Around The Basketball League: Beaumont Falls Short In Debut, Paul Harrison Cleans Up The Boards, The Team Jersey Sales Sleeper, Raleigh Firebirds Give Back, and David Dumay Waits His Turn

Ricardo Artis III and Kadavion Evans show out for Enid against the Panthers while the pesky Sugar Land Imperials wait in the wings for Beaumont on Thursday.

The defending TBL Champion Enid Outlaws picked up right where they left off from last season by racking up a big win on Monday night in their second game of the season. After dropping a heartbreaking season opener to the Sugar Land Imperials, Ricardo Artis III (33 points) and Kadavion Evans (29 points) with the Outlaws spoiled the franchise league and home debut for the Beaumont Panthers (125-112), who led Enid by as much as 11 points to open the game. Next up for the Panthers: hosting the 1-0 Sugar Land on Thursday night at Ford Park Arena.

Rebounding League Leader Paul Harrison Knows How To Clean Up

With an overall game and stature that resembles former NBA big man Zach Randolph, Paul Harrison is quickly making his presence felt in the TBL. The TBL rebound leader after the first full week of basketball, the 6'8 power forward/center with the Shreveport Mavericks grabbed 16 rebounds and 14 points in the Mavericks' 96-79 win over the Waco Royals. The stat line is all too familiar for Harrison who averaged a double-double during his collegiate career at Division II North Greenville University (2009-2013) with 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for the Crusaders. Since 2014, the Alpharetta, Georgia native has played professionally from Finland, to Argentina, South America, France, and Germany. Prior to signing with Shreveport, Harrison last played in Uruguay in 2020 where he averaged 18 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. 

TBL Jersey Sales Of The Year Sleeper: The San Diego Sharks

Which team will lead the league in jersey sales this year? 

The TBL posed the question in social media posts on Monday while highlighting teams like the Connecticut Cobras, Dallas Skyline, Lebanon Leprechauns, Vancouver Volcanoes, and Owensboro Thoroughbreds. Yet there may be one team these other five will have to contend with by the end of the year: the San Diego Sharks. On Monday, the Sharks revealed their three customized uniform designs by Infinite Apparel including Red, Gray, and Teal as an alternate. Between the color combination, the sublimation waves, and the shark logo itself, other teams best beware when swimming in these waters for a customized TBL team jersey from Infinite Apparel (available at the TBL online store). San Diego fans will get to see the Sharks jerseys and uniforms hit the floor for their home opener against the Salem Capitals on Saturday, March 12 at the Coronado High School Gym in Coronado, California.

Raleigh Firebirds Focused On Give Back In North Carolina

Walter Magazine and writer Lori D. R. Wiggins in Raleigh, North Carolina are currently featuring an in-depth piece on the TBL’s Raleigh Firebirds, who are 1-1 heading Saturday’s home game against the Tampa Bay Titans in the Southeast Conference. Before this season started, the Raleigh Firebirds started scrimmages at John Chavis Memorial Park on the first Tuesdays and Thursdays of each month, hosted a financial literacy and entrepreneurship seminar, and cheered on its “adopted” basketball team at Southeast Raleigh Charter School.

“It’s not just about the team, it’s about being involved in the community in the right way,” said Bob MacKinnon, the Firebirds’ interim head coach. 

The former assistant coach at UNC-Chapel Hill who was later named the winningest NBA G League coach is currently filling in for Firebirds head coach Robert Brickey, a former Duke University basketball standout, who is taking caution during COVID as a caregiver to aging parents. 

“The Firebirds are an integral part of this growing league,” MacKinnon says. “It’s a great brand of basketball in this great basketball state we live in.”

In Trusting The Process, Gulf Coast Lions Guard David Dumay Eyes Return To TBL Action

The start to the 2022 TBL season has been bitter-sweet for David Dumay with the Gulf Coast Lions. While the team is in search of their first win of the season after dropping two quick games to Huntsville and Tampa Bay, the guard out of Tampa, Florida has been left to watch from the sidelines as he recovers from an MCL strain. It’s the hope of getting back out on the floor in the TBL that keeps him going.

“Basketball is my passion, and growing up, it was my place of refuge as well,” remarked David Dumay in an interview with the Digital Journal. “Through hard work, dedication, and trusting the process, I overcame hardships that at times really tested my resolve and ability to play. It was a tough time for me, and I knew people already counted me out, but I was and am still determined to overcome the odds.”

In the meantime, Dumay is taking part in practice squad sessions as the Gulf Coast Lions get ready to hit for a 5-game road trip through the rest of March beginning with Saturday’s match-up versus the Tallahassee Southern Kings. Thankfully for the Gulf Coast Lions, they recently racked up a moral victory in the community by scrimmaging against the Sarasota Police Department at the Robert L. Community Center. The friendly game resulted in a W for the Gulf Coast Lions, but even a bigger win for the community of Sarasota as a whole.

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Wendell Maxey has covered and written about professional basketball and sports for 19 years and has previously been featured on ESPN.com, NBA.com, USA Today, FOX Sports, and SLAM Magazine among other publications and outlets. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn or read through his archive on Linktree.