Salt Lake City Saints
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| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| League | American Basketball Association (2000-) |
| Team history |
Salt Lake City Saints (2008-present) |
| Based in | Taylorsville, Utah |
| Arena | Lifetime Activities Center, Salt Lake Community College |
| Colors | pewter, blue, black |
| Owner(s) | Kenny Wamsley |
| Head coach | TBA |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division titles | 0 |
The Salt Lake City Saints are a basketball team in the American Basketball Association set to begin play in 2008-09. The Saints are owned by Kenny Wamsley, who was previously owner to the failed ABA expansion team the Salt Lake Dream. Home games for the team are played at the Lifetime Activities Center on the Taylorsville campus of Salt Lake Community College),
History
The Saints are the fourth minor league basketball team to attempt to establish a team in Salt Lake County and the second ABA franchise in the area. They were preceded by the Utah Snowbears, who were 2004–05 ABA Championship contenders in their first season before folding the same year during the postseason. Wamsley followed with an abortive attempt to start up the Dream a couple of years later. Utah Eagles (a CBA team) did not fare well either and folded midway through their first CBA season.
One factor behind previous struggles in establishing a viable minor-league basketball franchise in Salt Lake County is the proximity of the NBA's Utah Jazz and the NBA Development League's Utah Flash. Talent levels in the ABA are decidedly lower than that of the NBA and the D-League, which negatively impacts fan interest. Establishing a fan base and revenue apart from the Jazz and the Flash is also difficult because the ABA regular season runs concurrently with the regular seasons in the NBA and D-League.
SLC named Lossie Mitchell as its head coach for the 2008–09 season. Derrick Pearson was named team president. Pearson previously worked in a similar capacity with the Snowbears and the Eagles. The initial Saints roster featured several players with ties to the state of Utah including John Millsap, brother of Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap, and ex-University of Utah point guard Tim Drisdom along with former Utah State guards Myron Simms and Bernard Rock.
2008-09 season
SLC's home opener was originally scheduled for December 3, 2008 against the Gallup Talons. No score has been reported for that game or three other subsequent home games listed for December, 2008 on the ABA website. The Saints have played only two road games so far, according to the league website. Both were road victories over the Modesto Bearcats.
Name Origins
The team name is a reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), which is headquartered in Salt Lake City and is the religion of 58% of Utah's adult population.[1]
References
External links
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