Hall of Fame Huddle: The NBDL and the Cavs Give Canton a "Charge"

photo by Hall of Fame Huddle

On Thursday, October 13 the NBA D-League and the Cleveland Cavaliers announced the emergence of the Cavaliers affiliate, the Canton Charge! The Charge is one of only five teams in the D-League that is owned and operated by an NBA team (Golden State, LA Lakers, Oklahoma City and San Antonio). The team which was acquired from the New Mexico Thunderbirds, whom ceased operation, kept the wine and gold along with the cavalier themed logo of the Cleveland team. As stated at the press conference by the Cavaliers Chief Operating Officer Tracy Marek, the organization feels that that is a crucial ingredient in being a successful team. The league is a 16-team league, eight teams make the playoffs. The playoffs are conducted differently than any other league, the top 4 teams get to pick which of the bottom 4 teams they want to play. the top seed team picks first, then the second tram and so on and so on.

Official unveiling at the Canton Civic Center.(left to right) Canton Mayor William J. Healy II; Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce President,
Denny Saunier; Cavaliers President, Len Komoroski; Cavaliers Chief Marketing Officer, Tracy Marek; all the way to the left, Charge General Manager,
Wes Wilcox.
photo by Hall of Fame Huddle

The team has already made important decisions preparing for the season. Long time Cavalier front office man, and most recently Director of Player Personnel, Wes Wilcox, was named the General Manager of the Charge. Last week Wilcox named his coach, Alex Jensen. Jensen, the Charge first ever coach, played at Utah and later coached with his college coach, Rick Majerus, at St. Louis University. The Charge brass are excited to get started. They recently conducted open try-outs in Cleveland and Canton and the NBDL draft is November 3rd, where the Charge have the 15th and 18th picks. Training camp starts on November 11th. Edgewood Community Center in Canton was recently designated the official training facility for the Charge. A scrimmage is set for November 19th, in Erie, with the season opener set for November 25th in Canton against Iowa.

In a statement by the team it was explained that the team name was chosen to reflect the people of Canton and their mentalities, pointing out that it fits the communities strong history of being an passionate and supportive sports community. Ticket prices are very affordable, which helps in this economy and our community. Single game tickets go on sale in early November and range from $5-$19. Season tickets are on sale now and packages range from $125-$475, with several benefit for being a season ticket holder. Becoming a season ticket holder this season also brings other benefits, giving you membership into the Founders Club.

We are so excited to have the Charge in Canton and plan on doing articles about them all year long, so stay tuned to get all the latest action on the Charge. With the pending work stoppage for the Cavs it gives us something even more to look forward to. The lockout will have no bearing on the Charge, the season will still go on in Canton! Go Charge and Go Cavs!!!