Mayas & Ravia to battle for WBA Title… Minor league basketball through out the country has been in a quagmire the past year. The World Basketball Association (WBA) has suffered through its share of many of the same difficulties this season. Despite enduring great trials this spring, along with having to shorten the regular season, the WBA will move ahead with plans to crown a 2007 Champion.
After being named to their respective Conference Titles, Mayas USA and the Gwinnett Ravia Rebels will battle it out in a best of three Championship Series for the WBA Crown. Mayas will represent the Western Conference, while Ravia is the Eastern Conference Champions.
Mayas-USA captured the Western Conference Title, finishing the shortened season with a 10-1 overall record. Led by Head Coach Lionel Garrett, who was recently named the 2007 WBA Coach of the Year, Mayas has a talented core of WBA veterans, including two-time WBA MVP MaJic Dorsey, Edmund Saunders, and Bobby Brown. Garrett, Dorsey and Saunders teamed to bring the Rome Gladiators its first WBA Crown in 2005. Saunders, who owns a NCAA Title ring from his days at Uconn, was also a member of Rome's 2006 WBA Title. Brown, who was awarded his third consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award, been a WBA All-league selection the past three years. Garrett, who played for the Harlem Globetrotters after being drafted to the NBA in 1979, was recently named to the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame. Mayas also boasts the proverbial "Noah's Arc" of roster support, with two viable big men in Reo Logan and Jeff Daisley, two athletic wings in Brandon Hartley and Kareem Grant, and long range shooters in Brandon Heredia and Edgar Soto. The ownership group of the Flota family, with Carlos serving as the principal field marshal, has provided the Mayas USA club with a supreme level of stability that permeates the recipe for success. Upon completion of the WBA Championship Series, Mayas will return to Mexico for preparations for the upcoming LNBP season.
The Gwinnett Ravia-Rebels, have been the surprise of the WBA season. Joining the WBA, just days before opening night, Ravia has been immediately a competitive force. Under the ownership of Mary Martinez and Jesse Torres, the Rebels quickly put together an exciting, high-octane team that could put points on the board, while also playing hard-nosed basketball. The Rebels finished the abbreviated WBA season with a 6-4 overall record, with all four losses coming by narrow margins, including two of those by virtue of overtime. Two of their close losses also were against Mayas-USA. WBA Rookie of the Year and first team All-League selection, Evan Brock has led the way for the Rebels, while introducing his fresh 'inside-outside' style of play to the league. Joe Hamilton's high-flying act has perfectly complimented the outside shooting triage of Rodney Kirtz, Wayne Arnold and rookie PG Golden Ingle. Chris Jackson and David Monds, who joined the team a few games in, has also infused the ability for the team to have multiple post up options. Jackson, from a guard position, can muscle smaller defenders with his strong physique and shoot from the perimeter, and Monds has given Ravia another option in the post with his ability to maneuver around the paint. Utility player, Robert Cox has provided a great mix of defense, athleticism and scoring ability for Ravia, while Adrien Borders has also been very solid at the guard position both offensively and defensively. Cox and Borders were both named to the WBA All-defensive team for this season.
Mayas-USA took the two regular season games from Ravia but not in easy fashion. Back on May 18, Mayas had to battle back from a 26-point deficit to narrowly defeat the Rebels 118-115 at Berkmar. Dorsey downed 25 fourth quarter points and Bobby Brown had 18 in the second half, to help kick-start their team into a stirring comeback win. A week later in Longview, Ravia put Mayas to the test again, with Mayas pulling out a 118-111 victory. In their only other meeting, Ravia actually defeated Mayas in a friendly match, so the Rebels know what it takes to compete.
So, the stage is set for an interesting conclusion to what has been a trying season for the WBA community. Never in the WBA's four-year existence has the league opted for a series type of format for the Finals. Clearly, the two most deserving teams are pitted against one another for the rights to claim what will surely be considered a "bitter-sweet"end. Regardless of the hardships, you can bet the level of play which will be displayed this week will not be diluted in any shape, form or fashion. The players for both teams will be going as hard as they can. Mayas-USA will add to the excitement and opportunity for exposure by having the Series televised for viewing all across the Yucatan and Mexico. Players will also have the ability to be exposed to LNBP teams through out Mexico, which is the league that Mayas is also a member of during the traditional winter basketball season.
The series will begin on Thursday night with the two evenly matched teams tipping off at 7:30pm. The Title series will continue on Friday at 7:30pm, followed by game three on Sunday beginning at 4:30pm (if necessary). The series will be held at Berkmar High School 405 Pleasant Hill Rd. in Lilburn (GA).
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