By Staff
ELKHART, Ind. - Daimon Beathea, president and head coach of the Elkhart EXPRESS, wants to see North Side Gym sold out April 6 for the first home game of the International Basketball League franchise.
Besides filling North Side to the rafters, Beathea wants to top the attendance record set March 12 when the Portland Chinooks defeated the Vancouver Volcanoes 109-99 in front of 5,400 fans in Portland, Ore.
Elkhart High School split into two schools - Central and Memorial - in 1972.
Since then, attendance at basketball games has not reached the peak that it had in the years before the split.
To peak more interest in the EXPRESS, Beathea has made a strong effort to recruit players who have already established reputations in this area.
Among them are Eric Brand, all-time high scorer for Bethel College; Harold Swanagan, a Notre Dame standout; Anthony Kyle, who led Elkhart Central in a championship bid; Cory Hadley, a Concord High School star; Antiony Hardin, a standout for Elkhart Memorial; Darmetris Kilgore from South Bend Washington; Cedric Moodie, a former Indiana All-Star from South Bend Washington who went on to play a season for the Harlem Globetrotters; and Ric Adams, a South Bend native who made the team during tryouts.
The EXPRESS also is taking a fan bus to its first game of the season this Friday. The team will play the 2005 IBL champions Battle Creek. The bus will depart from the Elkhart Ramada Inn at 5 p.m. The cost is $25 per person and includes the game ticket and an EXPRESS souvenir. For more information call the EXPRESS at 522-9911.
Individual ticket sales for the first home game go on sale Monday, April 3, at the EXPRESS office at 127 S. Main St. Ticket sales will begin at 10 a.m. game day at Gate 3 of North Side Gym. Individual tickets are $7 (adult 18 and older, lower reserved) and $4 (17 and under, lower reserved).
Fans can still order season tickets on-line at www.elkhartexpress.com.
Ticket prices are $60 (adult 18 and older, lower reserved) and $36 (17 and under, lower reserved). People may call 574-522-9911 or write Elkhart EXPRESS, 127 S. Main St., Elkhart, IN, 46516 (e-mail: tickets@elkhartexpress.com) for more information. EXPRESS personnel will mail season tickets late this week and early next week.
The Elkhart EXPRESS will play a schedule of 22 games from March 31 to June 30, including 12 home games at Elkhart's North Side Gym. The league's All-Star Game and championship tournament will also be played in Elkhart July 13 to 16.
The IBL favors an up-tempo style of play that has resulted in a league scoring average of 127 points per game. Only one timeout is allowed per 12-minute quarter and the league has an “immediate inbound” rule that allows players to inbound the ball without checking it with the referee. There is also a 22-second shot clock with just eight seconds allowed to cross mid-court.