Nets who?
There’s a new professional basketball team in town — and it’s looking for talent.
The Brooklyn SkyRockets is the newest franchise of the American Basketball Association and will be holding three open tryouts in June and July to fill out its roster.
“We are very excited to see the talent the basketball mecca of Brooklyn has to offer,” said Dylan Gioia, the team’s owner and director of operations. “This great city has so much basketball potential I expect these players will lead the SkyRockets directly into the playoffs.”
The team has already signed three free agents — Keenan Belle, Deylon Bovell, and Cyrano Providence.
Belle won multiple awards playing for Broome Community College and averages 17 points and 11 rebounds per game. Bovelle, a six-foot-two guard from Genesee Community College, was named Most Valuable Player at his school for the 2011-2012 season. Providence played for Brooklyn’s own Kingsborough Community College, and averages more than 11 points a game and maintained a field goal percentage on more than 52%.
Head coach Shawn Thomas said he’s familiar with the players and their skill levels and confident they can light the Skyrockets’ fuse.
The budding franchise will seek to avoid the fate to the last start-up team that tried to take off in the borough, the Brooklyn Blackout, which folded earlier this year halfway through its inagural season.
Gioia is confident about his team and its prospects with the league.
“We’re excited about the level of competition and where the league is going,” said Gioia.
Starting in the fall, the team will play its Northeast Division home games at Aviator Sports and Events Center.
Brooklyn SkyRockets tryouts at Brooklyn Sports Club (1540 Van Siclen Ave. between Shroeders Ave. and Seasview Ave. in East New York), June 22, noon–5 pm. Brooklyn Stuy Dome (312 Kosciuszko Street between Throop Ave and Marcus Garvey Blvd. in Bedford-Stuyvesant) June 28 and July 19, noon–4 pm. $30 in advance at www.brooklynskyrockets.com/skyrockets-tryouts-announced/ $45 at the door.
