Seattle Ballers

The Seattle Ballers were a basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. The team competed in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created for high school and junior college players as an alternative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Seattle Ballers
LeagueJBA
Founded2018
HistorySeattle Ballers
2018 JBA season
LocationSeattle, Washington
Team coloursGreen, gold, white
     
Head coachCharles O'Bannon

History

The JBA was first announced on December 20, 2017, when media personality LaVar Ball said to Slam magazine that he would create a professional league targeted at high school graduates and fully funded by his sports apparel company Big Baller Brand.[1][2] The league held tryouts in Seattle in April 2018, initially selecting only four players onto the Seattle Ballers team.[3] Among them was Semaj Booker, who had previously made national headlines as a runaway child at age nine.[4] During an episode of Ball In The Family, it was revealed that joining alongside Booker were Ismael Muhammad, Joe Saterfield Jr., and Erwin Weary Jr.[5] At its tryout in Houston, Texas at a later date, the league brought in three-star recruit and former Southern Utah commit Jerell Springer to the Seattle Ballers squad.[6] On June 16, 2018, the JBA announced former UCLA basketball player Charles O'Bannon as the Ballers' head coach.

2018 roster

Seattle Ballers roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
SG 0 Springer, Jerell (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 22 – (1999-01-19)19 January 1999
G/F 1 Booker, Semaj 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 23 – (1997-06-25)25 June 1997
SF 2 Vargas, Jerry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
SG 3 Morgan, JaMichael 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
C 5 Mitchell, Devin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 21 – (1999-03-05)5 March 1999
PF 8 Mischke, Julius 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
SG 11 Cotton, Josiah 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 21 – (1999-11-16)16 November 1999
SG 15 Muhammad, Ishmael 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 21 – (1999-05-23)23 May 1999
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Chris O'Bannon
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured
Updated: July 14, 2018

References
  1. Calle, Franklyn (December 20, 2017). "LaVar Ball Launches Pro League". SLAM. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  2. Rovell, Darren (December 21, 2017). "LaVar Ball plans to start league for high school graduates". ESPN. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  3. Martin, Josh (April 26, 2018). "LaVar Ball's JBA league to reportedly hold more tryouts in Chicago". Lonzo Wire. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  4. Martin, Josh (April 10, 2018). "This JBA Seattle recruit was a famous runaway, stole car when he was 9". Lonzo Wire. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  5. https://lonzowire.usatoday.com/2018/06/17/ball-in-the-family-going-to-lavar-balls-jba-was-lamelo-balls-idea/
  6. Grimala, Mike (April 22, 2018). "Why this Las Vegas basketball player is skipping college for LaVar Ball's pro league". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
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