ABA Adds First Canadian Team
Published on December 16, 2004 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Calgary Drillers News Release
For Canadian Basketball Hall of Famer Ruby Richman it's his third ABA team. This time, however, he is the General Manager of a team in his own country. After a year in Chicago and two more in Las Vegas Richman now leads the first Canadian franchise in the American Basketball Association, the Calgary Drillers.
The Drillers finally start their 2004-2005 season with an extended road trip this week that will take them to Dallas (Texas Tycoons), New Jersey (New Jersey SkyCats), Harlem (Knights) and Portland (Portland Reign) before Christmas. Calgary will play their first home game the first week of January 2005.
The historic Corral, former home of the WHA Calgary Cowboys and WHL Calgary Hitmen will become the home base for the Drillers.
On the court head coach Otis Hailey has assembled a veteran team led by former Boston Celtic Nate Driggers. The 6'6" forward from Montevallo College in Alabama will anchor a Drillers team that features two of the tallest players in the ABA, 7'3" center Luke Minor, a product of the Michigan Wolverines program and 6'10" center Mark Evans from Rhode Island. USBL star James Penny will join the team in Dallas for their season opener against the Texas Tycoons. It should be quite the homecoming for Penny was had an outstanding career at Texas Christian University.
Defensively the Drillers are led by 6'2" guard Willie Murdaugh of South Carolina. The former Spartans star is no stranger to playing in Canada having previously played for Coach Hailey with the Saskatchewan Hawks where he also was 8th in the CBA in scoring with an 18.7 point average.
The complete Drillers roster is as follows:
Leland Anderson 6' 8" F Providence
Nate Driggers 6' 6" F Montivello
Mark Evans 6' 10" C Rhode Island
Jerry McNair 6' 5" G Washington State
Luke Minor 7' 3" C Huron
Willie Murdaugh 6' 2" G USC
Fred Nichols 6' 5" G Cal. State Bakersfield
Kevin Norris 5' 10" G Miami
Jerrick Oliver 6' 7" F McNeese State
Damian Owens 6' 6" F West Virginia
James Penny 6' 7" F Texas Christian
Jai Pradia 6' 6" F Pittsburgh State
The Drillers will announce their complete home schedule and ticket information on Monday, December 20th. January will be their busiest month with 10 home games.
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 December 16, 2004
- Drillers Drop First Game in Team History - Calgary Drillers
- Long Beach Jam Visit St. Mary Medical Center - Maywood Laguneros
- ABA Adds First Canadian Team - Calgary Drillers
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