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Fulton Mitchell Era Begins In San Francisco

September 1, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA) - San Francisco Rumble News Release


San Francisco, CA. The San Francisco Rumble are excited to announce that Fulton Mitchell, 32, a native San Franciscan and the director of San Francisco's Joseph Lee Recreation Center, has been appointed head coach for the San Francisco-based basketball team of the American Basketball Association (ABA), a team slated to become the pride of San Francisco like the San Francisco Saints basketball team of the 1950's.

Mitchell's appointment has been years in the making. Since 2004, he has co-commissioned the late-night basketball league, PeaceHoops, in the Bayview district of San Francisco, a neighborhood identified as having one of the highest crime rates in the city. Geared toward taking at-risk youth off the streets at night to cut down on the violence, the PeaceHoops League takes young men from the Bayview and places them on six teams where they have no choice but to work together toward one goal. In conjunction with the League, Mitchell runs a variety of workshops through local businesses with the aim of providing a range of tools and skills for optimizing character development. The workshops address topics from securing employment to dealing with life's issues. After the workshops, Mitchell makes himself available to the League's players to assist them in job placement through his various business contacts.

Before his involvement with the PeaceHoops League, Mitchell coached basketball for over a decade. From 1996 to the present, Mitchell coached basketball for boys, grades 8 through 12, who competed in the Amateur Athletic Union's national championships. Mitchell also coached the Park and Recreation Basketball league for players ages 11 to 18. Since 2005, he has coached the San Francisco United basketball team, a church league for 18 through 30 year olds; the team was undefeated for two consecutive years under Mitchell's direction. As CEO and owner Damone Hale said, "The sign of a great coach is his ability to inspire his players to perform at their best. Mitchell does just that. The common thread of Mitchell's team members is that they play with heart and play hard."

Mitchell is an avid proponent of improving the community through sports. The fruits of his labors are many. Several of the youths he has coached over the years have gone on to play college basketball. To these youth, Mitchell has been a mentor, teacher and father figure. "While Mitchell has proven that he has the ability to win, equally important is the fact that his teams develop a sense of family and working together to achieve success both on and off the court. Mitchell's genuine concern for the players pays dividends many times over," added Hale.

I't more than just the love of the game that drives Mitchell to coach the youth of San Francisco. It is a commitment to give the young men of the Bayview District a purpose and an opportunity for a better life. For Mitchell, coaching basketball has been a mission he intends to continue with the San Francisco Rumble.

The team will be holding try-outs on September 15, 16, 22 & 23 from 6-9PM at the Palega Recreation Center located at 500 Felton Street in San Francisco. For more information, email dhale2323@yahoo.com or call 415 368 8702 or visit www.abalive.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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