Posts Tagged ‘Darren Mackay’

Storm Land Six Players In The NBL Draft

Posted: August 27, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Left to Right. Storm owner Darren MacKay, Storm owner Duncan Shaw, assistant coach Mike Leslie, head coach Joe Saleno.

In what was an action packed draft to say the least the Storm held on to their five picks and acquired a high pick via trade.

About fifteen minutes into the draft, from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Storm were on the clock with the third overall selection.  With the pick they selected James Hassell a 6’10 shot blocker who was co-owner Duncan Shaw’s first choice.

In a major shake up the Storm traded away Louie McCroskey and cash considerations for the Oshawa Power’s fourth overall pick Chad Gillaspy.  Gillaspy is a 6’6 220 pound shooting guard.

With the seventh pick via the Troy Gottselig trade to Halifax the Storm selected 6’3 guard Avery Smith from Wisconsin.

On to the second round where the Storm went with a 6’2 point guard Reggie Robinson out of Northwestern University.

In the third round with the nineteenth overall selection the Storm selected 6’6 shooting forward Michael Norwood.

And finally with the twenty third overall pick via trade with Halifax the Storm selected 6’6 forward Brandon Bush.

Meanwhile back in Summerside some 75 fans gathered at the Credit Union Place to watch a live streaming of the draft.  Storm forward Doug McKinney was on hand for the event along with Al Stewart and Chris Cayole via Skype.  The video call with Al Stewart from his Chicago home may have caused the most excitement when he announced that he would be returning to the Storm for the 2012-2013 NBL season.

During the draft party in Summerside, drafted players called over speaker phone from Toronto to get their first chance to introduced themselves to the fans.  Of the five players that called in; four claimed that defence is their strong suit and they all claimed to be hard working athletes.  However the most common question asked by Paul Schurman was “are you familiar with PEI?”  and you guessed it, all five said no!

This was a great night for the Storm, trading away McCroskey (an amzing defender) who was unlikely to return was a great move by the management.  With 3 of the 8 first round selections I’ll be expecting big things from our rookies.  But it’s important to remember about a possible diamond in the rough, Chris Cayole the Storms lone All Star wasn’t a first round selection!

Here is four of the Storm’s six draft picks.

Third overall pick Brandon Hassell

Fourth overall selection Chad Gillaspy

7th overall selection Avery Smith

Second round pick Reggy Robinson

19th overall pick Michael Norwood

23rd overall selection Brandon Bush

NBL Draft And Party Tonight

Posted: August 27, 2012 in Uncategorized
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The Summerside Storm

Invite You To Our

2nd Annual Draft Party

Monday August 27th, 2012

At

Credit Union Place, Summerside

Doors Open at 7:15 pm, NBL of Canada Draft Live Streaming from Toronto at 8:00 pm with Interviews with Owners, Coach, and Players

Prize Giveaways Including a Storm Season Ticket for 2012-13

The first major event of the National Basketball League of Canada season is tonight in Toronto when the league meets for its 2nd league draft. The eight teams of the NBL will get together and draft players who played during the two day NBL combine in Toronto. Day one featured Canadian players while day two featured non-Canadian players.

For the Summerside Storm, it’s an important draft as they will have five picks in the first three rounds. StormCoaches and Owners will have two picks in the first round, one pick in the second round, and two more picks in the third round. The two extra picks came from the Halifax Rainmen in a trade between the two teams last season.

The draft takes place this evening beginning at 8 pm AST and the Storm will be hosting a Draft Party at Credit Union Place in Summerside with the doors opening at 7:15. The draft is being live streamed by the league and the Storm will have the draft on the big screen in the Veterans Convention Centre. The evening will feature interviews with current Storm players Al Stewart and Chris Cayole while Storm forward and Prince EdwardIsland product Doug McKinney will be in attendance. Also during the evening some lucky attendee will win a season ticket for the upcoming Storm season.

Coach Salerno Re-signs

Posted: August 10, 2012 in Uncategorized
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Storm coach Joe Salerno walking the sidelines at a home game

 

Summerside Storm Co-Owners Duncan Shaw and Darren MacKay have announcedCoach Joe Salerno has returned for the Storms second season.

Salerno led the Storm through their inaugural season which saw the team compile a record of 12-24 and finishing in 6th place in the 7 team league.

“We’re very excited to have Coach Salerno back with us for another year,” said Shaw. “We think he’s a great young coach that can both help us to win today and grow into an even better coach in the future.”

“Consistency is critical to improving on the court. We’ve been scouting all summer at several big events. We are running our own tryout combines. We are way ahead of last year and having consistency in our coaching staff has been critical to that progress.”

The Storm franchise will do everything it takes to make the NBL play-offs this season while continuing its commitment to the community by attempting to raise $50,000 for community groups and organizations throughout Prince Edward Island. The franchise raisedover $20,000 last season.

Eight teams make up two divisions of the NBL this season with the expansion Windsor Express joining the Central Division with the London Lightning (last year’s Champions), the Oshawa Power, and the Kebs, who have moved from Quebec City to Laval, Quebec.

The STORM, the Island’s Professional Basketball franchise, is gearing up for its second season in the NBL. Season, Corporate and Group ticket options along withticket prices are expected to be released in the near future offering Prince Edward Islanders another great chance to see pro sports at very affordable pricing.

Training camp opens October 15th and this year will be open to the public.

The Storm Centre, the Storm’s office location at Credit Union Place in Summerside, is now open for the coming season.

Meanwhile, the last of the four basketball camps the Storm are running this summer takes place at Souris Regional High School in Souris from August 20th to 23rd. Registrations are still being taken for this camp.

 

Storm Will Continue To Call Summerside Home

Posted: May 16, 2012 in Uncategorized
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A media conference today at the Credit Union Place was the site of thunderous applause when it was announced that the Storm would return to Summerside for the 2012-2013 NBL season.

Duncan Shaw and Darren MacKay confirmed the signing with the Credit Union Place for next year just after 1:30pm in front of the Storm Center.

The day kicked off with a parade of young children marching into the building led by Summerside native Ken Trenholm who was the man behind the petition to keep the Storm in Summerside which obtained nearly 700 electronic signatures.

Bill Schurman opened the press conference by speaking about the community aspect of the team.  ”Sarah Fraser from CBC asked me Duncan and Darren what our record was last season and none of us had any idea, and I’m proud of that.  This year we weren’t focused on wins and losses but building a relationship with the community, and I think we’ve done that quite well.”

Ken Trenholm then spoke about the value this team has to the community and his family.  Trenholm said that he considers Storm games as family time between him, his wife, and his kids which was why he fought so hard to keep them in Summerside.

Mayor Basil Stewart opened his speech by congratulation the team on their early success and finally signing a deal with the arena.  He then proceeded by thanking Duncan and Darren for having the patience and confidence to re-sign with the city for another year.  ”I’ve met with representatives from other cities that have NBL teams and they’ve all agreed that the Storm are lucky to have a building as refreshing as the Credit Union Place.”

Duncan Shaw finished the conference off by explaining all of the fan support they’ve received not only from Summerside but all of West Prince was a driving force in getting a deal signed.  ”I’ve talked to people from every corner of the Island and they all agreed that Summerside is where this team belongs.”

In an interview with the Journal Pioneer Shaw said; “you can’t put a dollar figure on the fan support.  Could you build it somewhere else? Maybe.  But you have it, and it’s such a huge thing to have that you don’t want to mess with it unless you have to.”

Where Should The Storm Play Next Season?

Posted: March 22, 2012 in Uncategorized
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It’s being reported that the Storm are considering a move out of the immaculate Credit Union Place to play next season in the 22 year old Charlottetown Civic Centre, what do you think about the possible move?  Make sure to vote and leave a comment.

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