Welcome to the ABA: Winston-Salem Storm

[tbayz1]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3663061

Potential arena listed in release: http://www.ljvm.com/annex.html

Website (In the works): www.winstonsalemstorm.com

At least in this release there was some information...unlike the previous expansion teams we've seen.

And the best part is now the ABA has not one, but two teams called the Storm! Knoxville and Winston-Salem. Only in the ABA...

[Minor League Man]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3663061

Potential arena listed in release: http://www.ljvm.com/annex.html

Website (In the works): www.winstonsalemstorm.com

At least in this release there was some information...unlike the previous expansion teams we've seen.

And the best part is now the ABA has not one, but two teams called the Storm! Knoxville and Winston-Salem. Only in the ABA...
Well, the AHL has the Milwaukee Admirals AND the Norfolk Admirals.
The CFL had the Ottawa Rough Riders AND the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the longest time...
Don't get me started on the SEC or the WAC either...

[tbayz1]

Well, the AHL has the Milwaukee Admirals AND the Norfolk Admirals.
The CFL had the Ottawa Rough Riders AND the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the longest time...
Don't get me started on the SEC or the WAC either...

Alright Burm, you got me! :o

At least those teams are in real leagues!

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

The ABA a couple years back had the Norfolk Navigators and the Tacoma Navigators.

Of course, Norfolk never played, and Tacoma - owned by Tuckman - was essentially a feeder for his Bellvue franchise.

[Chuck the Writer]

They couldn't go back to the Southern Hockey League and take the name of the old Winston-Salem Polar Twins team from the 1970's?

http://www.logoserver.com/hockey/WinstonSalemPolarTwins76.GIF

[Paul S]

Who are they gonna play?

Jersey is about 8 hours north. Atlanta is about 8 hours south. Detroit is about 12 hours northwest. Those are the close games, they'll be slumming with Montreal and the NYC teams which won't be easy.

Nobody will make the road trip to play in Winston. If teams like the South Chi-Town Inferno couldn't afford the road tolls to play across town how is anyone gonna get to Winston-Salem?

The level of due dilligence of some of these guys entering this league is simply astounding.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

The level of due dilligence of some of these guys entering this league is simply astounding.

You are making the assumption that due diligence is actually done in this league - on EITHER side...

[a1sports]

They have no money. They bought joes' BS hook, line and sinker that you can make money by doing the ususal Joe Baloney Business model...have expensive
try out camps, get free interns and get sponsorships.

When told by the CBA that they need at least $150,000 to pay the CBA this year to play there, they said "we no where close have that kind of money"


By last count, there are still 419 suckers out there in the USA so the ABA will be around for at least another 1 -2 years.

[SignGuyDino]

Yeah, they're getting the Annex. I'm sure not ONE of the hockey fans whose team is already in that building will object.

Sure.

What a pathetic joke the ABA is.

[turbocamyes]

Ok, well I live in Winston-Salem. I lived here for seven years in 90’s before spending 10 years in NH (of course, right after I moved back the Millrats showed up 20 minutes from my house.) WS is a great basketball town, albeit more ACC and college than pro ball, but there is a lot of local talent to draw from—Wake, Winston-Salem St, UNC-Greensboro, High Point, NC A&T. They will not have a problem putting together a team.
I currently work a block away from the Annex, and it will be a great place for the Storm to play. Also, the last time I looked at the old site www.triadaba.com, they had some fairly impressive local sponsors (they are no longer listed, though, probably transferring the info to the new site.)
As for what teams they’ll play, at the time they announced last year, I think Wilmington (4 hrs) was still in the league, along with Richmond (4 hrs), Atlanta (5 hrs), Knoxville (4 hrs) and Jacksonville (7 hrs). This year Wilmington, Richmond and Jacksonville are not options, but Nashville (7 hrs) is on board and there are still 5 more months left to add teams, so who knows. At least give them credit for waiting a year to organize. How many teams announce and then never show up?

[LightningMan]

As for what teams they’ll play, at the time they announced last year, I think Wilmington (4 hrs) was still in the league, along with Richmond (4 hrs), Atlanta (5 hrs), Knoxville (4 hrs) and Jacksonville (7 hrs). This year Wilmington, Richmond and Jacksonville are not options, but Nashville (7 hrs) is on board and there are still 5 more months left to add teams, so who knows.
Of course, they could join the PBL instead and have Wilmington and Augusta as options. I know, I know.

[Sam Hill]

Well, the AHL has the Milwaukee Admirals AND the Norfolk Admirals.
The CFL had the Ottawa Rough Riders AND the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the longest time...
Don't get me started on the SEC or the WAC either...

Both the AHL and CFL things were because of the mergers of existing leagues that had franchises with those names (in the AHL's case, it was more taking in the orphans from the demised IHL).

This is a league with one team having that name allowing ANOTHER team to START UP within that league and take that name.

I guess they figure there's a better than 50/50 chance that one or the other won't make it to opening day, so it doesn't matter.

And the SEC has the LSU Tigers and Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs and Mississippi State Bulldogs. There are two sets of Bulldogs and two sets of Aggies in the WAC. But that's college. Those names have been around for decades.

[DazedAndAmused]

Both the AHL and CFL things were because of the mergers of existing leagues that had franchises with those names (in the AHL's case, it was more taking in the orphans from the demised IHL).

This is a league with one team having that name allowing ANOTHER team to START UP within that league and take that name.

I guess they figure there's a better than 50/50 chance that one or the other won't make it to opening day, so it doesn't matter.

And the SEC has the LSU Tigers and Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs and Mississippi State Bulldogs. There are two sets of Bulldogs and two sets of Aggies in the WAC. But that's college. Those names have been around for decades.

Clemson was inthe SEC too as the "tigers" for a while......at least they're down to two.

[Paul S]

Thats ABAish..........................they'll "be down to two" in no time.

[turbocamyes]

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/jul/02/winston-salems-aba-team-gearing/

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/jul/03/minor-league-basketball-team-to-have-tryouts/

The first:

Winston-Salem's ABA team gearing up

By John Dell | Journal Reporter

Published: July 2, 2008

By John Dell
JOURNAL REPORTER
The Winston-Salem Storm is starting to come together.
The Storm — a first-year minor-league team in the American Basketball Association — will have a kickoff event at 6 p.m. July 24 at the Whitespace Gallery on East Fourth Street and will have open tryouts starting at 10 a.m. July 26 at the Gateway YWCA.
"We won't start playing games until around Thanksgiving," General Manager Bryan Short said. "The way it's worked out with the league is we will play about 30 games, with 15 at home and 15 on the road."
The Storm will play games at Joel Coliseum Annex, Short said. The team does not yet have a head coach, but Short said he hopes that one will be named by the end of the month.
"We want to have a coach in place and then work on putting the team together," said Short, who also works fulltime for Alliance Sports Management, an athlete representation company. "This is a league that gives players a place to play, and it will hopefully be a stepping stone for them."
Short said he expects 40 to 50 players at the tryout, with most coming right out of college. The tryout fee is $100.
Short didn't know how much players who make the team will be paid, but the ABA has a salary cap of about $120,000 a team. He also said that the team wants to keep ticket prices reasonable, with the most expensive ticket at about $20.
Wes Mason III, the CEO of Old Vineyard Behavioral Services in Winston-Salem, owns the Storm.
Short said that the team is considering a 12th-man promotion for advertisers and sponsors, as a way to raise money for operating expenses. Under the plan, a sponsor or advertiser would pay a certain amount to be able to sit in uniform on the bench and actually play two minutes in the game.
"They were trying to get me to agree to five minutes a game, but what if we are going for a playoff spot at the end of the season?" Short said. "So two minutes is a better fit."
Short expects the schedule to be out by August and says that he'll do more marketing when that is done. He also said he plans to play home games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
"In addition to bringing one of the most exciting professional sports to Winston-Salem, the Winston-Salem Storm plans to provide employment opportunities and internships, raise funds for local charities and create scholarship funds," Short said.
Anyone interested in more information can call 336-409-1936 or visit www.winstonsalemstorm.com.
John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.

[nksports]

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/jul/02/winston-salems-aba-team-gearing/Short didn't know how much players who make the team will be paid, but the ABA has a salary cap of about $120,000 a team.

I suppose that's when the players actually do get paid. The Kool-Aide must be getting better this season.

[TheStandard]

If he finds 40 to 50 idiots to shell out 100 bucks for a tryout that kool aid this year is truly full of that china white from Singapore.

Btw, in 12 years of being a part owner of a team. We have never charged or ever will charge for tryouts. Second our league has a league wide tryout and no one pays for the tryout. Minor league basketball in the states is so damn rec league. Pay to play and get nothing back especially in the ABA.

[Sam Hill]

"The way it's worked out with the league is we will play about 30 games, with 15 at home and 15 on the road."

Who is this guy, John Madden?

"See, Al, here's the thing - you play some games at home, and you play some games not at home. When you're not at home, you're on the road. And you play about the same number of games on the road as you do at home."

Either the reporter is so new that he thought that made a good quote or the GM is an imbecile who thinks it's noteworthy that you'd play about the same number of games at home as on the road.

Or both.

[turbocamyes]

Some local press from last Saturday's tryouts:

http://www.winstonsalemstorm.com/archive.html

http://www.wxii12.com/video/17013918/index.html