Albany Shockwave 106 Savannah Grizzlies 100

The Savannah Grizzlies traveled to Albany Sunday to play the Albany Shockwave at the Albany High School Gym, in Albany Georgia. It was the third game of the season the teams played each other. Final score Albany 106 Savannah 100.
It was a stellar performance by the 8 Savannah Grizzlies players who made the trip.With a couple of minutes left in the game, Savannah had a two point lead.
Shockwave foward, Darrell Williams, scored 32 points to lead his team to victory. In the three games Williams played against Savannah, he scored 63, 36, and 32 points.

Albany Head Basketball Coach, Al Smith, is the new owner of the Albany Shockwave. 

Grizzlies Practice

The Savannah Grizzlies practiced several hours Saturday(12-15-12) at the Orange Park Christian Center Gym in Jacksonville, Fla. Several  new players attended the workout. The players participated in several drills, shooting drills, fast break drills. The workout concluded with a scrimmage with both teams equally matched-the red team beat the white team by two points at the buzzer. After practice, Savannah Grizzlies Head Basketball Coach, Willie Ponds, talks about the team.

Albany Shockwave 120 Savannah Grizzlies 97

The Savannah Grizzlies played the Albany Shockwave in a rematch game Saturday evening at the Middle School Gym in Hardeeville, South Carolina. Final score Albany Shockwave 120 Savannah Grizzlies 97.
The first quarter was evenly played with Albany leading at the end of the quarter, 27-26. At the half it was Albany leading 53-51. Leading scorer at the half for Albany was Darrell Williams with 15 points. Leading scorers for Savannah were Brandon Russ with 17 points and Maurice Brown with 10.
In the third quarter, Albany pulled away creating steals and Shockwave players driving to the basket to take a 90-74 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Shockwave played well in the fourth quarter and won 120-97.
Leading scorer for Albany was Darrell Williams who had 36 points. In the first three Albany wins, Williams has scored 63, 43, and 36 points.
Savannah leading scorers were Maurice Brown with 21 points and Brandon Russ with 20 points.

Above, Savannah Grizzlies Head Basketball Coach, Willie Ponds, gives instructions to his starters prior to tip off.
After the game, Albany Head Coach Al Smith, talked about the improvements he would like to see his team make in future games.

Grizzlies Tickets

Tomorrow(Satruday), the Savannah Grizzlies play the Albany Shockwave at 7:00pm at the Middle School in Hardeeville, South Carolina.
The cost of the ticket at the door is $8.00. However you can purchase  a ticket for $5.00 by calling Lon Forbes at 912-323-0291), or call Wally Murphy at 912-655-8248.

The Middle School is an excellent venue and easily accessible right off I-95.

Savannah Rematch With Albany

The Savannah Grizzlies play the Albany Shockwave in a rematch game 7:00pm Saturday evening(12-8-12) at the Middle School Gym , 150 Hurricane Alley, in Hardeeville, South Carolina.
On November 16, Albany beat Savannah 131-85 at the Albany Civic Center led by Shockwave SG,SF,PF Darrell Williams (6'-7"), who scored 63 points.
The ABA Power Rankings ending Dcember 2, list the Albany Shockwave as the 15 best team in the rankings. 

Head Coach Willie Ponds of the Savannah Grizzlies talks about the team after the Jacksonville Giants game.

Jacksonville Giants 130 Savannah Grizzlies 98

The #1ranked team in the ABA, the Jacksonville Giants played the Savannah Grizzlies in Hardeeville, South Carolina Tuesday evening. The game was played at a beautiful gym, middle school in Hardeeville. Final score Jacksonville Giants 130, Savannah Grizzlies 98.
The game was close the first part of the first quarter and then Jacksonville utilized their full court pressure defense and they led at the end of the first quarter 27-14. At the half it was Jacksonville 53, Savannah 40. Leading scores for Jacksonville at the half: Jermaine Bell with 12 and Ed Horton with 11. Savannah leading scores: Brandon Russ with 9 and Sam Osborne with 8.
At the end of the third quarter Jacksonville led 85-69. Jacksonville won their third game of the season 130-98.
Leading scorers for the game for the Grizzlies were Maurice Brown with 22 and Brandon Russ with 17.
High scorers for Jacksonville: Anthony Jackson with 27, Jermaine Bell 19, and Ed Horton with 16.
After the game, Savannah Head Coach, Willie Ponds talked about the game on the video.

Giants/Grizzlies play in Hardeeville tonight

The #1 ABA Jacksonville Giants play the Savannah Grizzlies tonight(Tuesday, 12-4-12), starting at 7pm at Hardeeville High School Gym, 150 Hurricane Alley, Hardeeville, South Carolina29927. Fans can catch the game on live stream on Facebook starting at 7pm.

Jacksonville Giants VS. Savannah Grizzlies

The Jacksonville Giants, who won the ABA Championship last year, play the Savannah Grizzlies tomorrow(Tuesday, 12-4-12). The game starts at 7:00 pm and is being played at the Hardeeville High School Gym in Hardeeville, South Carolina.
Giants Head Coach, Kevin Waters, has another strong team this season and the Giants are ranked number one by the ABA Power Rankings. Returning to play for the Giants, 7'-0" center Jermaine Bell. Last year at the ABA Championship Finals, Bell was voted Most Valuable Player.

Giants game to be rescheduled.

The Savannah Grizzlies game against the Jacksonville Giants scheduled Sunday(12-2-12) at 5 at Savannah High School Gym has been postponed and is being re-scheduled the first of the week. When finalized, I will post the time and place the game will be played.

Scheduling Error

The game between the Savannah Grizzlies and the Atlanta Wildcats scheduled tonight(11-30-12) at 8:00 pm at Savannah High School Gym will not be played. Apparently, the Atlanta Wildcats have scheduled to play a team tonight in Atlanta.

Grizzlies win home opener

The Savannah Grizzlies won their inaugural home game Thursday evening against the Southwest Warriors 151 to 111.
At the end of the first quarter Savannah played good pressure defense, making steals and leading the fast break to take a lead of 30 to 23. At the half the Grizzlies increased their lead to 76 to 51.
Leading scorer at the half for Southwest was Willie Brownlee with 19 points followed by Brandon O'brian with 13.
For Savannah, at the half Trey Kemp had  17 points and Otho Hampton added 13.
At the end of the third quarter, Savannah led 118-84 and the final score was Savannah Grizzlies 151, Southwest Warriors 111.
The keys for the Grizzlies was their tenacious defense which helped to create fast break opportunities. Savannah made a good percentage of their three point shots.
Leading scores for Savannah: Ortho Hamption 28 points, Eric "Magic" Ruffin 23 points, Trey Kemp 23 points, and Maurice Brown with 21 points. 
After the game I spoke with Southwest Warriors Coach Presley who spoke favorably about the Grizzlies saying they "are a great team and they made a high percentage of their shots. They shot better than we did and they played good defense." 
Coach Jessie Fleming spoke about the win after the game. 

Grizzlies Home Opener

Savannah Grizzlies players Austin James, Courtney Beach, and Warren Goosby at Meet and Greet last night at Coach's Corner.

Tonight(Thursday, 11-29-12) the Savannah Grizzlies play their first home game of the season against the Southwest Warriors at 7:30 pm at Savannah High School Gym.

Grizzlies Schedule This Week

The Savannah Grizzlies have a busy schedule this week. Tomorrow (Thursday, 11-29-12) they play the Southwest Warriors starting at 7:30 pm at Savannah High School Gym.
Friday(11-30-12) the Grizzlies host the Atlanta Wildcats starting at 8:00 pm at Savannah High School Gym. According to the ABA Power Rankings, the Atlanta Wildcats are the 11th best team in the rankings.

Sunday the Jacksonville Giants come to Savannah to play the Grizzlies at 5 at  Savannah High School Gym. Jacksonville, who won the ABA National Championship last year, is ranked as the number 1ranked team in the Power Rankings.

Meet and Greet Grizzlies

The ABA Savannah Grizzlies players will be at the Coach's Corner tonight(Wednesday, 11-28-12) at 7:00pm for a meet and greet. Stop by and meet and talk with the Grizzlies players. They have a busy schedule this week, as they play games Thursday at 8, Friday at 8, and Sunday afternoon at 5pm- all the games will be played at the Savannah High School Gym. 

Grizzlies game Sunday cancelled

The Savannah Grizzlies game with the Gainesville  Heat scheduled today(Sunday, 11-25-12) has been cancelled.

Grizzlies Game Cancelled for Saturday

The Savannah Grizzlies game with the East Point Jaguars scheduled for tonight(Saturday 11-24-12) has been postponed and will be re-scheduled.

Grizzlies Play Home Opener

The Savannah Grizzlies play their home opener game Saturday(11-24-12) against the East Point Jaguars at Savannah State Tiger Arena. Game starts at 8:00pm.

Sunday(11-25-12) the Grizzlies return to  Tiger Arena  to play the Gainesville Heat with the game starting at 5:00pm. According to the ABA Power Rankings, the Gainesville Heat is ranked as the 30th best team.

Courtside Cafe

Friday evening I was at the Savannah Grizzlies/Albany Shockwave basketball game held at the Albany Civic Center in Albany, Georgia. For the first time at a game, I saw a Cafe court side. According to www.albanyshockwave.com, "For just $45 per person, you get one of the best seats in the house. Plus, you'll have access to free food and limited drink vouchers from the time the door open through the end of halftime." You will have to check it out when you attend a game at the Civic Center in Albany, Georgia.

Grizzlies Owner Dr. Fred Heath

Savannah Grizzlies Owner, Dr. Fred Heath, talks about the game after the loss to the Albany Shockwave Friday evening.

Albany Shockwave 131 Savannah Grizzlies 85

The Savannah Grizzlies played their first game of the ABA season Friday evening against the Albany Shockwave in Albany, Georgia. Darrell Williams scored 63 points to lead Albany to a 131-85 victory over Savannah.
At the end of the first quarter, Albany held a 29-16 lead. In the second quarter, Savannah got within 6 points, but Albany pulled away and led at the half, 60-43. At the half, Darrell Williams had 32 points for Albany  and Sam Osborne led Savannah with 10 points.
At the end of the third quarter, the Shockwave led 99-66. Final score Albany 131Savannah 85.
Darrell Williams was outstanding for Albany scoring 63 points for the game. The 6'-7" 180 pound, SG, SF, PF,  hit numerous 3 point shots from the corner and had numerous fast break buckets for his team. Williams made 21 field goals and was perfect from the free throw line with 11. Williams ,who did not attend college, led his team in rebounding with 15.
Leading Savannah in scoring was Otho Hampton with 17 points. Sam Osborne added 14, Joe Mincey 11, Maurice Brown 11, and Courtney Beach scored 10.
After the game I talked with Coach Al Smith of the Shockwave, and he said: "we can play better defense and need to work on staying in front of our man on defense and not reach with our arms committing fouls." He was pleased with the offense. 
The venue at the Albany Civic Center was excellent and reminded several of us of the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. An interesting facet of the Center was their court side cafe
where fans could eat and had a great view to watch the game.

Grizzlies play first game on the Road

The Savannah Grizzlies play their first game of the ABA season on the road traveling to Albany, Georgia to play the Albany Shockwave Friday(November 16, 2012) . The game is being played at the Albany Civic Center with tip off at 7:30 pm. Fans can catch the game on live stream Friday evening by going to Facebook.

Savannah Grizzlies Head Coach Jessie Fleming

Savannah Grizzlies Head Basketball Coach Jessie Fleming talks about loss to the Florida Makos Saturday afternoon.

Florida Makos 102 Savannah Grizzlies 90

The Savannah Grizzlies played the Florida Makos Saturday afternoon at the Johnson High School Gym in Savannah, Georgia. Savannah led after the first two quarters, but the Makos rallied and won the game 102-90.
The Grizzlies played well the first quarter, and led at the end of the period, 29-18. At half time it was Savannah with the lead, 51-49. The leading scorer for the Makos at the half was Brandon Russ with 17 points. Maurice Brown scored 17 points and Sam Osborne scored 16 points for Savannah.
After three quarters it was Florida Makos leading 80-71. Final score Florida 102, Savannah 90.
Leading scorer for the game for the Makos was Russ with 30 points. Eddie Brown added 18 points.
Brown scored 32 points for the Grizzlies for the game and Osborne added 20 points. 
After the game, Grizzlies Head Basketball Coach Jessie Fleming, talked about the game, saying the team did not shoot well and the next week the team will work on their defense(you can see Coach Fleming talk about the game on Facebook).

Grizzlies Exhibition Game

The ABA Savannah Grizzlies General Manager, Lon Forbes, announced the Grizzlies will play an exhibition game against the ABA Florida Makos tomorrow(Saturday, November 10, 2012). The game is being played at the Johnson High School Gym, 3012 Sunset Blvd. Savannah, Georgia with the game starting at 1:00pm. The cost of the game is $5.00 which you can get your ticket at the gate. Fans come out to the game and watch exciting ABA Professional Basketball. 

Grizzlies Practice

The Savannah Grizzlies, ABA professional basketball team, practiced for two hours Friday evening at the Delaware Center.

Head Basketball Coach for the Grizzlies, Jessie Fleming, led off the practice by having the players stretching, followed by dribbling, passing, and shooting drills. The practice concluded with a full court scrimmage. 

Grizzlies General Manager

The ABA Savannah Grizzlies, professional basketball team, has  a General Manager, Mr. Lon Forbes.
Playing all sports in high school, Forbes graduated from Wells-Easton PHS in 1966. He was active in the choir.
From 1966 to 1970, Forbes attended Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa, receiving. a BS in Social Sicence Divisional and Physical Ed.
Teaching Social Studies in Montgomery-Lonsdale PHS in Montgomery, Mn. from 1970 to 1971, Forbes coached football, basketball, and baseball with the basketball and football teams going undefeated.
Since 1971, Forbes has worked various administrative and marketing sales roles for other companies as well as working on his own.
Currently, he is driving limos for Old Savannah Toursas as well as spending time at one of his hobbies, restoring antiques.
Forbes has toured the United States, South America and Europe on singing tours. He frequently sings the National Anthem and speaks at Christian and community functions. Married to Linda with children in Heaven and on Earth.
Hobbies include singing, all sports, ministering to the homeless and needy, and making furniture from bats, balls, and other materials.

ABA Savannah Grizzlies Hold Final Tryout

The ABA Savannah Grizzlies held their third and final tryout Saturday, July 28, 2012 at the P. B. Edwards Gym in Port Wentworth from 5:00-8:00pm.
Twenty two players attended the tryout to compete to make the roster.
Starting out the session, players loosened up by running laps around the gym floor, followed by several full court drills. The players were divided into 4 teams of 5 players on a team and took turns scrimmaging full court.

Owner Dr. Fred Heath and staff must now review the 3 tryouts and select the players for the ABA Savannah Grizzlies.

Grizzlies Tryout

The ABA Savannah Grizzlies held their second tryout Sunday, July 15, 2012 at the P. B. Edwards Gym in Port Wentworth, Georgia.
Grizzlies owner, Dr. Fred Heath , reports twenty five players participated in the four hour workout. Players went thru various drills, ball handling, fast break, and shooting drills and then divided into five teams of five against five full court basketball.

Later this month, another tryout will be held. Contact Dr. Heath at (912-604-1073) for details.

The ABA Savannah Grizzlies professional  basketball team announced they will have a tryout Sunday July 15th at 5:00pm at P B Edwards Gym, 101 Turnberry Street, Port Went Worth, Ga.31407. For more information and to register, call the Grizzlies at 912-604-1073 or e-mail at savannahgrizzlies@gmail.com.