If they could play half as good in the first half as they do in the second, they would be the team to beat.
I picked them to repeat, but after watching Albany (who I picked to finish last) hang close with the Cavs and lead at the half the last two games, I will have to see the other teams to really get a feel for who the best is.
East Kentucky comes for a three-game series starting next Friday, so I'll get to see the two teams I picked to be the last two standing.
Game Three Tonight
[quote=""psbf""]High Schools should not be a competition for the Cavalry, they should be help.
In the first year of the Xplosion, the turnouts actually increased because the schools got involved. If the Cavalry had offered a partnership with your H.S. tournament, I'm sure the crowds would be better. Just something to consider.[/quote]
That's we we thought that the USBL was the only viable option for us. We did not want to go head to head three nights a week with high school basketball, because we were going to lose...can't beat that school spirit.
That's why in the midwest, the USBL did very well playing in April, May and June.....the only competition was high school and legion baseball.....although beer league softball took away some fans.
In Oklahoma, high school sports is king and in Lawton they also have a division 2 college that plays basketball. Makes it tough because the entertainment dollar only goes so far...
In the first year of the Xplosion, the turnouts actually increased because the schools got involved. If the Cavalry had offered a partnership with your H.S. tournament, I'm sure the crowds would be better. Just something to consider.[/quote]
That's we we thought that the USBL was the only viable option for us. We did not want to go head to head three nights a week with high school basketball, because we were going to lose...can't beat that school spirit.
That's why in the midwest, the USBL did very well playing in April, May and June.....the only competition was high school and legion baseball.....although beer league softball took away some fans.
In Oklahoma, high school sports is king and in Lawton they also have a division 2 college that plays basketball. Makes it tough because the entertainment dollar only goes so far...
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ABARedWhiteBlue
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[quote=""psbf""]High Schools should not be a competition for the Cavalry, they should be help.
In the first year of the Xplosion, the turnouts actually increased because the schools got involved. If the Cavalry had offered a partnership with your H.S. tournament, I'm sure the crowds would be better. Just something to consider.[/quote]
There are hundreds of smaller towns across America where high school sports ARE the competition, and the priority. And there are deep-rooted communitiy groups who will follow these teams everywhere they play. Often there are overlapping districts and schools that will pull the local fan away from any upstart.
And many of these teams play either in large facitilities (and the schools depend upon the revenue) or play in old, archaic gyms that present a great home-court advantage. Either way, few if any teams will willingly give up their home court atmosphere to play as part of a HS/Pro doubleheader (not to mention, that may actually be against the rules with some amateur sports associations).
Try creating a minor league pro football league, and put it in Texas to play up against the Texas HS schedules. Players on the pro teams might go instead to the HS games...
Ten is right - be a showcase in the off-season, and you might have a chance. Head-to-head, no shot.
In the first year of the Xplosion, the turnouts actually increased because the schools got involved. If the Cavalry had offered a partnership with your H.S. tournament, I'm sure the crowds would be better. Just something to consider.[/quote]
There are hundreds of smaller towns across America where high school sports ARE the competition, and the priority. And there are deep-rooted communitiy groups who will follow these teams everywhere they play. Often there are overlapping districts and schools that will pull the local fan away from any upstart.
And many of these teams play either in large facitilities (and the schools depend upon the revenue) or play in old, archaic gyms that present a great home-court advantage. Either way, few if any teams will willingly give up their home court atmosphere to play as part of a HS/Pro doubleheader (not to mention, that may actually be against the rules with some amateur sports associations).
Try creating a minor league pro football league, and put it in Texas to play up against the Texas HS schedules. Players on the pro teams might go instead to the HS games...
Ten is right - be a showcase in the off-season, and you might have a chance. Head-to-head, no shot.
Proud to be "Mean-spirited blogger #10K" 
And we believe it is better to have critics and people who care than not to have interest at all. Joe Newman 6/30/05
I never said the ABA had the greatest numbers regarding retention of teams. OldSchoolBaller (neither did we)
The ABA has tarnished minor league professional basketball throughout this country Ed Krinsky 2/15/06
We are now making some adjustments to our schedule - Joe Newman 10/9/08 in perpetuity
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nksports
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Salina, KS had a minor league basketball team that tried to play in the traditional season and went one-and-done. The USBL team there had decent support, although it struggled in the last couple of seasons, mostly due to perceived instability of the league.
Here, almost anywhere in the state, winter minor league basketball would take a seat at the very back of the bus to high school, junior college, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and Heart of America Athletic Conference (both NAIA), Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division II) and Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State.
The Cagerz' main competition was American Legion baseball, Walter Johnson League baseball (college summer league) and the dirt-racing track on weekends. The team's biggest attraction was, at the USBL's height, was actual NBA prospects played.
What Salina, Dodge City and Enid all had in common was a decent, mid-sized arena, sufficient distance from a major market (although the Oklahoma team made an ill-fated decision to play part of its Kareem season in OKC, losing local goodwill) and limited summer competition.
Here, almost anywhere in the state, winter minor league basketball would take a seat at the very back of the bus to high school, junior college, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and Heart of America Athletic Conference (both NAIA), Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division II) and Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State.
The Cagerz' main competition was American Legion baseball, Walter Johnson League baseball (college summer league) and the dirt-racing track on weekends. The team's biggest attraction was, at the USBL's height, was actual NBA prospects played.
What Salina, Dodge City and Enid all had in common was a decent, mid-sized arena, sufficient distance from a major market (although the Oklahoma team made an ill-fated decision to play part of its Kareem season in OKC, losing local goodwill) and limited summer competition.
Another reason that the summer was the only way pro ball was going to work in Dodge, Salina and Enid....We HAD to average well over 1000 fans a night to make it work. Kansas was averaging 2500 or so the first year, down to about 1200 by the time they were done. At Dodge, we averaged 2000 the first year and they were around 1000 by the time the USBL was done. The Storm in Enid averaged around 1500 a game the first year, around 2000 the year Kareem was there and down to about 700 or so at the end.
You read this board and you look at some of the attendance....400 is considered a good crowd...There is NO way you can be successful averaging under 1000 a night. These ABA owners are excited when they draw 300 on opening night...thinking that will build to 3000 by the end of the season....That's not how it works at all. If you can't generate excitement for your opener...you don't have anything to build on for the rest of the season.
Some of us have been saying this for eight years.
You read this board and you look at some of the attendance....400 is considered a good crowd...There is NO way you can be successful averaging under 1000 a night. These ABA owners are excited when they draw 300 on opening night...thinking that will build to 3000 by the end of the season....That's not how it works at all. If you can't generate excitement for your opener...you don't have anything to build on for the rest of the season.
Some of us have been saying this for eight years.
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Ken, Steelheads fan
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[quote=""TEN""]
You read this board and you look at some of the attendance....400 is considered a good crowd...There is NO way you can be successful averaging under 1000 a night. These ABA owners are excited when they draw 300 on opening night...thinking that will build to 3000 by the end of the season....That's not how it works at all. If you can't generate excitement for your opener...you don't have anything to build on for the rest of the season.
Some of us have been saying this for eight years.[/quote]
Yeah, some of us like me. LOL.
Whoa! You took the words exactly out of my mouth...although, it's occuring in the CBA and PBL too. Opening night is supposed to be the biggest night of the season. It wasn't long ago when 2500-3000 was considered a good opening night crowd. Not excellent, but good. I've heard opening attendance of 400-700 described as a good crowd for about three years now. Those teams don't stand a chance.
You read this board and you look at some of the attendance....400 is considered a good crowd...There is NO way you can be successful averaging under 1000 a night. These ABA owners are excited when they draw 300 on opening night...thinking that will build to 3000 by the end of the season....That's not how it works at all. If you can't generate excitement for your opener...you don't have anything to build on for the rest of the season.
Some of us have been saying this for eight years.[/quote]
Yeah, some of us like me. LOL.
Whoa! You took the words exactly out of my mouth...although, it's occuring in the CBA and PBL too. Opening night is supposed to be the biggest night of the season. It wasn't long ago when 2500-3000 was considered a good opening night crowd. Not excellent, but good. I've heard opening attendance of 400-700 described as a good crowd for about three years now. Those teams don't stand a chance.
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Chuck the Writer
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[quote=""Ken, Steelheads fan""]Yeah, some of us like me. LOL.
Whoa! You took the words exactly out of my mouth...although, it's occuring in the CBA and PBL too. Opening night is supposed to be the biggest night of the season. It wasn't long ago when 2500-3000 was considered a good opening night crowd. Not excellent, but good. I've heard opening attendance of 400-700 described as a good crowd for about three years now. Those teams don't stand a chance.[/quote]
It's all perspective. Especially when it comes to showing crowd shots.
Example. Most people, when given a choice, will want to sit at midcourt where they can see all the action from left to right, rather than sitting in the corner area or behind the basket. Now factor in whether a team plays in a multipurpose arena (which might have hockey dasher boards surrounding the basketball court, which makes it look like the team is farther away from the fans) or a field house or gymnasium (where one side might not even have seats), and what may look like a small crowd in one photo might actually be the one shot where there AREN'T any fans sitting.
Nice crowd here at the Charbonneau Centre in Montreal for the PBL Halifax v Sasquat'ch game. However, the seating configuration for the Charbonneau Centre means that most of the fans who bought tickets are in the upper seated level of the facility, while the team (and some tables for other fans) are on the floor below.
Here's a better shot of what I'm talking about. You can just make out the first row of fans if you look at the top of this picture.
Whoa! You took the words exactly out of my mouth...although, it's occuring in the CBA and PBL too. Opening night is supposed to be the biggest night of the season. It wasn't long ago when 2500-3000 was considered a good opening night crowd. Not excellent, but good. I've heard opening attendance of 400-700 described as a good crowd for about three years now. Those teams don't stand a chance.[/quote]
It's all perspective. Especially when it comes to showing crowd shots.
Example. Most people, when given a choice, will want to sit at midcourt where they can see all the action from left to right, rather than sitting in the corner area or behind the basket. Now factor in whether a team plays in a multipurpose arena (which might have hockey dasher boards surrounding the basketball court, which makes it look like the team is farther away from the fans) or a field house or gymnasium (where one side might not even have seats), and what may look like a small crowd in one photo might actually be the one shot where there AREN'T any fans sitting.
Nice crowd here at the Charbonneau Centre in Montreal for the PBL Halifax v Sasquat'ch game. However, the seating configuration for the Charbonneau Centre means that most of the fans who bought tickets are in the upper seated level of the facility, while the team (and some tables for other fans) are on the floor below.
Here's a better shot of what I'm talking about. You can just make out the first row of fans if you look at the top of this picture.
