Rio Grande Valley Silverados Join CBA
Published on July 31, 2007 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release
ALBANY, NY (July 31, 2007) - The Continental Basketball Association announced today that the Rio Grande Valley Silverados will join the CBA for the upcoming 2007-08 season. This marks the return to the state of Texas, as the Wichita Falls Texans called the CBA home from 1988-1994. The Silverados will call the McAllen Convention Center home. The Convention Center seats 3,000 for basketball and is a state of the art facility. Manning the sidelines for the Silverados this season will be veteran minor league head coach Steve Tucker.
The Silverados will hold a press conference on Tuesday, August 7 at 5:30 PM CST Corner Stones Bar & Grill in McAllen to announce their formal entry into the CBA.
Heading up the Silverados ownership group are Art Gonzalez and Kevin Mitchell.
Gonzalez is a twelve-year McAllen resident, who currently owns AG Steel. AG Steel is a prominent steel brokerage firm that does business all over the world. Gonzalez attended Universidad Technologica de Monterrey and was a star power forward for the University team. The Gonzalez family lives and works in the McAllen community and are members of various civic clubs and organizations.
Mitchell is a 2003 graduate of Pan American with a degree in marketing. . Mitchell was a three-year starter at Pan American with the basketball team. Mitchell currently owns L & W Development Company, a real estate development firm, and is employed with Novo Nordisk. Mitchell is also a member of various civic clubs and organizations in the McAllen community.
Tucker joins the Silverados after spending last season with the Jacksonville Jam of the ABA. Tucker has also spent time in the WBA, GBA, and the USBL as a head coach. He has also spent time coaching overseas in Great Britain and in the collegiate ranks. Tucker is a six-time coach of the year and has led teams to nine league or conference titles.
"We are extremely excited to be joining the CBA," said Gonzalez. "The CBA is a great league with such a rich history. The players and coaches that have come through this league are legendary and we are glad to be a part of it. The Silverados will strive to be a franchise that our sponsors and fans will be proud of. We feel we have one of the best coaches in Steve Tucker and we will have some of the best players not in the NBA playing for the Silverados."
"This is an important day in the history of the Silverados," stated Mitchell. "We are now affiliated with the oldest basketball league in the United States. This brings us prestige and respectability through out the world. We have an energetic local ownership group, a great place to play with McAllen Convention Center. Our staff is second to none and the fans and sponsors will be pleased with the product we put out on the floor."
"I am grateful to the ownership group for giving me this opportunity," said Tucker. "Our players will be solid citizens and great players. We will be out in the community spreading the word about the Silverados. I plan on bring in top flight talent to the Valley to insure that we have a winning team."
"On behalf of all of our member teams I want to welcome the Silverados into the CBA," said CBA Acting Commissioner Jim Coyne. "They give us a regional rival for the Oklahoma Cavalry and let us return to Texas. Art and Kevin are fine owners who will do an outstanding job this season. They have a great building and the fans will be seeing great CBA action all season long."
"Art and Kevin have put together an outstanding ownership group," said CBA Properties CEO and President Ricardo A. Richardson. "This expansion franchise is another important step toward achieving our goal of having CBA teams competing regionally. Rio Grande will also connect the CBA to Mexico as we establish the CBA Mexico league next year. The Silverados are fortunate to be playing in a state-of-the-art arena, which will enable us to bring high-level basketball and first class entertainment to a community that is passionate about its basketball and hungry for quality entertainment. Opening Night will be the place to be in McAllen."
Continental Basketball Association 1 Stories from July 31, 2007
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