Former Mentor boys basketball standout Cole Krizancic had plans to coach the freshman boys basketball team at his alma mater this winter, but things have changed.
That’s because semi-pro basketball is coming to Lake County.
The American Basketball Association announced Sept. 17 it is bringing an expansion team to Lake County for the 2021-22 season.
The team will be branded the Burning River Buckets and be located in Willoughby. The season is 20 games, and the Buckets open the season Nov. 6. Ticket information will be announced at a later date.
Home games will be played at Lakeland Community College, but the team announced a plan to purchase “a free-standing facility over the course of the next few years to construct their own arena in Lake County.”
Currently, the roster consists of seven players, and the headliners are Mentor graduates Krizancic and Justin Fritts, the 2012 Mr. Basketball award winner who was also The News-Herald’s boys basketball player of the year that same season.
Krizancic was The N-H’s first back-to-back winner of that award (2010 and 2011) since VASJ’s David Lighty did it in 2005 and 2006.
“When I was approached about playing, right away I was interested,” said Krizancic, 29, who played in college at Ashland. “Then I talked to Justin, and told him, ‘We have to do this.’ ”
Which led to a no-brainer decision by Fritts, who had a solid college career at Division II Wheeling Jesuit.
“The thing that really got to me was when COVID hit,” said Fritts, 27, who with Krizancic has been working with the Mentor basketball training the past few months. “I really didn’t know how much I missed basketball until that. I can’t wait for the season.”
Krizancic and Fritts will no doubt bring Lake County name recognition to the ABA’s newest franchise. Speaking of name recognition, those familiar with the ABA that was the upstart league from late 1960s, took on the NBA and was home to Julius Erving should know the current ABA has no relation to the former.
The current ABA was founded in 1999 and started with eight teams in 2000. Through the years, the league has fluctuated its number of teams. According to ABAliveaction, the league now consists of a whopping 12 regions and more than 200 teams.
The Buckets are a member of the North Central Region with 32 other franchises. They will be coached by Patrick Koenig, the brother of former Notre Dame College men’s basketball coach Tim Koenig.
Other players on the roster include Willoughby South graduate Anthony Coleman, who played at Edinboro and former NDC players K.T. Taylor, Bruce Hodges III, Kah’Ron White and Aaron Beidleman.
