Sports stats



Frenzy Management Ponders Direction Of Team

April 11, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Cape Cod Frenzy News Release


Orleans, Massachusetts: The Frenzy's first season on Cape Cod could be considered mixed results, in both on the court, and off the court, issues. The management team is now pondering the future direction of the American Basketball Association (ABA) franchise. Offers have come to move the team north as well as several pleas to keep the team here. A difficult decision lies ahead.

On the court the Frenzy looked like a contender out of the gate, starting the season 3-1 and 6-4 in the toughest division in the league. The Blue North Division contained last year's ABA champion Rochester Razorsharks and the eventual ABA champion this year in the #1 ranked Vermont Frost Heaves. The Frenzy featured former Boston College stars Steve Hailey and Jermaine Watson, while Rob Sanders and Richmond Pittman Jr. were the team's leading scorers and rebounders. The Frenzy garnered two dramatic road wins to begin the season at Montreal and at Quebec. The Montreal game was won on a fingernail tip in at the buzzer by Sanders, while the Frenzy rallied from down seven points with just 50 seconds left against Quebec, to win 101-99.

When the Frost Heaves first came to town on November 25th and 26th, Rob Sanders hurt his quadriceps muscle in the layup line of the first game. After the eventual All Star went down, the two games against the vaunted Frost Heaves were never in doubt as Vermont cruised easily 138-121 and 127-94 at Sandwich High School. After a great home win against the Strong Island Sound on December 17th at Barnstable High School, the Frenzy embarked on a four-games-in-four-days road trip over the winter holidays. In game one, they held a twelve point lead over the defending champion Razorsharks, in front of a record breaking crowd of 7,954 with just four minutes remaining. Several questionable calls and a late collapse gave Rochester a come from behind win. This loss seemed to be a turning point in the season, as the Frenzy would lose four more games in a row, including two single digit back-to-back losses at Vermont. In the first game at Vermont, the road weary Frenzy had once again held a double digit lead with just four minutes remaining, and lost in the end.

Roster changes ensued. Dustin Hellenga and Jermaine Watson were released while Rich Pittman signed a contract to go overseas to play in Germany. Replacing them in the rotation were Bilal Dawan-Abdullah, Scott Hazelton, and Raheim Lamb. With roster changes the team seemed to search for an identity, losing games against inferior teams. By February, the Frenzy found themselves with a sub .500 record at 8-11.

On the night of February 1st, the Frenzy traveled to Vermont to play the Frost Heaves. This time however, they were minus their Head Coach (Dr. Keith Clarke) and, due to illness, only arrived with seven players. The Frenzy players battled valiantly all night, leading most of the game by as much as eleven points. They succumbed to fatigue and lost in the final minutes of the game. Following the game, the team learned that Dr. Clarke had resigned. The team's status was very much in doubt. Frenzy GM Ian McCarthy moved to name Gerry Corcoran as the new interim Head Coach of the team. Corcoran, who was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1997, played with future Celtics Star Reggie Lewis at Northeastern University, and had more recently coached at Dean Junior College. Corcoran had been runner-up to the position that was originally given to Clarke. Subsequently Assistant Coach Angel Robinson Jr. also resigned.

So the 'new look' Frenzy moved forward in an effort to finish the remaining ten games strong, and potentially make an impact in the playoffs. The Frenzy won their first game under Coach Corcoran, 107-101 against Montreal. The next day they held a twenty three point lead in the first quarter against Quebec, but fell apart against the Kebs' full court pressure. The highlight of the season came against the Maryland Nighthawks, where the Frenzy welcomed 7'9 Sun Ming Ming to Barnstable High School, and scored 168 points in the most lopsided win in Frenzy history, in front of a nearly full house.

The Frenzy continued to adjust the roster, adding Ty Brunson, Kareem Grant, Matt Alosa, Ismael Caro, and Mark Flavin over the last few weeks. Despite the new talent, the Frenzy lost their last six games of the season in disappointing fashion. An 'almost win' against Rochester at Nauset High School preceded a two game road trip to Rockville, Maryland to complete the regular season. The first game against the Nighthawks in Maryland, the Frenzy lost 119-118 after a turnover in the waning seconds. That loss did not prepare anyone for the drama that was to occur the following day however!

The second game of the final weekend began with Maryland earning a Guinness Book World Record for the "Tallest starting lineup ever in pro basketball" - starting 7'9 Sun Ming Ming, former Washington Bullet 7'7 Georghe Mureson, and three other seven footers. After all the hoopla, the Frenzy jumped out to a 19-6 lead. Once the Nighthawks inserted their regular lineup, the game became a back and forth affair. With 32 seconds remaining the Frenzy were down by five points. Scott Hazelton shot a deep three pointer to cut the deficit to two points, at 126-124, and the Frenzy fouled to stop the clock. Randy Gill made both free throws to make it 128-124. Scott Hazelton came down and drilled a halfcourt shot off the glass to tie the game at 128-128 with just 5.1 seconds remaining (in the ABA a halfcourt shot is worth four points)! After a timeout, Maryland in bounded the ball to And1 star Hugh Jones (aka Baby Shaq). Jones weaved his way up the court and launched a halfcourt shot of his own...that went in! Thus the Nighthawks ended the Cape Cod Frenzy's inaugural season in a sadly fitting fashion!

Off the court the Frenzy saw ups and downs as well, with attendance and local support. The first part of the season saw attendance of around two hundred fans, but that dropped when the team shifted its home games to Nauset High School late in the season. The biggest supporter of the team by far, was Willy's Gym owner Barbara Niggel who provided workout memberships and a practice area to the team.

"Without the support of Willy's Gym we would not have been able to play this year, no question about it," explained Frenzy GM Ian McCarthy, "they opened their doors to our team and for that we are very, very grateful."

A key challenge to the future success of the Frenzy is the lack of an adequate sports venue on the Cape. This forced them to shift games from high school gym to high school gym, and often made their home games hard to find. A key component towards keeping the team here would be finding one home court for the Frenzy that would be able to host all 18 home games.

The Frenzy's management team is also committed to expanding its marketing and advertising presence including a new website. They are hoping to work with a marketing/public relations firm to help them achieve that goal, as well as expanding their merchandising reach Capewide. This summer they anticipate visiting local businesses for support and sponsorship for the upcoming season. The Frenzy are also looking for self motivated, local people who love basketball and who would like to join the Frenzy's management team or ownership group.

"We feel having a pro basketball team right here on Cape Cod is important, not only for entertainment, but because it can bring a community together and gives young people aspirations," stated Frenzy Assistant Coach Heath "Noopy" Teixeira.

One concept that is gaining acceptance with management is fielding a roster with more local Cape Cod players. Three potential candidates who recently completed their collegiate careers are Derek Thompson (Barnstable High School), Adam Rose (Harwich High School), and Kevin Reed (Dennis-Yarmouth High School). Thompson and Rose were two starters on the 17-8 Bridgewater State Bears, while Reed broke school records for scoring and three point shooting as a Maine Black Bear. Having local players would no doubt go along way towards helping the team gain acceptance and increase their following.

The players who wore Frenzy uniforms this season benefited greatly from the exposure and experience. Forward Rob Sanders was named to the 2007 ABA All Star Game in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He finished runner up in the slam dunk contest, and scored 21 points in the all star game. In March he was named the 12th Best Minor League Player in the Nation by ProBasketballNews.Com. Sanders, Lamb, and Hazelton are entertaining lucrative overseas contracts. Ismael Caro is now playing professionally in Puerto Rico. Richmond Pittman Jr. earned the chance to play in the German pro leagues through a scout following the Frenzy. Other Frenzy players are looking to play in summer minor leagues such as the World Basketball Association (WBA) or the United States Basketball League (USBL).

"We are going to evaluate our opportunities to play here and elsewhere, and weigh the pros and cons of each," stated Frenzy GM Ian McCarthy. "We would love to remain the Cape Cod Frenzy but we've got to look at the process objectively and make the best decision."

Individuals or businesses who would like to get involved with the Cape Cod Frenzy either in ownership, management, sales, marketing, or in game day operations are encouraged to call (508)-889-3275, email ian@capecodfrenzy.com or fax a cover letter to (508)-632-0368. More information on the ABA is available at www.abalive.com.

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.

• Discuss this story on the American Basketball Association message board...

American Basketball Association Stories from April 11, 2007


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.

Other Recent Cape Cod Frenzy Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central