Macomb County Mustangs
08-11-2005, 07:55 AM
News - 7/26/05 By John Hetzler, Macomb Daily Sports Writer
From the start, the Macomb County Mustangs had to beat the buzzer in their inaugural season.
That's why Mustangs owner and president Bill Bullock is focused on the team's 2006 campaign even though the team's first season ended only a month ago.
"Honestly, I don't think I'm really looking for large crowds," Bullock said. "What hurt was the late start."
With an eye already on 2006, Bullock and the Mustangs have hired a salesperson to attract corporate sponsors, put out an early-bird special for season tickets and offered a basketball camp all in an effort to spread the word in the community and avoid the time crunch that plagued the team in its first season.
Established in January, the franchise in the fledgling International Basketball League had less than three months to prepare for its first game.
That left too little time, Bullock said, to organize tryouts, hire a coach, find a gym, court sponsors and even order basketballs -- especially because Bullock had to handle all of those chores himself.
"Everything was so ragged," Bullock said. "But I figured at least get out there and get it established."
He did, and the Mustangs were ready to go for their opener April 9 at L'Anse Creuse North.
Well, almost.
Though Bullock was pleased by the off-court happenings -- Red Wings singer Karen Newman performed the national anthem, former Piston Terry Mills signed autographs and, most importantly, a decent-sized crowd of between 750 and 850 people attended the game -- the Mustangs were hammered on the court by the Grand Rapids Flight.
They trailed the Flight by 24 points in the first quarter before falling 144-96, a loss from which the Mustangs never quite recovered.
They went almost two more months before posting their first victory, but perhaps more damaging was the effect on the fan base.
Attendance suffered after the opener, and Bullock believes the opening setback was devastating, leading to an average attendance of about 350 people per game.
"Definitely, a better record (next year)," Bullock said. "To have 900 people there and get blown out, I think that really hurt us."
Though attendance sagged, the Mustangs improved on the court toward the end under Coach Milton Douglas. New players such as Justin Hall, Frank Gojcaj and Dallas Logan helped as well as Cameron Nichols helped the Mustangs win three of their final five games, including a buzzer-beater over Des Moines in the season finale.
But the end result was still a 4-16 record and seventh place in the eight-team IBL East Division. For the first season at least, it was too late to keep or make new fans.
If the Mustangs had played as well at the beginning of the season as they did at the end, "it would have been different," Bullock said. "We would've kept a lot of people."
Bullock, who also serves as a consultant for the Richmond RiverDogs this summer, is hoping the Mustangs get a second chance to make a first impression.
He's already started this summer with an eye on the 2006 season.
After working as the team's only salesman last year, Bullock hired Ray Trevino to handle corporate sales. Mustang players Vaughn Gray and David Meyers ran a Mustangs camp at Ultimate Sports Arena in Chesterfield Township. And he's offering an "early-bird" season ticket package, in which through July 31 fans can buy tickets to all 10 home games for $35.
IBL commissioner Mikal Duilio also hopes an early start can help teams throughout the league.
To that end, the IBL will release its schedule in September to allow owners more time to sell to sponsors and connect with the communities.
"Everything will benefit by having a schedule released earlier," Duilio said.
Duilio also said the season will be moved up to a February start, though the bulk of games will be played in April and May to avoid competing with high school and college basketball.
The commissioner wants games to be played on Fridays and Saturdays, and he would like to eliminate games on Wednesdays and Sundays, which Bullock said brought "embarrassing" turnouts for the Mustangs.
In addition, Duilio wants owners to get more involved with the community by doing such things as inviting middle school bands to perform at games. His message to owners: "Do not get lost in basketball. It needs to be a community event."
Still, despite an average league-wide attendance of about 600 people per game, Duilio liked what he saw from the IBL in its first season.
"I was really satisfied, especially down the stretch," Duilio said.
He enjoyed the rules changes -- such as the 22-second shot clock and one timeout per quarter -- that improved the game's flow and, according to Duilio, increased the average score by 30 points per game.
All 17 franchises have indicated that they want to return for 2006, and Duilio hopes the league can expand to include 22 teams next season.
Duilio said IBL franchises could best succeed in markets with 50,000 people where games could serve as a destination event.
Macomb County might not fit that market profile, but Bullock still believes minor-league basketball can thrive here.
Bullock has resisted a name change, and the Washington Township resident is committed to the area. He wants to put a full-court press on the community, hanging up posters in restaurants and bars "just to get the word out."
"A lot of people don't know about it," Bullock said.
This time, Bullock hopes time is on his side.
From the start, the Macomb County Mustangs had to beat the buzzer in their inaugural season.
That's why Mustangs owner and president Bill Bullock is focused on the team's 2006 campaign even though the team's first season ended only a month ago.
"Honestly, I don't think I'm really looking for large crowds," Bullock said. "What hurt was the late start."
With an eye already on 2006, Bullock and the Mustangs have hired a salesperson to attract corporate sponsors, put out an early-bird special for season tickets and offered a basketball camp all in an effort to spread the word in the community and avoid the time crunch that plagued the team in its first season.
Established in January, the franchise in the fledgling International Basketball League had less than three months to prepare for its first game.
That left too little time, Bullock said, to organize tryouts, hire a coach, find a gym, court sponsors and even order basketballs -- especially because Bullock had to handle all of those chores himself.
"Everything was so ragged," Bullock said. "But I figured at least get out there and get it established."
He did, and the Mustangs were ready to go for their opener April 9 at L'Anse Creuse North.
Well, almost.
Though Bullock was pleased by the off-court happenings -- Red Wings singer Karen Newman performed the national anthem, former Piston Terry Mills signed autographs and, most importantly, a decent-sized crowd of between 750 and 850 people attended the game -- the Mustangs were hammered on the court by the Grand Rapids Flight.
They trailed the Flight by 24 points in the first quarter before falling 144-96, a loss from which the Mustangs never quite recovered.
They went almost two more months before posting their first victory, but perhaps more damaging was the effect on the fan base.
Attendance suffered after the opener, and Bullock believes the opening setback was devastating, leading to an average attendance of about 350 people per game.
"Definitely, a better record (next year)," Bullock said. "To have 900 people there and get blown out, I think that really hurt us."
Though attendance sagged, the Mustangs improved on the court toward the end under Coach Milton Douglas. New players such as Justin Hall, Frank Gojcaj and Dallas Logan helped as well as Cameron Nichols helped the Mustangs win three of their final five games, including a buzzer-beater over Des Moines in the season finale.
But the end result was still a 4-16 record and seventh place in the eight-team IBL East Division. For the first season at least, it was too late to keep or make new fans.
If the Mustangs had played as well at the beginning of the season as they did at the end, "it would have been different," Bullock said. "We would've kept a lot of people."
Bullock, who also serves as a consultant for the Richmond RiverDogs this summer, is hoping the Mustangs get a second chance to make a first impression.
He's already started this summer with an eye on the 2006 season.
After working as the team's only salesman last year, Bullock hired Ray Trevino to handle corporate sales. Mustang players Vaughn Gray and David Meyers ran a Mustangs camp at Ultimate Sports Arena in Chesterfield Township. And he's offering an "early-bird" season ticket package, in which through July 31 fans can buy tickets to all 10 home games for $35.
IBL commissioner Mikal Duilio also hopes an early start can help teams throughout the league.
To that end, the IBL will release its schedule in September to allow owners more time to sell to sponsors and connect with the communities.
"Everything will benefit by having a schedule released earlier," Duilio said.
Duilio also said the season will be moved up to a February start, though the bulk of games will be played in April and May to avoid competing with high school and college basketball.
The commissioner wants games to be played on Fridays and Saturdays, and he would like to eliminate games on Wednesdays and Sundays, which Bullock said brought "embarrassing" turnouts for the Mustangs.
In addition, Duilio wants owners to get more involved with the community by doing such things as inviting middle school bands to perform at games. His message to owners: "Do not get lost in basketball. It needs to be a community event."
Still, despite an average league-wide attendance of about 600 people per game, Duilio liked what he saw from the IBL in its first season.
"I was really satisfied, especially down the stretch," Duilio said.
He enjoyed the rules changes -- such as the 22-second shot clock and one timeout per quarter -- that improved the game's flow and, according to Duilio, increased the average score by 30 points per game.
All 17 franchises have indicated that they want to return for 2006, and Duilio hopes the league can expand to include 22 teams next season.
Duilio said IBL franchises could best succeed in markets with 50,000 people where games could serve as a destination event.
Macomb County might not fit that market profile, but Bullock still believes minor-league basketball can thrive here.
Bullock has resisted a name change, and the Washington Township resident is committed to the area. He wants to put a full-court press on the community, hanging up posters in restaurants and bars "just to get the word out."
"A lot of people don't know about it," Bullock said.
This time, Bullock hopes time is on his side.