Big Dog
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 3,912
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Post by Big Dog on Dec 1, 2004 22:21:51 GMT -5
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Loyal Hoya
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 554
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Post by Loyal Hoya on Dec 1, 2004 22:37:33 GMT -5
Did you catch the reference to Big Ben Gillery?
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Post by HoyaLawya on Dec 3, 2004 0:44:51 GMT -5
Last seen in Southern Cal about three weeks ago, refusing to sign insurance waivers in order to play a game with the Ontarior (California, not Canada) Warriors. From the San Bernadino newspaper --
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ABA's Warriors name Wright coach
By CHRIS WILEY, Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - The Ontario Warriors moved to settle the chaos of the past week by hiring a new coach Friday, but where the American Basketball Association expansion franchise will play many of its games is still a question mark. The team announced the hiring of former UCLA star Brad Wright, who played for the Bruins in the mid-1980s, as coach and director of basketball operations. Wright, who played in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, spent the past two years as the head coach at L.A. Pierce junior college.
Wright replaces Eric Cooper, who was not retained after Cooper, his staff and 14 players refused to go to the Warriors' preseason game against Fresno last Sunday because they refused to sign insurance waivers. Players such as former Fontana High School star Corey Benjamin, former UCLA star Tracy Murray and former Los Angeles prep star Kenny Brunner were among the players who refused to sign waivers.
By hiring Wright, Warriors management is hoping to put the turbulent events of the past few days behind them and salvage a 36-game season that begins on Nov.19 at Las Vegas. "The stuff that happened in the past is in the past,' said Oliver Binns, the Warriors' general manager. "We're blessed to have someone like coach Wright sign with us, so we're ready to move forward and have a great season.'
It is unclear how many players the Warriors have left to start a season. Wright said he would meet with interested players today.
"The first thing I've got to do is pick a team,' Wright said. "Right now, I think our goal is to take the best you can. We'll take not just the best player, but the people who will make our team better.'
When asked about stepping into a rocky situation with the Warriors, Wright said: "There is no situation. The only situation is what's in front of us: Hard work, determination and putting a great product on the floor.'
Wright said he compares the Warriors' plight to that of Pierce College, in which he took over a program that had been dormant for 16 years.
"When I got the call there, we didn't even have a chance to recruit, yet we held our own,' he said. "We built the program up. We're not just trying to make a winning team here, we're trying to make a winning program. A winning program lasts longer.'
But where the Warriors will play is still in question. Team officials said the first two home games on Nov.23 and 24, originally scheduled for Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino, will be moved. They declined to say where those games will be played, saying only that an announcement would come Monday.
Coussoulis Arena director Carol Dixon confirmed that the Warriors have four firm dates to play in the arena Dec.20, Dec.30, and Feb.13 and 27. The team had scheduled eight games in the arena several weeks ago, including Nov.23 and 24, but those were scrapped due to "scheduling conflicts.'
Some games will be played at Cal Poly Pomona, said Brent Hagood, the Warriors' president and CEO.
"We're making decisions on a venue,' Hagood said. "As long as we stay in business, we've got a team, we've got coaches, we've got uniforms. A lot of the (ABA) teams are expansion franchises, and so they have to go out and build their franchise. That includes finding a venue, finding a staff, and getting the corporation set up. If you do it right, you can maintain and stay in business.
"Fan base is a necessity. But we will make it the first year financially. We're concerned that we're moving (around), but it was anticipated.'
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