A Look Around The Leagues
by Walter L. Johnson II
Published on March 21, 2005 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
With March Madness in full swing, thanks to the NCAA Division I basketball tournament, it's a good time to talk to about the happenings in minor league hoops, and then some. So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!
American Basketball Association: This ever-growing league continued its expansion blitz for 2005-06, as it recently added new franchises in places like Fort Myers/Naples, Fla., Savannah, Ga., Mobile, Ala., Austin, Tex., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Mexico City, and even Hawaii. Still, the ABA received yet another black eye in the Utah Snowbears. Utah gained the league's best overall record during the 2004-05 regular season, with an impressive 25-1 record. But the Snowbears shocked even the most casual fans by choosing to pull out of the playoffs. Also, the first female coach in men's professional basketball, Ashley McElhiney, announced her resignation from the Nashville Rhythm earlier this month. It seems like the ABA can't seem to stay out of the headlines, huh? As for the newest members of this enigmatic league, only time will tell if these "expansion" teams will even make it to tryouts, let alone playing any actual games.
NBDL: In case you didn't know, the official minor league of the NBA "went west", as it added expansion teams in Albuquerque, N.M., Austin and Fort Worth, both Texas, and Tulsa, Okla. Those moves tentatively bring the number of NBDL franchises to 10 for the 2005-06 season. Of course, the "D-League" currently has franchises in Asheville, N.C., Columbus, Ga., Fayetteville, N.C., Fort Myers, Fla., Huntsville, Ala., and Roanoke, Va. Could this signal the beginning of a true farm system in the NBA, not unlike baseball and hockey? Stay connected.
USBL: The nation's premier summer professional league will start its 20th anniversary season with eight teams, as the Nebraska Cranes jump into the fray as an expansion team. The Cranes will play host to Kansas on Apr. 21 to open the regular season. Missing from the 2005 USBL roster is Adirondack (N.Y.), Brevard (Fla.), Cedar Rapids, and St. Louis.
World Basketball Association: The WBA begins its second season with expansion franchises in Biloxi, Miss., Birmingham, Ala., Cleveland, Tenn., Little Rock, Ark., and Greenville, S.C. Plans are in the works to include franchises in Hammond, Ind., Lexington, KY, Newport News, Va., and Racine, Wis. Other cities considered for future expansion include Bakersfield, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., Las Vegas, San Diego, and Tucson, Ariz. But for now, the main focus for the WBA is to keep the current Southeastern based franchises strong for the 2005 season, which starts Apr. 20.
DOWN ON THE FARM: With spring having just arrived as this article is being typed, many minor league baseball franchises have switched major league affiliations for the 2005 campaign. Perhaps one of the most interesting moves came in northern Virginia, where the former Potomac Cannons changed their nickname to the Potomac Nationals. The change in nickname came about mainly to accommodate the switch in affiliations to the Washington Nationals, who, of course, used to be the Montreal Expos. Potomac previously had an affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds.
If that's not enough, the former Capital City Bombers of Columbia, S.C., citing poor attendance, moved to Greenville, S.C., and renamed themselves the Greenville Bombers. For those of you that don't remember, Greenville lost its Southern League franchise to Pearl, Miss. at the end of last season, and subsequently renamed the Mississippi Braves. Additionally, the Bombers also switched big league alliances from the New York Mets to the world champion Boston Red Sox. Finally, the Augusta (Ga.) Green Jackets made a "coast-to-coast" change for the 2005 season, as the South Atlantic League franchise dumped the Red Sox for the San Francisco Giants. A complete list of the new player development contracts (PDC) for 2005 can be found at http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com.
OSC RADIO: If you haven't logged on to OSC lately, there's a new radio show you can listen to online called "Under The Roof: This Week in Indoor and Arena Football." Each week, "Under The Roof" gives fans the weekly scoop on all of the indoor professional football leagues, from the AFL to the UIF. Don't forget to tune in every Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern time at http://www.oursportscentral.com. If you can't listen to the live broadcast, you can always listen to past shows at OSC as well.
NETCASTS: The NHL season may have been canceled because of the lockout, but that doesn't mean you can't stop following all of the hockey action. Just simply click on the "Netcasts" page at OSC, and find out when your favorite minor league team is in action. The "Netcasts" page also has broadcasts for basketball, indoor soccer, and indoor/arena football. So, what are you waiting for? Log on today, and cheer on your favorite team no matter where you are.
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.
American Basketball Association Stories from March 21, 2005
- A Look Around The Leagues - OSC Original by Walter L. Johnson II
- RimRockers Headed To Championship Game - Arkansas RimRockers
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.
