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CBA 1 Continental Basketball Association 1

Florida and Southern California to play in 2007-08

September 26, 2006 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


ALBANY, NY (September 26, 2006) - The Continental Basketball Association today announced that Trinity Sports & Entertainment Group announced that the Florida Pit Bulls and the Southern California Legends will not play in the upcoming 2006-2007 season due to circumstances involving the venues for both teams, but both will play in 2007-2008.

The Pit Bulls had come to terms with the BankUnited Center on the campus of the University of Miami, but the day before the official announcement was to be made, the team was informed by a BankUnited Center official that the deal was overturned by UM's athletic director at the last minute, citing concerns over a potential conflict with the Hurricanes' basketball programs.

"It came as a total shock to us," said Demetrius Ford, Trinity's CEO and former majority owner of the Pit Bulls. "We were led to believe for quite some time that the deal was a lock. Dates were forwarded to the CBA, commitments were made by the Arena management to assist in every facet of marketing and sales, and they even drafted a quote to be included in our press release that expressed their excitement of hosting our games. By the time they informed us of their decision, it was too late to search for and negotiate a new venue deal for this season. It really is a shame. Tim Hardaway, Carl Collins and the rest of the organization put a great deal of effort into preparing for this season, and we were very committed to giving South Florida a taste of the CBA, which would have been a huge improvement over last year's ABA experience."

Mr. Ford added that the Florida Pit Bulls have changed their name to the 'MIAMI MAJESTY' and unveiled the team's new logo. "In response to several expressed concerns from Pit Bulls fans regarding the name (pit bulls are outlawed in Miami-Dade county), and in an effort to completely disassociate our team and brand from the ABA, it was an easy decision to change the name," said Ford.

The Southern California Legends, headed by NBA great Gary Grant, was also hurt when its venue informed them that construction on the brand new facility would not be completed in time for this season. The Gilbert Sports Arena, being built on the campus of Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA, was expected to open by October. The new opening date - January 2007 - a full month after the CBA's season begins.

"Like the Pit Bulls," stated Ford, "the Legends are a first-class operation and did not want to put their great product on the court of a less-than-great venue. The fans deserve better, and if it can't be offered this season, they will definitely have it next season."

"We are disappointed that the Legend and now the Majesty are not able to participate in the upcoming season," said CBA Director of Operations Dennis Truax. "The circumstances behind their being unable to play this season were ones that where out of their control. We are confident that they will be able to work out their arena issues and be ready for the 2007-08 season."

Trinity Sports and Entertainment Group, Inc. is a sports and entertainment holding and management company. Conceptualized in early 2006, the Company was formed by Jay Fiedler (10-year veteran NFL quarterback), Tim Hardaway (5-time NBA All-Star) and Demetrius Ford (South Florida entrepreneur) to acquire and develop professional sports franchises throughout the United States and eventually internationally. In addition to the Miami Majesty and Southern California Legends, Trinity is in various stages of acquiring the Indian Alley Cats, Pittsburgh Xplosion and Atlanta Krunk Wolverines.

The CBA recently completed its 60th anniversary season on March 27 with the Yakama Sun Kings defeating the Gary Steelheads in a best-of-three-game series. That series featured the CBA's 2006 Player of the Year, Anthony Goldwire (Sun Kings), and the CBA's 2006 Coach of the Year, Jaren Jackson (Steelheads).



Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from September 26, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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