Blue Ducks to begin 2005 campaign
March 17, 2005 - United States Basketball League (USBL)
Brevard Blue Ducks News Release
Melbourne, FL â In the wake of the devastation of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne a few months ago, one thing became immediately worrisome to Brevard Blue Ducks team owner, Mike Richman. "The hotels," he thought. "How would we find enough hotel rooms for our team, as well as visiting teams?"
With almost 5,000 hotel rooms put out of commission after the storms, it became apparent early on that housing for the Blue Ducks and lodging for visiting teams would be a major obstacle.
"There are still almost 2000 rooms out of service," commented Richman.
Several major hotels have recently announced they won't be up and running again until the end of the year. So the hotels that are operational right now have to handle the traffic that would normally occupy the closed properties. Couple that with the burden of having to lodge displaced families, FEMA personnel, insurance adjusters and out of town workers such as roofers and you've got a mess. Most hotels are booked straight through the summer. And apartment complexes are seeing tremendous activity as well. Brevard County apartments were at 99% occupancy last month.
"We've tried everything," said Richman. "We even checked with the Sheriff's office about their camp barracks and Patrick Air Force about base housing. Nothing."
"We've held out as long as we could," added Richman. The USBL normally releases its schedule in January and its mid-March already. The season is only a little more than a month away and we've been holding up the whole league."
Something had to give and so the Blue Ducks announced something Richman never thought he'd do. The team will sit out the USBL season. Well, sort of.
Yes, it was apparent the Blue Ducks couldn't house the players that they'd normally recruit from around the U.S. And yes, they knew they couldn't accommodate visiting teams from out of state this season either, making a USBL schedule impossible to pull off.
But Richman has been focused on making his organization a success for three years now. He was looking forward to his fourth season in Brevard. There was no way he was going to let a couple of little hurricanes derail his plans.
"This team is too important to me and I think to our community as well. Blue Ducks players and coaches visit schools, churches and youth groups around the county. We donate tickets and our time to many worthwhile charitable organizations who count on us each season. We provide great family-friendly entertainment to our residents each spring and summer. We've worked so hard to get to where we're at and built up so many fans and so much momentum. It would be a shame to see a couple of hurricanes destroy us."
So Richman put together a plan to keep basketballs bouncing and Blue Ducks in the community.
The Blue Ducks will recruit players this year only from central Florida, with a focus on Brevard. Who needs housing? This year's players will be able to drive in to practices and games. As for visiting teams? The Ducks have begun contacting local area high schools, colleges and southeast-based independent pro teams. "We're going to give them the chance of a lifetime," suggested Richman. "Everyone gets a shot at challenging the Blue Ducks. It will be a wonderful community affair this year. We will bring schools and organizations in one at a time and play exhibition games against them. We will give those players the thrill of playing on a professional court against the Blue Ducks, along with all the fanfare normally provided at a professional level game, like the music, the games, the Blue Chicks dancers. These kids are going to have a blast this year."
Already Richman has contacted about a dozen high school varsity coaches who have accepted his invitation to challenge the Blue Ducks in a game. The team is just waiting for final F.H.S.A.A. approval.
"It's been very well received," commented the owner. "Not only from the coaches I've talked to, but our sponsors and season ticket holders as well. They all think it's a wonderful community-oriented idea. I think we're probably going to draw better than ever before and we're going to continue to provide excellent family entertainment and develop players. But the most important thing is, we're going to continue to be a vital part of our community, probably even more so this year than ever before."
So it will be business as usual for the Blue Ducks. Except instead of developing near-NBA talent, the team will be developing local post-high school and college players, nurturing them toward the next level of pro ball. Instead of scouting college and overseas players, the Ducks will be scouting opposing high school players. A season that was supposed to start toward the end of April will be pushed back a month to begin at the end of May, after the school year.
But there will still be basketball and Blue Ducks in Brevard. And that's what counts most for Richman and his organization.
"Sometimes in life you're handed some lemons," said Richman. "You can cry about it, but we decided to go ahead and make some lemonade."
It should be sweet.
DUCK NOTES:
The Blue Ducks will play again at the Clemente Center on the campus of Florida Tech in Melbourne. Tickets will go on sale as soon as a schedule is released. Season tickets for all Blue Ducks home games, 5-game flex-packs and individual game tickets will be available.
For tickets or information, call (321) 751-BLUE or visit the team's website at www.BrevardBlueDucks.com.
With Robert Reid currently enjoying his new role as head coach for team Debrecini Vadkakasok in Hungary, Ducks owner Mike Richman has already begun his search for a new head coach, focusing on ex-NBA players.
Such star power is an important marketing element in minor league basketball. Teams that have come to Brevard to play the Blue Ducks have been coached by the likes of former NBA players such as, Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins, Cliff Levingston, John Starks and even Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. Former NBA hoopsters such as Olden Polynice, Oliver Miller and Duane Schintzius have actually played in Brevard, with Schintzius himself sporting a Blue Ducks uniform. Taking things one step further, the teams have also endorsed cross-marketing between sports, resulting in athletes such as NFL stars Randy Moss and Terrell Owens donning minor league uniforms. Former boxing champion Roy Jones, Jr. has played several seasons with the Blue Ducks.
Showing a flair for bringing in notable basketball stars to fill his own coaching positions, such as the 14-year NBA veteran Reid, Richman has in the past hired Harvey Grant (twin brother of Horace Grant) to coach the team (2002), former Magic player Donald Royal (assistant coach, 2002) as well as Danny Schayes and Artis Gilmore, who have served as team consultants.
Playing an independent exhibition schedule has not hampered Richman's enthusiasm for hiring former NBA stars. The owner has talked to ex-NBA players Acie Earl, Mark Wade, Jack Givens and even Hall-of-Famer, Nate "Tiny" Archibald about coaching the Blue Ducks this season. Expect an announcement as soon as he comes to terms with the right coach.
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United States Basketball League Stories from March 17, 2005
- Blue Ducks to begin 2005 campaign - Brevard Blue Ducks
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