Wildcats slam dunk into San Diego
October 6, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
San Diego Wildcats News Release
San Diego, CA. In their first preseason game of their inaugural season, the ABA San Diego Wildcats took on the Mexicali Centinelas at East Lake High School in Chula Vista in front of a small but festive crowd. The Wildcats are lead by local legend Coach Ray Johnson, who has coached at El Camino High School for over twenty-five years.
San Diego boasts an impressive roster with former NBA and AND1 players as well as local legendary players from around the country. Their starting roster includes Tony Farmer, Cardell Butler, Jamaal Jenkins, Matt Vaughn and Michael Hands. Tony Farmer wears many hats for the organization including Director of Basketball Operations, Coach and player. He has over 14 years of professional experience - NBA and Europe - to draw from making him a wealth of knowledge and a true asset to the Wildcats. Many will recognize Cardell Butler from the AND1 tour where he was known as "Ballaholic." Aaron Hands and Matt Vaughn were teammates at Scripps Ranch High School where they tore up the court during their prep days. While Jamaal Jenkins has no direct tie to San Diego, he has thoroughly enjoyed coming to America's Finest City from Weaver State where he put up impressive numbers during his playing career.
Vaughn opened the game with a sweet 3-pointer. After adjusting the shot clock for technical difficulties, Butler followed up with a pretty lay-up to extend the Cats lead. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Hands added to the score. The Wildcats showcased an impressive defensive stance as they held the Centinelas scoreless through 6:55 of the first quarter. Going into halftime, the Wildcats dominated play up and down the court as they led, 64-47.
With time running out, The Centinelas showed few signs of life except their leading scorer, Robert Harris, who racked up 28 points for the game. It was a physical game, but leaders Farmer and Butler added to their points with each scoring drive. To add insult to injury, Hands showed his dominance with a slam dunk, hanging from the rim as an explanation point! Suddenly big man Bell showed his strength with two huge blocks as the Centinelas struggled to play catch up as time dwindled. The last two minutes were sloppy, but in the end the San Diego Wildcats proved the better team in this game as the clinched their first victory, 126-116. For more information, visit www.sandiegowildcats.com 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.
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