Team Motion bringing ABA basketball to Albany

ALBANY — Albany basketball fans will have a new team to call their own this fall.

Albany Team Motion is preparing for its inaugural season in the American Basketball Association, with home games scheduled to be played at the Albany Area YMCA on Gillionville Road.

The team will make its home debut Sunday, Oct. 11, with tipoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The gym will open at 2 p.m.

Team Motion is coached by Rabren Pittman, with Willie Burke serving as assistant coach, and the organization is assembling a roster featuring players with college and professional basketball experience.

Among the newest additions are Mike Isler and Rabren Pittman Jr., who will be formally introduced as part of the organization’s signing day as Team Motion continues building its roster for the upcoming season. Isler played high school ball at Westover and college basketball at Presbyterian College. Pittman played for the Dougherty Trojans and then spent two years at Southern Crescent.

The ABA name is one familiar to longtime basketball fans. The original American Basketball Association operated from 1967-76 and featured stars such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving before four of its franchises joined the NBA. The current ABA, which began play in 2000, adopted the historic league’s name and red, white and blue basketball while operating as a professional minor league.

For Team Motion, however, the emphasis will be on establishing something new in Albany.

The organization hopes to combine competitive basketball with an affordable, family-oriented atmosphere while building a team with strong ties to the community.

Playing at the Albany Area YMCA gives Team Motion a familiar local home and provides basketball fans an opportunity to watch professional-level competition without leaving Southwest Georgia.

The Oct. 11 opener will provide the first look at what Pittman and his staff have assembled.

Team officials say the roster will include a combination of former college players and athletes with professional experience, with additional details expected as the season approaches.

The organization is also hoping to build a fan base from the beginning.

General admission tickets for the opener are $10, while VIP passes are available for $15 and include an enhanced game-day experience.

Tickets are already on sale for the Oct. 11 debut.

For a city with a long basketball tradition, Team Motion represents something different — a chance for former college and professional players to continue competing and for Albany fans to have another hometown team to support.

The first opportunity to see it arrives Oct. 11.

The doors open at 2 p.m.

Then, at 2:30, Albany’s newest basketball team takes the floor.