance, handing out maracas in the form of mini basketballs.
Music played whenever the home team had the ball, not just during timeouts and breaks. Kids seemed to be having a fun time. If you are a long-time basketball fan from the 1970s, you'll easily recognize the red, white and blue ball.
Welcome to the world of the Manchester Millrats.
What's a Millrat? If you're a basketball fan in southern New Hampshire, it's a player who is striving to climb up the professional ranks in front of a few hundred people once or twice a week, playing in the low level, 20-team American Basketball Association. The ABA is an independent minor league that took the name of the original big-league circuit of the 1970s that featured its trademark colorful ball and stars such as Julius Erving and Rick Barry. The current circuit has gone global, with teams in Beijing as well as the Bahamas, Canada and all across the U.S.
That list includes the Millrats, the latest minor league team to hit the area, and they pledge to be around for the long haul.
"The GM (Ian McCarthy) and myself are in the process of buying houses in the area," team owner Jason Briggs said. "We love the area, and we're committed to the area, we love the state, and everything about it."
As a matter of fact, Briggs said he's considering having the team play a couple of games in Nashua next winter, as well as Concord. They have gone to Derry for a game already.
"We'd like to go down (to Nashua) after the season and kick around where we could play," Briggs said. "But that would be a goal for next year. We're very happy with the area, we like everything about it."
McCarthy said he chose Manchester as a location while researching and visiting the area, and saw numerous road signs for the city's minor league baseball stadium and 10,000-seat arena. "It showed the city is conscious of its sports teams," he said.
The organization has admittedly had limited exposure this winter, but has been boosted by a few things, including having the best player in the league, 70 percent field-goal shooter Anthony Anderson. It also sports a local athlete on the roster – Merrimack's Chris Burns – and a comfortable venue in the Southern New Hampshire University Field House, all adding to the overall atmosphere.
The franchise is McCarthy's brainchild, and in the process he asked Briggs, his childhood friend from Nantucket, Mass., to invest.
Briggs, who works in real estate and has worked on Wall Street, looked at the plan and took every remaining share to become the principal owner.
"It was like an actor looking at a script," Briggs said. "It just felt like the right thing. For me it's not about (the money). It's the rush of it. In two years, maybe we have a good chance of breaking even. We're just sort of building and building brick by brick."
The cost to come into the league, Briggs says, is "not prohibitive at all, in the 10s of thousands. The cost to run it is several hundred-thousand a year."
That includes a salary cap of $120,000, and expenses that include the venue and the travel. The average player salary is $2,000 a month, with paid housing and food and the team has instituted a bonus structure for defensive player of the game, double-doubles, etc., game MVPs (anywhere from $100 to $250 so there are plenty of incentives. Indeed it appears to be a player-friendly organization.
"They know we take care of them," Briggs said. "Their interests are our interests, which is why we've had a few of them ask for two-year deals, which is unusual in minor league sports."
If it sounds like a lot of spending for a minor league basketball organization in its infancy, that doesn't bother Briggs.
"I never went into it with the idea of breaking even," Briggs said. "I thought if I could break even the fifth year I'd be happy. We have a really good chance of the third year, maybe the second year, we've gotten some real good momentum and we're just trying to push forward."
Much of that momentum came from some crowds of around 1,000 in late January and early February, and by the time the club wrapped up its home season last month it had reached an average of between 500 and 600 fans per game.
"Since January I've been very happy," Briggs said. "The word is traction; I think we're getting traction."
The team has done some of the minor league community appearances that helps to draw in fans, and McCarthy says that next season the team will have a head start in a season-ticket drive, sponsorships, etc., that it didn't have this season just arriving in mid to late August. For summer presence, there are plans to have a Millrats Invitational tournament at a venue to be named with a $10,000 cash prize, looking for teams from up and down the east coast.
Briggs says he certainly can't complain about the venue at SNHU, but admits he'd rather be somewhere closer to downtown "because then it becomes more of an (event). Someone goes out for a beer, out to dinner they can walk across the street. The dream location would be the Armory in Manchester, and we've put some feelers out to see if that's a possibility."
The tickets are certainly affordable. Adult single game prices were $9.75, three dollars less for those 17-and-under. Adult season tickets were $105.
With its home schedule done, the team embarked on a near month-long trip to the Bahamas and Singapore, not exactly low-budget journeys. Briggs felt it was a good "life experience" for the organization and its players, but he didn't expect the team to be as good as it was and regrets not showcasing it for a few more home games. And the ABA season-ending playoff tournament will be held in Quebec City, Quebec, at the end of this month.
"If I had been a little bit smarter and knew we were going to get such good guys that we'd be in a position to be first in the division and third in the whole league, I would have done things completely differently."
Championship and bust?
If they do win it, it may be a one and done as far as the Millrats presence in the ABA is concerned. Both McCarthy and Briggs say they are weighing their options for next year's league affiliation.
Why? Because the ABA has been shaky, with a few franchises folding. Certainly shaky enough that Vermont and first-year Manchester have been the strength of the circuit.
"The ABA has a lot of positive things and nostalgia and things like that," Briggs said. "But the knock on the ABA is that some teams don't play the full schedule, don't play 36 games. We're actually going to play 40 games, and Vermont's going to play its first full schedule.
"I think there needs to be tougher financial requirements to be in this league. That will prevent some of the downfalls and pitfalls from it."
Briggs feels that 20 teams are too much for one league, but he likes the ABA rules that promote scoring. There's a rule called the "3-D Rule" that turns a two-pointer into three points, and a 3-point field goal into four in certain situations, such as a steal in the backcourt, etc. Players are allowed to continue playing after getting a sixth foul but any foul thereafter results in extra free throws for the opposition, etc. "It's fun," Briggs said, "to see people score. Defensive games are pretty boring."
It will be, though, a business decision.
"It's going to come down to stability and business models," McCarthy said. "And we'll go from there. It's too hard to tell right now. Obviously, the D-League and the CBA are the premier leagues."
In any event, Briggs assures a long-term presence.
"We're definitely here to stay," he said. "People don't want to invest emotionally in a team they're not sure is going to be here. So now that we come back a second year, and then a third year, and every subsequent year, we're going to keep building it from there. We feel pretty positive about it."
As well, it seems, they should be.
When the Millrats are DQ'd,
"Obviously, the D-League and the CBA are the premier leagues."
will be their parting words
Right, Joe??:rolleyes: