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Friday night heights

October 4, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release


Canton, OH. On a fall Friday night in Canton, Massillon and Cleveland, there is little doubt that high school football is king. There are some rivalries that are close to a century in length. They are the high point of the fall season for their respective cities. Is it no wonder that when a little boy is born, a football is oftentimes placed in the baby crib? On Friday nights in Ohio, the lights always burn bright. But that is why, a recent Friday night was so special.

On this Friday night, the ABA Ohio Aviators and Cleveland Central Catholic High School broke the rules "just a little bit." On the only night the gym was free from scheduled activities, the Cantonians, Massillonians and Clevelanders on the Ohio Aviators team put on a basketball show that would have heartened every New Orleanian and every resident of Biloxi, Gulfport, Beaumont, Lake Charles, Galveston and the Gulf Coast that was "dis-homed" by Hurricane Katrina or her sister, Hurricane Rita.

This was a charity benefit game. Not a penny to the players, some of whom may be in great need themselves as the season is still over a month away. Not a penny to the coaches. Not a penny to the referees. Not a penny to the Cleveland Central Catholic High School that donated the gym. Not a penny to the Ohio Aviators. Not a penny to the All-Stars and Alumni who opposed them. The fans gave a donation at the door. The players simply gave of their heart. Back and forth, the All Stars and the Aviators battled. Trey versus Trey. Steal versus Steal. Slam Dunk versus Slam Dunk. There was no holding back. The Aviators and All Stars were gladiators in every sense of the word as the thrilled fans were as exhausted as the players by the end of the game. The Ohio Aviators prevailed in the end. But the real winners were the fans, the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the cities of Canton, Massillon and Cleveland that must be beaming with pride as the character of these young men that they have nurtured into this world.

This writer was never very good at predicting the future. But this is one prediction that I will make in a heartbeat. In Canton, Massillon and Cleveland, there are going to be a few fathers, and for that matter, a few mothers, who are going to gently and tenderly place next to their newborn son (or daughter) not only a football, but an Ohio Aviator red, white and blue ABA basketball. They're going to put it there, not because they want their children to be basketball players (though some will), but because of what it stands for. Character, compassion, charity. Americans doing what they can for fellow Americans in times of great need. And not for one moment regretting the time, money and energy expended in helping out their fellow man. Canton-Massillon-Cleveland. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. FRIDAY NIGHT HEIGHTS. The Ohio Aviators remind its many fans all around the world - always - AIM HIGH! FLY HIGH! Come see the Ohio Aviators at the Canton Civic. Tickets are now on sale at the Canton Civic Center Box office - 330 489 3090 or email manhatbren@aol.com or visit 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.

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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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