Dazzle Names Ticket Sales Manager
September 6, 2002 - NBA G League (G League)
Roanoke Dazzle News Release
ROANOKE, Va., September 6, 2002 â Eric Leach, a Nebraska native who spent the last three years in sales in Class A baseball, has been named Ticket Sales Manager of the Roanoke Dazzle, Team President Joe Preseren announced today.
Leach, 27, joins the Dazzle as the National Basketball Development League team adds a Group sales emphasis to its offseason efforts in Season and Corporate ticket packages.
"We are very pleased to add Eric Leach to our front office staff," Preseren said. "He brings the Dazzle a sales enthusiasm rooted in experience and success."
Leach comes to the Dazzle from the Lexington Legends, where he was the Director of Group Sales for the Legends' first two seasons in the South Atlantic League. The Legends are among the top-drawing teams in Class A baseball.
A native of Omaha, Leach spent the 1999 baseball season in Group Sales and Corporate Advertising for the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Class A Midwest League. Leach, who attended Grace University and Doane College in Nebraska, also worked in game day operations at Mile High Stadium for Denver Broncos' games and was a District Sales Manager for Mutual of Omaha.
Joining Leach in the Dazzle Ticket Office are Ryan Neal, Cory Smith, Allen Lawrence and Tim Burnham.
Neal, 30, became a Dazzle Ticket Representative last December. A 1995 alumnus of West Virginia University, Neal is a Beckley, W.Va., native. His previous experience includes five years in sales and commercial production at WVVA Television in Bluefield, W.Va.
Smith, a native of Indianapolis, moved to the Dazzle staff in July. A 2002 University of Louisville graduate, Smith, 25, worked in sales and game day operations for baseball's Louisville Bats of the Class AAA International League, and served an internship with the NBA's Indiana Pacers.
Lawrence, 24, joined the Dazzle this month after working in sales and operations for baseball's Salem Avalanche. A Roanoke native, Lawrence is a 2000 alumnus of Elon University. His previous experience includes sales and marketing for a Raleigh, N.C., firm.
Burnham, 23, is a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech, and also moved to the NBDL team from the Salem Avalanche, where he had sales and game-day responsibilities. A native of Lee, N.H., Burnham's other pro sports experience came in 2000 with the Appalachian League's Pulaski Rangers.
"With this strong sales staff, the Dazzle is prepared to build upon the momentum created by our fans in the second half of last season," Preseren said.
The Dazzle â which saw a home attendance climb of 33 percent in the final two months of the inaugural NBDL season -- will open its second NBDL season at the Roanoke Civic Center on November 15, with a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Huntsville Flight.
Nine NBDL players and three coaches have been called up to the NBA since November 2001. Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the NBDL serves as a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 29 teams. The NBDL is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.
For more information or to purchase Dazzle tickets, call the Dazzle at (540) 266-1000 or log on to roanokedazzle.com. More information on the NBDL is available on NBDL.com.
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NBA G League Stories from September 6, 2002
- Dazzle Names Ticket Sales Manager - Roanoke Dazzle
- Michael Born Named Flight Assistant Coach - Huntsville Flight
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