After beginning the 2015 Central Basketball Association season with two road games in Chattanooga and Mississippi, the Bowling Green Hornets return home for the first time this year.
The Hornets, a minor league basketball organization in its third season in the CBA, will compete not only for the first time in front of their home fans this Saturday night versus the Chattanooga Rail Runners, but also at a new venue this season at Logan County High School.
Bowling Green, who missed the post-season last year, enters this weekend’s game with a record of 1-1, as they lost to Chattanooga in the season opener in double overtime, before earning a comeback victory over the Mississippi Eagles this past weekend.
The Hornets are led by a pair of former NCAA Division-I star forwards: Teraes Clemmons (Jacksonville State University), who enters this weekend leading the league in scoring at 26 points per game; and Spencer Perrin (Eastern Kentucky University), who is third in the CBA in scoring, averaging 25 points per game.
The team is captained by 6-foot-9 center, John Paul Nyadaro (Trevecca Nazarene University), who played for the Hornets last season, was selected as the 13th overall pick in the 2014 National Basketball League of Canada Draft by the Saint John Mill Rats, and returned to the Hornets this season averaging 12 points per game and 10 rebounds per game.
Chattanooga, which enters the game with a 3-0 undefeated record and tied for first place, boasts two of the top players in the CBA: point guard E’Jay Ward (Tennessee Wesleyan College), who is averaging 15 points per game and a league-high 9 assists per game; and forward Jonathan Adams (Old Dominion University), who averages 16 points per game and a league-high 14 rebounds per game.
Bowling Green trails the season series this year, 1-0, against Chattanooga, one year removed from splitting their two head-to-head matchups last season.
The Hornets are led by Coach Nathan Thompson, who is in his second season as the head coach of the team, and third season with the organization. In his time with the Hornets, Thompson has helped recruit over three dozen former NCAA Division-I athletes, as well as assisting nearly two dozen players obtain professional contracts to play basketball overseas.
CBA games, which consist of active crowds and high quality family entertainment, will be no different at Hornets home games, as young fans will have the opportunity to engage with the team’s mascot, Buzz the Hornet, as well as participate in various competitions, such as half-court shots, dance-offs, and tshirt tosses. This weekend’s game will feature a baby-crawl competition at halftime between various toddlers from the Logan County area.
Furthermore, the Hornets are continuing the tradition of recognizing athletic excellence in the Logan community by presenting individualized trophies during the half-time intermission of their games. On April 25, when the Hornets host Springfield, the winners and runners-up from the 2015 Logan County Middle School County Basketball Tournament will be recognized and presented with trophies. The following week on May 2, when the Hornets host Fort Wayne, the members of the boys and girls Logan County Cougars District Champions basketball team will be recognized with trophies. Finally, in the season home finale on May 9, when the Hornets host Peoria, winners of the Logan County Middle School Cheerleading Tournament and Logan County Junior Pro Tournament will be honored.
The Hornets look to boast the largest crowd and fan support in the league for a third consecutive season. It is no coincidence that because of that home-court advantage, caused by the positive engagement by the Logan County fans, that the Hornets are 6-2 all-time at home.
This weekend’s game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. this Saturday, April 18, at Logan County High School. Children under 18 will have free admission, while adult ticket admission prices are set at $5.
For more information about the Bowling Green Hornets, visit the league website at www.playcba.com or follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.