A Different Kind Of Line-Up

[tops804]

Next season's list of teams starting to shape up...
(*** - Or, grab onto the untouched markets before the GPBL does...)

From ABA magazine
http://www.abamagazine.com/pageteams.html

*-Also on ABAlives teams page.

Texas Division

*-Houston Takers
*-West Texas Whirlwinds
*-SETX Mavericks
North Texas Fresh
Dallas Generals
Austin
Juarez
*-Shreveport


Southeast Division
*-Atlanta Vision
*-Bahamas All Pro Show
Heartland Prowl
College Park Spyders
*-Valdosta
*-Charlotte Crossover
Columbus

South Central Division
*-Kentucky Bisons
Smoky Mountain Jam
*-West Virginia Blazers
*-St. Louis Stunners
Salem
Pikesville Blues
*-Bluegrass Stallions
*-Nashville Broncs

North Central Division
*-Chicago Steam
*-Youngstown Pride
Columbus
*-Detroit Hoops
Lake Michigan Admirals
*-Cleveland Rockers
Kansas City Spartans
*-Aurora Force
Springfield Headhunters

Northeast Division
*-Jersey Express
*-NYC Thunder
*-Maryland Marvels (Baltimore)
Elmira

SoCal Division
*-Las Vegas Aces
*-Lancaster Buzz (Maywood?)
Compton Cobras
*-Beijing Olympians
*-LA Slam
*-Honolulu Pegasus
*-Riverside Rage
*-Phoenix Fury
*-San Diego Wildcats
*-Inland Empire 5 Linx

NoCal Division
*-Delta King Ballers
*-Modesto Bearcats
*-Seaside Sea Kings
*-Oakland
*-Sacramento Heatwave
*-Salt Lake City Saints
*-San Francisco Rumble

Pacific Northwest Division
*-Washington Raptors
Seattle Mountaineers
Yakima
Walla Walla
Vancouver
Portland

(More then) A few real question marks here:
Yakima? Portland? Elmira? Springfield? (Headhunters?)
Pikesville Blues? (Hasn't that name been used before?)

Not to mention the return of such fine teams as Washington's Raptors.

St. Louis Stunners? Again???

Also missing from the list of expansion teams. The Alaska Dream.

Any guess on how many of these teams will actually see the court in 2009?

:( No Return of the Gwizz yet...

[Minor League Man]

Texas Division:
Pretty much what I expected (BTW, the Austin team's called the Capitals)-expect:
1. Juarez? Could this be the return of the Gallos (One of the teams from when the ABA was somewhat respectable)
2. Hadn't heard anything from Shreveport since last year-have they been planning secretly?

Southeast Division:
1. Heartland Prowl - last I checked, they were the Savannah Prowl
2. Valdosta's team is called the Warriors-called their front office.
3. Columbus, GA is getting a team?

South Central Division:
1. Wouldn't St. Louis fit better in the North Central? That's where most of their rivals are.
2. Salem's team is called the Mustangs. Three horse teams in one division and NO horse sense!
3. So the Mississippi Blues' move went through after all?

North Central Division:
1. I thought Youngstown's team was called the Swish? The Pride was their old WBL team...
2. Columbus' team is called the Crush.
3. So KC's ownership decided to keep their name?
4. Last I checked, the Springfield Headhunters were an attempted indoor football team? Also, Illinois or Missouri?

Northeast Division:
1. Did the Elmira Bulldogs relapse?

SoCal Division:
1. That move to Lancaster intrigues me. Let's see what our friend Burrell has to say...
2. Good to see the Wildcats aren't dead...Woulda hoped they'd be the flagship team of a "PBL West" though
3. So the Fury and the 5Linx are still alive?

NoCal Division:
1. Delta King Ballers - Who are they again?
2. Didn't know the Saints were still alive...

Pacific Northwest Division:
That I can explain. Washington's friends are owned by the same group...more info on their website.

Sad to see no teams headed for the PBL at this time...

[tops804]

North Central Division:
1. I thought Youngstown's team was called the Swish? The Pride was their old WBL team...


My bad...It is listed as Swish on the ABA Magazine site. The mind still thinks
"Pride", even after 20 years.

(I'm just glad that they're not going with Mahoning Valley. Though I hope
I just didn't give them any ideas...)


:( No Return of the Gwizz yet... (Sorry, I just had to repeat that....)

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

Keep in mind - Joe has a history of listing teams as 'expansion' ad infinitum, especially after a team drops out (as long as they didn't publically screw Joe over).

Listing San Diego is just the latest example.

Keep this list handy, and we can compare it to what actually appears on day 1.

[Minor League Man]

Noticed something:

What happened to the Texas Fuel and Texas City Rangers? A few of the weaker teams are staying while they're gone...

Could they have wised up? Will we see them as Lawton-Fort Sill's rivals in the PBL?

[Paul S]

This will be interesting reading on Day 1, when the season starts. Of course, with all things ABAish Day one may not be known until after the fact, no schedule, no standings, some rumours of preseason games, then preseason games counting in the standings, then the power rankings.............it'll take some unraveling.

The CIA would have a hard time keeping such an organizaion of 25-60 teams playing anywhere between 0-20 games, oh ya, its been going on for 9 years now, with hundreds of teams vanishing quicker than any Witness Protection Program could do, and Joe manages to keep it all off of the radar screen.

I hadn't heard of the Youngstown Pride in the ABA either, that name still has some equity in Youngstown. Sadly its all negative equity as the original Pride drifted out of town halfway through the World Basketball League season (to Canada IIRC), people were claiming they were owed money and are still held up as an example in Y-town of how to beware of these types of leagues.

I think they'll fit in nicely.

[tops804]

I hadn't heard of the Youngstown Pride in the ABA either, that name still has some equity in Youngstown. Sadly its all negative equity as the original Pride drifted out of town halfway through the World Basketball League season (to Canada IIRC), people were claiming they were owed money and are still held up as an example in Y-town of how to beware of these types of leagues.

I think they'll fit in nicely.

The Pride actually did pretty well in Youngstown. They played for the entire
duration of the WBL, and won a few championships with decent attendance.

The team you may be thinking of is the IBA's Hawks who somehow jumped
from Mansfield, to Youngstown, to Saskatchewan.