The Staten Island Vipers and the professional league they play for got some big news Thursday. The American Basketball Association announced it has signed an agreement with ESPN to carry 40 games on ESPN3 beginning in November. We are very excited to be a part of the ESPN family for our regular season, stated ABA CEO Joe Newman. The success we had with the Final Eight from Shreveport on ESPN3 was tremendous. And now fans will have an opportunity to see fast-paced, exciting ABA professional basketball every week. The games will be televised on Saturday nights and Sunday evenings beginning Saturday, Nov. 8 and Sunday, Nov. 9. The times, schedules and teams will be announced later. ESPN3 is ESPNs live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible online at WatchESPN, on smart phones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Apple TV and Roku. The network is currently available to more than 85 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smart phones and tablets connected to on campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks. Vipers owner Ayanna Phillip is excited about the TV/web deal with ESPN. The ESPN deal is a great opportunity for the ABA to establish itself more as a professional basketball league, especially in the Northeast Division, said Philip, who was named Division Chairman for the Northeast as well. With this new break I would hope to have more Staten Island native players want to come out and represent the Vipers. It was my original goal to show the world the talent we have in our small forgotten borough of Staten Island. Phillip said a handful of Vipers games will be broadcast by ESPN3. The Vipers are getting ready for their fourth season. They are holding joint tryouts with the Jersey Express Saturday, July 19, at Weequahic High School, located at 279 Chancellor Ave, Newark, N.J. 07112. The Vipers play their home games at various Island high schools. Th team usually boasts a handful of Staten Islanders, former high school and college standouts looking to extend their careers.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 11:01:47 +0000