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Jazz affiliate Idaho Stampede to hold open tryouts

Spencer Hall — September 7, 2011 — 1 Comment

If you’ve ever dreamed of playing professional basketball under the tutelage of former Jazz guard Randy Livingston, now’s your chance. The Idaho Stampede are holding open tryouts in their affiliate cities Denver, Portland, and Salt Lake (well, Lehi at the XSI factory, but still), as well as one day in Boise.

The D-League isn’t involved in the NBA lockout, so games will be played regardless of the labor situation in the parent league.

CITY	DATE	LOCATION
DENVER	September 17	Colorado Christian College – 8787 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood, CO 80226
PORTLAND	October 2	Cascade College – 9100 E. Burnside, Portland, OR 97216
LEHI, UTAH	October 8	XSI Factory – 4425 North Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, UT 84043
BOISE	October 22	Boys and Girls Club – 610 E. 42nd Street, Boise, ID 83714

More information:

Registration forms and waivers are available at www.idahostampede.com or the Idaho Stampede front office. Forms and waivers should be mailed to Idaho Stampede c/o Joel Abelson, P.O. Box 6525, Boise, ID 83707; faxed to 208-388-3845 or sent to Associate Head Coach Joel Abelson’s email (joel@idahostampede.com).

Any questions regarding the camp should be addressed to Abelson at 208-573-1418. Players will also have the option to receive hotel discounts in each of the cities during their stay. At the Boise camp, shuttle service will be provided to and from the hotel and gym.

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A quick complaint about the Stampede: Their logo features a horse, their name is “the Stampede,” so why is their mascot a coyote? Rumble is great, don’t get me wrong, and maybe it was confusing having so many horse mascots while sharing a city with the Boise State Broncos, but still. We’re losing the chance to have more horses on the sidelines. The Jazz have a bear, which probably makes the same amount of sense, so I shouldn’t complain.

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Idaho Stampede tickets
Season tickets for the Idaho Stampede 2011-12 season start at $195 per seat. More information is available by calling (208) 388-4667.

In D-League, Idaho Stampede D-League

Utah Flash host D-League Draft Party

Spencer Hall — November 1, 2010 — Leave a comment

Photo by Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune

I’ll be live chatting on NBA.com from the Utah Flash D-League draft party today at Noah’s in Lindon. Stop by and say hello.

The Flash will have the rare luxury of having a veteran team this season. I’m looking forward to good stuff from newcomer Ryan Thompson as well as new head coach Kevin Young and assistants Gene Cross and Norm DeSilva. Besides Thompson, the team should be very excited about the return of Kevin Kruger, fresh of a stint in Mexico.

The press release:

PROVO, Utah, Oct. 31, 2010 – Nine players, including returners Brian Hamilton, Kevin Kruger, Jordan Brady, Orien Greene, Andre Ingram and Dontell Jefferson, will join eight players selected by the Utah Flash in Monday’s annual NBA Development League Draft when training camp opens Nov. 9 at APX Alarm Headquarters in Orem.

Utah Jazz training camp invite Ryan Thompson has signed to play in the NBA D-League and will play for the Utah Flash along with Atlanta Hawks training camp invite Evan Brock. Thompson played for Rider University for four season averaging 17 points and five rebounds per game. Thompson was the only player in Rider University history to be in the top ten in points, rebounds and assists. Brock graduated from the University of Alabama and has played professionally in South Korea and Venezuela.

The Utah Flash have also invited guard Terry Martin to training camp. Martin was selected from an open tryout. He played at LSU and has played professionally in Austria.

“I feel good about the mix of players we have coming to training camp,” said head coach Kevin Young. “With the veteran group we have returning, and the players we’re looking to pick up in the draft, we could be a very good team this year.”

The Flash will hold its 2010 NBA D-League Draft Party at Noah’s Reception Center in Lindon beginning at 5 p.m. MT Monday. The entire draft will be audio streamed live on d-league.com. The public is invited to attend and observe how a professional basketball team is built, as well as enjoy free 5 Buck Pizza and drinks compliment of Pepsi. The Flash have the eighth selection in the first round of the serpentine formatted draft.

The Flash opens its season Nov. 20 by visiting the Reno Bighorns. The home opener is set for Dec. 3 when the Austin Toros visit the UCCU Center in Orem. Tickets can be purchased by calling 801-434-HOOP.

In D-League, Utah Flash D-League Draft 2010

UTAH FLASH HOST DRAFT PARTY

Jeff Lind — October 26, 2010 — Leave a comment

UTAH FLASH HOST DRAFT PARTY

2010 NBA Development League Draft set for Monday Nov. 1

PROVO, Utah, Oct. 26, 2010 – The Utah Flash are hosting their annual NBA Development League Draft party at Noah’s in Lindon on Monday, Nov. 1 beginning at 5 p.m. MT.

Noah’s, which also serves as a practice facility for the Utah Flash Dance Team, is located at 644 North 2000 West on the East side of I-15 at exit 275 in Pleasant Grove.

The draft is eight rounds and will be conducted via conference call from NBA D-League draft headquarters and at locations in each of the 16 league cities. The ninth-annual event will be streamed on-line (www.nba.com/dleague) beginning at 5 p.m.

The Flash have the eighth selection in the first round and the ninth pick in the second round of the serpentine draft. The unique draft format allows a team who has the last pick in the first round to have the first pick in the following round. The Reno Bighorns have the first overall selection.

Flash fans will be allowed to observe the “war room” where coaches and basketball operations personnel make the final decisions in drafting players. Fans will also be able to purchase Flash merchandise as well as season ticket and group ticket packages.

Flash head coach Kevin Young will provide in-house commentary on draft picks for fans, giving insight into the thought process behind the player selections. Flash fans will also have a chance to meet the newest addition to the Flash coaching staff, Gene Cross.

Season and group tickets remain on sale and can be purchased by calling 801-434-HOOP. The Flash opens its season at Reno on Nov. 20, with the home opener slated for Dec. 3 against the Austin Toros.

In D-League, Utah Flash

Utah Flash hold open tryout

Spencer Hall — October 18, 2010 — 2 Comments

by Donald Toomey
Special to Salt City Hoops
twitter: @Deejay14 / @DLeagueDaily

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Andres Sandoval was on of many players showcasing his talent to Coach Gene Cross (http://twitter.com/coachcross) and the rest of the Utah Flash staff at the XSI Factory in Lehi in hope of returning to the DLeague and earning a spot on the Flash’ roster.

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More than 25 athletes paid the $150 fee in hopes of inching closer to their dream of playing in the National Basketball Association. The Utah Flash, NBA Affiliate for the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks held their local player tryout on Saturday October 16. As one of just 25 open tryouts (http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/open_tryouts_2010.html) spaced all across the United States and Canada. “During our open tryouts we look for players that will develop those talents, but also help us win a championship.” said first year head coach Kevin Young.

There were many sizes of men from 5’7” point guard Jon Foster all the way up to Kentucky Wildcats Center Jared Carter at 7’2″. Many were at their 2nd or 3rd DLeague Tryout of the month. Local man Jason Fullmer (UVU) to Durwin Williams of Cal State and across to Eastern Michigan, they gathered in hope of being one of 17 to attend training camp on November 8th. Joshua Jones attended the tryout in Reno, Nevada last weekend and could be going to Boise for the next one. “I was winded at the end of the first game, caught a second wind and now I am great”

Among the standout were Andres Sandoval, Lamont Morgan, Robert Porter and Carlos Medlock (http://twitter.com/loso3). Andres was the last pick in the 2008 DLeague draft and spent the beginning of last season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants before being waived. His fiancé works here in Utah so he said it would work out fine although he knows if Dontell Jefferson returns his minutes at point guard would be limited.

Brigham Young University basketball co-captain Lamont Morgan Jr has hopes of performing in front of the Utah County fanatics as his college teammate Lee Cummard did a season ago. Lamont injured his knee with half the season left but was able to step on court during the Cougars’ second round match up against Kansas State. He looked strong and seemed to play himself into a chance to make the team. Former BYU volleyball player Kent Tuttle also tried out and impressed everyone with his freaky athleticism.

Robert Porter graduated from Urbana University in Ohio last season where he averaged double digits in points and was one of the teams’ top rebounders while being just 6’3”. Carlos Medlock averaged double digits all four seasons while attending Eastern Michigan including a career high 42 points the last time he stepped on the court in the MAC championship game against Akron.

The Flash’ tryout lasted almost five hours. The first two consisting of warm-up activates and shooting drills while the last three involved several games. After spending two seasons in the ABA with the Atlanta Vision fifty-one year old Kelvin Davis hoped he could step into the next level. He joked “Got any oxygen over there” while taking his turn on the bench. While many showed signs of fatigue during the ending moments of the tryout Young stated that no one lacked effort in the tryout. The staff will hold a meeting Monday afternoon and submit names to the league which are due by October 28th.

Steve Newman, John Millsap, Ryan Diggs and Brian Hamilton are among those who have worn a Utah Flash jersey after attending open tryouts. Hamilton went on to attended the New Jersey Nets training camp (http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/hamilton_080930.html) after just one season. The 2010-11 NBA Development League Draft (http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/draft_order_100921.html) will be held on November 1st.

In D-League, Utah Flash

The New D-league Ball

Spencer Hall — October 13, 2010 — Leave a comment

The D-League will use a new design for the game ball this season.

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I’m digging the design on the new ball the D-League will use this year. I’m still not a fan of the weird synthetic material that makes it seem like it cost $10 at K-Mart, but at least it looks good from a distance.

Image stolen from the yfrog account of Utah Flash president Drew Sellers.

In Blog, D-League, Utah Flash New Ball

Utah Flash to Practice at APX Alarm Headquarters During 2010-11 Season

Spencer Hall — August 24, 2010 — Leave a comment

A view of the basketball court at APX - the practice facility for the Utah Flash for the 2010-11 season.

It’s been a busy off-season for the Utah Flash. The team parted ways with coach Brad Jones and promoted 28 year-old assistant coach Kevin Young as the new head coach. To keep the youth movement alive, the team president is now Drew Sellers, the 26 year-old former VP of Communications. The sideline will also be missing the services of former NBA big man Mark Madsen, who will be attending business school this fall.

In an additional change, the team announced today that they will practice at the corporate complex of alarm company APX in Orem, Utah for the 2010-11 season. This ends the corporate partnership with alarm company Pinnacle Security, which formerly sponsored the dance team and provided a practice facility across the street from the arena on the campus of Utah Valley University. The APX headquarters and court are just a few blocks from the Flash offices in the Riverwoods area of Provo, which will be convenient for the front office.

From the press release:

OREM, UT, August 24, 2010 – The Utah Flash announced today that practices for the 2010-11 season will be held at the APX Alarm corporate headquarters in Provo, Utah. The basketball court at the APX Alarm facility includes a full size NBA floor and state-of-the-art basketball standards from Spalding.

“We are thrilled to be practicing in such a high-quality facility,” said coach Kevin Young. “This is the nicest facility around and will undoubtedly be conducive to training a championship-caliber team.”

“We are pleased to partner with the Utah Flash,” said APX Alarm VP of Corporate Communications, Kristi Knight. “The organization has quickly established itself as growing and vibrant professional franchise here in Utah County.”

The Flash have made the playoffs the past two years in a row and are working on building towards another successful season and deep playoff run. In addition to the basketball team practicing at the APX Alarm facility, the Utah Flash Dancers will also hold several practices there, as well as their auditions.

The Utah Flash are set to begin their fourth season in the NBA Development League. The Flash are affiliated with the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks. Tickets are on sale for the upcoming season and can be purchased by calling (801) 434-4667.

In Blog, D-League, Utah Flash

Morris Almond joins Real Madrid

Spencer Hall — April 27, 2010 — Leave a comment

Somehow I missed the news that former Jazz first round draft pick Morris Almond recently signed with Real Madrid. While undrafted rookie Wesley Matthews is fresh off starting and playing 42 minutes of a playoff game, Almond takes his impressive D-League resume to Europe to team up with former BYU star and Atlanta Hawk Travis Hansen. It must be frustrating for Almond to watch guys get the chance he never really got, but I’m happy to see him continuing to make progress. Congratulations to Mo for the Euro call-up. I’ll be watching.

In D-League, NBA, Utah Jazz

D-League Playoffs: Utah Flash vs Iowa Energy – Game 2

Spencer Hall — April 9, 2010 — Leave a comment

The Utah Flash and Iowa Energy will play Game 2 of their best-of-three series tonight in Des Moines. The top-seeded Energy were embarrassed in Game 1 in Orem, losing by 31 points. The Flash just need to steal one game to advance to the next round. I’ll have more to say about tonight’s Jazz – Hornets game in a minute. In the meantime, check out how to pay attention to the Jazz affiliate tonight while you tune into the varsity game.

Game details:

Game 2: Utah Flash @ Iowa Energy
6pm MST

Listen: 98.3 in Des Moines, Iowa or online
Watch: NBA Futurecast

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Game 1 was a beat-down by the Flash. Salt City Hoops correspondent and D-League fanatic DJ Toomey had a few things to say:

The Utah Flash started out Wednesday’s opening game of the D-League Playoffs against the top-seeded Iowa Energy with their shoes on the wrong foot. In the first 7 minutes they had 4 turnovers and missed their first 7 shots. With Iowa leading 13-6 it started to look like the Energy staff made the right choice by picking the Flash as their 1st round opponent. But that would be the largest lead they would have all game. At the end of the quarter Iowa’s lead was down to 17-15. Utah shot just 31% from the field and it looked like Flash owner Brandt Andersen was prepared to send in assistant coach Mark Madsen to stop Curtin Stinson, who already had 8 points to go along with his 8 rebounds.

The game went back and forth until Brian Hamilton, who made the team via the Flash’s open tryout, showed everyone what he’s made of. He had great hustle the entire game, the biggest coming at the 7:02 mark of the 2nd quarter when he grabbed his first, of eight, offensive rebound and put it back in. Next Utah’s Kevin Kruger and Iowa’s Jeff Trepagnier (http://www.dleaguedaily.tk) would trade threes, but it then it was back to the Brian Hamilton show with back to back dunks to put the Flash on track. After a 14-0 run the half had all but come to a close and Iowa coach and British Basketball legend Nick Nurse looked like he had seen enough. Half way through Game 1 the Utah Flash had a 48-37 lead over the number one seed Iowa Energy and would keep pouring it on for the rest of the game.

Seven different players scored in the 3rd quarter, lead by Kevin Kruger’s 9 points, pushing the Flash lead to 22 at 79-57. It looked like the Flash wanted to make a statement to everyone in Des Moines that they picked the wrong team. An 18-4 run to start the 4th quarter seemed to do the trick. The Flash had their biggest lead of the game of 34 and it was time to send in bench warmer Joe Darger from UNLV. Darger was fresh off 6 straight DNP-CDs but took advantage of his opportunity and finished with 5 points on 2/3 shooting.

Game 1 Final Score: Utah Flash 107, Iowa Energy 76.

Highlights

Final Stats

Game Notes:

Curtis Stinson- 11/20, 24 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assist.
Iowa Bench- 13 points, 3 assist, 7 rebounds.
Utah Bench- 46 points, 8 assist, 27 rebounds.
6 Flash plyers end the game with double digit figures in scoring.
Brian Hamilton- 18 points, 12 rebounds (8/4), 2 assist, 4 steals, 2 blocks.

In Blog, D-League, Utah Flash

Last Flash Home Game of the Regular Season Tonight

Spencer Hall — March 30, 2010 — 2 Comments

Snuggie night was a bit of a bust, but if you enjoy big giveaways with your minor league hoops you may want to attend tonight’s Flash game in Orem. It’s the last home game of the year and someone will ride home on a new motorcycle.

Here’s the press release:

OREM, Utah, March 29, 2010 – The Utah Flash and partner Maakoa announced today that at halftime of the Flash’s final home game one lucky fan will win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Fans have been entering to win all season, and will be able to enter as late as mid-way through the second quarter of Tuesday’s game.

One lucky name will be drawn during a halftime presentation, and that winner will take home the motorcycle. The Flash has been happy to have Maakoa on board this season. “They bring a great element to our games and to our team, and we are very grateful to have them on board,” said Team President Joe Brown.

The Flash will also be hosting a blackout night where the players will wear their black road uniforms. Fans can get a 2 for 1 discount on purchasing tickets if they were black to the game as part of the blackout.

With only three games remaining the Flash hold the seventh out of eight available playoff spots. Utah hosts Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday and will travel to Austin for two games against the Toros this weekend. Tickets are available and can be purchased by calling 801-434-HOOP.

In Blog, D-League, Utah Flash

Utah Flash to Host Snuggie Night

Spencer Hall — March 22, 2010 — 4 Comments

My image, not theirs.

The best news of the day comes from the Utah Flash PR department:

OREM, UT, March 22, 2010 – The Utah Flash announced today that Friday March 26 will be “Utah Flash Snuggie Night” at the McKay Events Center. Flash fans who wear Snuggies will have free admittance into the game, and Utah Flash logo “Snuggies” can be purchased at the game.

“We’ve done a lot of fun and exciting promotions this year,” said Utah Flash Team President Joe Brown. “This should add to the fun and enjoyment our fans already experience at Flash games.”

On Friday March 26 the Utah Flash will take on division rival Idaho Stampede. The game between the two teams could be crucial in the race for an NBA Development League playoff spot. Currently the Flash are in the eighth spot in the playoff race, with Idaho just one game behind Utah.

Tickets are still available for the four remaining Flash home games and can be purchased by calling 801-434-4667. However, fans wearing a Snuggie to the March 26 game will not need a ticket and will get in free of charge.

In Blog, D-League, Utah Flash