PCL1 Las Vegas Aviators

Getting back to business

Published on July 7, 2005 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Las Vegas Aviators News Release


By: Brian Sternberg

In a season filled with injuries, the Gladiators finished their third consecutive season in Las Vegas at 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.

What must they do to get over the hump?

"I could start off by saying, if this would have happened or if that would have happened, but I am not going to do that," head coach Ron James said. "Unfortunately things did not go the right direction for us this past season, but that doesn't mean that we can't improve to eliminate mistakes for next year."

The Gladiators expect to re-sign some of the team's veterans and search for some young talent from af2, player tryouts and NFL training camps for the 2006 season.

Considering this past season did not see a rookie participate in a game for Las Vegas, the Gladiators would like to bring in some young prospects to build around for the future.

"Having all the veterans that we did last season was good because everyone knew what to expect," Coach James said. "This off-season I hope to resign some of those guys and bring in some younger talent that can learn from the vets that have been in this league for a while."

Coach James finished his first season as head coach with the number one ranked total offense and number one ranked total defense in the League in 2005.

"The only thing that matters at the end of the day are wins and loses," he said. "The preparation for next season has already begun with the evaluation of everyone involved and my expectation for this football team is to be successful."

With the assurance from the Las Vegas organization for Coach James to continue what he was brought in to do, the Gladiators are focused on the mission ahead.

"The 2005 season is behind us now and we must look forward to what we need to do to improve our team," General Manager Dan Dolby said. "Retaining Ron (James) was the first thing on our long list of things to do this off-season and we did that. Our next step is to build a team that can excel and make the playoffs."

Some of the notable free agents from the Gladiators 2005 roster are Karl Bates, Wilky Bazile, Cornelius Bonner, Frank Carter, Clint Dolezel, Rodney Filer, T.J. Hill, Marvin Taylor and Lucas Yarnell.

The Gladiators have already resigned Dameon Porter, Joe Douglass, Rob Gatrell, Steve Konopka, Junior Lord, Marlion Jackson, William Mayes and Craig Whelihan.

Other players already under contract for next season include Coco Blalock, Thaddeus Bullard, Joe Burch, Desmond Byrd, Cameron Chance, Mark Lewis, Marcus Nash and Jerome Riley.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 7, 2005


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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