ABA expands to Columbus, Ohio
February 15, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release
Indianapolis, IN. Joe Newman, ABA CEO, today announced that Columbus, Ohio is the latest entrant into the fast-growing professional basketball league and will begin play in November. According to Newman, "The Upper Midwest Division is shaping up beautiful with a great contingent of Ohio teams including Cincinnati, Toledo, Cleveland and now Columbus - and we are fortunate to have four very experienced owners in Columbus. It will be a strong organization and team."
The team will be owned and operated by Mark 1 Sports Group, composed of James Bynum, a Columbus native who began his basketball career in the '70s and was very instrumental in the develop of the ABA teams in Las Vegas, Carolina and Atlanta. Bynum will be joined by his long time friends and associates, Jerry Watson, Eddie Guice and Anthony Lavender. Watson currently serves as Director of All Ohio Basketball and is rated as one of the top AAU programs throughout the country. He will serve as Director of Basketball Operations. Watson has been responsible for hundreds of athletes going to college and is highly respected in Central Ohio. Ed Guice was, according to Bynum, "one of the most prolific scorers I've ever seen." Guice now coaches with Watson and will work with player development as well as developing the training camps. Anthony Lavender, another coach, will head up the organization's Community Relations Department. Lavender is the father of Drew Lavender, the outstanding point guard at Oklahoma."
Bynum added, "I've been associated with the ABA for the last four years working closely with several teams. I know the league. I've seen the good and the bad. And I think our group has the background and experience to make Columbus one of the premiere operations in the ABA. We're excited to get started. For more information, contact James Bynum at 770 907 8499 or email jbynum224@bellsouth.net or call Jerry Watson at 614 861 0572 or visit www.abalive.com.
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 February 15, 2005
- Buzz plans President's Day Shoot-Out - Maywood Buzz
- ABA expands to Columbus, Ohio - ABA
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