ABA to Return to Central Arkansas

[ryanaw]

The ABA Professional Basketball League is to return to Central Arkansas for the 2011-2012 Season!!!

I'm not sure if anyone remembers the Arkansas RimRockers or the Northwest Arkansas Aeros, but there will be two new teams that are part of the 2011 Expansion Teams for the ABA according to www.abalve.com.

One of the teams is the Conway Cyclones that wll play in Conway starting next year and the other team, yet to be named, will play in Little Rock (most likely the Verizon Arena in NLR). The teams are to be part of the Central States Conference.

I'm not sure if the Conway Team will make it, but I do hope it does well. With the growing population and local support, I'm sure they will last a while.

The Little Rock team, I believe, will do well. I feel the biggest mistake was taking the team to NBDL where the RimRockers folded after one season. We had just won a Championship with our first season in the ABA. According to the article below, Little Rock had great support for the RimRockers with setting the record for the largest turnout for an ABA game, 15,000 fans. I probrably will go see a couple of games in Conway. It will be nice to have a real in-state rivalry other than the smaller colleges and high schools. (I wish Arkansas would play Arkansas State!!! More money in the state!!! Can be played at War Memorial!!!)

Conway Article:

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=ABALIVE&t=c&s=basketball&p=newsstory&newsID=10873

Little Rock Article:

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=ABALIVE&t=c&s=basketball&p=newsstory&newsID=10720

[Architect]

The ABA Professional Basketball League is to return to Central Arkansas for the 2011-2012 Season!!!

I'm not sure if anyone remembers the Arkansas RimRockers or the Northwest Arkansas Aeros, but there will be two new teams that are part of the 2011 Expansion Teams for the ABA according to www.abalve.com.

One of the teams is the Conway Cyclones that wll play in Conway starting next year and the other team, yet to be named, will play in Little Rock (most likely the Verizon Arena in NLR). The teams are to be part of the Central States Conference.

I'm not sure if the Conway Team will make it, but I do hope it does well. With the growing population and local support, I'm sure they will last a while.

The Little Rock team, I believe, will do well. I feel the biggest mistake was taking the team to NBDL where the RimRockers folded after one season. We had just won a Championship with our first season in the ABA. According to the article below, Little Rock had great support for the RimRockers with setting the record for the largest turnout for an ABA game, 15,000 fans. I probrably will go see a couple of games in Conway. It will be nice to have a real in-state rivalry other than the smaller colleges and high schools. (I wish Arkansas would play Arkansas State!!! More money in the state!!! Can be played at War Memorial!!!)

Conway Article:

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=ABALIVE&t=c&s=basketball&p=newsstory&newsID=10873

Little Rock Article:

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=ABALIVE&t=c&s=basketball&p=newsstory&newsID=10720

Wow...interesting. I'm surprised investors keep pursuing minor league franchises...the margins must be extremely low, if there's any profit at all. And Conway? Really?

[ryanaw]

Wow...interesting. I'm surprised investors keep pursuing minor league franchises...the margins must be extremely low, if there's any profit at all. And Conway? Really?

Yes Conway... I thought the same thing. I honestly feel that investors are afraid to pursue a true professional team because they don't think Central Arkansas could support a professional team. I would love to at least see a professional Baseball or Football team. I look at Salt Lake City and wonder why can't we have at least an NBA team???

[Architect]

Yes Conway... I thought the same thing. I honestly feel that investors are afraid to pursue a true professional team because they don't think Central Arkansas could support a professional team. I would love to at least see a professional Baseball or Football team. I look at Salt Lake City and wonder why can't we have at least an NBA team???

I love Little Rock, but it's just not big enough. OKC and Memphis are recent additions to the pro sports arena (pun intended). They're on the bleeding edge of being able to make it work, and they're both half again bigger in market size than Little Rock.

[ryanaw]

Well, another ABA team will be starting in Arkansas, this time in Northeast Arkansas (Jonesboro). Another "Semi" Pro basketball team. It's better than nothing. At least there is some type of sport team(s) that's above the collegiate level.