Around The Basketball League: Ricky Davis Fulfilling Dreams In Texas, San Diego Sharks Score With Free Tix, Central Alabama Jaguars And Syracuse Stallions Announce New Roster Additions
With Friday marking the tip-off to a very busy weekend of basketball, bragging rights are on the line tonight in the Central Conference with Beaumont hosting Sugar Land in the lone TBL game.
Ricky Davis Became TBL Team Market Owner To Help Players Fulfill Their Dreams
When the Beaumont Panthers and Enid Outlaws squared off at Ford Park Arena on Monday night, there was a familiar face sitting courtside getting some early season scouting in: Ricky Davis.
Beyond being a timeless talent on the court during his 12 years playing in the NBA, overseas, the G League, and more recently with The Big 3, Davis now serves as the Team Market Owner of the Sugar Land Imperials. The Imperials – who were led in scoring by Tyrone Jordan (22 points), Lorenzo Phillips (20 points), and Marquez Letcher (17 points and 10 rebounds) – made a huge statement with their opening night victory over TBL defending champion Enid Outlaws (117-115) and attempt to make it two-straight in Thursday’s lone TBL game against Beaumont.
“I am excited to be a part of a league with the expressed design of helping young men fulfill their dreams while having those same young men impact the next generation in the local community,” Davis said about the Imperials becoming the newest team addition to TBL back in December.
After nearly a week into TBL’s regular season it’s clear that the Central Conference is going to be a dog fight from start to finish particularly between the teams in Texas. A suburb of Houston, Sugar Land can now count Beaumont, Dallas, Waco, and Rockwall as their in-state rivals.
“We are thrilled to have this market filled with a leader like Ricky Davis who has a track record of success through his play and longevity as a professional,” added TBL CEO, Evelyn Magley.
With Kendrick Perkins the Team Market Owner of Beaumont and Davis overseeing the Imperials, there are some serious bragging rights at stake tonight at Ford Park. The thing is, Big Perk and Ricky both have plenty to boast and be proud about already when it comes putting quality TBL teams together that not only go to work on the court, but also in the communities of Beaumont and Sugar Land.
How The San Diego Sharks Are Taking A Fresh New Approach To Home Games
Does it really get any better than watching professional basketball for free?
Friday night marks an important day in franchise history for the San Diego Sharks who will host their first home game of the 2022 TBL season while searching for their first victory of the season against the 2-0 SoCal Moguls at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. The gate attraction beyond sporting a professional basketball team on the floor in San Diego: free admission to see the Sharks at home all season long.
“We’re excited to take on the Sharks as a new venture for several reasons, but first and foremost we see the team as a way to better engage our local community through sports. Influenced by my ten-plus seasons of Minor League basketball, our team and our partners also see the Sharks as a viable and lucrative business that, when run on a disciplined budget and marketing strategy, can enjoy sustainable success in San Diego,” Ownership group, Fidelitas Development announced on their company website.
“We’re going to lead by serving. Before asking the community for anything, we’re giving away a great experience for fans. A mascot, DJ, and fun games and prizes await fans at every game, but that’s not uncommon. What is uncommon is free admission and free popcorn. These will serve as our team’s initiative to establish a “talk trigger” during our initial season.”
The approach is certainly getting people talking and taking notice of the Sharks as Fidelitas founder and team CEO, Tyler Sickmeyer, and the organization are keeping a focus on giving back to communities and their fanbase in San Diego during their inaugural TBL season through the mantra, “Our City - Our Team”. While growing Fidelitas since the full-service marketing, advertising, and public relations agency launched in 2008, Sickmeyer (who played college basketball in Illinois at NAIA Lincoln Christian University) had also played for multiple minor league basketball teams, including the IBL’s Southern Illinois Truth, the IBA’s Kankakee Soldiers, and the ABA’s San Diego Surf. Now with the San Diego Sharks – who already sport one of the toughest customized uniforms in The Basketball League – Sickmeyer and Fidelitas are making new waves as a franchise.
Transaction Time: Courtney Mack Arrives With The Central Alabama Jaguars
Through the course of this TBL season, players will go and players will come. It’s simply the nature of the business of professional basketball. On Wednesday, both the Syracuse Stallions and the Jamestown Jackals both announced transactions with the Stallions signing forward Joshua Keyes who brings with him an impressive resume after winning the 2020 Vietnam Basketball Association Champion with the Saigon Heat and being named VBA Finals MVP. The Jackals also said good-bye to forward Antwan Wilkerson after one week with the Johnson C. Smith University alum signing overseas to play in Palestine.
The Central Alabama Jaguars also made news with their latest addition to their roster as the Jaguars inked Alabama native Courtney Mack.
"Because we are the first team established here in the State of Alabama, Montgomery, as a professional men's basketball team, we would like to spotlight one of our awesome players, Courtney Mack, a Bullock County native. Courtney is one of our Shooting Guards and Leader of the Central Alabama Jaguars Organization. He will be featured this season in a great way. Our team is geared towards getting our players noticed and in the spotlight in their communities," said Bryishun Pernell, President, and CEO of The Central Alabama Jaguars.
A 2008 graduate of Bullock County High School, Mack shined at Talladega College winning back to back Conference Championships and earning All-Defensive, All-Conference, and All-American honors before signing to play professionally in Romania with Coleguil Aurel Vlaicu Bucuresti (2017-18 season). A 6’7, 215 pound forward, Mack arrives with the Jags after spending 2021 on the court with the Shreveport-Bossier Knights.
Early Thursday morning, TBL also announced that the Jags have signed Troy State alum and former member of the Albany Patroons, Steven Cunningham, who played on their TBL Championship team during the 2019 season.
The Central Alabama Jaguars tip-off their TBL season when they face the Tampa Bay Titans on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20.
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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.