Now that Minot is out of the ABA?

[CBAfan]

Do you think there is a chance they could be added to the CBA? Here are a few reasons why I think they would be a great expansion city
1) they are close to Bismarck, so it will make everyones travel budget easier. Then they wouldn't have to fly all the way to Bismarck to play just one game.
2)could give the Wizards a much needed rival, something they've missed since the Snowbears and the IBA folded
3)they've got great fans, who would be interested in the team. They should be able to get at lease 1,500-2,000 fans per game. I know the "cave" is not a good arena
4) we could call them "minot" or "magic city" not "minot city?, where did that ever come from?

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

http://www.minotdailynews.com/daily/FMPro?-DB=page.one.a.fp5&-lay=main&-Format=detail4.html&story_four.fix=5/5/2004-4&week=19&-Max=1&-Find

The real reason why the Minot franchise moved to Utah according to the person who should know, T. Gibbs--the franchise owner, is because there were problems with the venue in Minot. The move had nothing to do with travel, division geography, or being a good sport as reported on the ABA league website.

If a venue could not be secured for the ABA, then chances of a venue being secured for the CBA are just as slim. There are only so many entertainment dollars floating around a community that size.

By the way, Gibbs has yet to find a venue in Utah either. Maybe he has pin-pointed a venue (as he stated in the article above), but securing a location to play is an entirely different matter.

[rice_web]

The ONLY problem with The Cave (besides its age) is that it gets rather busy. Most of the Class 'B' schools play tournaments throughout the winter, Minot High houses its games there, and even pancake breakfasts reside at The Cave (hmm... makes Minot seem so much smaller when put that way).

However, the Snowbears had no problem working around other schedules, and typically had a nice array of weekend games. The problem the ABA had more than likely was the XBA's fault: I'd be willing to bet that the auditorium never received payment (or only received part). I simply think the auditorium managers wanted to deal with another fly-by-night operation.