Jacksonville Giants

Jacksonville Giants
Founded	2010
League	ABA (2010-present)
Team history	Jacksonville Giants (2010-present)
Arena	Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Based in	Jacksonville, Florida
Team colors	Navy Blue, Orange
Owner(s)	Ron Sholes
Head coach	Kevin Waters
Championships	2 (2012, 2013)
Dancers	Jacksonville Jewels
Mascot	Mr. Biggs

The Jacksonville Giants are a professional minor league basketball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They are currently the 2011-2012 National Champions of the new American Basketball Association (ABA), which they joined as an expansion team for the 2010–2011 season. They play most home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. In addition to their 2012 championship, the Giants have won regional titles in 2011, 2012, & 2013

History

In May 2010 the American Basketball Association announced a new franchise based in Jacksonville would join the league for the 2010–2011 season. The name was announced as the Jacksonville Giants in November. The owner was Jacksonville attorney Ron Sholes, while the head coach and general manager was Kevin Waters, who previously owned and coached the Jacksonville Bluewaves of the World Basketball Association. The third founding member of the Giants was Vice-President and Head of Marketing Joseph Miller, who was responsible for naming the team and designing the Official Giants logo.

Jacksonville was home to an earlier ABA team, the Jacksonville Jam. The Jam played in the ABA for the 2006-2007 season before moving to the rival Premier Basketball League in 2008, but folded by the end of the season. In 2010 owner Sholes stated that he hoped to avoid the fate of the Jam and other minor league basketball teams that have failed in Jacksonville with a more professional marketing strategy. He signed a contract with the city's major indoor venue, the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, to use for home games, and contracted with television and radio stations to broadcast games. The Giants debuted on December 4, 2010, defeating the San Francisco Rumble 182–124. They excelled on the court, going 23-0 in the regular season and advancing to the league playoffs, but were ultimately knocked out. They claimed an average attendance of 2000 in their inaugural season.

The Giants had their 2011-2012 opener on December 3, 2011, defeating the Gulf Coast Flash by one point. The Giants played two home games at UNF Arena at the University of North Florida, and played the remaining nine at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Former National Basketball Association star Christian Laettner joined the squad as a "celebrity player" for some games. The Giants won the 2012 ABA Championship, defeating the South Carolina Warriors 2-0 in a best-of-three series.

2011-2012 roster

Jacksonville Giants Season Two 2011-2012 roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From 5.5 !F/C 4 USA ! Bell, Jermaine 84 !7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Indian Hills Community College 1.5 !G 3 USA ! Lumpkin, Anthony 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Southwestern Oklahoma State 4.0 !F 13 USA ! Lawrence, Antonio 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) San Jose State University 1.5 !G 5 USA ! Harris, Sherod 70 !5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) SUNY-Brockport 1.5 !G 12 USA ! Norman, Renaldo 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Edward Waters College 4.0 !F 10 USA ! Fields, Matt 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Georgia Southern University TBD USA ! Stewart, A.J.  – 215 lb (98 kg) TBD 1.5 !G TBD USA ! Jackson, Anthony  – – Columbus State University 2 USA ! Todd, Currye  – – Lamar University 4.0 !F 9 USA ! Sanders, Lamar  – – Lamar University 4.0 !F TBD USA ! Jackson, Emanuel  – – Stephen F. Austin University TBD USA ! Smith, Leon  – – TBD 33 USA ! Reddick, Sherard  – – Savannah State University 4.0 !F 32 USA ! Ware, Tim 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) – Texas State University 1.5 !G 21 USA ! McDonald, Kevin  – – Savannah State University	Head coach Kevin Waters (Fisk) Assistant coach(es) David Graham (Edward Waters) Jerry Williams (U of Cumberlands) Donte' Hill (Ferris State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: 2010-12-1

2012-2013 roster

Jacksonville Giants Season Three 2012-2013 roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From 5.5 !F/C 4 USA ! Bell, Jermaine 84 !7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Indian Hills Community College 4.0 !F 3 USA ! Brown, Damone 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Syracuse University 6.0 !C 13 USA ! Mulamba, Josue 82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Imperial Valley College 1.5 !G 5 USA ! Ed, Horton 70 !5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Murray State University 1.5 !G 1 USA ! Hooper, Tony 71 !5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) University of Louisiana at Monroe 4.0 !F 10 USA ! Fields, Matt 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Georgia Southern University 4.0 !F 9 USA ! Taylor, Freeman 78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Robert Morris University 1.5 !G 3 USA ! Jackson, Anthony 71 !5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) – Columbus State University 4.0 !F 20 USA ! Rimmer, Bernard 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) North Georgia University 1.5 !G 2 USA ! Todd, Currye 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Lamar University 1.5 !G 8 USA ! Kevin, Thomas 74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) – Murray State University 4.0 !F 21 USA ! Tucker, Jerrod 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Bellevue University 4.0 !F 33 USA ! Brown, Eddie 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) – Campbell University 1.5 !G 33 USA ! Clark, Brad 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) – TBD 6.0 !C 32 USA ! Blake, Gertavian 83 !6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) – Jackson State University	Head coach Kevin Waters (Fisk) Assistant coach(es) David Graham (Edward Waters) Jerry Williams (U of Cumberlands) Anthony Lumpkin (SW Oklahoma State) Donte' Hill (Ferris State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Last transaction: 2012-12-6

External links

• Jacksonville Giants official site
• [1]