Veteran Coach Bounces With Excitement
Rob Spon has been coaching professional basketball for more than a quarter of a century and it’s easy to assume he’s seen it all. However, the head coach of the Saint John Union has never seen anything like the new Eastern Canadian Basketball League and there’s no hiding his excitement.
“I love everything about it,” Spon says. “All of the teams are in the Maritimes and it’s all about giving opportunities for local kids to watch pros and dream about playing pro some day.”
Saint John Union, Bathurst Bears, Moncton Motion, Summerside Slam, Charlottetown Power, Truro Tide and Valley Vipers will tip off the league’s inaugural season in mid- March. Spon, a Pittsburgh native who is a resident of New Brunswick, coached at the high school and college levels before turning pro in the International Basketball Association in 1997.
He’s also coached in the United States Basketball League, Continental Basketball Association and National Basketball League of Canada, where he guided the Saint John Riptide, Quebec City Kebs, Halifax Hurricanes and Cape Breton Highlanders.
“I know that I have been able to coach winning teams every where that I have been, but this league is about more than winning,” said Spon, who just turned 60.
“We’re all about building the game in our cities – visiting schools, hospitals, local groups. We want to build good players and good people.”
Papa Johns
In 1984, Papa Johns Pizza started in the small town of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and its popularity has spread all the way to Atlantic Canada. Today, Papa Johns boasts over 3,600 restaurants and can be found in more than 35 international markets outside of the USA. In Atlantic Canada, we opened our first Papa Johns franchise in Moncton, operating under the name of PJ Atlantic Restaurants Ltd. in 2009.
This was the first of many Papa Johns restaurants to be opening over the next few years to serve the Maritime provinces. We now have a dozen restaurants in the following areas:
639 Mountain Rd., Moncton
555 Dieppe Blvd., Dieppe
20 Plaza Ave., Saint John
528 Smythe St., Fredericton
133 McAllister Dr. Saint John
19 Babineau Ave., Charlottetown
1909 Mountain Rd., Moncton
269 Main St., Fredericton
94 Hampton Rd., Rothesay
540 Pinewood Rd., Riverview
961 Bedford Highway, Bedford
644 Portland St., Dartmouth
We believe in our brand’s heritage and commitment to quality. We believe that better Ingredients really do make a better pizza.