These are just a few articles Showboats win opener 101-91 December 8, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA) The (4)South Texas Showboats and the (22)West Texas Whirlwinds played in a very exciting, entertaining, and emotional game in the ABA season-opener in San Antonio last night. The Showboats began their regular 2008-2009 season by coming in and beating the Whirlwinds 101-91. However, they did it during a hard fought battle between both teams. Coach Mireles said that this was a very dissapointing performance and they need to be more agressive. "We did not do our jobs tonight but I will take the win. We played very poorly on both sides of the basketball and were beat up on the boards. We need to control the tempo of our games because we played the tempo of our opponent" said Mireles(Head Coach). The Whirlwinds came into San Antonio hoping to steal the first game of the season and played very well throughout the game. "I give coach Phelps and his team credit where credit is due. They played us tough tonight and welcomed us to the ABA. They have some good players and I am just happy the first jitters are behind us." The Showboats had a great first half by taking a 54-48 lead into the locker room. With Kenny Wilson, former John Jay and Boise State standout, having 16 first half points on 5-7 shooting and Isaiah Allen, a former UTSA Roadrunner with 16 first half points on 7-10 shooting. But of course the Whirlwinds came in with a great 3rd quater holding the Showboats to a mere 18 points as 8 of the 18 came from Keith Simpson, former Robert E. Lee graduate. Then as the 3rd quater came to a close the Whirlwinds tied the game at 75-75 going into the 4th quater. "The momentum was shifted in this game in our favor and we should have finished the game strong. We need to play Whirlwind basketball and not give the momentumm back said coach Phelps. " I was very pleased with the Showboats organization and how they treated us in San Antonio. It started with greetings at the door and felt that this was one of the best games I have been apart of in my 4 years of being in the ABA. They did a great job and we look forward to a great year of basketball against this team." The Showboats shot 56% from the field while the Whirlwinds shot 54% for the game as the Showboats had help from the free throw line shooting a huge 28-36 from the stripe. Stand out players For the Showboats were as follows: Frank Ford - 80%fg - 4-5 - 11pts, 5 reb, 3asst, 2 blks Isaiah Allen - 66% fg - 8/13 - 19 pts, 2-4 - 3pt fg, 4asst, 7 reb Keith Simpson - 66%fg - 8/13 - 18pts, 5 reb Kenny Wilson - 63%fg - 5-8 - 23pts , 12-13ft, 3 asst.
Showboats Remain Undefeated, Beat Whirlwinds 153-115 December 13, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA)The nationally ranked (3)South Texas Showboats (8-0 overall / 4-0 regualr season) went into Midland hoping to continue to play well and add to their 3 game winning streak . Tonight, they did just that. The Showboats blew through the Whirlwinds 153-125 to finish off their 3 game road trip. The Showboats came in from the start and never trailed in this game. They had another amazing team effort with 6 players in double figures, including 3 players with 20+pts, 2 players with 10 a piece, and 1 player with 30+pts. The way they accomplished this was with a tremendous 42 total assists as a team. "I am very happy with tonight's win because we finally were able to get guys involved" said coach Mireles. "It is nice to see what your team can do when they play unselfish basketball and move the ball in transition. We had an a great game offensively." The Showboats had a tough first half defensively but played well overall. They had 6th man Frank Ford come up off the bench and bring a spark. He came in and had a quick block, rebound and a vicious dunk over one of the Whirlwinds tallest players(6'10). This was an ESPN top 10 dunk no doubt!! Let's not forget, he is only 6'2. "He is a great player if he plays his game. I know Frank(Ford) is a beast when he plays his game. He plays the game well and loves the defensive side of the ball.The Showboats had a tough first half defensively but played well overall. They had 6th man Frank Ford come up off the bench and bring a spark. He came in and had a quick block, rebound and a vicious dunk over one of the Whirlwinds tallest players(6'10). This was an ESPN top 10 dunk no doubt!! Let's not forget, he is only 6'2. "He is a great player if he plays his game. I know Frank(Ford) is a beast when he plays his game. He plays the game well and loves the defensive side of the basketball . He's solid and he;s an amazing re-bounder for a 6'2 guard." said Mireles. Ford has his first double double of the season coming out with 24points on 84% shooting(11-13fg) and 12 rebounds along with 4 blocks and 1 steal.The Showboats ran all night long and took a 74-67 lead into the locker room at halftime. "We took this lead at halftime but allowed them to stick around. This is not Showboats basketball. We had to many turnovers(9) in the first half and we cannot play point for point in this league or we will have to fight to win the game. We have to stop the other team defensively." said Mireles. The Showboats went into the 3rd quarter and capitalized on their lead. But again let the Whirlwinds stick around by allowing eight 3pointers in the quarter which allowed them to finish the 3rd quarter with the lead barely in their grasp at 109-102. The Showboats came right into the 4th quarter and allowed a 3 pointer by the Whirlwinds cutting the Showboats lead to 4. This is when coach Mireles called a timeout and really got after his group."I told my guys that we needed to take care of the basketball and were not playing our game. We allowed them to just shoot at will and we needed to be more aggressive on the boards and defensively" said Mireles The Showboats then walked onto the court and did exactly what coach Mireles had said. They held them to only 27 points in the quarter compared to the 49 points the Showboats tallied. Overall the game was exciting and there were lots of exciting and interesting dunks and very fast paced. This was a very physical game but the teams did a decent job with the overall actions on the court.Players of the game:Kenny Wilson - 34pts, 11-23fg, 4-9 3pt, 8-9FT, 8ast, 5reb, 2 st, 1 blk Frank Ford - 24pts, 11-13fg, 1 ast, 12 reb,1 st, 4 blks Isaiah Allen - 25pts, 10-20fg, 5-7 3pt, 5 ast, 4 reb, 2st Keith Simpson - 29pts, 12-16fg, 1-3 3pt, 4ast, 5 reb, 2st 1 blk |
South Texas Showboats Win Again, 94-93 December 9, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA) San Antonio, TX. The ABA South Texas Showboats, 4-0 in pre-season, are now 2-0 in the regular season with a strong defensive stand at the end of the game. The #12 ranked Southeast Texas Mustangs battled this one out to the wire as both teams went in unbeaten The Showboats came out strong in the first quarter and immediately went up 24-9 before the Mustangs finally called a timeout to gather the team. As the Mustangs returned to the floor, they rallied back within 4 by the end of the first quarter. This is where the battle began. The Mustangs outscored the Showboats 28-14 in the second quarter, but the Showboatrs, who were down by as many as 19 at one point, went into the locker room down by ten with a run of their own. "This is a game of re-structure and pressure. We had to execute on the floor and we didn't do a good job of rotating," said coach Mireles. The third quarter was very interesting as the Mustangs came out and pushed their 10 point lead to 21 very quickly. The Showboats had to continue fighting their way back constantly. The Showboats had a tough time with match-ups all night long but came out and started to put pressure on the Mustangs defensively and closed the third quarter at 71-56. This is where the Showboats began their comeback. They started the fourth quarter with a small run of their own breaking down the Mustangs lead to 6. "We had struggled most of the game with our defense and that is why we were in the position we were," added Mireles. "My team was lacking poise and defense and I had to put some guys out on the floor that were going to give me what I needed. I have a good bench and therefore can utilize any players at any time. The Showboats lost the momentum with about 4:30 to go in the game when they were back down by as many as 15. Coach Mireles then started to bring guys off the bench who ended up bringing in energy and the defense he was looking for. The Showboats came back to win 94-93. It went down to the wire with the winning shot being a free throw by Jamar Chatman with .6 seconds to go. "I know we have a good team but we need to be more assertive with our play defensively and be more productive on both ends of the floor," stated Chatman. "As for the free throws, I know I missed the first, but I knew I wasn't going to mss the second. We should have put pressure on them all night and pushed the ball, but we didn't. I give the Mustangs a lot of credit and respect. They are a great organization and ran very well. They have some good players and I am just glad to come out with a win," said Mireles. For more information, visit www.saproball.com or www.abalive.com.
Mustangs Steal Game From Showboats 104-89 December 15, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA) The South Texas Showboats hosted the Southeast Mustangs tonight in San Antonio and it was another battle between both teams. The (3)Showboats and (10)Mustangs stood side by side for most of the game going point for point and by halftime the Showboats showed great poise and held on to a 3 point lead 44-41. The Mustangs came into the 3rd quarter holding the Showboats to only 12 points in the quarter. "This was a very bad game defensively. We were not allowed to play defense tonight. I say it like I see it" said Coach Mireles. The Showboats were in foul trouble by the end of halftime and had to rotate other players in order to bring in energy, defense and rebounding. "We should have just run tonight and put more pressure on them. My guys should not have to play any different than what they did defensively. They played good defense." I give credit to the Mustangs and their team. They did a great job taking the momentum from our team and they just wanted it more than us" said Mireles. The Mustangs lead was 11 going into the 4th quarter 67-56. The Showboats tried to come back but foul trouble hurt the Showboats as they had a total of 40 fouls called on them compared to 21 against the Mustangs. "We cannot blame everything on the refs but when you have a game this lopsided with 40 fouls against one team in a game this important, you have to look at it. We play defense on the perimeter and that is how we play. The Mustangs got a lot of these calls and also got some FREE free throws as they were allowed to go to the line before the bonus should have been on. "The fouls are to begin with every quarter not the half and the refs did not realize it. I could not argue the point with the official and the Mustangs went to the line with only 2 or 3 fouls called on us in the forth quarter so they actually had the entire 4th quarter or at least it was with about 9 minutes to go in the game. The refs have let us play basketball and they didn't let us tonight. We have to forget about this game learn from it and move on. I tell my players all the time, "You can never be a winner until you lose". said Mireles. The Mustangs finished it out and took this game on the road game as the final score was 104-89.The Mustangs had strong performances by both Tim Pledger 26pts, and Deron Rutledge 23pts. The Showboats leading scorer was Kenny Wilson with 26pts 4 ast, 5 reb, 1 blk along with Leonard Brown who chipped in with 23pts and 6 assist.
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Showboats Keep Fighting And Winning 107-96 December 11, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA) San Antonio, TX. The ABA South Texas Showboats just recently moved up in the ABA Power Rankings to the third position. On Wednesday, they played host to the #14 ranked Houston Takers and it was a battle from start to finish. The 3-0 Showboats won a great game, 107-96.. The Showboats took an early lead in the first quarter and were up by as much as 15 points midway through the quarter. But the Takers came back and brought momentum back to their sideline and into the locker room as the Takers rallied back to cut the deficit to 3 by halftime. Jeffrey Addai had to leave the game and receive stitches under his chin for a cut he received driving to the basket in the second quarter. He did not return to the game."I know this was going to be a fight because of how we played them last time," stated coach Mireles. "These games are not going to be easy and we need to learn to just play our game. Instead, we allowed them to play their game and we followed. This game was really physical, but like I teach my guys, we don't have the whistle and if you don't hear it, you need to continue to play." The Takers kept up the pressure during the third quarter and were done only one going into the 4th. The Showboats never gave in and by coming up big in the fourth quarter , like they have done in the last two games, they picked up the defensive pressure and came up with 3-D's in the final quarter to take an eight point lead.The Showboats had six players in double figures with Albert Strickland having his first double-double of the season with 17pts, 10 reb. Kenny Wilson had an all around game with 22pts, 5ast, 7reb and 3st. "We do not have any key players on this team," added Mireles. "The objective is to win games as a TEAM, not have a leading scorer or rebounder for the league statistics. We know that to have those stats are great for some, but for us we know that when you play as a team and your defense is great, your offense comes within the system. Tonight we did a poor job once again on the defensive side of the basketball and we only played defense for two quarters.. We need to play all 48 minutes to be successful." The Showboats will finish their three game road rip and take their undefeated record this Friday to play the West Texas Whirlwinds in Midland. "The Whirlwinds are a very well-rounded team," stated Mireles. "We just have to keep our composure and aggressiveness defensively and I think we will be fine. I will never look at any of the games we play as easy. We have to play each game starting at zero, so the game can always go in either direction no matter when or where you play or what your record may be. Anyone can beat anyone in this league at any point in time. You never want to let your guard down or you will get beat." Showboat Win 127-103 vs. Takers, Team Sold December 23, 2008 - American Basketball Association (ABA) The Showboats who recently went through a tough in-house change throughout the week, played a really tough game. Benjamin Mireles(Founder/Head Coach) feels he has done a great job with his organization and team but felt he needed a change. Mireles has had some personal and family situations he has been obligated to oversee and has to place his team under new ownership. Assistant Coach, Marlon Minifee will be taking over the head coaching duties as well. "I started a great thing here in San Antonio and we have a great group of talented players. This was a very hard decision for me to make, but I know that there were things I needed to change within the organization. It is good to see someone can come in and continue the trend that I am leaving behind. It is sad to let go of something you have dreamed about and worked really hard on putting together. I had to think about the teams in our division, the league, the players, coaches, and the fans. I could not see my team folding with the way these guys have been playing and what the fans wanted to see. The league, teams, players, fans, and coaches deserve more than that and that is why the team is still in operation. It was better to keep this team going than to give up everything just for my certain needs." said Mireles "I could have just folded like every other team but with the kind of heart I have by thinking about people and their families, I did not want to be considered like any other team. I can honestly say my San Antonio team never folded. Thanks for this opportunity and experience in my first year in this league and I am sorry I must move forward but I am sure I will be back and possibly with another team." |
