Flight News

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wellington
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Flight News

Post by wellington » Sun Apr 18, 2010 2:11 pm

I'm like that guy in the Dos Equis commercial... I usally don't watch basketball, but when I do it has to be the Florida Flight.

UPDATE: Not really new news, but here's the official press release concerning the Florida Flight's draft picks...

//www.oursportscentral.com/service ... id=3990176

Also, I saw this on Facebook... their recent open tryout at the Kissimmee Civic Center was a huge success with 20 guys trying out (plus the Flight's 3 draft picks).

Here are some pics (you will likely have to log in to see)...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1 ... 0404213966

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1 ... 3285279811

Or try Myspace...

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... i=11006729

A few other random notes...

-- The Civic Center looks like a great venue for the Flight and WBA.

-- Leviticus Cobb set-up and ran the open tryout, which was more like a combine. The tryout was videotaped for the players. Coach Cobb will be the head coach this season; I also heard that a few ex-NBA guys in the Orlando area will be assisting.

-- It also seems like Mark has put together a large game day staff. It should be interesting to see how this unfolds. I think he might just pull this off...

Now back to futbol (soccer) -- check this out:

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/sow ... sow,234865
Last edited by wellington on Sun Apr 18, 2010 10:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post by BasketballGuru » Sun Apr 18, 2010 8:31 pm

I agree Wellington! I was there and it was great to see how organized this one day tryout camp was run. I think your right there was 20 guys there, all of which competed. Mr. Cobb really had it together and worked those guys hard. The venue looks awesome I thinks its the best one I havebeen in in the minors. I believe after reading so many posts of Mr. King's on here I am convinced the Flight will be a success especially after seeing such and oraganized tryout and venue.

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Post by wellington » Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:56 pm

Image

I heard that one of the ex-NBA players who will be helping the Flight this season is Greg Kite. He was at the open tryout this past Saturday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Kite




Stay thirsty my friends...

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wellington
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Post by wellington » Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:24 pm

I heard through the grapevine (Flight Facebook Page) that the Flight will be having a veterans' camp this weekend and that final player selections from the recent tryout will made after background checks are completed.

There was also an article in the local Hispanic newspaper -- Fanaticos USA.

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Post by runninref » Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:06 pm

Greg Kite ... I remember the mega deal Boston gave him for what equated to less than 10 minutes of play per game. He did know his role though and was good at it. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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Post by wellington » Sun Aug 01, 2010 4:54 pm

I came across this article in Boston.com about Greg Kite, Mark King, and the Florida Flight:

It took a team effort to keep Celtics together

It starts on Page 3 or see text below.
Kite Working On Flight Plan

It started as a favor for a friend.

Levi Cobb, who played at Illinois and went on to coach in Greece and Australia, asked Greg Kite this past spring to come on board as general manager of the team he was coaching, the Florida Flight, an upstart minor league team in the exposure-driven World Basketball Association. Knowing Kite’s résumé (a 12-year NBA veteran who won two titles with the Celtics in the 1980s), owner Mark King, who is now also the coach, was also excited to have Kite involved.

Kite was aware that the minor leagues have their issues, from travel to budgets to professionalism. The lack of television contracts that make premier leagues so lucrative make it difficult for minor leagues to find stability. The WBA has its credibility, though. Cavaliers forward Jamario Moon and Lakers forward Josh Powell had stints in the WBA on their way to the NBA.

Still, Kite had one concern.

“I had seen guys get involved over the years and seen where teams struggle financially and they fold up,’’ Kite said. “I asked Mark King, ‘Can you get through the season financially?’ ’’

King assured him they could, and they did, going 10-5 over the 10-week schedule. But two of the seven teams that started the season caved by the time it ended.

“I forgot to ask if the other teams could get through the season financially,’’ Kite said. “That’s kind of the nature of the beast when it comes to these minor leagues.’’

Still, the short season was an education for Kite, who had spent his post-playing years as a father and financial analyst in Orlando, Fla. He had always wanted to stay around the game. Working for the Flight was a learning experience without straying too far from his home.

“I’d really love to step up and do that at another level or be involved in something in basketball operations or the business side of pro basketball — NBA or NBDL level,’’ Kite said. “I love the game, I love to coach and instruct, I’ve got a lot of business experience, and I think I could be a good asset to someone down the line.’’

The past few weeks, Kite has been piling up the knowledge. His relationship with the Magic, another of his former teams, is still strong, and he sat in on one of their player development meetings, before flying to Las Vegas for the NBA’s Leadership Development Workshop.

Glancing around the room at the workshop, Kite saw a handful of current NBA players. Most of them, in the final years of their playing careers, were planning for life after basketball. But Pistons guard Ben Gordon, a six-year veteran and only 27, was also there.

“It was great to see him,’’ Kite said. “Here’s a guy with a big, huge contract. He’ll be financially OK for the rest of his life. But he loves basketball, obviously. He’s a bright guy. If he’s healthy, he’s going to play until he’s in his 30s or something. But he’s got a lot of life after that and he’s got a lot that he can give back to pro basketball.’’

One thing that struck Kite was that even though the number of jobs in NBA front offices is increasing, the number of ex-NBA players filling them is decreasing. He sees a future for himself in the league, and views the workshop as a gateway for other players to make the transition.

“If you come from a basketball player’s world, they know a lot about working hard as a player, but they may not necessarily know what it takes [on the business side],’’ Kite said. “It’s a different world in a 9 to 5 or as a staff member. Different skills. Different persistence.’’

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