WILLIAMSBURG — The Triangle Shooters, a semi-professional basketball team based in Williamsburg, are in deep preparation for the team’s inaugural season.
Founder Kenya Williams told WYDaily practices might begin as early as this week. This year’s tryouts for the team have already taken place, and the official player roster was in the process of being finalized over the weekend.
“So we treated it like a real combine,” said Williams in an interview with WYDaily. “These guys are at least going to go through dribbling drills, shooting drills, passing drills, and we’re testing their basketball IQ. We’re also looking at their experience. We’re looking at their whole resume all the way from high school to the collegiate level. We have some guys that even have some pro experience. They played only one year overseas, or they played a couple of months, but some guys even have that experience.”
The local American Basketball Association (ABA) team is slated to take to the hardwood for its first official game of the season on Nov. 5t. More details are to be announced by the team as the season draws closer.
“As any athlete or any team will say, the goal is you just want to compete,” said Williams. “Nobody is trying to win a championship the first season, but if we do, great, don’t get me wrong, but this season we would just like to compete and we’re doing something not just for the sake of ourselves, but for the community. Basketball is one of those sports that’s missing in Williamsburg.”
ABA is a semi-professional basketball league. This means that the teams that the Triangle Shooters will compete against have athletes that come from all different skill levels and stages in their basketball careers. Some players may have actually played professionally, others might have collegiate experience, and many of the players in the league at least have experience playing for their high school teams.
The Triangle Shooters have joined the ABA’s Mid-Atlantic Division; a division that now consists of 17 teams. The local team’s regular season stretches from November to February and consists of 16 games — 8 home and 8 away.
Home games for the Triangle Shooters will be played at Williamsburg Christian Academy (WCA) this season.
As the season approaches, an official schedule will be announced, Williams told WYDaily. Tickets for home games will cost $10.00.
The local team has selected Hannibal Tuck, a former Assistance Coach at Virginia Union University, as its head coach. Another local who has been involved with the team’s training has been Brandon Brown, who also has experience playing and coaching.
Williams told WYDaily in January that a big motivation for the Triangle Shooters is the desire to help create a stepping stone for local talent to achieve their goals of playing in the NBA G-League, overseas, or even at the highest level — the NBA.
For more updates and information on Triangle Shooters, you can follow the organization on its official Facebook page.
Those interested in sponsoring the team or receiving additional information can email the organization directly at: triangleshooters1@gmail.com.
