Ducks game in Adirondack cancelled
Published on May 1, 2003 under United States Basketball League (USBL)
Brevard Blue Ducks News Release
Glens Falls, NY â The trip itinerary started out rough enough.
There was the 3:30 AM wake-up call at the team hotel so the players could catch their 4:30 AM shuttle to Orlando airport. Then the 7:00 AM flight into JFK, rental of minivans and 220-mile trip up to Glens Falls, New York to play the Adirondack Wildcats in a 7:00 PM contest.
But the plans fell apart early.
Shortly after boarding the plane, there was the announcement that there would be a slight delay because of some parts trouble. Then another delay announcement. Eventually the team was told to de-board the plane while Delta flew in a replacement part from Atlanta. The 7:00 AM departure time was pushed back until it became 11:00 AM.
"At that time, we were already climbing the walls and wondering about how we were going to get to our game on time and be relatively fresh to play," commented Derek Howard, Blue Ducks coach.
Then came the announcement that they couldn't fix the plane. After trying to get them on other flights, Delta informed Howard that they would be flying out on the next flight available â at 1:50 PM. A flight that didn't get into JFK until 4:30 PM.
"Figure an hour to get our luggage and get situated into our rental cars and then a 220-mile drive up to Glens Falls, with the first fifty or so in New York City rush hour traffic. They told us we'd be lucky to get to the arena by ten-thirty, eleven o'clock."
"By that time we're panicking and wondering if there's even a way to pull off the game. I'm on the phone with (team owner) Mike Richman who's simultaneously talking with the Wildcats, the league office and Delta airlines."
It gets worse. An announcement that the 1:50 PM flight had been delayed until 3:15 PM, with a scheduled arrival into JFK at 5:53 PM.
"That puts us playing basketball at midnight and ending up about 24 hours after we first woke up for the trip," exclaimed Howard.
Faced with the major dilemma of either canceling the game or turning the USBL into a midnight basketball league, the teams came up with a solution. "We scheduled for a private charter jet to meet us at JFK and fly us straight into Glens Falls," said team owner, Richman. "We'd start a little late, but we'd get the game off close to schedule in Adirondack for their fans, which is what really matters."
But fate wasn't on their side.
The flight did eventually take off - at 3:58 PM â nine hours after their initial scheduled flight. New scheduled arrival into JFK: 6:08 PM. But twenty minutes before the flight was scheduled to land, the charter company called the Blue Ducks office and cancelled, saying they couldn't get their jet to JFK in time to get the team to Glens Falls for the game.
The Blue Ducks finally landed at JFK at around 6:30 PM, thirteen hours after they were dropped off in Orlando, only to find that their game was cancelled and that they were to head straight to Pennsylvania where they take on the ValleyDawgs Friday night.
It doesn't get any easier for Brevard. After back-to-back games against Pennsylvania Friday and Saturday night, the team will take the 250-mile drive back up to Glens Falls for a game against Adirondack on Sunday, their postponed Thursday night contest to be made up at some future date.
After three games in three nights, the team will head back to Florida for a quick breather before beginning their next homestand by taking on the Wildcats next Wednesday at the Clemente Center, followed by games Friday night against Adirondack and Saturday and Sunday contests against Pennsylvania.
"This is without a doubt, one of the most grueling parts of our schedule," commented Richman. "It was tough enough without the travel problems. It's going to be even tougher on us now. These guys are going to be tired. And when they get back home, they've got another four games in five days. These guys are definitely earning their money the next couple of weeks."
As well as some hard-earned frequent flier miles.
United States Basketball League Stories from May 1, 2003
- Ducks game in Adirondack cancelled - Brevard Blue Ducks
- USBL Transactions - USBL
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