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ABA All Star Game to be High Scoring but low Calibre?If you are a fan of high-scoring basketball games, make sure to check off January 28, 2007 on your calendar, for that's when the American Basketball Association circus...oops...I mean 2007 ABA All Star Game grabs the spotlight at Halifax's Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada.

The calibre of professional basketball, to be honest and well known to my fellow ABA fans here at the Minor League Hoops forumn, will be third tier as the best North American players are already showcasing their talents in the National Basketball Association, NBA Development League and Continental Basketball Association.

Majority of these ABA All Star players - which I posted in a previous message- come from community college or NCAA Division II or III programs.

Unfortunately, the odd are that the closest any of these players will ever get to an NBA court is by purchasing a ticket...make that one in the nose bleed section for their salaries are third-world.

What you will see though , is athletes playing the game for love and living dreams.

What you will see is a high-scoring game with plenty of three-pointers jacked up...attested by previous ABA All Star Game scores: 163-149 (2004-05) and 161-138 (2000-01).

There are several interesting stories in this collection of 26 players.

San Diego Wildcats' Cardell Butler will showboat is skills he learned from his days as a AND1 player while Atlanta Vision's 6-foot-8 Robert Martin will display his monster dunks courtesy of a 40-inch vertical.

Detroit Panthers Kantu Davis is no stranger to crossing the border to Canada for pro hoops as he was a 1999-2000 second-team league all star for the Black Hills Gold (Rapid City, South Dakota) in the International Basketball Association which featured teams in Saskatoon (Saskatchewan Hawks) and Winnipeg (Winnipeg Cyclone).

Arkansas Aeros ' Curtis Haywood made it to the NBA doorstep by playing the D-League way back while Wilmington Sea Dawgs' Cedric McGinnis hopes his ranking in the Top 20 players in semi-professional basketball last year, brings out the scouts.

Would be nice to see his uncle in attendance too...George McGinnis one of the marquee players of the original ABA (1967-76).

Also hitting the court at the Metro Centre will be Quad City Riverhawks Lonnie Randolph who while playing for Drake in the NCAA ranks hit an amazing 22 of 24 free throws in a game.

Let's hope that The Hollywood Fames' Billy Knight brings some of the teams owners along which include W.W.E. diva Stacey Keibler and three-time NBA champion and 14-year vet John Salley.

Most interesting player perhaps and the one that may bring out the NBA scouts is 6-foot-9 guard Sun Yue of the Beijing Aoshen Olympian.

Playing for this transplanted team from the Chinese Basketball Association, Yue has already put up a couple of quadruple-doubles and is pinpointed to be the starting guard for China at the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing.

All of this may sound like Chinese to you but one thing is for sure...there will be plenty of English on the basketball come January 28.

East All Stars
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Katu Davis, Detroit
Antonio Burks, Vermont
James Reaves, Rochester
Drew Washington, Maryland
Gregory Plummer, Strong Island
Cedric McGinnis, Wilmington
Antoine Sims, Buffalo
Jerry Williams, Jacksonville
Rob Sanders, Cape Cod
Bobby St. Preux, Palm Beach
Cordell Jeanty, Quebec City
Robert Martin, Atlanta
Alex Hill, Orlando

West All Stars
--------------

Mike Parker, Bellingham
Donald Beachem, Texas
Cardell Butler, San Diego
Billy Knight, Hollywood
Bobby Anderson, Peoria
Terrell Hendricks, Maywood
Lonnie Randolph, Quad City
Curtis Haywood, Arkansas Aeros
Jeremy Bell, Arkansas RiverCatz
Jamel Staten, Minnesota
Sun Yue, Beijing
Chris Brown, Tennessee
Tyrone Davis, Mississippi
E-Mail to Globe and Mail Sports Scribe Allan In reference to your column "All Hail Canada" (November 22, 2006 Toronto Globe and Mail) and the written comment "when it comes to basketball, fans outside the Greater Toronto Area are either into university or high school hoops or not at all," please find time to check out my websites www.frozenhoops.com and www.freewebs.com/frozenhoops and you will discover that there is pro basketball in Canada - outside of the Toronto Raptors - and that it is doing fine and well. The American Basketball Association (ABA) presently has teams with the Montreal Matrix and Quebec Kebekwa. The 2007 ABA All Star Game will also be staged in Halifax. Look for SRO. Halifax will enter a team in the ABA next season - 2007-08 - along with the Mississauga Redwolves. Hamilton, London, Ottawa are also rumored to join the ABA. Talking to CEO Joe Newman plans are also to expand out west?! The Vancouver Dragons are set to join the Continental Basketball Association for 2007-2008 and Lethbridge (which had a team in the CBA with the Alberta Dusters back in the 1980s') is rumoured to follow. The CBA is older then the NBA. For 60 years plus there has been plenty of pro hoops in Canada for fans to follow. There was pro hoops outside of high school, college and university for Canadian fans to watch before the Raptors and it will continue. The ball may only bounce up. Curtis J. PhillipsCanada's Basketball Historian Just some of the 30+ pro basketball teams in Canada (past, present and future) that don't start with Toronto or end in Raptors

Alberta Dusters (Continental Basketball Association) averaged 1,250 fans a game in Lethbridge

Barrie Bandits (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Brantford Blaze (ConneXion) (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Calgary 88s' (World Basketball League) average over 3,000 fans per game first year. More than 7,000 fans at Saddledome for inaugural All-Star game.

Calgary Drillers (American Basketball Association)

Calgary Outlaws (National Basketball League)

Cape Breton Breakers (National Basketball League)

Durham Dragons (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Edmonton Skyhawks (National Basketball League)

Guelph Gladiators (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Halifax (American Basketball Association)

Halifax Windjammers (World Basketball League) (National Basketball League)

Hamilton Skyhawks (World Basketball League) (National Basketball League)

London Orion (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Mississauga Redwolves (American Basketball Association)

Montreal Dragons (National Basketball League)

Montreal Matrix (American Basketball Association)

Niagara Daredevils (American Basketball Association)

Niagara Gamblers (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Quebec Kebekwa (American Basketball Association)

Saskatchewan Storm (World Basketball League)

Saskatoon Slam (National Basketball League)

Saskatchewan Hawks (Continental Basketball Association)

Saskatchewan Storm (National Basketball League)

Toronto Huskies (Basketball Association of America)

Toronto Metro Xpress (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Toronto Tornados (Continental Basketball Association)

Vancouver Dragons (Continental Basketball Association)

Vancouver Grizzlies (National Basketball Association)

Vancouver Hornets (Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League)

Vancouver Nighthawks (World Basketball League)

Waterloo Revolution (Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Windsor Drive ((Ontario Professional Basketball Association)

Winnipeg Cyclones (International Basketball Association)

Winnipeg Thunder (World Basketball League) (National Basketball League)

http://www.frozenhoops.com/id43.html

P.S. And Steve Nash is not the rare Canadian to make the NBA. Check out the above link which will direct you towards the 35 Canadians drafted into the NBA and the 19 Canadian whom have played in the NBA. (The NBA does not even have this many in their own directory which I wrote for them about five years ago and since researched and updated). Still to confirm if Samuel Dalembert had taken out Canadian citizenship.

ABA in CanadaLast year the news out of Indianapolis, Indiana was that the American Basketball Association (ABA) had plans for major expansion into Canada for the 2006-2007 season. According to Joe Newman, ABA CEO, "We have just accepted market reservations for both Quebec City and Ottawa and earlier announced Vancouver (now going into CBA), bringing to five the number of teams that will be playing in Canada next season (there are only two now with Montreal and Quebec City). And we're also working with four additional groups. We are very excited about all three cities and of course, we are extremely proud of the way both the Montreal Matrix and Niagara Daredevils (folded) have started. Canada is very important to the ABA, the fans are fabulous, and we'll do everything we can to justify the confidence and support we are receiving. We'll be announcing the ownership groups and their plans very shortly." In regards to the possibility of the following teams making an appearance in Canada:

OUT: Vancouver has had three different owners looking at the ABA most recently Michael Tuckman. Originally talks there were in having a Oriental based player team but that owner jumped ship. Now Tuckman wants to take the Dragons into the CBA for 2007-2008 season. Good market and could make a go. Will make a go. IN: Ottawa: Talks with a team and the ABA have been on the go for a while. Thought was that the Niagara Daredevils would move there.

IN: Quebec City: Yes. Would be a could rivalry with Montreal which attracted 2,400 to some games last yearr. May be to small a city. Lost their NHL team so this may be a right blend. OUT - Victoria: No way. Already support the Vikes university team. Two teams in town too much.

IN - Calgary: If Edmonton had a team maybe. Had a bad taste from the ABA last year which was a fiasco with the ill fated Calgary Drillers which lasted two weeks. Will have to regain confidence of public. Have to get John Havelock on board. They had great crowds for the semi-pro realm before with the Calgary 88s' - World Basketball League (1988-1992) reaching the finals three times – and the short-lived Calgary Outlaws (1994 National Basketball League). Attracted 8,000 to some games!!!

IN: Edmonton: Get the right people on board and you have a go. West Edmonton Mall - the largest mall in the world - has had behind the door talks of building their own arena and have mentioned minor league hoops as a possible look see

IN: Winnipeg: Supported semi pro ball before and will do it again. Need to get Grand Forks and Fargo on that loop with a close drive to North Dakota.

OUT: Regina: A no go. Already have their CFL football team which all the $$$$ goes into.

IN: Saskatoon: Yes. They have had a semi-pro team history, even in the Continental Basketball Association, longer then any other city in Canada.

OUT: Toronto. No way. If Toronto got an ABA team then they would want a NBA team? lol

OUT: Hamilton: No go. To close to Toronto.

OUT: Fredericton: Are you kidding?

OUT: Saint John: Another joke?

OUT: St. John's: Only if they bring in home bred Carl English. Not enough $$$ in Newfoundland to support pro sports aside from hockey.

IN: Halifax: Yes. Most definite. They landed the 2006 All Star Game! Will lead league in attendance. They love hoops out that way.

Possible other locales:
Lethbridge - Hoop crazed Mormons in that neck of the woods. Had a CBA team in the early 1980s'
Red Deer - Stuck between Edmonton and Calgary one hour each way
Fort McMurray - My home town $80,000 with an average income of more than $100,000. I would be the GM
London (Ontario) not England. Still in talks with ABA.
For more information about the ABA in Canada, visit email joenewman@abalive.com or visit www.abalive.com. Halifax landing the ABA All-Star Game is one of the best things ever to hit the hardwood in Canada. The ABA has had a bit of a struggle north of the border with failure in Calgary (Drillers) and Niagara (Daredevils) but in both cases it was a fly by night operation. Proposed teams in Vancouver - which has joined the CBA - Ottawa, London etc never panned out. Montreal Matrix had a solid season last year and Quebec looks like it will have a strong footing. Excited about Halifax though as it sounds like it actually has some SMART PEOPLE on board. But to land the ABA All Star Game! If they do it right look for Canadian teams to start popping up here and there. See Nov. 12 blog for predictions on such.

Frozen Hoops - American Basketball Association

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