HeatWave return, Jam look for seventh straight
Published on February 5, 2004 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Maywood Laguneros News Release
LONG BEACH, CA â The last time the Fresno HeatWave played in Long Beach, a capacity crowd watched Dennis Rodman's anticipated return to professional basketball. Rodman grabbed 14 rebounds in a 130 â 110 victory for his Long Beach Jam of the American Basketball Association (ABA).
Despite Rodman's absence the last four games, the victory was the first of six consecutive wins for the first-place Jam. Rodman's doctor said he is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from the injuries he sustained from a motorcycle accident he suffered in October. Rodman is close to 100 percent basketball shape and his status for Sunday will be a game-time decision made by Rodman's doctor and Jam coaches.
Another game of interest on Sunday to Jam fans will be the matchup between DerMarr Johnson and the New York Knicks and Matt Barnes and the Los Angeles Clippers at Madison Square Garden. In 20 games with the Jam, Johnson averaged 22.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Barnes averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with the team in 17 games.
Roughly one-third of all callups to the NBA this season have come from the Jam. Besides Johnson and Barnes, Jammers Derrick Dial (Orlando Magic) and Matt Carroll (Portland Trailblazers) logged NBA minutes this season. The franchise's first-ever head coach, Paul Westhead, signed on as an assistant coach with the Magic during the ABA season. The NBDL, the NBA's version of the minor leagues, has had five callups this season as an entire league, equaling the Jam.
Coached by Sean Higgins, a member of the 1989 National Championship Team at Michigan, the HeatWave are 7-13 this season and 0-4 versus the Jam.
The Jam travel to Kansas City to face the second-place Knights on Wednesday, Feb. 11, before returning home Sunday, Feb. 15, to face the Tijuana Diablos.
Sunday's game will air on KVMD-TV. Play-by-play announcer, Geoff Witcher will call the game and Neil Evans will be the color analyst. Witcher, with more than 25 years of television and radio broadcast experience, is best known for his work with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Anaheim Angels. KVMD-TV is a full service station and can be found by cable viewers on Adelphia and Charter systems in such communities as Anaheim, Santa Ana, Santa Monica and Long Beach on Channel 23. The station is also carried on satellite by DirecTV (Channel 31) and the Dish Network (Channel 8021).
The 36-game ABA 2003-04 season includes seven teams, the Long Beach Jam, Kansas City Knights, Tijuana Diablos, Gallos de Pelea of Juarez, Jersey Squires, Las Vegas Rattlers and Fresno HeatWave. The ABA includes unique game rules such as the "3-D" rule (when a team loses possession while in the backcourt, the team who acquires possession gains one additional point per field goalâ2-point shot becomes 3, 3-point shots become 4: if a foul occurs, the number of free throws awarded increases by one), and the international basket interference rule (once the ball hits the rim, it is live and any player may make contact with it without being penalized for "goaltending").
Individual game tickets are on sale now and available for purchase by visiting the Long Beach State Pyramid box office, or by phone at 562-985-4949 and 888-4-JAM-TIX. Prices range from $5 for students, senior citizens and military, to $10-15 for reserved seating. Season and group tickets may be purchased by calling the Long Beach Jam offices at 562-799-8100.
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.
American Basketball Association Stories from February 5, 2004
- HeatWave return, Jam look for seventh straight - Maywood Laguneros
- New ABA Team Announces "Name the Team" Contest - Kentucky Retros
- Kentucky Expansion Team Seeks Name - ABA
- ABA on the road again, this time to Nashville - ABA
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.
