South Carolina gets its first ABA team
March 28, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release
Indianapolis, IN. The American Basketball Association (ABA) today announced that Columbia, South Carolina has been added to the growing list of expansion teams getting set to begin play in November. "It's our first team in South Carolina," said ABA CEO Joe Newman, "And we couldn't be happier - it fits beautifully with our divisional setup and we have a very strong ownership group with tremendous knowledge and experience. I know Columbia well; it will be a great ABA city."
The new ownership is Seed Point, Inc., headed by John Wannamaker, who is a Christian Minister and a former United States Marine. Mr. Wannamaker is the Managing Partner with Texas-based, Relief Capital, Inc., a distressed asset purchaser. Formerly, he was Executive VP of a real estate investment trust and managed a private offering and real estate portfolio of over 90 mnillion dollars. He also served as a foreclosure negotiator and stopped over 80% of valid foreclosures throughout the Dallas area. He formerly owned Columbia, SC-based Shut-Up Records, which had music artists that performed with Notorious B.I.G, Junior Mafia and O.D>B of Wu-Tang Clan.
Wannamaker added, " Basketball has always been a hobby and lovable sport for me since I was 12 years old in the parks of Brooklyn, NY. Owning a team did not come as a real concept for me until I attended a Dallas Cowboys football game and realized that there was more to sports than being a player or a fan; it was also possible to learn the business of sports and become an owner. This year, my wife Letishia and I prayed about it, talked it over and made the plunge to create a successful and dominant basketball team in the city where I went to high school and where most of my family now resides, Columbia South Carolina. I owe my success in life to God, my wife, my parents, my little sister Sheri, my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. I'm going to make them proud."
The team will be named the COLUMBIA ROTTWEILERS - designed to exhibit the character of its name, a Rottweiler - robust, powerful, loyal with pronounced protective instincts. More information will be forthcoming shortly. For more information now, contact johnw@reliefcapital.com or call 469 892 2238 or 972 416 8260 or fax 972 767 3173 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.
• Discuss this story on the American Basketball Association message board...
American Basketball Association Stories from March 28, 2006
- Open letter from Strong Island Sound Darren J. Cioffi - Strong Island Sound
- South Carolina gets its first ABA team - 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.
