Around The Basketball League: Syracuse Set For 2022 TBL All-Star Weekend, Nobles Named TBL Player of the Week, Potawatomi Fire Are Stacked, Kokomo's GM On The Rise
The Stallions' Christian Nobles, Paris Collins (Potawatomi Fire), and BobKats General Manager Sam Beckom All Get Some Run As The TBL Gets Ready For Game Day
Thank you to The Basketball League fans, coaches, and players who read, reached out, and supported the first edition of the Around The Basketball League newsletter here on Substack. As I mentioned with last night’s drop, this is a destination and forum to gather the latest news, updates, insight, and interviews on the TBL as the 2022 season gets underway.
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The head coach of The Basketball League's newest entrant, the Potawatomi Fire, has led TBL teams to the finals and even a playoff championship in 2019 with the Albany Patroons. Now Derrick Rowland believes his 2022 TBL squad is ready to accept the challenge and compete with the best teams in the league, that is if the road doesn’t break them first.
“It ain't good or bad,” Rowland told the The Shawnee News-Star about playing the first five games of the regular season on the road. “It would have been nice to get a game at home. But we've got to learn what it's like to play on the road. We are going to accept the challenge. This team is very comparable to the championship level teams in this league.”
Last October, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation becomes first native tribe in Oklahoma to own a professional sports team with announcement of the Potawatomi Fire. The Fire will also feature former Oklahoma State 7’1 center Anthony Allen and former Oklahoma Sooner guard David Godbold, who flourished as a pro overseas in Germany’s BEKO BBL. Yet while Allen and Godbold will be a legit handful to cover in the post and on the perimeter, keep an eye on 6’5 forward Deon Lyle (former Conference USA 6th Man of the Year) and Paris Collins (Jackson State University, NBA G League with the Texas Legends) who can create havoc in between the lines as well. With both size and experience across the roster, the Fire just might burn through the Central Conference.
The Kokomo BobKats not only strive to recognize and develop talent on the court in the TBL, but in their front office as well. An Indiana native, Sam Beckom started with the franchise on their operations staff in 2020 before a meeting with team owners Mark Jansen and Jeff Beeler last November boosted his career trajectory. Now as the General Manager of the BobKats, Beckom has created a balanced approach to team building between giving back in the community of Kokomo and building a winning organization.
“I never would have dreamed years ago that I’d be a GM of a sports team,” Beckom explained in an interview with Towne Post. “It’s cool getting to work with people like Cliff Levingston, a two-time NBA champion whom I’ve always looked up to, and David Magley, the president of our league…our players are always out in the community all the time, interacting and giving away tickets to games. We want to get young fans into the stadium.”
When the Syracuse Stallions officially open their 2022 regular season on Saturday, March 5 by hosting the Lehigh Valley Legends, they’ll be doing so with a new head coach, new home court, and only three players returning from their 2021 TBL Finals run. First-year head coach Pat Beilein will have more than Xs and Os to consider on the sideline this year, that’s for sure. The son of former Canisius men's basketball coach John Beilein, who was named the Stallions head coach last September will also have the pending TBL All-Star Weekend looming over Syracuse come April and the start of the season. Thankfully Coach Beilein has the cool hand shooting of Christian Nobles (pictured above) to rely on, as Nobles was named the first TBL Player of the Week.
The TBL recently announced it will host the 1st ever, TBL All-Star Weekend, on April 15th & 16th in Syracuse NY, home of the 2021 TBL Eastern Conference Champions and National Championship Participants. The event is exciting because it is not only the 1st TBL All-Star weekend of it's kind but it features an international exposure contest between the NBL Canada and the 2022 TBL All-Stars. The NBL Canada is celebrating its 10th season and is the longest running Canadian Professional Basketball League ever.
"We are loving this opportunity to partner with TBL in 24 games and this All Star Weekend Event. Our players, teams and fans are so ready for basketball that this weekend will help all parties get what they crave, more chances to see our guys,” said Audley Stephenson VP Basketball Operations - NBLC in a press release from the TBL. The 2022 All-Star Weekend is Presented by the Syracuse Stallions and their local partner, Nave Law Firm. The weekends events will include:
April 15th, 2022:
-Skills competitions featuring Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest
-Banquet for both team's all stars
April 16th, 2022
-JrTBL youth clinic coached by 2022 All-Star Players & Coaches
-Central New York Celebrity Game
-The 2022 TBL All-Star Game between TBL & NBL Canada
Wendell Maxey has covered and written about professional basketball 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.