Union Can See the Future
Randy Loatman hopes there is a generation of young basketball players who aspire to play in the new Eastern Canadian Basketball League someday. Loatman, the Manager of Business and Basketball operations with the Saint John Union, is optimistic he’ll see many of those players this weekend.
Loatman will join the Union Head Coach Rob Spon and Assistant Coach Anthony Anderson had the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Final 12 provincial high school basketball championships at TD Station in Saint John. Spon has coached at a high level for more than 30 years and Anderson is the all-time leading scorer in the National Basketball League of Canada.
“We are looking forward to seeing the games as well as meeting some of the players and coaches,” Loatman says. “We know the teams have worked hard to get this far and we wish the best of luck to everyone, including the teams and organizers who have also worked hard,” he adds.
The Final 12 will begin tonight (February 23) with a pair of A Division championship games. Sothern Victoria and Harvey will tip off in the girls’ final at 6 p.m. and Harvey will clash with John Caldwell of Grand Falls in the boys’ final at 8 p.m.
The tournament will resume on Saturday at 1 p.m., when St. Stephen and Woodstock will meet in the girls’ AA final then Miramichi Valley and Carleton North will square off in the boys’ final. The AAA title games will see Miramichi Valley and St. Malachy’s of Saint John meet at 6 p.m. then Fredericton High will face cross-town rival Leo Hayes in the boys’ game.
“We have made a commitment to being visible in the community and being supportive of local organizations,” Loatman says. “We congratulate these girls and boys for following their dreams on the basketball court.”
The Union coaches will also attend a basketball fan’s 80th birthday party and a community service on Sunday at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Milledgeville, a neighborhood in the city’s north end. Training camp for the Union will begin on or near March 15. They will begin their regular season on March 31, when they host the Bathurst Bears.
All six teams in the Eastern Canadian Basketball League will play 26-game regular season games. Other teams are: Moncton Motion, Charlottetown Power, Truro Tide, Bathurst Bears, and Valley Vipers.
Season tickets are available at TD Station and anyone interested in corporate sponsorships can contact Loatman at (506) 645-0341.
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