Newark Express
Encyclopedia : N : NE : NEW : Newark Express
| Newark Express | |
| |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Team History | Newark Express (2005-present) |
| Arena | Essex County College |
| Team Colors | Red and White |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division Titles | 0 |
| Owners | Marsha Blount and Jacqueline Halyard |
| Head Coach | Darryl Dawkins |
Inaugural Season
The Express ended the regular season on March 5, 2006, after losing an away game to the Buffalo Rapids. Their record for the regular season was 14-16 and they finished third in the Roger Brown Division behind the Harlem Strong Dogs and the Strong Island Sound. They had a bye week for the first round of the playoffs. They played on March 17, 2006 in Atlanta against their second round opponent, the Atlanta Vision.The Express started the season with star players Aswan Morris, Rasheed Sparks, Jamie Sowers and Derek Washington and Marcus Toney-El from the Jersey SkyCats.
The Head Coach of the team is Darryl Dawkins. The assistant coach is Rick Nash.
BOMBO Sports & Entertainment, LLC, the company who produced "Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie" and other films agreed to produce a film about the Newark Express and their African American female owners.
The Newark Express are the first professional basketball team in the city of Newark, the city that was the birthplace of Shaquille O'Neal. Newark has a rich history in baseball and with the recent building of the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium and the future Newark Arena and Harrison Stadium, the city is seeing a growth in entertainment greatly centered around its sports.
Mayor Sharpe James and the city council gave money to the team and became an official sponsor during their inaugural season and showed up at some of their home games.
The team had mentioned the possibility of moving to a larger arena in the future. Although, the Newark Arena will be completed in 2007, the low attendance suggests that it will take more time and marketing for the team to be able to be supported in a larger venue.
Players during the season were: Rasheed Sparks, Shaheen Holloway, Marcus Tony-El, Aswan Morris, Dezmond Morgan, Rob Thompson, Amin Wright, Ike Williams, Derek Washington, Mufeed Thomas, Marcos Sanchez, Robert Cheeks, Jamie Sowers, Travis Snell, Khayri Battle, Andrew Feeley, Jimmy Luu, Dwayne Howell, Nick Valdez, Tim Gittens, Desmond Morgen and Reginald Tyler.
The Newark Express season ended with a loss against the top ranked Rochester Razorsharks 126-98 on March 19, 2006 in the second round of the playoffs. The Razorsharks went on to beat the Atlanta Vision, the San Jose Skyrockets and the SoCal Legends to win the 2005-2006 ABA Championship.
2005-2006 Roster
- Khayri Battle (#25) is a 6'7" guard for the Express. He played college basketball at William Paterson University (along with Newark Express teamates Jimmy Luu and Mufeed Thomas). He averaged 15.4 pts/game during his first season with the Express and added 8.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists.
- Andrew Feeley (#15)' is a center for the Express. He is a 6'10" and went to school at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He averages 10.8 pts per game and 8.5 rebounds.
- Shaheen Holloway (#10) is a basketball player from Hillside, New Jersey. He went to college at Seton Hall University and played for Newark during their inaugural season. He is a six foot guard and averaged nearly eigtheen points per game and eight assists.
- Dwayne Howell (#20) is a 6'9" foward from Newark, New Jersey who plays for the Express. He averages 7.3 points per game and 4.9 rebounds.
- Jimmy Luu (#4) is a guard for the Express. Luu attended William Paterson University. He is a 5'9" guard and has gotten less court time since he came to the Express than Newark's other guards.
- Travis Snell (#3) is a 6'4" guard from Jonesboro, Georgia. He went to the University of West Florida and now plays for the Express. He wears number three in Newark and has averaged 11.2 points per game. Snell is a very quick player and has an excellent spin move under the basket.
- Mufeed Thomas (#5) is a 6'5" foward for the Express. He played college basketball at William Paterson University. He averages 8.6 points per game and eight rebounds during his first season with Newark..
- Rob Thompson (#24) is a 7-foot tall center from Hellertown, Pennsylvania. He attended Saucon Valley High School where he averaged double-double's during his junior and senior seasons. Thompson attended Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut where he put up 165 field goals and 363 rebounds during his four years playing for the Stags. He played with the Express during their innagural season as their starting center. Thompson averaged 14.5 points per game and 9.9 rebounds with the Express.
- Ike Williams (#21) is a 6'9" center from Jersey City, New Jersey. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and now plays for the Newark Express.
- Rasheed Sparks (#13) is a basketball player from Newark, New Jersey. He is a 6'5" guard and attended Morgan State University. He played for the Express during the 2005-2006 season, but was traded to the Strong Island Sound later in the season.
External links
- [Newark Express official website]
- [American Baketball Association Official Site]
- [ABAsite message board]
- [Newark Express fan site]
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