Frisco Adds NBA D-League to Its Sports Trophies
By RANDY MCILWAIN and GREG JANDA
Updated 12:29 PM CDT, Fri, Jun 19, 2009
The Texas Rangers did it, and so have the Dallas Stars and FC Dallas.
All three teams have roots in Frisco. The minor league, Roughriders, is the team where many major league players on the Rangers' roster cut their teeth, play in Frisco. The Stars' executive offices and training facility is in Frisco, and FC Dallas left Big D for the greener pastures of Frisco.
Now Mavericks General Manager Donnie Nelson is bringing an NBA Development League team to Frisco for the 2010-11 season. The team will skip the upcoming 2009-10 season as it relocates from Colorado (where the team was called the 14ers).
Previously, a developmental team played in Fort Worth from 2005 to 2007.
The Frisco team lacks a name, colors, logos and staff, but it does have a place to play -- the newly renovated Dr Pepper Center. Fans will get to choose the team's name in a contest.
The three professional sports franchises that are in Frisco have all been able to prosper by taking advantage of the city's commitment to youth sports. The city is saturated with children who are involved in all kinds of sports, which has helped each franchise expand its fan base, turning kids into lifelong fans.
Frisco also has Fieldhouse USA, one of the largest indoor basketball and sports training facilities in the nation. The state-of-the-art complex can be a premier practice facility -- it has 12 full basketball courts, one of which is regulation NBA-size.
The Dr Pepper Center recently made its basketball debut hosting a Harlem Globetrotters exhibition last week. And Olympic boxer Luis Yanez will headline a fight card there Friday night.
The D-League's previous venture into North Texas didn't see much success. The Fort Worth Flyers drew small crowds and even less attention. But sources say Frisco has successfully branded itself as a smaller city where professional sports thrive.
First Published: Jun 17, 2009 9:45 PM CDT
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