Tropics Jam It To Jax - Again

December 5, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Miami Tropics News Release


Before Monday night's game, the Jacksonville Jam coach bragged that his team was ranked No. 2 by the ABA, 12 spots higher than the Miami Tropics.

After the game, he was no longer bragging.

Not after the Tropics defeated his team, 89-83, at University Center Arena on the campus of Nova Southeastern.

Not after the Tropics won despite playing without their leading scorer, shooting guard Carlos Escalera.

And not after the Tropics won despite being dead tired as a result of playing their fourth game in four days.

"I couldn't ask any more of you guys," Tropics Coach Ed Auricchio told his team in the locker room after the game. "Take the next couple of days off and don't even think about basketball. You earned the rest."

It was the Tropics' sixth straight win. Miami (6-2) moved into first place in the ABA's Southeast Division.

The Jam, who blew a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead, fell to 6-2 - with both losses coming at the hands of the Tropics.

Before the Tropics' first win at Jacksonville on Friday, the Jam was ranked No. 1 in the ABA. Oddly, the Jam's 24-point home loss to the Tropics only moved them down one spot.

When the ABA's next poll is released, it should now be obvious that the Tropics are the No. 1 team in the state and that the Jam should be ranked somewhere behind them and along with Palm Beach and Orlando.

That could change later, of course. It is a long season, after all. But there is little question in the mind of any reasonable person that the Tropics are No. 1 right now. They have a winning record against each of the teams in the state.

On Monday, with Escalera out due to a groin injury, forward Angelo Reyes made his first start as a member of the Tropics.

Reyes responded with 24 points and 14 rebounds - both game-highs. He was dominant inside, making 9 of 15 shots and adding 2 assists and 1 block.

Reyes got off to a great start, getting 9 points and 7 rebounds in the first quarter to give the Tropics a 25-23 advantage.

The Jam, though, battled back to lead 46-42 at the half and 65-62 after three quarters.

The Jam led 73-65 when a crucial call happened. Tropics star forward Terence Shelman said the Jam coach called him an obscenity. When Shelman responded in kind, he was hit with a technical foul.

The Jam made both free throws to take a 10-point lead.

But the tired Tropics simply refused to quit. In fact, they seemed to draw inspiration from the incident.

From that point on, the Tropics outscored the Jam, 24-8.

Shelman turned in yet another incredible performance. He had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks despite battling the flu.

"That's the only thing that slowed me down a bit," said Shelman, who still played 40 minutes.

Forward Sylbrin Robinson was solid with 10 points and 8 rebounds despite also battling adversity.

"I'm sick, too," Robinson said with a shrug. "I'm Shel's roomie."

Although the frontcourt carried the Tropics on this night, point guards Pachi Cruz and Ray Rose also made key contributions. Cruz had 10 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds as he continues to flirt with a triple-double nearly every game.

Still, he was exhausted.

"I've never played four games in four nights before," said Cruz, who somehow managed to play 43 minutes. "I was so tired. I couldn't get in the lane."

Rose, who played 23 minutes off the bench, added 13 points and a team-high 3 steals.

"It was a great win," Tropics owner Art "Pilin" Alvarez said. "It got heated at times, but we hung in there and won as a team. We won it as a family."

For more on the Tropics, check out www.miamitropicslive.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.



American Basketball Association Stories from December 5, 2006


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