#1 Star sees championship for L.A. Stars
by Chris Rouhier, www.ABAsite.tk
December 22, 2004 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Los Angeles Aftershock
The Los Angeles Stars have had an uphill battle. Ownerless, the Stars have plodded on, and are 5-4, a number surprising to most critics, but not surprising to Head Coach Burrel Lee III. A team led by former NBA superstar Cedric Ceballos, the team is held together by their close friendships with each other.
"We have a great team concept, We have been together since September. We are all friends, we don't care who scores, who plays, it is all about the wins....we also hang as a team, play video games and go out, it is not just a ball team but a family," said Lee of his Stars.
When the subject of the interview became Ceballos, Lee had many good things to say about his leadership skills.
"His goal is to become the leader many say he never was, he is here to try to help others get to where he was....the NBA is miles from his mind."
However, Ceballos is not the only Los Angeles Star tearing it up in the ABA. Stars point guard AJ Diggs is leading the ABA in assists, with 11 assists per game, 10 points per game, and 4.8 steals per game.
So, can the Stars win the ABA championship? They will, according to Lee.
"We have nothing but talent., by being a players coach, letting them have fun...we can win the ABA Title with no problem....they(the players) have all bought into that and as you see we are sitting high in the toughest division in the ABA."
The Stars, in order to get to the ABA championship game, will have to get past the undefeated Utah Snowbears. Can they beat the Snowbears?
"Yes we can....and we will not have Cedric, so we will show people we can win without him.....we played last night (12/21) and he had 29pts, 10reb and 5ast. They (Utah) have played nothing but the bottom half of the West....no one that has a winning record," Lee declared.
One might wonder how the Stars' fan support has been.
"We have been getting a little over 100 fans for 3 home games, and we haven't even marketed the team like it should have been", Lee stated.
Despite these low numbers, the team website, www.lastarsbasketball.com has received over 5000 hits per month, numbers that indicate that people are certainly interested in the Stars. Although many have painted grave pictures of the Stars' future, Lee promises that the team will be back in 05-06 to defend the ABA title. And, for many years to come. Lee has a very optimistic outlook for the Stars, himself, and the ABA.
"I see the ABA as the #1 minor league in the states, and myself as an owner of a 5 time ABA champ."
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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American Basketball Association Stories from December 22, 2004
- #1 Star sees championship for L.A. Stars - OSC Original by Chris Rouhier, www.ABAsite.tk
- RimRockers help fire victims - Arkansas RimRockers
- Stars Assistant Coach Wendell Robinson & Cedric Ceballos helps lead team to victory over the Ontario - Los Angeles Aftershock
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
