WINONA LAKE - Friday night's basketball game at Grace College was unlike any other.
With the Grace men's and women's basketball teams taking the night off, the Orthopaedic Capital Center played host to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League."We're just thankful we could partner with the Mad Ants and bring them out here," Grace Athletic Director Chad Briscoe said. "It's great not only for Kosciusko County, but also for Grace College to have a professional team here. All-in-all, for the first time to host them, we were ecstatic with our turnout. Not only our students and student-athletes, but also just for the atmosphere to bring a professional basketball here, and just change up the normal atmosphere you get at a Grace game."
With the Mad Ants' dance team, the Madame Ants, greeting fans at the door, it was evident from the outset that this was not going to be a run of the mill game at the OCC.
Featuring dance routines and free T-shirts at almost every timeout, the OCC was alive with hip-hop music and girlfriends making quick glances at their boyfriends during Madame Ants' routines.
On the floor, the Mad Ants found themselves in an early hole, but grabbed the lead in the second quarter and never looked back, winning 94-75.
"This was our first time playing against someone besides ourselves in practice," Mad Ants coach Jaren Jackson said. "I was impressed with a number of things. For some of these guys, this is their first chance at playing in the D-League. They were a little winded out there at times, but we showed we know how to play."
The D-League is designed as a farm system for the NBA, with Fort Wayne affiliated with the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks.
At the end of the 2007-08 season, 15 percent of NBA players had spent time on a D-League roster at some point in their career. Current notable NBA players to successfully make the jump are Houston Rockets Rafer Alston and Chuck Hayes, as well as the Golden State Warriors' Kelenna Azubuike and Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the exhibition game, former IPFW player Dewitt Scott and Valparaiso Crusader Ron Howard led all scorers with 15 points each for the Mad Ants. Former Kentucky Wildcat Erik Daniels led the BayHawks with 14 points.
"We've got some good players," Jackson said. "At times, they underestimate the opponent. We have nice size, so we need to learn to be sound in the post."
Among the Mad Ants' post players is recent draftee Coleman Collins of Virginia Tech.
Using the No. 6 pick in the Nov. 7 draft on Collins, Jackson was pleased with the post player in the exhibition contest.
"He's a very good player," Jackson said of Collins. "I continue to tell him to make sure he understands the impact of his skills, as well as an impact he can be for us on the floor. At the same time, with this being his first time of playing in this league, he's trying to get his rhythm going as well."
On top of Collins increasing his role on the team, the exhibition also served as a way to increase the Mad Ants' fan base with a game away from the Fort Wayne War Memorial Coliseum
"The whole Mad Ants organization likes to have people outside of Fort Wayne understand we do have a good basketball team that's not too far away," Jackson said. "If they can come out and support the team, that would be great. Right now, I think we have a balanced team, an exciting team, that I think fans, not just in Fort Wayne, but outside as well, could enjoy, without having to go too far."
The BayHawks will be right back in the area Friday, as they make the trip to Fort Wayne for the regular season opener at 7:30 p.m.
"We have to go right into the season," Jackson said. "We have a long week ahead of us, so it's a continued preparation."
As far as Grace goes, Briscoe is optimistic the school can continue to partner with the D-League squad.
"Hopefully it's something we can continue for years to come," he said.
