ChumpDumper
10-15-2007, 02:19 PM
Todd Mavreles
October 13, 2007 - 11:06PM
[email protected]
McALLEN — It was only a matter of time before the sports fanatical Rio Grande Valley found room for a professional basketball team.
After all, minor league baseball, hockey and football are already entrenched in the area.
But instead of just one team from which to choose, the Valley suddenly went from zero to two — the NBA Development League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Continental Basketball Association’s Rio Grande Valley Silverados.
While they’ll never meet on the court, the 2007-08 expansion teams are competing for the same thing — local fans.
The two teams are set to play in different leagues and arenas beginning in November.
“I think that everybody that’s involved in family entertainment, as we coin ourselves, are in competition and the Silverados are our competition along those lines,” said Brett Lindahl, the Vipers’ director of corporate sales. “The movie theaters are competition along those lines, and mini-golf places, things like that. Anything that involves the family (is a competitor).”
Silverados make their move
Each franchise has enlisted aggressive advertising campaigns in a bid to lure local fans.
Silverados vans and trucks have been visible throughout the Upper Valley and there are two billboards on Expressway 83.
The team also staged an exhibition game in March tagged the “Unity of Nations,” playing the Reynosa Correcaminos of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Professional before approximately 100 spectators on the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. The demarcation between the United States and Mexico doubled as the half court line.
Taking the off-court rivalry to another level, Silverados co-owner Art Gonzalez penned a letter to the editor in The Monitor questioning the Vipers, suggesting there is “turmoil and urgency within the Vipers front office … Support is lagging and there is disarray.”
Gonzalez recently backed off those comments, and the Vipers say there’s nothing to them. Regardless, it’s clear the organizations won’t be sending each other Christmas cards.
“I wish them the best and competition only makes everyone better,” Gonzalez said. “We’re past that point now. I don’t want to be an adversary.
“I hope they hav0e a great season, because we’re confident that we’ll have one.”
Staking a claim
The Silverados came into existence last fall as an American Basketball Association franchise. The franchise soon had misgivings about the direction of the ABA. Co-owner Kevin Mitchell said the Silverados were disenchanted, citing the “overall viability of the league” and that the ABA didn’t satisfy the Silverados’ needs, which he didn’t clarify. As such, the Silverados ponied up the $100,000-plus CBA franchise fee to join what they deemed a more stable league.
Dennis Truax, CBA vice president of operations, said in an August visit to the Valley that he’s confident the Silverados will be successful in this market, even if it also includes a D-League franchise.
“The D-League has their own way of doing things and we have our way,” Truax said. “We wish them well, but we’re going to do the things that have made our teams successful in the past. We hold no ill will toward them. They have a business to run just like we do.”
Despite Truax’s insistence the D-League isn’t on the CBA’s radar, the Silverados put the Vipers in somewhat of an uncomfortable position in August by issuing a challenge at a McAllen City Commissioners meeting to play for charity in what appeared to be a blatant publicity stunt. The Vipers said they first heard of the proposal when a reporter called to inquire about it.
Chris Alpert, D-League vice president of Basketball Operations, said a D-League rule is for its member teams to only play against one another, even during the exhibition season.
“That’s our policy. They may not have known,” Alpert said. “I don’t know why they put the challenge out.”
Whatever the motivation, the Silverados have crafted an identity closely associated with the University of Texas-Pan American’s — a move that could appeal to local fans who are familiar with the Broncs college team, which plays in Edinburg, just a few miles away from their home court at the McAllen Convention Center.
Most notably, Mitchell was a guard for the Broncs from 2001-03, and former UTPA star Mire Chatman was named the Silverados’ head of player personnel. Even more, the Silverados selected former UTPA center Colin Lien in the fifth round of the 2007 CBA draft.
Furthering their appeal to local fans, the Silverados have hired popular Valley public address announcer Tony Forina for their home games, as well as a new game operations specialist with experience working for the Monterrey Tigres, a Mexican professional soccer club.
“From the start, we knew we were going to have to put on a new show,” Gonzalez said. “The entertainment aspect is crucial to our success. We’re going to emphasize that a lot.”
Vipers strike off the court
Just months after the Silverados set up camp in the Valley, a group of mostly local investors announced in January that they had purchased a D-League franchise to play at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo this fall.
The investment, which D-League President Dan Reed said is “in the seven figures,” was a hefty one. But, that’s the going rate for what the Vipers’ group of 10 owners hope will be NBA-style entertainment.
At its inception, the Vipers quickly moved to hire a pair of recognizable names to local basketball fans — San Antonio Spurs legend George Gervin and former UTPA coach Bob Hoffman.
Gervin is an NBA Hall of Famer who symbolized the run-and-gun Spurs of the 1980s by averaging over 26 points per game. He is the Vipers’ head of basketball operations.
Hoffman, meanwhile, is best known for leading the Broncs to their most successful season in recent memory, a 21-9 finish in 2001-02.
Gervin, Hoffman and the NBA brand gave the franchise immediate credibility with basketball fans.
The franchise also acquired something that no previous Valley team has had — affiliations with the major leagues.
The Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings, Edinburg Roadrunners and Edinburg Coyotes are/were independent league baseball teams. The Rio Grande Valley Dorados play in arenafootball2, a minor league of the Arena Football League. And the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League do not have a direct pipeline to a National Hockey League team.
Although the Vipers were hoping to partner with the Spurs — South Texas’ home team — they scored the next best thing for local fans, securing affiliations with the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Rockets coach Rick Adelman was recently quoted in the Houston Chronicle as saying he looked forward to the option of sending players to the D-League (i.e. Vipers) for seasoning.
The Vipers still are fine-tuning their front office as they prepare for their slated Nov. 23 season opener against the Austin Toros at Dodge Arena. They recently appointed Abby Pierce, former D-League marketing director, as the team’s president.
Lindahl, who served as associate general manager of the Edinburg Coyotes of United League Baseball last year, was hired to handle group sales. He previously worked in the D-League as director of group sales for the D-League franchise in Asheville, N.C., from 2003-05.
Sports Business Journal recently ranked the Valley as the No. 25 minor league sports market in the country.
To Pierce and the Vipers, that means there are plenty of fans here who are hungry for quality professional sports action. And she thinks there is room for the Vipers and the Silverados to co-exist, as well as enough entertainment dollars in the area to stretch across two basketball courts.
“The Rio Grande Valley is a really, really huge market,” she said. “Businesses are popping up everywhere, every day. We both offer different entertainment options and I hope that they do really well.
“We’re going to provide NBA-style entertainment. It’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait until opening night.”
Todd Mavreles is Deputy Sports Editor of The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4451.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/league_5802___article.html/silverados_vipers.html
October 13, 2007 - 11:06PM
[email protected]
McALLEN — It was only a matter of time before the sports fanatical Rio Grande Valley found room for a professional basketball team.
After all, minor league baseball, hockey and football are already entrenched in the area.
But instead of just one team from which to choose, the Valley suddenly went from zero to two — the NBA Development League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Continental Basketball Association’s Rio Grande Valley Silverados.
While they’ll never meet on the court, the 2007-08 expansion teams are competing for the same thing — local fans.
The two teams are set to play in different leagues and arenas beginning in November.
“I think that everybody that’s involved in family entertainment, as we coin ourselves, are in competition and the Silverados are our competition along those lines,” said Brett Lindahl, the Vipers’ director of corporate sales. “The movie theaters are competition along those lines, and mini-golf places, things like that. Anything that involves the family (is a competitor).”
Silverados make their move
Each franchise has enlisted aggressive advertising campaigns in a bid to lure local fans.
Silverados vans and trucks have been visible throughout the Upper Valley and there are two billboards on Expressway 83.
The team also staged an exhibition game in March tagged the “Unity of Nations,” playing the Reynosa Correcaminos of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Professional before approximately 100 spectators on the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. The demarcation between the United States and Mexico doubled as the half court line.
Taking the off-court rivalry to another level, Silverados co-owner Art Gonzalez penned a letter to the editor in The Monitor questioning the Vipers, suggesting there is “turmoil and urgency within the Vipers front office … Support is lagging and there is disarray.”
Gonzalez recently backed off those comments, and the Vipers say there’s nothing to them. Regardless, it’s clear the organizations won’t be sending each other Christmas cards.
“I wish them the best and competition only makes everyone better,” Gonzalez said. “We’re past that point now. I don’t want to be an adversary.
“I hope they hav0e a great season, because we’re confident that we’ll have one.”
Staking a claim
The Silverados came into existence last fall as an American Basketball Association franchise. The franchise soon had misgivings about the direction of the ABA. Co-owner Kevin Mitchell said the Silverados were disenchanted, citing the “overall viability of the league” and that the ABA didn’t satisfy the Silverados’ needs, which he didn’t clarify. As such, the Silverados ponied up the $100,000-plus CBA franchise fee to join what they deemed a more stable league.
Dennis Truax, CBA vice president of operations, said in an August visit to the Valley that he’s confident the Silverados will be successful in this market, even if it also includes a D-League franchise.
“The D-League has their own way of doing things and we have our way,” Truax said. “We wish them well, but we’re going to do the things that have made our teams successful in the past. We hold no ill will toward them. They have a business to run just like we do.”
Despite Truax’s insistence the D-League isn’t on the CBA’s radar, the Silverados put the Vipers in somewhat of an uncomfortable position in August by issuing a challenge at a McAllen City Commissioners meeting to play for charity in what appeared to be a blatant publicity stunt. The Vipers said they first heard of the proposal when a reporter called to inquire about it.
Chris Alpert, D-League vice president of Basketball Operations, said a D-League rule is for its member teams to only play against one another, even during the exhibition season.
“That’s our policy. They may not have known,” Alpert said. “I don’t know why they put the challenge out.”
Whatever the motivation, the Silverados have crafted an identity closely associated with the University of Texas-Pan American’s — a move that could appeal to local fans who are familiar with the Broncs college team, which plays in Edinburg, just a few miles away from their home court at the McAllen Convention Center.
Most notably, Mitchell was a guard for the Broncs from 2001-03, and former UTPA star Mire Chatman was named the Silverados’ head of player personnel. Even more, the Silverados selected former UTPA center Colin Lien in the fifth round of the 2007 CBA draft.
Furthering their appeal to local fans, the Silverados have hired popular Valley public address announcer Tony Forina for their home games, as well as a new game operations specialist with experience working for the Monterrey Tigres, a Mexican professional soccer club.
“From the start, we knew we were going to have to put on a new show,” Gonzalez said. “The entertainment aspect is crucial to our success. We’re going to emphasize that a lot.”
Vipers strike off the court
Just months after the Silverados set up camp in the Valley, a group of mostly local investors announced in January that they had purchased a D-League franchise to play at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo this fall.
The investment, which D-League President Dan Reed said is “in the seven figures,” was a hefty one. But, that’s the going rate for what the Vipers’ group of 10 owners hope will be NBA-style entertainment.
At its inception, the Vipers quickly moved to hire a pair of recognizable names to local basketball fans — San Antonio Spurs legend George Gervin and former UTPA coach Bob Hoffman.
Gervin is an NBA Hall of Famer who symbolized the run-and-gun Spurs of the 1980s by averaging over 26 points per game. He is the Vipers’ head of basketball operations.
Hoffman, meanwhile, is best known for leading the Broncs to their most successful season in recent memory, a 21-9 finish in 2001-02.
Gervin, Hoffman and the NBA brand gave the franchise immediate credibility with basketball fans.
The franchise also acquired something that no previous Valley team has had — affiliations with the major leagues.
The Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings, Edinburg Roadrunners and Edinburg Coyotes are/were independent league baseball teams. The Rio Grande Valley Dorados play in arenafootball2, a minor league of the Arena Football League. And the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League do not have a direct pipeline to a National Hockey League team.
Although the Vipers were hoping to partner with the Spurs — South Texas’ home team — they scored the next best thing for local fans, securing affiliations with the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Rockets coach Rick Adelman was recently quoted in the Houston Chronicle as saying he looked forward to the option of sending players to the D-League (i.e. Vipers) for seasoning.
The Vipers still are fine-tuning their front office as they prepare for their slated Nov. 23 season opener against the Austin Toros at Dodge Arena. They recently appointed Abby Pierce, former D-League marketing director, as the team’s president.
Lindahl, who served as associate general manager of the Edinburg Coyotes of United League Baseball last year, was hired to handle group sales. He previously worked in the D-League as director of group sales for the D-League franchise in Asheville, N.C., from 2003-05.
Sports Business Journal recently ranked the Valley as the No. 25 minor league sports market in the country.
To Pierce and the Vipers, that means there are plenty of fans here who are hungry for quality professional sports action. And she thinks there is room for the Vipers and the Silverados to co-exist, as well as enough entertainment dollars in the area to stretch across two basketball courts.
“The Rio Grande Valley is a really, really huge market,” she said. “Businesses are popping up everywhere, every day. We both offer different entertainment options and I hope that they do really well.
“We’re going to provide NBA-style entertainment. It’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait until opening night.”
Todd Mavreles is Deputy Sports Editor of The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4451.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/league_5802___article.html/silverados_vipers.html