March 14, 2006 > Tri-City Ballers

by Justin Hamady

In December 2005, the San Jose Ballers, a professional basketball team playing under the IBL (International Basketball League), moved to the Union City, Fremont, and Newark area; the team is now called, Tri-City Ballers. In the spring '05 season, the Ballers (then representing San Jose) were armed with the top two leading scorers in the league: Jovan Harris and Alejandro Thomas, Harris averaging 35.3 points and Thomas at 28.3 points per game.

The Ballers are owned by Ivan White, founder and CEO of Medelex- a medical and industrial diagnostics imaging company based in Sunnyvale, Calif., whose vision is to bring a greater sense of community to the area. The team hopes to create a family-oriented atmosphere during their April - June 2006 basketball season. Game rules have been modified to speed things up allowing only one timeout per quarter and shortening the time between plays with immediate inbounds and there will be more to the weekend events than simply the game. Each home game will include dance performances, singers, concessions, DJs, sponsor tables providing information and raffles.

The first game of the season will be on April 7 at 7:15 p.m. in the Newark Memorial High School gym. Entertainment includes Landon Campbell, an 8-year-old boy singing the National Anthem and a halftime dance performance by the Jr. Ballers. The season opener will offer a chance for ticket holders to win a trip to wherever Southwest Airlines flies and certificates for Starbucks and Hometown Buffet.

Current team sponsors include: Sea Brooke Group, After Hours Formal Wear, and Karam Abdou Dentistry. Additional sponsorships are welcome. For those interested in becoming a sponsor, contact Carmella Medeiros or Tracie Dunston at (408) 774-0720.

Support your local team. Come out to the first game of the season and help them make it to the championships! As Chief of Operations, Tracie Dunston puts it, "We have a professional sports event right here in our backyard; who knows the potential."