New pro basketball team coming this March
The IronPigs brought pro baseball to the Lehigh Valley followed by the Phantoms who brought top-notch ice hockey to the region.
The Lehigh Valley Legends would like to follow in the footsteps of the other successful franchises, but on the hardwood. The Legends are a pro basketball team that will play in an established league known simply as The Basketball League.
“This is a league that has been around for four previous seasons with the fifth coming up,” said Legends co-owner Kenric Carter, who was recently named the new women’s basketball coach at Cedar Crest College. “The league has grown from about 10 teams pre-pandemic to about 40 teams, so it definitely has had some growth and we’re excited about being a part of it and bring professional basketball to the area.”
The Legends have named longtime area coach and clinician Al Blount as its first head coach.
“I’m excited for myself to have this opportunity, but more so for the Lehigh Valley and the players who aspire to play at a higher level than the TBL and can use this league as a launching pad,” said Blount, a former Dieruff High and Tennessee State standout who has coached at Bethlehem Catholic, Pen Argyl and Lincoln Leadership while also running various camps and clinics for kids for decades.
“If I can be instrumental in getting these guys chances to play overseas or in the G-league that would be gratifying to me because it’s what I always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to help kids and help put them in the best position to succeed.”
Blount said the franchise’s arrival is a long time coming and he is eager to get the chance to shape and mold a team.
“I want to put a team on the floor and let them go and compete,” Blount said. “We’re going to push the ball and play at a high level with spacing and speed and let them play the game of basketball. I don’t know how to put into words how much I look forward to this, not just the games, but the everyday process of working with pro players.”
According to the league’s website https://thebasketballeague.net, the Lehigh Valley franchise is part of a major expansion for the TBL which will have 17 teams in the Eastern Conference alone. There will be another 30 teams spread through the Midwest, Central, and West conferences.
Last year’s champion was the Enid Outlaws from Oklahoma, who went 30-3 and completed their title run with sweeps of the San Diego Guardians and Syracuse Stallions in the playoffs.
Teams will play within their own conferences until the playoffs to minimize travel costs. The season will run from March 4 to June 26 with playoffs to follow and will feature 24 regular season games — 12 at home and 12 on the road, all on weekends. The closest opposing team to the Lehigh Valley would be the Reading Rebels.
Carter said a home venue for the team has yet to be determined, but according to the website, teams use a variety of facilities to host games.
Enid played its games at the Stride Bank Center, which seats 3,200 for sporting events. Syracuse played its home games at Bishop Grimes High School in East Syracuse, New York.
“We’re looking for a home and we have some prospects,” Carter said. “We have some schools we’re talking with. With Covid, it’s a little more difficult to work something out. But we’re looking for a permanent home, a place we can play year in and year out. We want to build a partnership with that school and the community as well.”
In terms of players, Carter is looking for the best players out there.
“We’re looking for the best talent out there and not necessarily guys who played at a high Division I level,” Carter said. “We’re looking for our team to encompass all levels, Division II, Division III. We’re looking for good, solid, fundamentally sound players who want to be part of the organization and who want to get better. They may have aspirations of playing professionally overseas.”
“The league has the attention of agents from all over the country and with that, you have guys in this league who have received contracts in the G-league and overseas,” Carter said. “The talent pool is wide open.”
Of course, this is not the area’s first relationship with a professional basketball team.
The Allentown/Lehigh Valley Jets were members of the Eastern Professional Basketball League (later known as the Eastern Basketball Association and Continental Basketball Association) from 1958 to 1981.
The Jets played primarily at Allentown Central Catholic’s Rockne Hall and Allen High’s Sewards Gym.
The Pennsylvania Valley-Dawgs, who were coached by former NBA standout Darryl Dawkins, were members of the United States Basketball League who played at Stabler Arena and Allen from 1999 to 2006.
A few other startup franchises have been talked about since, but nothing came to fruition. Carter said the Legends and The Basketball League are different.
“This league prides itself on being about the players and the communities where they play,” Carter said. “The teams that have come on board in the last few years understand the league vision. It’s all about producing good, quality players and giving them a platform where they can get exposure to go elsewhere and fulfill their dreams.
“I can’t speak about other teams and leagues and why they didn’t work, but we’re going to make sure we’re reaching out in the community and leaving no stone unturned. The league backs us 100 percent and they support us and do what they need to do to help their teams. We know the way we’re doing it is the right way to do it and we’re looking to grow and become a part of the community in the same way the Lehigh Valley Iron-Pigs and Lehigh Valley Phantoms have done so.”
The team is holding its first tryouts this Saturday and again Oct. 30 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Franklin Township Municipal Building and Community Center in Broadway, New Jersey. There will be additional tryouts at Allen High School at dates to be announced.
“We all loved the Jets when we had them in Allentown and we love going to Coca-Cola Park to watch the IronPigs and the PPL Center for the Phantoms, and they all established great fan bases,” said Blount, who is looking for an assistant coach with collegiate coaching experience and other volunteer coaches. “We’d like to create our own fan base and community bond with the Legends.”
To learn more about the Legends, go to the team’s website at https://lehighvalleylegends.com.