Two former NBA players shooting for spot on Xplosion

Published on September 30, 2005 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Pittsburgh Xplosion News Release


PITTSBURGH, Sept. 28, 2005 - Two former NBA players with Pittsburgh roots - Armon Gilliam and Myron Brown - will be among 23 players shooting for starting positions with the Pittsburgh Xplosion, the city's new American Basketball Association franchise. Gilliam, a 13-year NBA veteran from Bethel Park, and Brown, a prolific scorer at Slippery Rock University who later played with the Minnesota Timberwolves, are aiming to join the Xplosion for their first season of slam-dunk action at Mellon Arena, their home court for the 36-game regular season, which tips off October 30. The pair of NBA veterans will participate in highly competitive full-day tryouts Monday with more than 20 former college and professional players.

The tryouts are being held this week at the Monroeville Sports Center, 855 Macbeth Drive, in Monroeville. The media is invited to meet Xplosion staff and players for the first time at the morning tryouts on Monday, Oct. 3, which will run from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Xplosion General Manager Freddie Lewis, a former all-star and MVP of the historic ABA, will be on hand for media interviews, as will Coach Tom Thacker, Gilliam and Brown.

The formal tryouts end this week, when the Xplosion will make final cuts and select 10 players for the team and several for the practice squad. "Our goal is to field a winning team with explosive offense skills, lightening speed and tenacious defense," said GM Freddie Lewis, a four-time ABA All-Star with the Indiana Pacers. "The Xplosion is a new ABA franchise with owners who are driving to put fast-paced professional basketball back on the map in Pittsburgh. Fans can expect to see a hard-working team that will make Pittsburgh proud. Our franchise will showcase an exciting brand of ABA basketball that will appeal to hoop fans of all ages." Armon Gilliam, nicknamed "The Hammer," was one of the nation's top collegiate players as a power forward for the University of Nevada Las Vegas The Pennsylvania native was a first-round draft selection of the Phoenix Suns in 1987 draft. During his 13-season NBA career with Phoenix, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Utah, Gilliam scored more than 12,000 points and grabbed more than 6,000 rebounds. After retiring from the NBA in 2000, Gilliam returned to Pittsburgh to become a volunteer basketball assistant at Mount Lebanon High School. He later landed a head coaching position at Penn State McKeesport, where he led the squad to a 13-9 record. In 2002, Gilliam was named head coach at Penn State-Altoona, where he coached for three seasons.

Myron Brown was a star for Slippery Rock University from 1987-1991. During his collegiate career, he snared 760 rebounds and scored 2,916 points. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Brown in the second round of the 1991 NBA draft. For more information about season subscriptions and tickets for an exciting season of Pittsburgh Xplosion basketball, visit www.pittsburghxplosion.com or call 877-410-9900, ext. 777.

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.

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American Basketball Association Stories from September 30, 2005


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