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42 Thursday, August 15, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

See BASKETBALL on 43

WILL KOWALSKI
Sports Editor/Asst. Editor

For the first time in a little over
10 years, the Cereal City is going to
have a semi-professional men’s bas-
ketball team.
The team is called the Michigan
Blaze, and will play its home games
this fall and winter on the main
court at the Battle Creek Family Y
Center’s Multi-Sports Complex.

Michigan Blaze is B.C.’s new semi-pro basketball team

Former Battle Creek Central High

standout Richard Mason is among

the players on the preseason roster of

Battle Creek’s new semi-professional

basketball team, the Michigan Blaze.

(Image provided)

Shown is one variation of the Michigan Blaze’s team logo. (Photo provided)

Battle Creek native De Voine Gibson

is owner and head coach of the

Michigan Blaze. (Photo provided)

first home game is scheduled at this

time for Saturday, Nov. 30 against

the Steel City Yellow Jackets from

Pittsburgh.

More regular-season schedule

information for the Blaze will be

made available at a later date.

But two dates for sure that are

already cemented are Sunday, Aug.

25 and Sunday, Sept. 8.

• On Aug. 25, the Blaze will
  hold tryouts from 5-7 p.m. at the
  Y Center. Cost is $25 per player.
  Players must be age 18-over.
  And also on that date and at the
  same time, tryouts for the female
  Blazettes Dance Team (also for ages
  18-up) will take place at a cost of
  $10 in advance and $15 at the door.


• And, on Sunday, Sept. 8, the
  Blaze have scheduled a Community
  Day at the Y Center to introduce the
  franchise to the area.

The Community Day will run from

2-6 p.m., and will include an exhibi-

tion game between the Blaze and

Detroit’s Team Network starting at

4 p.m.

For more information about the

tryout sessions and the Community

Day, visit the Blaze’s Facebook page

or call (616) 320-4460.

According to Blaze owner and

head coach Gibson – a Battle Creek

native who attended B.C. Central

High before moving with family in

1979 to Chicago and graduating from

Highland Park High there in 1982

• the ABA is made up of 160 teams
  nation-wide, with nine teams making
  up the Central Region Division.
  Aside from Michigan (B.C.),
  Detroit’s Team Network and
  the Steel City Yellow Jackets of
  Pittsburgh, also in the division will
  be the Southfield (MI) Tigers, the
  Daredevils out of Ann Arbor, the
  Port Huron Cougars, the Akron
  (OH) Aviators, the Columbus (OH)
  Wizards and the Burning River
  Buckets of Erie, PA.

Longtime coach De Voine Gibson

is the team’s owner and head coach,

and the team’s roster will be made

up of former college and high school

starts from local and regional locales.

The Blaze’s first game as a mem-

ber of the American Basketball

Association’s Central Region

Division will take place either Nov.

19 or Nov. 21 on the road against

Team Network of Detroit; and its

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