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Aviators Get on Right Track with Home Win

by Chris Rouhier, www.ABAsite.tk
December 8, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Ohio Aviators


It was almost surreal, in a way. After following the American Basketball Association since the 2001-2002 season, I finally had an opportunity to attend an ABA game, as I saw the Ohio Aviators of Canton, Ohio, take on the Cleveland Rockers. While there were a few bumps (consistent with the ABA), I truly feel I was part of something special, which I hope will exist in Canton for years to come.

The ride to Canton wasn't bad, around 45 minutes. Surprisingly, however, the Civic Center parking garage didn't open until 6:00, I believe it opened at five for Legends games. The crowd was, well, sparse. At around 6:30, I guesstimated that around 20 people were in the seats. There was a little bit going on before the game; the team had a remote controlled blimp (with the Aves' logo on it) flying around the arena, the Canton Legends had a booth present, and the Aves had a face painting booth, and a raffle for a signed ABA game ball. The team was clearly trying to put its best foot forward.

Eventually, 7:00 rolled around, with only three Rockers in the arena, which led to several delays. While we waited, some song/skit thing came on which used several obscenities. I have no idea why it was there, but fortunately, the staff caught it very quickly and changed tracks. On a positive note, the wait allowed more people to trickle in, and according to the Canton Repository, around 200 people were present. By 7:50, the Rockers had six players, and the game could be started. The Aviators had two singers present, one of which sang "God Bless America", the other sang "The Star Spangled Banner", and also performed at halftime. I was rather disgusted by the amount of people who stood around, talked, and laughed, during the two performances. Hopefully this will not be a continued trend throughout the season. After these performances, the Aviators' owner Joe Lewandowski spoke, and invited everyone to move up to the courtside seats. Since I was only one row behind them, I didn't. More on Mr. Lewandowski and the Aviators staff later.

The Aviators got off to a quick start, although the scoring didn't immediately fly as high as I expected in such a run and gun league. At the end of the first quarter, the Aves' were at cruising altitude, leading the Rockers 23-15. The Rockers seemed outmanned, and outgunned. Their uniforms were rather plain as well, and reminded me of practice jerseys. The Aviators donned a very classy look. During media timeouts, and in between quarters, the team held fan contests. Hopefully these will increase throughout the season, and I suspect they will as interest in the team builds. Once again, in the second quarter, the Aviators continued their domination, managing to stay up by ten for most of the half. However, by the end of the second quarter, the Rockers were present and cutting into the Aviators' lead. Cleveland is a very talented team, led by Damon Stringer and Jamal Harris. The Rockers are great outside shooters and rebounders, something that would hurt the Aves later on. At halftime, the score stood at 51-47, with the Aviators in the lead, but clearly no longer on auto-pilot.

Halftime featured performances by the national anthem singer and the dance team. The national anthem singer performed "Silent Night" and "What Child Is This?" which led me to notice a bit of a conflict in what the Aviators are trying to accomplish. On one hand, the team plays hip hop type stuff during time outs and prior to game time, so the Christmas songs didn't really fit the mood. Several fans (certainly not the majority of fans) once again vented their frustration by booing, which again, I found to be rude, but these people will be outnumbered soon. During halftime (and quickly before the game as well), I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Norris, Vice President of Human Resources for the Aviators. Like the rest of the team's staff, Mr. Norris is committed to the success of the team and the ABA. He also introduced me to Mr. Lewandowski. One thing I've noticed already about the Aviators organization is how well they treat their fans. When you're at a game, you feel like you're part of a family. In fact, Mr. Lewandowski sat courtside with the few and faithful who came. It was a really great gesture, and shows just how well the team treats their fans.

The third quarter was a total disaster for the Aves. They saw their lead evaporate, as the Rockers appeared in total command. The Rockers' three point shooting ability came into play as they built a seemingly insurmountable lead. To toot my own horn, I must say that as disappointed as I was, I remained faithful, and kept cheering. At the end of the third quarter, the Aves were down 11.

I admit things looked bleak. However, fatigue would soon catch up with the Rockers, as we began to chip away at their lead, until we tied it 110-110. The Aves were led by Steve Vega and Angelo Edwards, who seem to be the team's two best players. Edwards beat up the Rockers inside and sank a couple key free throws, while Vega skillfully moved the ball around, and made several key threes. With around a minute left, the score was 117-116, as the Rockers continued to foul. When Edwards got to the line, he hit both of his free throws, putting the score at 119-116. We then fouled the Rockers, who converted both their free throws, putting the score at 119-118. With less than a second left, the deal was sealed. Thank goodness, I think my head would have exploded if we'd gone to overtime.

The biggest problems during the game related to the running of the clock. The game clock and shot clock needed to be adjusted countless times, which cut into the tempo of the game and frustrated fans and players alike. This is something that will definitely need to be worked on, but will probably improve with experience.

In conclusion, the Ohio Aviators get it. They know it will take a lot of hard work to build a following. By the end of the game, the fans were clearly enjoying themselves, and I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of them come back. Keeping the noise level up will be very important to people's perception of the Aviators' success. I look forward to doing what I can, and my only fear is that the weak teams in the league will let the Aves down. Until then, I will be doing my part to get people to show up, and I hope my efforts will not be in vain.

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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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.

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