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==History==
==History==
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 chosen as a salute to the city's and fort's namesake, [[General "Mad" Anthony Wayne]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Ants Are Coming!|url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/team_name_070618.html|publisher=NBA Development League|date=June 18, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808152755/http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/team_name_070618.html|archivedate=August 8, 2008|accessdate=April 7, 2017}}</ref>
The Mad Ants e the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the [[Fort Wayne Fury]] of the [[Continental Basketball Association]]. They held a "name-the-team" contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists for the team's nickname: ''Lightning'', ''Fire'', ''Coyotes'', or ''Mad Ants''. The winning name of ''Mad Ants'' was chosen as a salute to the city's and fort's namesake, [[General "Mad" Anthony Wayne]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Ants Are Coming!|url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/team_name_070618.html|publisher=NBA Development League|date=June 18, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080808152755/http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/team_name_070618.html|archivedate=August 8, 2008|accessdate=April 7, 2017}}</ref>


For the 2007–08 season, the Mad Ants were affiliated with the [[Detroit Pistons]] and [[Indiana Pacers]]. The Pistons were founded in Fort Wayne by industrialist and piston manufacturing company owner [[Fred Zollner]] as the Zollner Pistons, before moving to [[Detroit]] in 1957. The Mad Ants added 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.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/bucks_080903.html|title= NBA Development League|accessdate= September 6, 2009|archive-url= https://www.webcitation.org/650t3O1O8?url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/bucks_080903.html|archive-date= January 27, 2012|url-status= dead}}</ref>
The team's first season playing in the D-League was 2007-08. They were coached by [[Jaren Jackson]], former NBA player and father of [[Memphis Grizzlies|Grizzlies]] forward Jaren Jackson Jr. Originally, the Mad Ants were affiliated with the [[Detroit Pistons]] and [[Indiana Pacers]]. The Pistons had previous connections to Fort Wayne, as they were originally founded in Fort Wayne by industrialist and piston manufacturing company owner [[Fred Zollner]] as the Zollner Pistons. The Mad Ants added the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] as their third affiliate for the 2008–09 season. The Bucks were in the market for a development team as the [[Professional Basketball Club, LLC]] had just purchased their previous development team, the 66ers, and made them the [[Oklahoma City Thunder|Oklahoma City Thunder's]] exclusive affiliate.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/bucks_080903.html|title= NBA Development League|accessdate= September 6, 2009|archive-url= https://www.webcitation.org/650t3O1O8?url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/bucks_080903.html|archive-date= January 27, 2012|url-status= dead}}</ref> In 2012–13, the Mad Ants also became affiliated with the [[Charlotte Bobcats]].<ref name="201213dleague">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc4.com/sports/story/Reno-Bighorns-new-Jazz-D-League-affiliate/AmiyQcPHM0eYFZi6-nRl9Q.cspx | title=Reno Bighorns new Jazz D-League affiliate | publisher=[[KTVX]] | work=ABC4.com | date=July 17, 2012 | accessdate=July 17, 2012 | author=Greene, Dana}}</ref> In 2013–14, the Mad Ants made it all the way to the D-League finals, matching up with the [[Golden State Warriors|Golden State Warriors']] affiliate team, the [[Santa Cruz Warriors|Santa Cruz Warriors.]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20140419/SXFFWN/gameinfo.html |title=NBA Development League: Skyforce at Mad Ants Game Info |access-date=April 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422020030/http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20140419/SXFFWN/gameinfo.html |archive-date=April 22, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Mad Ants defeated the Warriors 2–0 in the Finals series to claim their first D-League title in franchise history.<ref>[http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_mad_ants_win_nba_dleague_title_20_2014_04_26.html Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429171629/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_mad_ants_win_nba_dleague_title_20_2014_04_26.html |date=April 29, 2014 }}</ref> Following that season, the Mad Ants lost affiliation with the Pistons but became affiliated with the remaining [[NBA]] teams that did not have exclusive affiliates


⚫
In September 2015, [[Indiana Pacers|Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E)]] purchased the Mad Ants, thus making the team the Pacers' one-to-one D-League affiliate. Brian Levy was named General Manager by PS&E.<ref>[http://www.nba.com/pacers/brian-levy-named-general-manager-fort-wayne-mad-ants Brian Levy Named General Manager of Fort Wayne Mad Ants]</ref> In 2017, the Mad Ants changed their colors to navy blue, gold, cool gray and white, the same colors as the parent club.
In 2012–13, the Mad Ants, in addition to their affiliations with the Pistons, Pacers, and Bucks, were also affiliated with the [[Charlotte Bobcats]].<ref name="201213dleague">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc4.com/sports/story/Reno-Bighorns-new-Jazz-D-League-affiliate/AmiyQcPHM0eYFZi6-nRl9Q.cspx | title=Reno Bighorns new Jazz D-League affiliate | publisher=[[KTVX]] | work=ABC4.com | date=July 17, 2012 | accessdate=July 17, 2012 | author=Greene, Dana}}</ref>


<br />
In 2013–14, the Mad Ants made it through to the D-League Finals for the first time with a 126–118 victory over the [[Sioux Falls Skyforce]], winning the second round series 2–0.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20140419/SXFFWN/gameinfo.html |title=NBA Development League: Skyforce at Mad Ants Game Info |access-date=April 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422020030/http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20140419/SXFFWN/gameinfo.html |archive-date=April 22, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Mad Ants defeated the [[Santa Cruz Warriors]] 2–0 in the Finals series to claim their first D-League title in franchise history.<ref>[http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_mad_ants_win_nba_dleague_title_20_2014_04_26.html Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429171629/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_mad_ants_win_nba_dleague_title_20_2014_04_26.html |date=April 29, 2014 }}</ref> Following that season, the Mad Ants were affiliated with the remaining [[NBA]] teams that did not have exclusive affiliates, after the [[Phoenix Suns]] and the [[Orlando Magic]] associated with the [[Bakersfield Jam]] and the [[Erie BayHawks (2008–2017)|Erie BayHawks]] respectively, and D-League teams were created for both the [[Detroit Pistons]] and [[New York Knicks]].

⚫
In September 2015, [[Indiana Pacers|Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E)]] purchased the Mad Ants, thus making the team the Pacers' one-to-one D-League affiliate. Brian Levy was named General Manager by PS&E.<ref>[http://www.nba.com/pacers/brian-levy-named-general-manager-fort-wayne-mad-ants Brian Levy Named General Manager of Fort Wayne Mad Ants]</ref> In 2017, the Mad Ants changed their colors to navy blue, gold, cool gray and white, the same colors as their parent club the Indiana Pacers.

The Mad Ants were featured in the 'MyCareer' mode in NBA 2K19, a basketball game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports.


==Season-by-season==
==Season-by-season==

Revision as of 16:33, 29 April 2020

Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Fort Wayne Mad Ants logo
LeagueNBA G League
Founded2007
HistoryFort Wayne Mad Ants
2007–present
ArenaAllen County War Memorial Coliseum
LocationFort Wayne, Indiana
Team colorsNavy blue, gold, cool gray[1][2]
     
General managerBrian Levy
Head coachSteve Gansey
OwnershipIndiana Pacers
Affiliation(s)Indiana Pacers
Championships1 (2014)
Conference titles2 (2014, 2015)
Division titles2 (2014, 2018)
Websitefortwayne.gleague.nba.com

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G 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 of the Continental Basketball Association. The Mad Ants won their first D-League championship in 2014. In September 2015, the Indiana Pacers purchased the Mad Ants, which thus became the Pacers' one-to-one D-League affiliate.[3]

History

The Mad Ants e the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury of the Continental Basketball Association. They held a "name-the-team" contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists for the team's nickname: Lightning, Fire, Coyotes, or Mad Ants. The winning name of Mad Ants was chosen as a salute to the city's and fort's namesake, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne.[4]

The team's first season playing in the D-League was 2007-08. They were coached by Jaren Jackson, former NBA player and father of Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. Originally, the Mad Ants were affiliated with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. The Pistons had previous connections to Fort Wayne, as they were originally founded in Fort Wayne by industrialist and piston manufacturing company owner Fred Zollner as the Zollner Pistons. The Mad Ants added the Milwaukee Bucks as their third affiliate for the 2008–09 season. The Bucks were in the market for a development team as the Professional Basketball Club, LLC had just purchased their previous development team, the 66ers, and made them the Oklahoma City Thunder's exclusive affiliate.[5] In 2012–13, the Mad Ants also became affiliated with the Charlotte Bobcats.[6] In 2013–14, the Mad Ants made it all the way to the D-League finals, matching up with the Golden State Warriors' affiliate team, the Santa Cruz Warriors.[7] The Mad Ants defeated the Warriors 2–0 in the Finals series to claim their first D-League title in franchise history.[8] Following that season, the Mad Ants lost affiliation with the Pistons but became affiliated with the remaining NBA teams that did not have exclusive affiliates

In September 2015, Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) purchased the Mad Ants, thus making the team the Pacers' one-to-one D-League affiliate. Brian Levy was named General Manager by PS&E.[9] In 2017, the Mad Ants changed their colors to navy blue, gold, cool gray and white, the same colors as the parent club.


Season-by-season

Season-by-season records
Season Division Regular season Postseason results
Finish Wins Losses Pct.
Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2007–08 Central 4th 17 33 .340
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
2012–13 Eastern 2nd 27 23 .540 Lost First Round (Santa Cruz) 0–2
2013–14 Eastern 1st 34 16 .680 Won First Round (Reno) 2–0
Won Semifinals (Sioux Falls) 2–0
Won Championship (Santa Cruz) 2–0
2014–15 Central 2nd 28 22 .560 Won First Round (Maine) 2–0
Won Semifinals (Canton) 2–0
Lost Championship (Santa Cruz) 0–2
2015–16 Central 5th 20 30 .400
2016–17 Central 2nd 30 20 .600 Lost First Round (Maine) 1–2
Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2017–18 Central 1st 29 21 .580 Lost Conf. Semifinal (Erie) 116–119
2018–19 Central 3rd 23 27 .460
Regular season record 287 313 .478 2007–2019
Playoff record 11 7 .611 2007–2019

Current roster

Indiana Mad Ants roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G/F 17 Hicks, Stephan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1992-04-02 Cal State Northridge
G 29 Jackson, Quenton (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 1998-09-15 Texas A&M
G 24 Mangas, Kyle 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-04-08 Indiana Wesleyan
G — Newton, Tristen (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-04-26 Connecticut
G 2 Payton, Elfrid 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1994-02-22 Louisiana
C 44 Tshiebwe, Oscar (TW, FA) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1999-11-27 Kentucky
F 41 Vorhees, Will 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1995-12-18 Notre Dame (OH)
G 21 Wong, Isaiah (TW, FA) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-01-28 Miami (FL)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (P) Prospects
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: July 29, 2024

Head coaches

Head coaches of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants
# Head coach Term Regular season Playoffs Achievements
G W L Win% G W L Win%
1 Jaren Jackson 2007–09 100 36 64 .360 — — — —
2 Joey Meyer 2009–12 150 60 90 .400 — — — —
3 Duane Ticknor 2012–13 50 27 23 .540 2 0 2 .000
4 Conner Henry 2013–15 100 62 38 .620 12 10 2 .833 Won Championship (2013–14)
5 Steve Gansey 2015–present 200 102 98 .510 4 1 3 .250

NBA affiliates

See also

References

  1. ^ Wiening, Logan (July 8, 2017). "Mad Ants Unveil New Look at Three Rivers Festival Parade". NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  2. ^ "Fort Wayne Mad Ants Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  3. ^ Pacers buy D-League's Mad Ants to enhance player development
  4. ^ "The Ants Are Coming!". NBA Development League. June 18, 2007. Archived from the original on August 8, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  5. ^ "NBA Development League". Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  6. ^ Greene, Dana (July 17, 2012). "Reno Bighorns new Jazz D-League affiliate". ABC4.com. KTVX. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  7. ^ "NBA Development League: Skyforce at Mad Ants Game Info". Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  8. ^ Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title Archived April 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Brian Levy Named General Manager of Fort Wayne Mad Ants
  10. ^ Warden, Steve (September 25, 2008). "TV plot bringing team to 'Tree Hill'". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
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