Jam and Tropics Ready To Go At It Again Friday Night

January 31, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Jacksonville Slam News Release


The Jacksonville Jam (18-6) will host the visiting Miami Tropics (17-4) on Friday night on their homecourt at UNF Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05pm.

The Jam are ranked as the #6 team in the ABA Power Rankings this week, while the Tropics are the #3 ranked team. Both teams are high powered, well coached, and extremely talented. Whenever the Jam and Tropics get together, it is guaranteed that excitement will take place.

No one knows better than Jam head coach, Steve Tucker. "We've developed quite a fierce rivalry with the Miami Tropics over the course of this season! I'm sure it will grow even bigger in the future. I don't think we are on each others holiday card list, but there is great respect between our two organizations! Just like other great rivals, we seem to bring the best in one another, so I do encourage all basketball fans to get out on Friday night and be a part of the Friday Night Jam at UNF Arena."

The Jam are led by point guard, Trey Moore. Since moving to the point guard position, Moore has averaged nearly a triple double. Moore is the Jam's leading scorer with a 22.9 ppg average. The Jam are very balanced this season with seven players averaging double figures in scoring (Nick Wallery-20.2, DeRon Rutledge-19.1, Bobby St. Preux-18.0, Anthony Lumpkin-15.5, & Donald Harris-15.2). Wallery and Rutledge are also two of top rebounders in the ABA with 12.5 and 11.9 rebound averages per game this season. Moore and Lumpkin also average 6.1 and 5.6 assist per game and 2.7 and 3.1 steals per game, which are among the league's best. Bobby St. Preux is one of the top scorers in the ABA with a cumulative scoring average of 27.6 (including Palm Beach).

Miami Tropics guards, Carlos Escalera and Marcus Barnes lead Miami. Escalera is a prolific scorer from either guard position and Barnes has become Mr. Big Shot for Miami, especially against the Jam. Combo forward, Terrence Shelman is one of the best all-around and most complete forwards in the ABA. Power forward/center, Sylbrin Robinson is as well one of the best rebounders in the league. Center, Karel Rosario's development and play this season has cemented the Tropics entire team as he continues to make big plays for the Tropics.

The difference this time around will obviously be the changes that Jacksonville has made over the past three weeks. The additions of St. Preux, Wallery, guard/forward, Anthony Hatcher, guard, Matt Luedtke, and center, Johnny Tyson truly make the Jam a deeper and more talented team. It will be interesting to see just how much better the Jam will be with these key additions that Coach Steve Tucker and his staff have brought in to tweak the teams active roster. St. Preux and Wallery are dynamic scorers, Hatcher is a complete and very athletic player, and Luedtke is an outstanding shooter that averaged 25.1 ppg last season for the San Jose Skyrockets. The San Jose team went to the Final Four of the ABA in last season's playoffs where they lost in the semifinals to eventual ABA Champions, the Rochester Razorsharks. Tyson brings size, athleticism, and power to the Jam frontline. He also gives Jacksonville a presence and dominating force around the basket that the Jam have lacked all season long. It will be most interesting to see how these new additions will effect this already great rivalry between two of the best teams in the ABA!

Jacksonville Jaguars NFL All-Pro cornerback and brother of Jam forward, Jerry Williams, Rasheen Mathis will suit up with the Jacksonville Jam on Friday night as the Jam's 11TH Man.

You can follow the JAM at www.jaxjam.com or www.abalive.com. GO JAM!!!

JAM NOTES:

* Jacksonville Jam combo forward, Jerry Williams returns to action this Friday night vs the Miami Tropics. Williams scored 17 points and pulled down 5 rebounds in the ABA All-Star Game. Williams had been sidelined recently with a strained leg muscle.

* The Jam will be looking for its 10TH Win of the season at home on Friday night. The Jam are 9-2 thus far this season at home and hold a 9-4 mark on the road.

* Jacksonville is the #6 Ranked Team in the ABA Power Rankings this week. Arkansas Aeros remained ranked #1 in the ABA. Vermont, Miami, Texas, Quad City, and Jacksonville follow close behind.

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 January 31, 2007


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