Central Valley Dawgs Ja'Vance Coleman & Ottis Blak Take Over In Clutch

December 9, 2009 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Central Valley Dawgs News Release


Dawgs rock gym with entertaining Hoops Anyone looking for some quality basketball in the Central Valley need =ook no further than in Lindsay.

The American Basketball Association (ABA) rolled out a few new teams =or the 2009-10 season, including the Central Valley Dawgs, who play their home =ames at Lindsay's McDermont Field House.

In just the franchise's first game on Saturday, the Dawgs =nocked off the older, more-experienced Sacramento Heatwave, 134-131.

The high-scoring affair - which Dawgs coach Marco Vasquez =ays is typical in the ABA - provided a new brand of hoops different from the =xperience that fans of the NBA are used to.

A deejay pumped out continuous hip hop-hop music during live action =f the game - quieted down only when players shot free throws. Large =rojection screens on the second floor showed the highlights of the game from the court. =he players even presented the halftime entertainment with free-style rap =attles - family-friendly lyrics, of course.

But the star of the night was the action itself, complete with =aining 3-pointers (the Dawgs sank 20 of them) and alley-oop dunks that =an't be found anywhere else in Tulare County.

Former University of Missouri star Otis Black, who lives in Hanford, =ailed six 3-pointers (out of just nine attempts) en route to a game-high 30 =oints. The sweet-shooting guard also added four rebounds and three steals on =is 27th birthday.

"My teammates and I were just trying to get a win in our =irst game," he said. "I think we pretty much jelled out there so we're =xcited about the season."

Like most of his teammates, Black had been hanging around, getting by =ith occasional rec league appeances until he received an invitation to try =ut for the Dawgs.

"Some of them played overseas and others had been waiting for =n opportunity like this to come along," Vasquez said. "Every single =ne of these guys is from the Central Valley. This team is really, really talented."

Though most expansion teams typically struggle off the bat, Vasquez =aid he wouldn't have accepted a loss, despite having just practiced =ive times and running just two set plays on Saturday.

"Once we start getting more practices, we'll get to =oxing out; we missed a lot of rebounds from not boxing out," Vasquez said. "We =ot a lot of fouls from reaching in and that's from not being in shape enough. =e're hoping to make the playoffs."

Central Valley will have to finish among the top two in the =BA's SoCal division, which includes San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles, California =each (Newport Beach), Compton, Honolulu and Las Vegas, to qualify for the postseason.

But if Saturday is any indication, the Dawgs appear to have the =ersonnel to do it.

Former Fresno State star Ja'Vance Coleman dropped six =-pointers of his own to score 22 points while adding four rebounds. Another former Bulldog =tandout, Alex Blair, scored 17 points, dished five assists, grabbed five rebounds =nd swatted away two shots.

Myron Epps scored 16 points while Marc Alvarado, a former pro player =n Mexico, and Vince "Spider-man" Harris added 11 points =ach to give Central Valley six players in double figures..

The Dawgs faced a nine-point deficit with five minutes remaining in =he fourth period, but Alvarado's off-balance baseline 3-pointer =apped a furious fourth-quarter rally to break a 117 tie.

Coleman took over down the stretch by attacking the rim at will and =arning trips to the charity stripe.

The stocky point guard drained six of his final seven from the free =hrow line, including three straight after Sacramento's Travis Bunker =ouled him from beyond the arc with 31 seconds remaining to make it 131-128.

"Everybody always perceived Ja'Vance as being =ot-tempered," Vasquez said, "but he was a leader out there. Everybody was on. Spider-man was =ttacking and opening up shots and Otis was hitting his."

The Heatwave's Darius Weight, who tied DeMarshay Johnson with =6 points for Sacramento, quickly scored a 3-pointer to get within 132-131.

Coleman was subsequently called for a push-off foul during a Central =alley inbound pass, giving possession back to Sacramento.

Bunker's shot underneath the basket was stripped away and =lack iced the game with two free throws.

"For our first game to put up 130 points, that's wesome," Vasquez said. "We're for real and we're ready to play

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 9, 2009


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