Drillers to make ABA history
January 3, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Calgary Drillers News Release
The Calgary Drillers will make ABA history on Wednesday night at the Corral by hosting the first ever American Basketball Association game on Canadian soil. The Drillers will entertain the Las Vegas Rattlers on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. and then at the same time on Thursday.
Calgary, under coach Otis Hailey, is led by two former NBA players, Nate Driggers of the Boston Celtics and DeJuan Wheat of the Vancouver Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Drillers also have three giants under the boards, 7'3" Luke Minor from Huron College, and two 6'10" forwards, Brian Lewin from West Virginia and Melvin Whitaker from North Carolina.
The complete Drillers lineup is as follows:
Calgary Drillers Ht. Pos. NCAA
Nate Driggers 6' 6" F Montivello
Brian Lewin 6' 10" F West Virginia
Jermaine Mason 5' 11" G Southern Colorado
Luke Minor 7' 3" C Huron
Fred Nichols 6' 5" G Cal. State Bakersfield
Jerrick Oliver 6' 7" F McNeese State
Damian Owens 6' 6" F West Virginia
James Penny 6' 7" F Texas Christian
De Juan Wheat 6' 2" G Louisville
Melvin Whitaker 6' 10 F NC
Fans will notice a number of rule changes in the ABA. The most exciting is the "3-D" rule. When a defending team steals the red, white and blue ball in the backcourt an extra point is added on the ensuing offensive rush, making all 2 point shots worth three and all three point shots a potential four.
Calgary will play nine of their twelve games in January on home court at the Corral.
Their new home floor will be put into place on Tuesday, January 4th and the Drillers will first step foot on it on Wednesday during their 11 a.m. shoot around.
Las Vegas will practice at 12 noon on Wednesday. Both teams will practice at the same time on Thursday.
On Wednesday Calgary will practice at the Talisman Centre at 3 p.m.
Tickets for all Calgary Driller games are available through Ticketmaster.
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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