Salt Lake City Saints
Encyclopedia
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
),
, 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. The Eagles 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 close 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 fanbase and revenue apart from the Jazz and the Flash is also difficult in light of the fact that 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.
), which is headquartered in Salt Lake City and is the religion of 58% of Utah's adult population.
Salt Lake Dream
The Salt Lake Dream was an American Basketball Association team in Salt Lake City. The team's inaugural season was slated to begin November 2006 as a member of the Red Conference...
. Home games for the team are played at the Lifetime Activities Center on the Taylorsville
Taylorsville, Utah
Taylorsville is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 57,439 at the 2000 census...
campus of Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake Community College is the largest higher education institution with the most diverse student body in Utah . The College offers and operates throughout the Salt Lake valley. Even with its large student body, the College maintains a student to faculty ratio of just 20 to 1...
),
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 SnowbearsUtah Snowbears
The Utah Snowbears were a basketball team in the revived American Basketball Association based in Taylorsville, Utah for the 2004-2005 season. The team played its home games in the Lifetime Activities Center on the Redwood Campus of Salt Lake Community College...
, 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
Utah Eagles
The Utah Eagles were a basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association. They played their games in Taylorsville, Utah, and although they started play in the 2006-2007 season, they folded in mid-season....
(a CBA
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
team. The Eagles 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 close proximity of the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
's Utah Flash
Utah Flash
The Utah Flash was a team of the NBA Development League that began playing in 2007 and folded in 2011. They played their home games at the UCCU Center on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah...
. Talent levels in the ABA are decidedly lower than that of the NBA and the D-League, which negatively impacts fan interest. Establishing a fanbase and revenue apart from the Jazz and the Flash is also difficult in light of the fact that 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
Derrick Pearson
Derrick Pearson is a sports announcer and radio personality, who is currently affiliated with Pro Football Plus ....
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
Paul Millsap
Paul Millsap is an American professional basketball player currently with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. As a 6'8", 250 lbs. power forward from Louisiana Tech University, Millsap was selected by the Jazz in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. His game was initially...
and ex-University of Utah point guard Tim Drisdom.
2008-09 season
SLC's home opener was originally scheduled for December 3rd, 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 losses to the Modesto Bearcats.Name Origins
The team name is a reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (MormonsMormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
), which is headquartered in Salt Lake City and is the religion of 58% of Utah's adult population.