The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are a team of the NBA Development League, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is the home venue for the team. The team is the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury. Former Fort Wayne Fury coach Kent Davison was the Mad Ants' first head coach.
History [edit]
The franchise held a name-the-team contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists: Lightning, Fire, Coyotes, and Mad Ants. The winning name of Mad Ants was announced June 18, 2007, chosen as a salute to the city's and fort's namesake, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne.[1]
On July 5, 2007, it was announced by the NBA that the Mad Ants would be affiliated with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. The Pistons were founded in Fort Wayne by Fred Zollner as the Zollner Pistons, before moving to Detroit in 1957. On September 3, 2008, the Mad Ants announced the Milwaukee Bucks as their third affiliate for the 2008-09 season. The Bucks were previously a parent club for the Tulsa 66ers until Professional Basketball Club, LLC (owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder), purchased the 66ers to be Oklahoma City's exclusive affiliate.[2] They waived Gage Daye on December 20, 2011.
On July 17, 2012, it was announced by the NBA that the Mad Ants, in addition to their affiliations with the Pistons, Pacers, and Bucks, would also be affiliated with the Charlotte Bobcats beginning with the 2012-13 season.[3]
Season-by-season [edit]
| Season |
Division |
Regular Season |
Postseason Results |
| Finish |
Wins |
Losses |
Pct. |
| Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2007–08 |
Central |
4th |
17 |
33 |
.340 |
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| 2008–09 |
Central |
5th |
19 |
31 |
.380 |
|
| 2009–10 |
Eastern |
5th |
22 |
28 |
.440 |
|
| 2010–11 |
Eastern |
3rd |
24 |
26 |
.480 |
|
| 2011–12 |
Eastern |
8th |
14 |
36 |
.280 |
|
| Regular Season Record |
96 |
154 |
.384 |
2007–2012 |
| Playoff Record |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
2007–2012 |
Current roster [edit]
Fort Wayne Mad Ants roster
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| Players |
Coaches |
| Pos. |
# |
Name |
Height |
Weight |
DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) |
From |
| 4.0 !F |
10 |
Austin, Bryant |
78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
|
Indiana State |
| 4.0 !F |
22 |
Harangody, Luke |
80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
1988–01–02 |
Notre Dame |
| 1.5 !G |
9 |
Harris, Anthony |
74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
190 lb (86 kg) |
1985–02–03 |
Miami |
| 2.5 !G/F |
19 |
Howard, Ron |
77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
185 lb (84 kg) |
1982–11–14 |
Valparaiso |
| 1.5 !G |
24 |
McCamey, Demetri |
75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
200 lb (91 kg) |
1989–02–21 |
Illinois |
| 4.0 !F |
18 |
Mitchell, Tony |
78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
216 lb (98 kg) |
1989–08–07 |
Alabama |
| 4.0 !F |
32 |
Porter, Chris |
79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
214 lb (97 kg) |
1978–05–09 |
Auburn |
| 4.0 !F |
19 |
Richardson, Anthony |
79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
205 lb (93 kg) |
1983–07–29 |
Florida State |
| 2.5 !G/F |
17 |
Rojas, Sadiel |
76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
190 lb (86 kg) |
1989–07–16 |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
| 4.0 !F |
23 |
Smith, Tommy |
82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
1980–12–04 |
Arizona State |
| 4.0 !F |
21 |
Thomas, Terrance |
78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
1980–12–29 |
Baylor |
| 4.0 !F |
33 |
Wallace, Brandon |
80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
225 lb (102 kg) |
1985–03–14 |
South Carolina |
|
- Head coach
- Assistant coach(es)
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (DP) Unsigned draft pick
- (FA) Free agent
- (S) Suspended
- (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
 Injured
Roster • Transactions
Last transaction: March 26, 2013
|
Affiliates [edit]
In popular culture [edit]
- In the television series One Tree Hill episode "You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie In It", James Lafferty's character Nathan Scott receives an offer to coach the team. The episode originally aired September 29, 2008 on The CW Network.[4]
- Sports site Deadspin published several articles about the team's mascot, calling it "Nightmare Ant."
See also [edit]
External links [edit]
References [edit]
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- Formerly the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons and the Fort Wayne Pistons
- Founded in 1941
- Based in Auburn Hills, Michigan
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- 529 (in honor of Leonard's total wins as Pacers coach)
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