Behnke, renamed Power prepping for ABA season

This is not your father’s ABA. The American Basketball Association of the late 1960s and early 1970s — the pro league known for its red/white/blue basketballs, franchises like the New York Nets and Indiana Pacers, and legendary players like Julius “Dr. J” Erving — shares only its name and color scheme with the entity that’s been in existence for the past 20plus years.

The current ABA is a semiprofessional minor league by nature. Founded in 1999, it features a number of franchises in the Philadelphia metropolitan area’s northern and western suburbs.

Locally, Pottstown has had an ABA franchise for three years. Formerly known as the Flames, Pottstown has a new nickname (Power) and owner, Mike Behnke, who had been the team’s head coach in previous seasons.

“The former owner, Joseph Barnett, has a new team in Trenton, N.J., the Trenton Titans,” ABA CEO Joe Newman said at the time the ownership change was announced, “and has transferred ownership to Coach Mike Behnke. Mike has a tremendous background and should really do well.”

Behnke is both a national and international basketball coach and has coached men and women in high school and college as well as national teams in Nepal, Bhutan and India and women’s basketball coach at the University of Valley Forge. He is currently the founder and Director of Basketball Operations at Basecamp Basketball in Pottstown, a non-profit organization dedicated to training players for basketball success.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge of ownership of an

an ABA team,” Behnke said. “I believe we will be very strong on and off the court.”

The Power is one of two dozen franchises in the ABA’s Mid-Atlantic Region, joined locally by teams in King of Prussia (Norristown Knights) and West Chester (Wildcats). The region will be adding another team for the 2020 season, based in Phoenixville.

The Bull Sharks are being brought to Phoenixville largely through the efforts of Stephen Bergman. The former owner of the Flames is looking to expand the ABA’s footprint in southeast Pennsylvania, and he knows he’s facing a sizeable task.

“We’re in a rebuilding process,” Bergman said. “We need to get into the community, build a staff, bring in college kids and look for players.”

Bergman is being assisted in the project by Jonathan Gross, owner of the Wildcats, and Grace Hilborn, who has expertise in customer assistance.

“Community support is one of the big issues,” Bergman said. “We have to put a plan together, something youth and kids can enjoy.”

“We want it to all come together, sponsors and players,” he added. “The support will determine how big we become.”

For Pottstown, a challenge lies in the establishment of a winning culture. The team went winless in its first season, then had a combined seven victories the next two years.

With Behnke taking over as head coach midway through the 2018-19 season, the Flames won five games in the regular season to qualify for a play-in game in the postseason. A loss in that game prevented them from advancing.

“I hope to develop the whole Pottstown flavor,” Behnke said, citing close ties with local high-school coaches. Its home court is Coventry Christian School in Pottstown, where Behnke is the girls varsity basketball head coach.

The ABA schedule runs from late November to early March, and teams need to play a minimum of 20 games to qualify for the playoffs. Individual teams make up their own schedules, and the emphasis with Pottstown is to schedule opponents as close to its home base as possible.

In the context of that time frame, it’s believed the COVID-19 pandemic will not adversely impact the season.

“The feeling is we’re wide open,” Behnke said. “We don’t anticipate an interruption.”

“We’re confident the season will go on,” Bergman added. “It won’t affect us.” In formulation of a roster, ABA teams have the freedom to draw players from anywhere. The main requirement for individuals is to have used up all their college eligibility. For its 2020-21 roster, Pottstown is looking at candidates from the Reading and Chester areas, and possibly four from outside the state. The remainder of the roster — Behnke is looking to have 12 players — will be drawn locally from three tryouts to be scheduled. “A lot if it is word of mouth,” he said. The age range of players has run between 22 and 35, though the average is more in the 22-30 band. Bergman’s hope is to tap into the Phoenixville area’s own athletic background to get the Bull Sharks on a solid footing for its inaugural season. “We’re looking at people within the community to build something in how we start into the summer,” he said. “When we open up, we’ll be able to do that.” “Phoenixville is a pretty standout town in all sports. There are opportunities for people to join us.” Individuals wanting to get involved with Phoenixville’s ABA franchise can do so either by phone (610-587-0084), by e-mail (BullsharksABA@gmail. com) or on Facebook (@ PhoenixvilleBullSharks). *** The presence of the Pottstown men’s franchise has fueled the organization of a team in the Women’s ABA. Also known as the Pottstown Power, it was slated to begin operations this year. Sadly, the women’s debut has been postponed for a year. With concerns born of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the feasibility of playing this year — its season runs from August to October — the WABA met June 13 to decide on the matter. “The WABA has made the decision that since we are a nationwide league, and each of states are in different stages, the WABA will not have a 2020 season,” Behnke said in a statement released after the meeting. “It is cancelled, and the WABA will instead focus to prepare for the 2021 season.” Pottstown will be one of 24 WABA teams, and one of the few communities with men’s and women’s ABA teams. A minimum eight games would have to be played to be eligible for the playoffs. “It would be more like a college scenario,” Behnke said. “The men and women’s teams will both have the name Power. We want to create unity between the teams. Sometimes we might have the men and women together at community events.” It all factors into a larger quest for the women. “The goal of the WABA is to position itself to be a feeder for the Women’s NBA,” Behnke noted.