Look for some good ole Big Orange at tryouts Saturday morning for the Knoxville Thunderbolts basketball team, a first-year American Basketball Association franchise.
Thunderbolts co-owner and general manager Chris Glisson expects to see several former University of Tennessee players at the tryout, which runs 9-noon at Grace Christian Academy.
“There will be a lot of former UT players,” Glisson said. “It will be exciting, very exciting.”
Players who miss Saturday’s tryout will get another chance Sept. 20 at Grace Christian.
Glisson said anybody can try out.
“If they come in, they can try out,” he said.
Glisson and the co-owners in the Huffson Group are confident their ABA franchise will survive and thrive where another has failed.
In April of 2006, the Knoxville Noise was established. The Noise played 12 games in the ABA that season — only a couple at home — before disbanding in January of 2007.
“It will not fail,” said Dr. Marty Glisson, president of the Huffson Group and the Thunderbolts. “We’re going to start the season, we’re finishing the season.”
The Thunderbolts’ season starts Nov. 8 and ends March 15. Their schedule includes 15 road games and 15 home games at Grace Christian.
Chris Glisson said the Thunderbolts were careful not to schedule home games on the same dates with UT home games and that most home games won’t conflict with regular high school game nights, Tuesday and Friday.
“Only one (game date) will be on the same date as a UT basketball game,” Chris Glisson said, “and that one, I think is an earlier game and ours is a night game.”
Chad Smith, a former South-Doyle High School coach, will coach the Thunderbolts. Smith also is coaching the Tennessee Travelers travel team and coached in the Pilot Rocky Top Summer League.
Chris Glisson said other teams in the Thunderbolts’ division of the ABA will be located in Nashville, Atlanta, Bluefield, W.Va., Winston-Salem, N.C., Owensboro, Ky., and Nassau, the Bahamas.
Single-game tickets for home games are $15 for adults, $13 for children and senior citizens. Season tickets and group packages also are available (www.knoxvillethunderbolts.com).
Chris Glisson said the owners plan to make the Thunderbolts’ games highly entertaining with loud music, bright lights, and pre-game and halftime shows, and that several special events have been planned.
“We’re bringing a college atmosphere to the professional league,” Glisson said. “… We’re involving the community as much as possible and so far they have embraced us tremendously compared to the previous organization.”
The Thunderbolts owners hope they can capitalize on the fanfare generated by the recent success of UT basketball and Vols coach Bruce Pearl and the popular Pilot Rocky Top League.
“The Pilot Rocky Top League is awesome,” Chris Glisson said. “Of course, a lot of players in that league are going to be trying out for the team.”
The Huffson Group has been operating the non-profit GENESIS International for the last 10 years, placing food programs and educational facilities for the needy all over the world.
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Comments » 13
rockitwithrespect writes:
i'll be there. i can add some lightning to the thunderbolts
Mr_Brownstone writes:
yawn....
BigOrangeJeff writes:
The people running these leagues need to realize that they will not survive as long as you're charging $15/head. My feeling is that if they charged $5 - $9 bucks a ticket and made a deal for a concesstions percentage, they'd do a lot better.
OTOH, maybe these things are desitined to fail.
BOJ
chrisw2967 writes:
$15 a head ? this isnt the NBA. looks like this league will not last long.
rdwilliams22#337856 writes:
Inspired by the movie 300, I give you 3 letters S-E-C,
Tonight another season is upon us. In the SEC only the strong shall survive. We may turn on each other in our conference. Exhibit hatred towards one another like no other conference. The hatred between Bama-Auburn, UF-UT, UGA-UF, LSU-UT, Bama-UT, Auburn-LSU, Ole Miss-MSU, Vandy-?, Kentucky-UT, etc sorry if I left anyone out. Back to my point. We are like Gladiators. You can not compare USC, Ohio State, Texas and these other perpetrators to us because after a grudge match with one Titan you lick your wounds to only face another Titan the next week. Our fans do not exception nothing but perfection we tell our teams to come back home carrying your shield or come back home on it. Leave it all on the field, not even our coaches are safe. Plan, practice, and execute the game plan. Arrogance like Les Miles, my damn strong football team, is accepted and has a place in the SEC. Nice to see UCLA adopt this attitude. Come Monday, that Orange invades the West Coast once again. Father forgive them for the horror that is about to be unleashed unto the nation on national TV primetime. Parents put your kids in another room to watch the cartoon network. UT can not be held responsible for the graphic violence that lies in waiting. Parental Advisory is strongly suggested here. ESPN have you best technician ready to go to a commercial break. Smokey has awakened and is licking his chops. In the background I hear the battle sound of "Good Ole Rocky Top!" The surfer is alarmed to come out of the waters. The sharks flee the coast. We just don't know any better, shark meat might taste good to someone from the mountains. Fulmer holds the leash to the hound of hell. Devastation awaits you UCLA; all you can do is pray that it will be over quickly. But tonight let the SEC leave carnage in the form of NC State, RIP ACC!!! Gamecocks give them nothing, but take from them everything!!!!
Any errors, sorry, english wasn't my favorite class.
Laydbakvol writes:
How long did you work on that dude?
rdwilliams22#337856 writes:
It took 5 minutes. I have a lot built up inside of me. Too excited about football. It's been too long! 365 days. I'm "The Vol Fan" and love the SEC.
DRW writes:
Why would anyone go to these games? Especially at $15/ticket. That pricing is just ridiculous. You can get UT tickets at that price.
jasonn1970 writes:
If only you could get UT tickets. Season ticket sellouts are the norm nowdays.
Volumnus writes:
Chad Smith????? Adequately unimpressive choice....
his use of time(clock mgmt, time outs, fouls), personnel and lack of substitution cost Ray's the championship in the RTL, what are these people thinking???
THE_VOL writes:
Oh great - these clowns actually believe that enough people will pay $15 a head to watch has-beens and never-were's???? They'd be better off donating their "investment" to some charity!
vol4gzus writes:
rdw you got called out earlier for being the cut and paste poster boy. How many articles are you up to now with this inserted? FTR this isn't on topic either...basketball article not futbol. Kudos for your effort though....
VolGraduate writes:
It says alot that kosmo kramer is the only one who thinks $15 is a good price to see semi-pro basketball...all nba franchises have deals that make going to the games more affordable for the average fan...some are even as low as $5/game...in the nosebleed section but still in the arena
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